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THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY,
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i 5-

SERMONS

ON

PRACTICAL SUBJECTS.

BY

ROBERT WALKER,

LATE ONE OF THE MINISTERS OF THE HIGH CHURCH
OF EDINBURGH.

TO WHICH IS PREFIXED,

A CHARACTER of the AUTHOR,
By HUGH BLAIR, D.D.

VOLUME THE FOURTH.

SECOND EDITION.

LONDON:

Printed for THOMAS KAY, No. 332, oppollte
Somerfet Houfe, Strand ;

And W. pREECH, Edinburgh,

EII,OCC,XCiX.

ADVERTISEMENT.

#«<J>i>^<<:?^*

THIS additional pofthumous vo-
lume, would have been given
to the Public long ere now, had it
not been for a circumftance which
the Editor confiders it neceffary to
explain.

When the third volume was put
to prefs, foon after the Author's
death, there were feveral circum-
ftances in the Editor's fituation,
which prevented him from making
a thorough fearch into the manu-
fcripts of the Deceafed. That vo-
lume, therefore, confifts of fuch

a 2 Dif-

iv ADVERTISEMENT.

Difcourfes as he, with the affiftance
of a refpeftable friend, could felc6l
from a general infpe6lion of them.
But, about eighteen months ago,
the Editor, in arranging fomc pa-
pers, found a lift, in the Author's
own hand-writing, of Sermons de-
figned by him for the contents of a
third volume. A few of thefe hap-
pened to be the fame which had
been fixed on in the feleftion re-
ferred to, and which will be found
in the third volume. But there
were ftiil fixteen unpublilhed, which
the Editor fuppofed would be fuffi-
cient to make a volume nearly of
the fize of the former ones. In
this, however, he found himfelf
fomewhat miftaken, the Sermons
being in general ihort. He was

there-

ADVERTISEMENT. v

therefore obliged to add five more
from the Author's other manufcripts ;
and that the PubHc may in no re-
•rpe6t be kept in the dark, the Edi-
tor gives notice, that thefe ad litio-
nal Sermons are the firft, and four
laft, in this volume.

Canongate^ Edinburgh,
March 8. 1796.

a 3 CON-

>

CONTENTS.

Page.
SERMON I.

L Corinthians, Iv. 1,2.
Let a man fo account of us as of the mi-
n'tjlers of Chrifi^ and fle'is)ards of the
m^eries of God* M.ore<ver^ it is re-
quired infiewards that a ma7i be found
faithful^ _ _ _ I

SERMON II.

Romans, vi. 12, 13.
Let not fn therefore reign in your mortal
body^ that ye fhould obey it in the lufls
thereof: neither yield ye your members
as infrumcjits of unrighteoufnefs unto
fin ; but yield yourfelvcs unto God, as
thoje that are alive from the dead, and
your members as injlruments of righ-
teoufnefs unto God^ - - 18

SERMON IIL

Luke, xvlli. 19.

= He that humbleth himfelffmll be

exalted, - - - og

SER.

viii CONTENTS.

Page
SERMON IV.

Psalm cxix. 173, 174, 175.

Let thine hand help me ; for I have cho-

fen thy precepts, I have longed for thy

falvat'ion^ 0 Lord ; and thy law is my

delight. Let my foul live^ and itfhall

praift thee ; and let thy judgments help

7ne, - - - - j5

S E R M O N V.
John, xvi. 26, 27.
At that day yefdall afk in my name : And
I fay not tmto you that I ivill pray the
Father for you ; for the Father himfelf
loveth yoiiy becaife ye have loved me^
and have believed that I came out from
Gody - - - 72

SERMON VI.
Hebrews, xii. 28, 29.
Wherefore^ we^ receiving a kingdom which
cantiot he moved, let us have gracCy
whereby 'we may Jerve God accept-
ably ^ with reverence and godly fear :
For our God is a confuming fire^ 94

SER-

CONTENTS. ix

Fage
SERMON VII.
Isaiah, xxii. 12. — 14.
And in that day did the Lord of Hojis
call to weepitig^ and to mournings and
to baldnefs^ and to girding with fack-
cloth ; and behold joy and gladtiefs,
/laying oxen^ and killing Jheep^ eating
jflejh and drinking wine ; let us eat and
drink^ for to-morrow we fhall die.
And it ijuas revealed in mine ears by
the Lord of HoJls, Surely this iniqui-
ty fhall not be purged from you^ till
ye dicy faith the Lord God of Ho/Is , no

SERMON VIII.

Revelations, iii. 18.
/ counfel thee to buy of me gold tried
in the fire that thou mayejt be rich ;
and white raiment that thou mayeft be
clothed ', and that the foame of thy na-
kednefs do not appear ^ and anoint thine
eyes with eye Jalve, that thou mayeft
fee, - - - - 131

SER^

X CONTENTS.

S E R M O N IX.

ECCLESIASTES, viii. 13.
But it Jhall not he well with the wicked^
neither Jh all he prolong his daysy which
are as a Jhadow^ becaufe he feareth
not before God, - - i^i

SERMON X.

Revelations, ii. 5.
Remember from whence thou art fallen ,
and repent, and do the firft works ; or
elfe I will come unto thee quickly, and
remove thy candleftick out of his place,
except thou repent, - - 1 69

SERMON XL

II. Chronicles, v. 13. 14.
// came even to pafs, as the trumpeters
and fingers were as one, to make one
found to be heard in praifing and thank'
ing the Lord, and when they lift up
their voice with the trumpets and cym-
bals, and inftruments of mufic, a?id
^raifed the Lord, faying. For he is

good.

CONTENTS. xi

Page
good^ for his mercy endureth for ever^
that then the hotife ivas Jilled with a
cloudy even the houfe of the Lord:
So that the priefts could not ftand to
m'lnifter by reafon of the cloud \ for the
glory of the Lord had filled the houfe
ofGody - - - 189

SERMON Xir.

EZEKIEL, XXXvi. 31.

Theft fhall ye remember your own evil
ijuaysy and your doings that were not
goody and f) all loathe yourselves in your
own fight for your iniquities and for
your abominations y - - 214

SERMON XIII.

Job, xxxvi. 21.

Taie heed ; regard not iniquity ; for this
haft thou chofen rather than affliSliony 12>S

SER-

xii CONTENTS.

Page
SERMON XIV.

II. Corinthians, v, i.
For we know^ that if our earthly houfe of
this tabernacle were diffolved^ we have
a building of God^ an houfe not ?nade
with hands ^ eternal in the heavens^ 249

SERMON XV.

II. Corinthians, v. i.
For we know that if the earthly houfe of
this tabernacle were diffolved^ we have
a building of God, an houfe not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens, 261

SERMON XVI.

I. John, iv. 9.
In this was manifefted the love of God to-
wards us^ becaife that Godfent his only
begotten Son into the world, that we
might live through him, - 277

SERMON XVII.

Acts, viii. 39.
— and he went on his way rejoicing, 299

SER-

CONTENTS. xiii

Page
SERMON XVIII.

Hebrews, v. 12.

For when for the time ye ought to be

teachers, ye have need that one teach

you again ivhich be the iirft principles

of the oracles of God ; and are becoine

fuch as have need of milk, and not of

ftrong meat, - - -318

SERMON XIX.

II. Corinthians, vi. i.

We then, as workers together with him,
befeech you alfo, that ye receive fiot the
grace of God in vain, - ~ 33^

SERMON XX.

I. John, ii. 15.

Love not the ivorld, neither the things
that are in the world : If any nan
love the world, the love of the Father
is not in him, - -^ 3^3

SER.

xiv CONTENTS.

Page
SERMON XXI.

I. John, ii. 15,

Leve not the worlds neither the things
that are in the world : If any man
love the worlds the love of the Father
is not in him^ - - "3^9

SERMON I.

I. Corinthians, iv. i, 2.

Let a man fo account of us as of the mimflers
of Chrift^ and ftewards of the myfter'tes of
God. Moreover^ it is required in ftewards
ihat a man he found faithful,

THE juft conception and faithful dif-
charge of the reciprocal duties in fo-
ciety are the foundation both of private and
public happinefs. In this refpeft the church
of Chrift is not diiferent from other commu-
nities among men. Although Chriftians ac-
knowledge but one fupreme Mafter, yet they
are taught to acknowledge among themfelves
fubordinate degrees of authority on the one
hand, and of fubmiflion and refpedt on the
other. The God whom we ferve is a God
of order, not a God of confufion ; and he
hath pointed out, both in his word and in his
providence, the neceflity of doing all things
Vol. IV. A decently

^ S E R M O N I.

decently and in good order. The text, and
the occafion * likewiie, lead me to fpeak of
the mutual regards and duties which ought
to fubfift between a minifter of Chrift, and
the people committed to his charge : In do-
ing which I lliall, through divine affiftance,

I/?, Explain the account given us in the
text, of the nature of our office as minifters
of Chrift, and ilewards of the myfteries of
God. And,

idly^ Point out the correfponding obliga-
tions incumbent on Chriftians, with regard to
thofe intrufted with this miniftry.

The illuftration of thefe particulars will
tend to produce a juft conception, and I truft,
through the bleffing of God, the faithful dif-
charge of thofe important duties which you
and I will henceforth owe to each other.

I am,jf^r/?, to explain the account given in
the text, of the nature of our office as mini-
fters

* Preached at the Author's adralffion at South
Leith.

S E R M O N I. 3

flers of Chrift, and flewards of the myfteries
of God.

And in order to have clear apprelienfions
of this fubje^t, it will be necellary to look
back to the origin of the office, and fee where-
in it differed, at its firfi appointment, from the
circumftances in which it exifts at prefent.
I fet out with obferving, that the miniftry of
the word is in all effential points the fame,
ever fmce it was ordained as an employment.
At the fame time it is plain, that fcveral cir-
cumftances attending it are confiderably varied.
The ordinary call to the office, which now
takes place, is very different from the mi-
raculous miffion by which men were con-
fecrated to it in former times. Their voca-
tion was more immediate, mere ftriking, at-
tended w^ith more ample powers, as well as
more fplendid effeds. From their immediate
infpiration, an authority was derived to their
words to which none of us can juftly pre-
tend. They promifed, and tlie bleffmgs of
time and eternity were conveyed with their
words ; they threatened, and vengeance from
heaven followed without delay. Belidcs, the
iirft teachers of the gofpel enjoyed from their
A 2 divine

4 SERMON I.

divine Mafter the communication of his own
powers over nature. " Having called the
twelve diTciples, he gave them power againft
unclean fpirits, and to heal all manner of
ficknefs and difeafe." Accordingly, the
whole hiftory of their lives is one train of
miracles, verifying the reality of thefe powers,
and difplaying the fulfilment of that fplendid
proraifc, " Verily, verily, I fay unto you,
lie that believeth on me, the works that I do
fliall he do alfo, and greater works than
thefe fliali he do, becaufe I go to my Father."
All thefe extraordinary powers have now
ceafed. The paftors of the Chriftian church,
jn thefe later ages, are neither poffeiTed of the
immediate infpiration, nor of the power of
working miracles, enjoyed by the Apoftles.
They arc now men in all refpeds like
vourfelves, to whom God hath convey-
ed, by the hands of other men, authority
to preach the word, to difpenfe the facra-
ments, and to prefide over the congregations
in which his providence may place them.
Here, then, is a very manifeft difference,
^md an evident inferiority on our fide. Still,

however.

S E R M O N I. 5

however, the original propofition {lands true,
that the office is in all efTential points the
fame, as exercifed both by them and us. For
i*s eafy to conceive, that the fuperior pre-
rogatives, which have been mentioned, vary
fome circumftances in the miniftry only, but
do not in any degree alter its nature. The
eflence of this facred office, the foundations
of the paftoral authority, remain unimpaired.
The miffion is one and the fame by Jefus
Chrift to all his faithful fervants in this em-
ployment. His promife is unalterable, " Be-
*' hold I am with you always, even to the end
*' of the world." From his holy hill, where
he fits as King of Zion, he provides for the
perpetuity of his church, " giving fome apof-
" ties, and fome prophets, and fome evange-
" lifts, fome paftors and teachers, for the per-
** fedting of the faints, for the work of the
" miniftry, for the edifying of the body of
" Chrift.''

This, then, is the origin of that facred of-
fice which is ftill exercifed among you. This
is the lource from which the authority is de-
rived that is neceifaiy for fuftainii^g the cha-
rad:er. It is this which conftitutes our mif-

A 3 fion

6 SERMONI.

lion the fame with that of tlie Apoftles, and
confers on the truths which we deliver the
authority of the word of God. So that If the
dodrines w^hlch we fet forth are agrecablefli
the Scriptures, if the moraUty which we en-
force is a converfation becoming the gofpel,
we are in all refpeds to be accounted of as
*' liiinlfters of Chrift, and ftewards of the
" myfteries of God."

But thefe titles, fo ennobling to him who
fupports them, are not without very folemn
confiderations to corre<Sl; the levity of confi-
dence and felf-applaufe. " It is required in.
" ftewards," faith the Apoftle, " that a man
" be found faithful." What a variety of im-
portant duties are included in this requifition r
When we fpeak of a faithful minifter, v/e
fpeak of the rare and happy union of ability
and attention, of zeal and knowledge, of
meeknef's and firmnefs, in the fame charader ;
for all thefe are necefiary to fuftain the office
with propriety. And are thefe qualities to be
attained w^ith a flight degree of application r
Is it a fmall demand on the confcience of a
man, to give its teftimony to his faithfulnefs,
in fuch arduous and important refpeds? Thefe

ccnfideraiions

SERMON I. 7

toafideratlons may well give rife to that em"
phatical queftion, " Who is fufficient for thefe
"things?" efpecially when to all this we
t!ike likewife into view the awful threatenings
denounced againft the unfaithful difcharge of
this office. " Son of man," faith the Al-
mighty, to each of us, as he faid to his pro-
phets of old, " I have made thee a watchman
'* unto the houfe of Ilrael, therefore hear the
*' word at my mouth, and give them warning
" from me. When 1 fay unto the wicked,
" thou fhalt furely die, and thou giveft him
" not warning, nor fpeakeft to warn the wick-
*' ed from his wicked way, to fave his life,
" the fame wicked man fliall die in his ini-
" quity, but his blood will I require at thine
" hand. Wo be to the fhepherds of Ifnel
" that do feed themfelves ; fhould not the
" iliepherd= feed the flocks ? Thus faith the
" Lord God, Behold I am againft the fhep-
" herds, and I will require my flock at their
" hand, and caufe them to ceafe from feeding
" the flock, neither fhall the fhepherds feed
" themfelves any more."

Thus have 1 endeavoured to fet before you

the nature of our office as minifters of Chrifl,

A 4 ard

8 SERMON I.

and ftewards of the myfteries of God. No
man can boaft of a more honourable employ-
ment. At the fame time, none can afpire to
one that requires higher attention, involves
more difficulty, or fubje6:s to a more awful
account.

But you are not to imagine, my brethren,
that while fuch high obligations are laid on
the minifters of the gofpel, no duties are, on
the other hand, required of you towards thofe
who hold that ftation. " Let a man," faith the
Apoftle, " fo account of us as minifters of
■*' Chrift, and ftewards of the myfteries of
" God." The plain meaning of which ex-
hortation is, that Chriftians are required to
entertain fentiments correfponding to that re-
lation in which they ftand to thofe who labour
among them in word and dodilrine.

I. The fame authority which lays fuch ar-
duous obligations on your paftors, requires of
you to entertain a fpirit of equity and candour
towards them. It is certainly but fair to judge
of every perfon according to the character he
aflumes, and the pretenfions with which he fets
out. What thefe are on our part you have al-
ready heard. I have fliewn thofe circumftances

in

SERMON I. 9

in which we acknowledge our inferiority to the
firft teachers of the gofpel. I have pointed out
thofe, alfo, in which we maintain our commif-
fion to be equal to theirs. The fum is this, that,
on the one hand, we profefs ourfelves to be no
more than ordinary, uninfpired, fallible men,
like yourfelves ; but at the fame time contend,
on the other hand, that we pofTefs ihe fame
authority to preach the doctrines of revelation,
and to difpenfe the ordinances of religion,
which the moft diftlnguifhed Apoftle ever en-
joyed. What we exped:, then, of your equi-
ty and candour is, that you would judge of
us on thefe grounds, and expert nothing from,
us but what is confident with them. You
may perhaps afk, In what refpeds there is
any danger of your tranfgreffing this rule ?
To which I anfwer, i/?. That this rule is
tranfgreffed, when you confine the refped:
to which the office itfelf h entitled, en-
tirely to the perfonal qualities and accom-
plifhments of mind beftowed on thofe who
are invefted with it. When I fpeak of per-
fonal qualities, I do not mean that you Ihould
underftand me as referring to fandity of con-
dud. You cannot make any demand on us on

this

to SERMON I.

this head, beyond what is juft and incumbents
God forbid that any of us iliould incur the
application of our Lord's faying as to the
Scribes and Pharifees, " The Scribes and Pha-
rifees fit in Mofes feat, all, therefore, whatfo-
ever they bid you obferve, that .obferve and
do ; but do not ye after their works, for they
fay and do not." We acknowledge, that we
ought to be enfamples to believers, not only in
word, but in converfation, in charity, in fpirit,
in faith, in purity. In this refpedt, therefore,
your fevered demands do us no injuftice. But
is there not a want of equity in withholding
your refpedl from thofe who do not embelliih
this office with fhining and fuperior endow-
ments of mind ? Is not this the very thing
againft which you are warned, when you are
told that you have the treafure of the " gofpel
in earthen veffels, that the power and excel-
lency may appear to be of God." Why (hould
it be expeded, then, that minifters fliould un-
derftand all mylleries, and all knowledge, even
as the fuperior intelligences of Heaven, who
ftand before the throne of God I Why flioutd
you be dilTatisfied, except we can employ all the
moft exquifite arts of oratory to foothe your

ears.

S E R M O N T. II

ears, and amufe your imaginations ? Where
are you taught to exped: this from us ? Thefe
are not our pretenfions ; this is not the cha-
rader we afliime. For let not any man ac-
count of us as orators or declaimers, plaufible
and artificial difcourfers, who have nothing in
view beyond their own credit, and are elo-
quent and ingenious by profeffion. We pro-
fefs a charader, more humble, indeed, as to
anyperfonal importance we can affume from it;
but, at the fame time, infinitely more ferious
and weighty, even that of minifters of Chrift,
and ftewards of the myfteries of God. But,

idly^ This rule of equity and candour is
tranfgrefTed in a flill higher degree, when
you exped of us to preach dodrines accom-
modated to your pafTions, cr to refrain from
delivering thofe truths which are unacceptable
or alarming. You complain, perhaps, that
we difturb your repofe, and interrupt your
pleafing dreams of happinefs ; but this com-
phunt is both unjuft to us, and injurious to
yourfelves : and though at firft fight it may
feem levelled at us, is in truth levelled againil
God liimfelf: For whofe words, I befeech

you,

12 S E R M O N I.

you, are thefe, " He that believeth not fhall be
damned, — If ye live after the flefh, ye fhall
die. — Without holinefs no man fhall fee the
Lord." Thefe, indeed, are alarming fenten-
ces ; but you will keep it in mind that they
were not devifed by us. They are among
thofe myfteries of God which are entrufted to
us as ftewards, and furely no lefs can be ex-
pected than that we fhould difpenfe them
faithfully. God hath alTured us, that " if we
" do not fpeak to warn the wicked from the
" evil of his way, that wicked man fhall die
" in his iniquity, but his blood he will require
" at our hands." Would you then in good
earnefl defire that we fhould forfeit our own
fouls, and incur the wrath of Almighty God,
from a falfe tendernefs to your delufive peace.
No, my brethren, this cannot be done; or if it
be done, eternal woe will be our portion, eter-
nal reproaches will pafs between us. I had
rather hear from one in the fpirit of Ahab,
" Feed him with the bread and water of afflic-
" tion;" or from one in the fpirit of Amaziah,
*' Forbear, why fhouldft thou be fmitten," than
to hear from my own confcience, Thou hafl
betrayed fouls to damnation ; than to hear

from

S E R M O N I. 13

from an Incenfed God, '* Their blood will I re-
" quire at thine hands ;" than to hear from the
Chief Shepherd, when he fliall appear, " Caft
" the unprofitable fervant into utter darknefs,
" there fliall be weeping, and wailing, and
" gnafhing of teeth." Let a man, therefore,
fo account of us in the fpirit of candour and
equity, " as miniflers of Chrift, and ftewards
" of the myiteries of God."

II. Chriftians, you are required to enter-
tain a juft eileem for the office and cha-
racter which we bear. I am aware how de-
licate a fubjed it is to talk of that eftimation
which we claim from you on this account.
I am fenfible that our higheft glory confifts in
our humility, and our beft dignity in {loop-
ing to be ufeful : " For we preach not our-
" felves, but Chrift Jefus the Lord, and our-
" felves your fervants for Jefus fake." We
claim no obfequious homage, we arrogate no
dominion over your faith ; but we exped that
no man fliould'defpife us ; we account our of-
fice venerable enbugh to entitle thofe to refpe<5t
who do the duties of it with propriety. Indeed
we have not diffidence enough to apprehend,
ia the leaft degree, that fuch refped will be

denied,

14 S E R M O N I.

denied, where the proper virtues of our fta-
tion appear in our conduO: ; and we know it
to be both vain and abfurd to exped: it on
any other terms.

Leaving, therefore, a theme, which cannot
be purfued long to advantage, we are llili
more defirous,

III. That you would make a proper im-
provement of the truths which we deliver.
Take heed then, brethren, how ye hear. The
time is coming when we muft all meet before
the iudgment feat of God, to give an account
of the advantages which we have enjoyed, and
of the manner in which we have improved
them. In what way this decifive trial fhall be
conducted cannot be certainly known in the
prefent time. We are told in general, that
the great Shepherd, who fhall then fit in judg-
ment, will feparate the flieep from the goats,
placing the one on his right hand, and the
other on his left. But befides this grand di-
vifion, it feems probable, fro*m the analogy
both of reafon and Scripture, that thofe who
were members of the fame Chriftian fociety,
and enjoyed the fame ordinances and means
of grace, fnall then be brought together and

con-

S E R M O N I. 15

confronted, that the evidence upon which the
different fentences fliall proceed may be the
more unexceptionable and convincing to all.
The impenitent fmner fhall then have nothing
to plead in his own defence, when it fhall
appear that many of thofe with whom he
lived have been converted and faved by thefe
very means which he negleded and abufed.
Ic will be impoffible for him to plead any An-
gularity in his own cafe, when he fhall be-
hold fome of thofe perfons crowned with glo-
ry, whom he remembers to have feen in the
fame church he frequented, receiving the
fame ordinances of religion which he did, and
who, perhaps, in many outward refpedis, had
fewer advantages for falvation than himfelf.
This, my brethren, is a very folemn confide-
ration, and, if duly attended to, can hardly
fail to have a powerful influence on our
minds. We who are entrufted with the care
of your fouls, fhall then be called to give an
account of our llewardfliip. But you, too,
my dear iriends, muft then appear with us,
and as we muft declare the meffage we have
delivered, lb you muft anfwer for the recep-
tion you gave it. Wo will be unto us if we

did

i6 S E R M O N I.

did not preach the gofpel ; and if we did, wo
will be to you if you did not receive it. In
thefe views, it is no flight or tranfient rela-
tion which was folemnifed fo lately in this
place : And happy indeed will it be, if the
fame fentence of the Judge fhall acquit us
both at the great day.

In the mean time, remember and lay it to
heart, that my tafk is not to pleafe or to amufe
you, but to difpenfe to you the word of life,
which is able to fave your fouls.

Many, I doubt not, will come to this as to
other churches, merely to fit in judgment as
critics of the fpeaker's abilities. But I hope
God will fave us from an undue refped: to
any of you in this capacity.

I hope he will fave you from that difdainful
nicety which fcorns to be inftrudted with
plain exhortations. A profefTed declaimer
mayjuftly be cenfured if he fails to entertain
his audience. For this purpofe it is his part
to make what excurfions he pleafeth into the
regions of imagination. But we have a dif-
penfation committed to us, a form of found
words, from which we muft not depart ; a
doctrine which we muft deliver with uncor-

ruptnefs,

SERMON!. i7

ruptnefs, with gravity, with fincerity. Per-
mit us, therefore, to aim only at the praife of
faithfulnefs, wifliing indeed to pleafe you, but
at the fame time to pleafe you only to edifi-
cation.

Brethren, pray for us, that we may be
found faithful. Pray for yourfelves, that ye
may be able to fuffer the word of exhortation,
and to profit thereby. And may the great
Mafter of the vineyard watch over us with a
propitious care, to diredt our labours, and in
you to give the increafe of fruit unto holinefs,
and in the end everlafting life. Amen.

Vol. IV. B S E R^

i8

SERMON 11.

Romans, vi. 12. 13.

Let not Jin therefore reign in your mortal body^
that ye /hould obey it in the lujls thereof -^
neither yield ye your members as inflruments
of unrighteoufnefs unto Jin ; but yield your'
felves unto God^ as thofe that are alive from
the deady and your members as inflruments of
righteoufnefs unto God.

THE Apoftle had, in the preceding part
of the Epiftle, opened at great length
that fundamental dodrine of our holy reli-
gion, the juftification of a finner through faith
in Jefus Chrift. In the chapter from which
the text is taken, he proceeds to guard the
Chriftians to whom he wrote againft thofe
falfe conclufions which they might be in dan-
ger of inferring from this doctrine. And, that
none might pretend to turn the grace of God
into lafcivioufnefs, he fhows, with great

ftrengch

S E R M O N IL 19

llrength of evidence, that the truths which
he had been ftating fo far from giving en-
couragement to a licentious life, oh the con-
trary, laid peculiar obligations on all wh6
embraced them to a ftrid: and univerfal ho-
linefs. This he argues from the nature of
Chriftian baptifm, the initiating feal of the
covenant of grace, fhowing, that, by this rite,
we are folemnly engaged to die unto fm and
live unto righteoufnefs, in conformity to
Chrift's death and refurreclion, fignified in
that ordinance. Afterwards he goes on to
diffuade them from giving indulgence to fia
in any kind or degree, and to enforce the
obligations to univerfal purity by a variety of
weighty arguments. " Let not fm therefore
" reign in your mortal body.'* Sin is (aid
to reign^ when it bears chief fway in the foul,
and the perfon is wholly fubjed to its in-
fluence. The beft and moft fandified Chrif-
tian on earth hath ftill fome remainder of cor-
ruption abiding in him : For perfedlion doth
not belong to the prefent ftate ; and he that
faith he hath no fm, deceiveth himfclf, and
the truth is not in him. The Apoftle there-
fore exprefleth himfelf in this qualified man-
B 2 ncr.

^0 S E R M O N ir.

ner. Let not fin reigri in your mortal body<,
that ye fliould obey it in the lufts thereof.
Beware of giving way to your fenfual appe-
tites, otherwife you forfeit all the comfort of
the dodlrine which I have been teaching, and
muft be concluded flrangers to that grace of
God, which ejBre<^ually teacheth thofe who
are partakers of it, to *' deny ungodlinefs and
*' worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteouf-
" ly, and godly, in the world."

Let not fin therefore reign in your mortal
body, that ye fhould obey it in the lufts there-
of: neither yield ye your members as inftru-
ments of unrighteoufnefs unto fm ; " But
" yield yourfelves unto God." It is this laft:
exhortation which I propofe to make the fub-
je<5l of the prefent difcourfe ; and I intend,
in the

Fi^JJ place, To explain what is implied in
yielding ourfelves unto God ;

2diy, To offer fome directions as to the
right manner of performing this duty ; and,

3.^/)', To enforce the exhortation by fome
arguments.

I begin with explaining the duty itfclf.

And,

S E R M O N ir. 21

And, in general, it implies, that whatever we
poiTefs, all that we are, or have, or can do,
(hould be confecrated to God, and devoted to
his fervice and honour. The being which
we have is derived from him ; every bleffing
which we enjoy is the fruit of his bounty ;
every talent with which we are diftinguilhcd
was freely beftowed by him. To him, there-
fore, they ought to be entirely furrendered^
and in the advancement of his glory at all
limes employed. When we lerve God wit?i
the bed of our faculties, and with the mof!:
valuable of our poiTeffions, What is the v»'hole
amount of our offering ? Surely if ever lelf-
complacent thoughts on this point might have
been indulged, David might have indulged
them, when he, and a willing people with
him, offered unto the Lord of their moft pre-
cious fubftance with a perfect heart. Yet
hear how humbly he fpeaks of all the cofliv
oblations which he had brought. " Who am
*' I, and what is my people, that weihould be
*'' able to ofier fo willingly after thi^ lort ; for
*' all things come of thee, and of thine own
'' have we gi^en thee. Thine, O, Lord, is the
■' grcatnelp, and the povver, and the glorv, and

B 3 ^' the

%% S E R M O N II.

" the victory, and the majefty j for all that is
" in the heaven and the earth are thine ;
*' thine is the kingdom, and thou art exalted
" as head above all."

More particularly, we muft yield to God
our immortal fouls, with all the intellec-
tual powers which they poflefs. We mull
dedicate our underftanding to the Father of
Lights, to be illuminated by him with faving
knowledge, to be employed in contemplat-
ing his nature and perfed:ion ; above all, to
know Jefus, and him crucified, in whom are
hid all the trcafures of wifdom and know-
ledge. We muft dedicate our will to that
holy rule of refignation which David ex-
prefled, when he faid, " Here I am, let the
" Lord do unto me what feemeth good in his
" fight ;" and which David's Lord exprefled
in circumftances infinitely more trying : " Fa-
" ther, not my will, but thine be done." We
muft confecrate our memories to be trea-
fures of divine truth, our afFedions to the
purfuit of thofe things which are above, our
fenfes to the falutary difcipline of felf-denial,
and our members as inftruments of hoHnefs
to God.

All

S E R M O N II. 33

All our pofleflions and enjoyments muft be
devoted to God. Our wealth and power, our
time and our faculties, nay life itfelf, which
is the foundation of all our comforts, muft be
entirely refigned to him. Neither muft we
count death itfelf grievous, fo that we finifti
our courfe with joy and true honour. We
muft yield ourfelves to God in ail capacities
•and relations wherein his Providence may
have placed us, and improve the advantages
of our different conditions in life for the ad-
vancement of his glory. Are we mafters or
fervants, parents, or children, paftors or people,
rulers, or fubjeds, let us, in all thefe relations,
be devoted to God, and difcharge the various
duties which refult from them vNdth fidelity
and zeal, that we may glorify our Father in
heaven, who hath appointed to every man
his proper work, and will at length demand
an account of the manner in which we have
performed it.

If it be inquired for what pprpofes we are
thus to yield ourfelves unto God, the follow-
ing particulars will furnifh the anfwer.

ly^, We are to yield ourfelves to God, to

do whatfoever he commands ; in all inftances

B4 of

24 SERMON 11.

of duty, to give a prompt and chearful obe-
dience to his authority. It ought to be fuffi-
cient for us, in every cafe, to know what God
hath pronounced to be ar. obligation, whatever
the world or the ilefli may have to fay againft
rt.'^ "This is the true way to keep our minds
in a fteadv decifive frame. " A doubie mind-
*' ^d man is unliable in all his ways." He who
feeks to afcertain other points befides his duty,
will find himfelf perplexed with perpetual
difficulties. EmbarralTed with attending to
diftrading and oppofite counfels, his condudt
will neither be firm nor graceful ; and, even
when he does what is right, he will be unable
to enjoy the fatisfadion of it, confcious
that he did it not in that fimplicity and godly
fincerity w^hich alone can render our obedi-
ence acceptable. We are therefore to yield
ourfelves to God as our fupreme Lawgiver,
who hath an unqueftionable title to the fcr-
vice of all our adive powers, faying, with
Samuel, '* Speak, Lord, for thy fervant hear-
** eth;" and with the Apoftle Paul, "Lord,
*' w'hat wilt thou have me to do ?"

idl-jy We muft yield ourfelves to God not
only to do but to fufter his wnll. The re-
ward?^

S E R M ON- II. 2S

wards of adtive obedience are not found in the
prefent life ; on the contrary, the mod faith-
ful rer\'ants orf God are often vifited with the
fevereft difpenfations of Providence. We
muft therefore not only have our loins girt
about for chearfiil obedience, but our minds
prepared alfo for patient fuffering. We muft
be ready to refign our moft valuable poflef-
fions, and our deareft comforts, the moment
that they are reclaimed by him who at firft
beftowed them, faying, with Job, *' The Lord
" gave, and the Lord hath taken aw^ay, bleffed
" be the name of the Lord ;" and, v^dth David,
*' I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are
" right, and that in very faithfulnefs thou halt
" affliaed me." ^

We are already in the hand of God, by
our eilential dependence, as the clay is in the
hands of the potter ; let us likewife be fo by
our own confcnt and choice. This is the
true balm of life. It is this that foftens ad-
verfity, and alleviates the load of forrow\ In
this we unite the nobleft duty which we can
perform, and the moft precious benefit which
we can reap. What wiidom can compare
with the wifdora of refignation, which not

only

26 S E R M O N II.

only foftens inevitable evils, but turns them
into real and permanent good ; which not
only foothes the fenfe of fufFering, but fecures
a happy and a glorious reward.

'^dly\ We muft yield ourfelves to God, to
be difpofed of by his providence, as to our
lot and condition in the world. " He hath
'' made of one blood all that dwell upon the
*' face of the earth." He hath fixed the pre-
cife iflues of life and death, and hath appoint-
ed where we ihall dwell, and what ftation
we fliall occupy in the world. To one he
faith, Be thou a king ; and to another, Be
thou a beggar. All thefe things come forth
of the Lord of Hofts ; and in his will we
muft chearfully acquiefce, with a firm and
meek refolution to be difpofed of as he fees
meet, and to glorify him in the place and fta-
tion which he hath ailigned us j to ferve him
chearfully, while he hath fervice for us to
perform in this world ; and at laft to refign
our fouls into his hands, when he fhall re-
quire them.

j^thly^ As we muft be refigned to the will
of God with refpe(3: to our outward lot, fo
we muft be fatisfied with his difpofal, as to

the

S E R M O N II, a^

the meafure of fpiritual gifts which he is
pkafed to beftow on us. Should he make \Xf^
but as the foot, we muft be as well contented
as if he had made us the hand or the head,
and rejoice that we are found qualified for
being even the leaft honourable member in
Chrift's myftical body. We mufi: not envy
our brother for being wifer or better than we,
more than for being richer or nobler. And
though we may covet earneftly the beft gifts,
yet if, in the ufe of appointed means, we can-
not attain to them, we ought, with relignation
to the Father of J ights, to make a diligent
and faithful ufe of what God hath given us,
truRing that they who have been good flew-
ards over a little, fhall not fail to receive their
proportioned reward in the day of retribution.
Every veflel of honour hath not indeed the
fame capacity ; but every vefiel of honour
Ihall be completely filled. None fhall have a
mean ftation in the heavenly temple, although
fome (hall be more glorioufly diftinguifhed
than others. They fhall all be kings and
priefts unto God, and manfions fhall not be
wanting to accommodate every clafs of guefls
in the New Jerufalem.

I

28 SERMON ir.

^- I-proceed now to give you fome diredions as
to the manner in which we ought to perform
this duty of yielding ourfelves unto God.

I. Before we can perform this duty in an
acceptable mannei:, it is neceffary that we
have juft views both of God and of our-
felves. In a particular manner, we muft have
a deep fenfe both of our original apoftacy,
and of the a(!ixual tranfgreffions with which
we are chargeable. We muft yield ourfelves
to God like condemned rebels, who caft
themfelves on the mercy of their fovereign.
Yet, while we are fenfible of our miferable
and condemned ftate, we muft alfo have a
view of thofe riches of mercy which are
open to the chief of ftnners. We are to re-
member, with faith and gratitude, that God
fo loved the world, as to lend his only begot-
ten Son, not to condemn the world, but that
the world through him might, have life : That
he only is the way, the truth, and the life :
That he is able to fave to the uttennoft all
w4\o come unto Ggd by him : That in him
dwelleth all the fulnefs of the Godhead bodi-
ly ; and that he is made of Goa, to all that
believe on him, wiidom, and righteouinels,

and

S E R M O N II. 29

and faadification, and redemption. The
knowledge of thefe fundamental truths niuft
influence the furrender which we make, of
curfelves to God, that it may be an a£l of our
underftanding, accompanied both with humi-
lity and with hope. But,

II. We muft yield ouvfelves unto God,
with ferious, attentive, and awakened minds.
It is feldom that any permanent good is ob-
tained in confequence of a hafty choice.
Even when the object of our choice is juft
and valuable, our efteem of it is apt to de^
cline, if it has been embraced at firft with too
rafh and violent an aifedion. In proportion
as the charms of novelty fade, our attachment
to it fubfides, and indifference or averiion
fucceed to the eagernefs of a prompt and
hafty pafTion. If, therefore, we would prove
ftedfaft and faithful, we muft not be precipi-
tate, but weigh every circumltance with care,
and ponder w^ell ere we fix our choice. We
muft remember, that yielding ourfelves to
God, will involve in it the renouncine of
many favourite engagements, the performino*
of many difficult duties, and the mortifying
of many defires, which hitherto,' perhaps, it
has been the whole. plan.of our lives to gratify.

Let

go S E R M O N II.

Let us, therefore, reprefent to ourfelves the
probable confequences, before we imbark in
fo important and folemn a tranfaftion. Con-
fider the felf-reproach, the cenfures of others,
and, above all, the difpleafure of God, which
you muft incur, if you retrad from fuch a
deep engagement. God doth not wifh to en-
fnare you into his fervice. He does not allure
you by flattering profpeds of eafe. He does
not conceal from you the hardfhips which
you muft endure. It is plainly, therefore,
his will, that ye fhould confider thefe things,
and that before ye devote yourfelves to him,
ye fhould count the coft, and fee whether ye
are able to fulfil the engagement.

^d/jy In yielding ourfelves unto God, our
hearts muft be humbled with ferious and deep
repentance, for having fo long gone aftray
from him and his fervice. We ought to imi-
tate the example of thofe penitents mentioned
in the 50th chap, of Jeremiah, ver. 4. " In
*' thofe days, and in that time, faith the Lord,
" the children of Ifrael (hall come, they and
*' the children of Judah together, going and
" weeping, they fhall go and feek the Lord
" their God. They fhall afk the way to Zion
" with their faces thitherward, faying, Come

"and

S E R M O N II. 31

cc

and let us join ourfelves to the Lord in k
*' perpetual covenant that (hall never be for-
" gotten.** God will not accept of us^ unlets
we be truly weary of our burden, and fenfible
of our abfolute need of a Saviour. To fuch
the calls of the gofpel are peculiarly addreffed ;
" Come unto me all ye that labout and are
*' heavy laden, and I will give you red. —
" For thus faith the High and Lofty One that
** inhabiteth eternity, whofe name is Holy, I
" dwell in the high and holy place ; with hirri
" alfo that is of a contrite and humble fpirit,
" to revive the fpirit of the humble, and to
" revive the heart of the contrite ones."

4//6/y, We muft yield ourfelves unto God
without any fecret referve or limitation, im-
ploring that he may take the full pofTeflion of
our hearts, and call out of them whatever
oppofeth or exalteth itfelf agalnft him. We
ought to fay to him, " O Lord, our Lord,
" other lords have had dominion over us ; but
" henceforth we will make mention of thy
" righteoufnefs, even of thine only.'* He
who hath only confident purfuits, may follow
them with a profped of fuccefs ; but a mind
divided between contrary principles of action,
can expect nothing but to be for ever drawn

backward

32 S E R M O N If.

backward and forward, ,as they happen alter-
nately to prevail/ In this view it is impof-
fible to yield ourfelves to God, if at the fame
time we yield ourfelves to fm in any degree.
Perhaps, indeed, we propofe to dedicate our-
felves to God- in general, and only to fpare
ourfelves the mortification of renouncing a
few trifling indulgencies. But thefe indul-
gencies have unforefeen connexions with
others that are not trifling, and thefe again
with more. Or fuppofing that they had not,
yet the truth certainly is, that when we deli-
berately become unfaithful to our confciences
in any one inftance^- we lofe every firm ground
on which we can withftand temptation in any
other inftance. We lofe gradually both the
power and the inclination to refifl: evil. God
withdraws the good aids of his fpirit, we de-
clirie from ey.il to worfe, and our laft ftate
becomes worfe than our firft. Such only,
therefore, as yield- xhemfelves wholly to God,
and acknowledge ,af:er all that they are but
unprofitable fervants, entided to acceptance
only through the merits of a gracious Re-
dqemer, have -c-aufe to hope well. All others
build on the fandy but they on a rock. Their
fuperftrudure may bcj raifed to the greateft

height,

S E R M O N ir. ;^7^

height, and ftands both firm and graceful.
God will pardon their unavoidable iniirmi-
ties, and aflift their endeavours. They will
of courfe make continual progrefs, and, for
every ftep of that progrefs, enjoy an increafe
of peace and joy here, and of unfading glory
hereafter.

5//?/)', All this muft be done with an expli-
cit regard to the Lord Jefus Chrift, through
whom alone we have accefs to the Father :
" For there is none other name given under
" heaven whereby we can be faved but the
" name of Jefus." Without this Mediator,
God could have no friendly intercourfe with
man. The weapons of our rebellion muft:
be furrendered into his hands ; for it is in him
alone that God reconciles the world unto
himfelf. It is by the blood of Jefus that we
have boldnefs to enter into the holieft. We
are accepted only in the beloved. The Fa-
ther receives no offering but at the hand of
this great High Prieft:.

Having thus explained the duty of yield-
ing ourfelves unto God, and Ihewn in what
way it ought to be performed, what remains

Vol. IV. C but

34 S E R M O N II.

but that I enforce the exhortation by fomc
motives and arguments.

Need I to reprefent to you the neceffity of
this duty ? Can you withdraw yourfelves from
being the property of God as his creatures ?
Can you evade the difpenfations of his pro-
vidence, or fnatch from him thofe iffues of
life and death which are incontroul;bly in
his hands ? If fo, then you may confuh whe-
ther you fhould yield yourfelves to him or
not ? But if your preient and your eternal
happinefs depends on his favour ; if you can-
not fecure an intereft in his favour otherwife
than by complying with this exhortation ; if
you muft otherwife be left to ftruggle as you
beft can, with all the evils of life, and at laft
be banifhed his prefence for ever, to fpend a
miferable eternity with reprobate fpirits. What
choice is left ? Can you hefitate a moment to
comply with what you cannot alter, and to
furrender yourfelves to hitn who will either
glorify himfelf in you as vefTels of mercy, or
as vefTels prepared for deftrudion ?

Confider, in the id place, the reafonable-
nefs of this duty. This is the argument of
the Apoftle to the Romans ; " I befeech you

" there-

S E R M O N II. SS

**' therefore brethren by the mercies of God,
*' that ye prefent your bodies a living facri-
** lice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is
" your reafonable fervice." — And what can
be fo reafonable as to confecrate to God that
being, thofe faculties, thofe pofleffions and en-
joyments, which we derive from his bounty.
If there is reafonablenefs in acknowledging
our debts, and in being thankful for our be-
nefits ; if thtre is reafonablenefs in fubmit-
ting to be guided by unerring wifdom, and
to be difpofed of by infinite goodnefs ; in
a word, if there be any thing fuperior in
reafonablenefs to any other that reafon re-
quires, it is this, that we fhould yield ourfelves
to that God who made us, who preferves and
hath redeemed us, and hath pledged his faith-
fulnefs to condud: all thofe to happinefs who
put their confidence in him. And this leads me
to the laft argument which I fhall ufe for en-
forcing this exhortation, which is the advan-
tage with which it will be attended. At the
fame time that we yield ourfelves to God, he
gives himfelf to us in all the fulnefs of his
grace : For this is the tenor of his well order-

C2 ed

36 S E R M O N II.

ed covenant; " I will be your God, and ye
" fhall be my people." And what an infinite
portion is this ? If all the treafiires of grace
were open to our choice, Would it be poflihle
for us to pitch on any bleffing fo rich and
compendious as this, that God would accept
of us as his property, and provide for us as
he provides for his own ? Surely, then, we
cannot want any good thing. His wifdom
can guide us through all the perplexing paths
of life ; his power can fupport us in every
danger and difficulty ; and his goodnefs is
more than fufficient to beftow on us all things
richly to enjoy.

I have only to add, that the exhortation in
the text belongs in an efpecial manner to you
v:ho are as yet in early and vigorous years.
Now your underftandings are capable of the
firmeft impreffions. Now your wills are
moft pliable. Now your affedions are moft
patient of difcipline. Now your bodies are
mofl: ufeful to your minds. Now your minds
are moft unfettered, and your whole man
moft fufceptible of good impreffions, and moft
capable of exerting them in adion. Lofe
not, therefore, your irrecoverable advantage.

Anfwer

S E R M O N II. 37

Anfwer now when God calls you with mod
afFedtion. Offer yourfelves while you ;ire
moft worth the offering. Govern your ap-
petites before the evil day come. Now you
may gird them, and carry them whether you
will ; but if you negled: this precious feafoii,
they will hereafter gird you, and carry you
whether you would not. An early virtue is
the mod worthy and valuable offering, ho-
noured and bleft with the kindeft acceptance
of God. But when a man fhall look into
himfelf, and find his faculties depraved and
weakened, flained with the pollution, weaned
with the fervice, Cick with the difappoint-
ments, and darkened with the impoftures of
fin, how comfortlefs a tafk muft he have in
preparing an offering to God from among
fuch a lame and dileafed herd. " Remember
" therefore now thy Creator in the days of
" thy youth, ere the evil days come, and the
" years draw nigh in which thou Hialt lay, I
** have no pleafure in them.' Amen.

C .3 SER^

3§

SERMON III.

Luke, xviii. 19.
•He that humbleth himfdfjioall he exalted^

S man fell by pr'ide^ it is reafonable to
conclude that he can only rife again by
humility; and here we are taught that this is the
exprefs ordination and appointment of God ;
for thus faith the faithful and true Witnefs,
*' Every one that exalteth himfelf fliall be
" abafed ; and he that humbleth himfelf fhall
" be exalted." I cannot therefore employ your
time to better purpofe, efpecially upon fuch
an occafion as this*, than in opening the nature
of true humiliation, and endeavouring to il-
luftrate the neceffity and ufe of it, to prepare
our hearts for thofe enriching communications
both of mercy and grace which our Saviour,
in this paflage, encourageth us to exped:.

I begin with opening the nature of true

humi-

* Preached on a day of humiliation, before celebrating^
the Lord's Supper.

SERMON III.

39

humiliation. This takes its rife from fplritual
difcoveries of the evil of fin, as the tranfgref-
fion of a law which is holy, jufl:, and good ;
as an ad of outrageous and unprovoked re-
bellion againft the niildeft, as well as the mod
righteous adminiftration ; as the bafefl: ingra-
titude to our kindeft Benefador, the Author
of our being, and of all that we pofFefs ; and
efpecially as it renders us unlike to him who
is not only the ftandard but the fource of per-
fection, and confequently incapable of any
friendly correfpondence with the Father of
our fpirits, the fountain of light, of life, and
of joy.

Thefe fpiritual difcoveries of the evil of
fm produce a fixed and folid apprehenfion of
our own ill deferving becaufe of it. We fee
the juftice of the fentence which condemns
us, and cannot help acknowledging that we
are unworthy of the leaft of all God's mer-
cies, and liable to that tremendous wrath
which is revealed from heaven againft all
unrighteoufnefs and ungodlincfs of men.
Hence arife griet and fhame, and all that in-
ward diftrefs which neceirariiy attend the con-
fcioufnefs of guilt, the prefent fenfe of for-
G 4 feited

40 SERMON III.

felted happinefs, and the fearful profped of
that unknown mifery which awaits tranfgref-
fors in the world to come.

To all which muft be added fuch a deep con-
vidion of our utter inability to do any thing
that can be effectual for our own recovery, as
iflues in a defpair of relief from every other
quarter but the free mercy of God, extended
to fmners through Jefus Chrift, and the effec-
tual operation of his renewing grace. We
are not truly humbled till we feel ourfelves
wretched, miferable, poor, blind, and naked,
equally deftitute of righteoufnefs and ftrength,
incapable of making any fatisfadion for pall
offences, and having no power of our own to
redify that fatal diforder in our frame, which
is the bitter fruit of our apoftacy from God.

Such was the ftate of the Publican's mind,
who is prefented to our view, in the forego-
ino- parable, as an approved example for our
imitation ; whilft the Pharifee, who trufted
in himfelf that he w^as righteous, flanding
apart from his fellow worfhippers, as one
who difdained to hold communion with them,
boldly addreffed the Divine Majefty, and,
under the fpecious form of thankfgiving,

poured

SERMON III. 41

poured forth the pride and uncharitablenefs of
his heart. The Publican, we are told, ftood afar
off; and, though his face was turned towards
the mercy-feat, yet, confcious of his un-
worthinefs, he would not fo much as lift up
his eyes unto heaven, but fmiting upon his
breaft, as the feat of his difeafe and pain,
from whence he defpaired of fetching any
relief, he as it were flies from himfelf to
the God of all grace, and gives vent to his
penitent and humble hope, in thefe few but
emphatical words, " God be merciful to me a
" fmner." But the nature of true humiliation
will more fully appear from the falutary pur-
pofes for which it is intended, which was
the

Second thing I propofed to illuftrate^; and
hence likewife we fhall difcover how necef-
fary it is, in order to our regaining that hap-
pinefs we have forfeited. And,

I. It is of ufe to difgrace and mortify
carnal felf, that ufurping idol which fits on
the throne of God, and reigns in the heart of
every natural man. Herein lies the eflence

of

4a SERMON III.

of man's apoftacy. He is fallen from God
to felf. Diflatisfied with the rank which God
had afligned him, he attempted to break loofe
from the Author of his being, and to feize
upon knowledge, immortality, and happinefs,
without any dependence upon the hand that
formed him. This, my brethren, is the ori-
ginal difeafe of our nature ; in this confifteth
the fmfulnefs and the mifery of man. He
loveth himfelf fupremely ; he liveth to him-
felf ultimately ; the genuine language of his
heart is, " Who is the Lord, that I fhould
*' obey him?"

He begins indeed to alter his tone, when
conviction, like an armed man, forceth its
way into his foul ; then he feels his depend-
ence, and wiflieth to be at peace with that be-
ing whom he finds he is unable to refift. For
this end he will part, at leaft for a feafon,
with many of the members of the body of fin.
Nay, fo far as the external adl extends, there
are few duties perhaps which he will not con-
fent to perform. But, when he is driven from
the outworks, he only retires to the chief
fortrefs of fin. Still felf is worfhipped in a
different form ; and, though he fees that it

cannot

SERMON III. 43

cannot poflefs the throne by violence, yet he
hopes that it may be able to purchafe it with
a price. Thus the homage that was paid to
fmful felf, is only transferred to righteous felf;
and now the idol, which was formerly black as
hell, being white-wafhed, and decked with
fome forms of godlinefs, is permitted to wield
the fceptre in peace, till either grace or ven-
geance wipe off the falfe colouring, and, ftrip-
ping the deceiver of his gorgeous apparel, caft
him down to the ground, and put a final pe-
riod to his ufurped domination.

Of all the parts of mortification, felf-deniai
is by far the moft painful and difficult ; in-
deed all the reft are virtually contained in it.
Were it only riches or honours, or even the
fruit of the body for the fin of the foul, a
carnal mind, ftung with remorfe, and terrified
with the profpedl of impending wrath, might
be brought to part with them ; but to part
with his all, with his life, with his felf, this
indeed is a hard faying, and more than
enough to make him go away forrowful.

Now herein appeareth the end and the ne-
ceffity of fuch humiliation as I endeavoured
to defcribe. This layeth the whole load up-
on

44 SERMON III.

on felf, and breaketh the very heart of the old
man ; it fetteth the houfe on fire, in which
we both trufted and delighted, and maketh us
not only to fee, but to feel that it is time for
us to abandon it, left we be confumed. This
then is the firft office of humiliation, to hide
pride from our eyes, by fhowing us that we are
our own deftroyers, and giving us fuch difco-
veries of our guilt and pollution, that we are
made to abhor ourfelves in duft and in afhes,
and to cry out, with the Publican, God be
* merciful to us fmners. This leads me to
mention a

Second, and more falutary end of humilia^
tion, which indeed may be called its ultimate
end, becaufe the felf-annihilation I have been
fpeaking of, derives its chief importance from
its tendency to promote it, and that is. True
humiliation prepares the foul for the honour-
able reception of Chrift and his grace.

I fay, for the hotiourable reception of Chrift;
it is not meet that he fhould come into an
unhumbled heart ; for, though his errand be
to heal us, yet he muft have the welcome that
is due to a phyfician. He comes indeed to
fave us, but he comes at the fame time to be

honoured

SERMON III. 45

honoured in our falvation. Though his grace
be free, yet he will not expofe it to contempt,
bur have the fulnefs and the freedom of it
acknowledged and glorified. Faith, indeed,
accepts the gift, but then it muft be a humble
faith, that is fenfible of its worth ; a thankful
faith, that magnifieth the giver ; and an obe-
dient faith, that will pradticaily improve the
mercy beftovv^ed. Chrift hath no grace fo
free as to fave thofe w^ho neither feel their
need of it, nor know its worth. Chrift's be-r
nefits are not applied in the fame way they
were purchafed. When he came to ranfom
us, he confented to be a fufFerer ; for then he
bore our griefs, and carried our forrows ; the
chaftifement of our peace w^as laid upon him»
as the fubftitute and furety of guilty man ;
But when he comes, by his faving grace, into
the foul, he will not then be entertained vv'ith
contempt. He came in the flefh on purpofe
to be humbled ; but, when he comes in the
fpirit, it is that he may be exalted. On rhe
crofs he was reputed a finner, and bore the
punifhment that was due to fin ; but, in the
foul, he is the conqueror of fin, and comes
t9 take pofleflion of his own, and therefore

muft

45 SERMON III.

muft be treated according to his dignity. It
was the hour and power of darknefs while
he fufFered ; but, when he enters into the
heart by his quickening fpirit, that is the hour
of triumph, and the prevaiHng power of hea-
venly light ; and, therefore, though in the
llefh he fubmitted to contempt and reproach,
yet he will not endure to be flighted in the
foul. No ; there he muft be enthroned in
our moft reverend efteem, and crowned with
our higheft gratitude and love. The crofs
muft there be the portion of his enemies.
The crown and fceptre which he purchafed
muft be yielded to him ; and every thought
muft be captivated to the obedience of his
will.

This is the end of humiliation, to employ
the foul for the fuller entertainment of the
Lord that bought it ; to prepare the way be-
fore him ; to whip the buyers and fellers out
of the living temples of our hearts, that they
may become holinefs to the Lord, a fit habi-
tation for the King of Glory.

From this account of the nature and ufe of
humiliation, you may be able to judge what
meafure of it is abfolutely neceffary. It muft

at

SERMON III. 47

at leaft go fo deep as to undermine our pride,
and bring us fo low, that the blood of Chrift,
and the favour of God, fliall become more
precious in our efteem than all the riches,
and honours, and pleafures of a prefent world.
At the fame time, we muft beware of afcrib-
ing to our own humiliation any part of the
office of Chrift, or of the honour that is due
to him. We muft not think that we can re-
commend ourfelves to the favour of God by
the worth of our forrows, though we fhould
weep even tears of blood. It is not true
humiliation, if it lead us not wholly beyond
ourfelves, to feek pardon and life from Chrift
alone; and therefore it would be a plain con-
tradiction, if humiliation fhould aflume the
place of fatisfaCtion and merit, or be in any
degree relied upon inftead of the Saviour, or
fo much as aflbciated with him in procuring
our falvation.

Hence likewife we learn, that humiliation
becomes exceffive, and counteradls its chief
end, when it confines our attention fo entire-
ly to our own unworthinefs, as to darken our
views of gofpel grace, and prevent or obftrudt
our application to Chrift. But as few, com-
paratively

4B SERMON III.

paratively fpeaking, err upon this fide, 1 lliall
rather take occafion, from what has been faid,
to point out fome of the fymptoms of the
oppofite extreme, and then call upon thofe
whofe humiliation, upon trial, fhall appear to
be defective, to beg of God the bleffing of a
broken and contrite heart, which is the pro-
fefled defign of our affembling together this
day.

\,fi^ Then, they may certainly conclude that
they are not fufficiently humbled, who fuffer
their hearts to be lifted up with their duties
or attainments, and are not fuitably affe(51;ed
with thofe imperfedlions and blemifhes which
neceflarily cleave to their beft performances.
The true Chriftian grows downward in humi-
lity, in the fame proportion that he abounds
in the fruits of righteoufnefs. The nearer he
approaches to a holy God, the more clearly
he difcovers his own guilt and pollution.
Thus holy Nehemiah, after he had been re-
counting, to the praife of divine grace, the
many eminent fervices he had been enabled
to do for the church, addrefles to God this
humble prayer, " O fpare me, according to
" the greatnefs of thy mercy!'*

2^,

SERMON IIL 49

id^ When you are apt lo murmur and re-
pine, becaufe your duties are not accompanied
with a prefent reward ; wlien you are ready
to fay, in the language of the Jews of old,
" Wherefore have we fafted and prayed, and
" thou regardeft not;" this is another fymptom
that fecretly you entertain an opinion of fome
worthinefs in yourfelves ; for, where noiliing
is due, there can be no right to complain
when the favour is either delayed or refufed.

3<y, When you begin to think that any of
Chrift's fayings are hji^rd, and to willi that his
laws were lefs ftridt and critenfivej and arc
hefitating whether you fliould yield to them
or not ; when you are unwilling to take up
his crofs, and to forfake all for the hopes of
glory, but are fet upon a thriving courfe in
the world, and fuffer your hearts to be over-
charged with the cares of this life, and are
cumbered about many things through vour
own choice, this fhows that you are not yet
fufficiently humbled, otherwife you would not
fl:and thus trifling with Chrift ; and, if God
have mercy upon you, he will bring you
down, abafe your earthly appetite, teach you

Vol. IV. D 'to

so SERMON III.

to know that one thing is needful, and con-
ftrain you to choofe the better part.

4/^, When you grow heartlefs and dull in
the fervice of God, and relifh no fweetnefs in
the exercifes of religion ; when you begin to
be indifferent about communion with God,
and have little anxiety to know whether your
fervices be accepted j when you can pray
without looking after your prayers, and at-
tend upon ordinances almoft merely from cuf-
tom, or to keep confcience quiet, without a
jeal concern to find God in them, or to re-
ceive benefit from them ; efpecially if you are
fo far indifferent about the fpiritual confola-
tion of the faints, that vain company, or amu-
ling diverfions, can make up for the want of
them, and keep your minds eafy and fatisfied
without them ; it mufl: be obvious to your-
felves, that you need a fharper rod than you
have ever yet felt, that you may be effectual-
ly taught to know your true home, and to
take greater pleafure in the fellowship of your
Father and brethren than in ftrangers and
enemies to God and your own fouls. Once
more, in the

Stb

SERMON III. 51

^th place, When, inftead of feeding upon
ordinances, and receiving them thankfully,
you rather pick quarrels with them, and thofe
that difpenfe them ; when you cannot bear
to have your faults laid open, but hate and
revile the faithful reprover ; when you grow
cenforious and uncharitable, like the Pharifee
in the context, treating others vnxh contempt,
aggravating their failings, and extenuating
their graces ; efpecially when men begin to
grow wanton in matters of religion, itching
after novelties, and afFeding fmgularity ;
when they think themfelves fitter to teach
than to learn, and that the church is not pure
or good enough for their company ; all this
cries aloud for farther humiliation : And,
when it fhall pleafe God to lead them into
the chambers of imagery, and expofe the hid-
den contents of them to their view, he will
make them to ftoop to the very perlons whom
once they flighted, and to judge themfelves
unworthy of the communion of thofe whom
they formerly defpifed as unworthy of theirs.

Thefe are a few marks by which i would

have you to try yourfelves ; and, if you find

that any of them are partly applicable to you;

D 2 or.

52 S E R M O N III.

or, if by any other means you can dlfcovei'
that pride and felf-exaltation ftill retain too
miicli power in your hearts, let me now be-
feech you to cry carneftly to God for that
humble and contrite fpirit which he exprefsly
requires, and hath gracioufly promifed to ac-
cept.

Grief, I know, is an unwelcome guefl: to
nature ; but grace can fee reafon to bid it
welcome, as a neceiTary confequence of our
paft fms, and an cffential preparative for our
future recovery.

You will fubmit to the fevereft regimen,
and take tlie moll: loathfome potions, for the
health of your bodies ; and, Should you not
fubnlit to the bittcreft forrows, and the keen-
ed rebukes, for the (i.iving of your fouls ? It
is true, as I formerly obferved, that your deep-
cft humiliation merits nothing, and can make
no amends to God for your fins ; neither is
it for any want of fufHciency in the blood c-f
Chrift that it is required ; but it is part of the
fruit of his blood upon your Touls ; for, if his
blood do not melt and break your hearts, you
have no part in him.

Confidcr

SERMON III. 53

Confider whence you are coming, Is it not
from a ftate of enmity againft God ; and is
it decent, is it ingenuous, to leave fuch a ftate,
without lamenting that you (laid in it io long?

Confider what forrows they be, which thefe
forrows are intended to prevent, and what
thofe are now fuifering in hell who felt not this
godly forrovvT upon earth. Yours have hope,
but theirs are Ihavpened with defpair ; yours
are medicinal, but theirs are tormenting ; yours
are of fliort duration, hut theirs are eternal.
Grudge not then at the opening of a vein,
when fo many lliall bleed at the heart for
ever. Befides, who was it that brought you to
the neceflity of this forrow ? Who was it that
finned and laid in the fuel of after remorfe ?
God did not do this. All the pain you can
feel is of your own preparation. God only
undoes what you have been doing.

Confider farther, tliat you have a wife and
tender hearted phyfician, v.'ho perfedily knows
-vhat forrow and grief are; for he himfelf was
I man of lorrows and accjuaintcd witli i^riefs,
^ind is therefore difpofed to pity them that arc
in forrow. He dellgiiteth not in your trou-
ble, but in your cure and after confolation,

D 3 and

54 SERMON III.

and therefore you may be aflured that he will
deal gently with you, and put no more hit-
ternefs into the cup than is neceflary for your
recovery. He was fent to heal the bfoKen
hearted, and he invites the labouring and hea-
vy laden to come .to him for reft. When he
hath wounded you, he will bind up your
wounds as tenderly as you can defire. He
hath not, indeed, that blind fondnefs for you
which you have tor yourfelves. He will not
be fo cruelly mer:iful as to fave you from that
forrow which is neceffary to fave your i.juls
from perdition ; but at the fame time he will
not fuffer you to tafte one drop of vinegar
and gall, nor fo fhed one tear but what tends
to your future comfort and joy.

Remember that the more you are humbled
after a godly fort, the fweeter will Chrift and
all his benefits be to you while you live. One
tafte of his healing love will make you bl-efs
thofe medicinal forrows that prepared for it.
Chrift is not equally efteemed by all whom
he will fave ; and v/ould you not raiher be
yet more emptied of yourfelves now, that
hereafter you may be fuller of Chrift and his
grace ; for our Saviour here affures us in the

text,

SERMON III. SS

text, that a thorough humiliation is a certain
forerunner of future exaltation. " Every one
" that humbleth himfelf fhall be exalted.'*
"When men propofe to build high, they dig
deeper for the foundation. Paul was laid ex-
ceeding low at his convei'Cion, that he might
be better fitted for the important fervice to
■which he had afterwards the honour to be
called.

Let thefe confiderations reconcile you to
the humbling work of the Ijpirit of God :
And if any thing you have heard hath touch-
ed your hearts, feek not relief among foolifh
companions, but retire to your clofets, and on
your bended knees befeech the Lord to per-
fedt the good work he hath begun, and he
who comforteth thofe that are caft down,
will not leave you in the Red Sea, but carry
you fafely through to the farther fide, and put
the fbng of Mofes and of the Lamb into your
mouths, " giving you beauty for afhes, the
" oil of joy for mourning, and the garments
'' of praife for the fpirit of heavinefs." Amen.

D 4 S E R-

56

SERMON IV.

Psalm cxix. 173, 174, 175.

Let thine hand help me ; for I have chofen thy
precepts. T have longed for thy falvatioUy
0 Lord ; and thy law is my delight. Let
my foul live, and it fhall praife thee; and
let thy judgments help me.

T'HESE words were immediately addrcf-
fed to God, inoft High, whofe work-
manfliip we all are, even to him that quickeneth
the dead, and calleth thofe things that be not
as though they were. Here David appeals
to the Searcher of hearts, and lays before him
not the product of his ov/n labour and fkill,
as though he poflefled fomething whereof he
might glory before God, but what he grate-
fully acknowledges to be the doing of the
Lord ; a heart in fome meafure renewed after
his image, and panting after a nearer and ftill
mere perfeft refemblance.

I

S E R M O N IV. 57

I fhall therefore confider this account,
which, in the form of a folenm addrefs to
God, the Pfalmift here gives of his own tem-
per and conduct, as an approved model or
pattern for our imitation. What this holy-
man was, that ought we to be ; and fuch we
{hall certainly endeavour to be, if we afpire
to the charader whereby David was diftin-
guiihed by the Supreme Judge himfelf, when
he dignified him with the moft honourable of
all appellations, everi that of the man after his
own heart.

The pafTage contains,

I. The didinguilhing character. And,

II. The leading requefls of a truly godly
man.

Each of thefe I fhall briefly illuftrate and
improve ; the one for the prefent trial, and
the other for the future diredion of thofe,
who have this day * made a public profeffion
of their faith in Chrift, over the facred fym-
bols of his broken body, and flied blood, in
the holy facrament of liis fupper.

I begin with the diPiinguifhing charader of
a truly godly man ; and you will obferve the

following
* Preached after the celebration of the Lord's fupper.

58 S E R M O N IV.

following particulars diftindlly marked, viz.
The matter of his choice — The objei^: of his
defires — And the fource of his joy.

The godly man's choice — is the precepts of
God. David had faid, verfe 3, That he had
chofen the teftimonies of God for his heri-
tage ; by which he probably meant the pro-
miles of that everlafting covenant, ordered in
all things and fure, to which he afterwards
reforted in the immediate profpedt of death,
as all his falvation, and all his defire. Thefe
promifes are indeed exceeding great and pre-
cious, fuited to all the neceflities of the faints,
and extending to every bleffing that can be
denoted by thefe two fignificant and moft
comprehenfive words, grace and glory.
But one may choofe, or rather covet, the he-
ritage of a child, who hath an averfion to the
duties that refult from that relation : And
therefore the chufmg the law or precepts of
God, for regulating the heart and life, is, of
v/all others, the moft difcriminating charadler
■of a true child of God ; for there can be no
doubt, that one who fmcerely devotes himfelf
to the fervice of God, will moft fmcerely and

ardently

SERMON IV. 59

ardently wifli to be happy, in the pofTeflion
of the promifed inheritance.

Let us next attend to the obje£t of the god-
ly man's defire. " I have longed," faith Da-
vid, " for thy ialvation :" a prefent falvation
from the guilt and power of fin, and future
falvation, in the full and everlafting enjoy-
ment of God in heaven. David was already
poiTeffed of the firft of thefe ; for he fpake
from his own experience, when he faid,
" ElefTed is the man whofe tranfgreflion is for- •
" given, whofe fm is covered, unto whom the
" Lord impureth not iniquity, and in whofe
" fpirit there is no guile." He had the hap-
pinefs to be a partaker both of pardoning
mercy and of fandtifying grace ; yet ftiU he
longed for more of this faivarion, that is, for
a more alTured faith of pardoning mercy, and
larger meafures of fandlifying grace. It is a
juft obfervation, with refpe<St to earthly things,
that Nature is contented whh a little, and
Grace with lefs. But it is quite the reverfe
as to fpiritual things. Here grace is not con-^
tented with a little ; on the contrary, it is in-
fatiable ; the more it hath received, the more
it defires to receive, imjoyment, inftead of

furfeiting,

6a S E R M O N IV.

furfeiting, fharpens the appetite. Nay, fo
fweet is their relifh, that every renewed tafte
of it abates and quenches the thirft for other
things. " There be many that fay, who will
" fhow us any good ;" this is the voice of the
mere child of Adam. But what faith the
new man in Chrift, " One thing have I de-
" fn-ed of the Lord, and that will I feek after.
" — As the hart panteth for the brooks of wa-
" ter, fo panteth my foul after thee, O God.
** — Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and
" there is none upon earth that 1 defire be-
" fides thee."

This leads us forward to the fource of the
godly man's joy. " Thy law," faith David,
" is my delight." Here he chufes the term law
for denoting the whole revelation of God's
will, to remind us of the infeparable conne6lion
between privilege and duty, faith and obe-
dience, holinefs and comfort ; and lo teach us
that we ought to be thankful to God for the
dirediion he hath given us in the read to
heaven, no lefs than for the promifes by which
we are affured of the poiTeffion of it. But
what I would chiefly obferve is, that the joy
of a faint is not extraded from fuch bait;

and

S E R M 0 N IV. 6s

and periihing materials, as corn, and wine,
and oil ; it flows ipontaneoufly from the
fountain of living waters ; from the pure
fource of that word of God which liveth
and abideth for ever. Nay, fo little is it de-
pendent upon, or even connected with, any
thing that belongs to a prefent world, that
" although the fig tree fhould not bloflbm,
" neither fliould fruit be in the vine ; the la-
" hour of the olive fiiould fail, and the fields
" fhould yield no meat; the flock fliould be cut
*' off from the fold, and there fhould be no herd
" in the flail ;" yet fl:ill the faint can rejoice
in the Lord, and joy in the God of his fal-
vation. Nay, when the heavens fhall be fhri-
velled up like a fcroll when it is rolled toge-
ther, and every mountain and ifland fhall be
moved out of their places, he can look at the
univerfal defolation, and fay, when thefe ma-
terials are confumed, I fliall have loft no-
thing. " All things are mine, for I am
*' Chrift's and Chrift is God's. — God lives,
*' blefled be my rock. — The Lord is the por-
" tion of my inheritance," and in him I pof-
fefs and enjoy all things.

Thefc

62 S E R M O N IV.

Thefe three particulars, refpecting the mat-
ter of the godly man's choice, the objed of
his defire, and the fource of his joy, may help
us to form a juft eftimate of ourfelves ; and
this is the improvement I would have you to
make of this branch of the fubjed.

How are your hearts affedted towards the
precepts of God's word ? an outward reluc-
tant obedience there may be compelled by
the flavifh fear of wrath ; but do you ferve
God from choice with a free and liberal
mind ? Doth the Lord Jefus appear as ami-
able with the crown upon his head, and the
fceptre in his hand, as when clad with his
garments rolled in blood ?

Is falvation, in all its extent, the chief ob-
je6: of your defire ? even the prefent falva-
tion of an inward growing light, and love,
and purity ; as well as the future falvation of
deliverance from the fire that is not quench-
ed, and the enjoyment of thofe pofitive plea-
fures which are at God's right hand for ever-
more.

Do you know what it is to hunger and to
third after righteoufnefs ? '* They that are af-
** ter the flefh do mind the things of the flefh,

"but

S E R M O N IV. 6j

" but they that are after the fpirit do mind
" the things of the fpirit. — If you be rifen
*' with Chrift, you will feek the things that
*' are above." You will never think you have
already attained, either are already perfect ;
but, forgetting the things that are behind,
and reaching forth to thofe things which are
before, you will prefs towards the mark for
the prize of the high calling of God in Chrift
Jefus.

Once more, From whence do you derive
your comfort and joy ; from the wells of fal-
vation, that iffiie forth from beneath the
throne of God and the Lamb, or from the
polluted ftreams that fpring out of this foot-
llool upon which we tread ?

By this unerring touch-ftone of God's
word, let us examine and prove ourfelves •
and if the Spirit bears witnefs with our fpi-
rits, that thefe lineaments of the new creature
though too much blended and marred with
the features of the old man, are neverthelefs
legible on the fielhly tables of our hearts, let
us give glory to God, who hath thus far
formed us for himfelf, and truft that he who
hath begun a good work in us, will carry it

64 SERMON IV.

on till it be perfedied in the heavenly glory.
And let the many blemifhes we muft una-
voidably dilcover, while they humble us in
the piefence of a holy God, urge us forward,
at the fame time, to a throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy for the pardon of paft
offences, and find grace to help us in every
future time of need.

Having thus endeavoured to illudrate, and
to improve for felf-examination, the dillin-
guiihing charadler of the godly man, as it
lies before us in this pafiage, let us now at-
tend, for our dire6lion, to his leading re-
quefts.

■ ly?, He prays for flrengthening and up-
holding grace, *' Let thine hand help me."

Dependence upon the Creator belongs to
the effence of every creature. None of tliem
fubfift by themfelves, neither do they pofrefs
any thing that they can claim as. their proper-
ty. The higheft feraph that minifters before
the throne muft adopt the language of the
Apoftle Paul, and fay as he did, " By the
" crrace of God, I am what I am." We read
of " angels who kept not their firft eftatc, but

" left

S E R M O N IV. 6s

^* left their own habitation, being referved in
** everlafting chains under darknefs, unto the
" judgment of the great day." Adam creat-
ed after the image of God, and furnifhed
with every advantage fuited to his rank, fedu-
ced by an apoftate fpirit, forfeited at once both
his innocence and happinefs, in confequence
whereof all his pofterity come into the world
involved in the forfeiture he incurred, equal-
ly deftitute of righteoufnefs and ftrength, ac-
cording to that faying of the Apoftle Paul,
Romans, v. 6. " When we were without
" ftrength, in due time Chrift died for the un-
*' godly." And though this weaknefs is in
part removed by the renewing influences of
the Spirit of God, yet there will always be
need for that caution, " Be not high minded,
*' but fear." Who can fay " My mountain
** ftandeth ftrong, I ihall never be moved ?"
The moft eminent faints have not only failed,
but failed in thofe very graces for which they
were moft eminent, and that too by means of
temptations far inferior to others which they
were enabled to refift. The faith of Abraham,
the patience of Job, the meeknefs of Mofes, and
the courage of Peter, were all found unequal
Vol. IV. E to

66 S E R M O N IV.

to the confli£t, when left alone in the hour of
trial. Thefe examples are recorded for our
admonition ; and on each of them we may
read the folemn warning, " Let him that
" thinketh he ftandeth, take head leaft he fall."
Remember who it was that faid, " Without
*' me ye can do nothing. As the branch can-
*' not bear fruit of itfelf, except it abide in the
" vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in the
" me." Blelfed be God for the aflurance we
have that help is laid for us upon one that is
mighty ; upon him let us lean in our journey
through the wildernefs ; to his hand let us
look for the help we need, and he will make
his grace fufficient for us. Animated by this
hope, the fame Apoftle who faid in one place,
" I know that in me, that is, in my flefh,
" dwelleth no good thing ;" in another place,
fetting his foot upon the neck of his enemies,
utters the fhout of vidory, in thofe trium-
phant words, " I can do all things through
** Chrift which ftrengtheneth me." Let us go
and do likewife. To the prayer for upholding
grace, David adds,

2dlj.', A defire for quickening grace ; for
this I tak^ to be the true import of the re-

queftj

S E R M O N IV. 57

queft, " Let my foul live." Sometimes, in-
deed, we find him praying for the life of the
body, as when he fays, " O fpare me, that I
*^ may recover ftrength, before I go hence,
" and be no more :" But here the expreffion
is too ftrong to be limited to a fenfe compa-
ratively fo low.

Life, or confcious exiftence, though a va-
luable gift in itfelf, is a gift we poffefs in
common with the worft of our own kind, and
with the meaneft and moft noxious of the in-
ferior creatures. Nay, devils partake of it in
a higher degree than man. Befides, the life
of man, fmce the apoftacy, is become fhort
and precarious ; and though it holds true in
general, that " Ikin for Ikin, all that a man
** hath will he give for his life;" yet the bitter-
nefs of affliction hath caufed many to grow
weary of it, infomuch that their fouls have
chofen ftrangling and death rather than life.
But in all thefe refpeds, the life of the foul
is entirely the reverfe. It is not a privilege
common to all, but the gift of fpecial diftin-
guifhing love. It was purchafed for con-
demned fmners by the blood of Chrift ; and
is produced in dead fmners by his renewing

E 2 Spirit :

68 S E R M O N IV.

Spirit : So far is it from being Qiort and pre-
carious, that its duration is eternal It is a
*' life hid with Chrift in God ; and becaufe
*' he lives, all who believe in him Ihall live al-
*' fo.*' The longer it is enjoyed, alfo the more
it is efteemed. Who was ever heard to fay
of fpiritual life, " I loathe it — I would not live
" always ?" Nay it is the life of the foul alone
that gives a relifh to the life of the body, and
enables the believer, under the heavieft pref-
fure of afflidlion, either to poffefs it with
thankfulnefs, or to refign it with joy.

This was the life for which David prayed ;
a confirmed fenfe of pardoning mercy, larger
meafures of fandtifying grace, communion
w^ith his God in a prefent world, and the full
and everlafting enjoyment of him in heaven.
The life for which he prays is no other than
The falvation for which he longed. He had
tafted of its fweetnefs, and he thirfted for
more. " Let my foul live," faith he ; to which
he fubjoins, " and it fhall praife thee." From
which words we learn, for our farther direc-
tion,

3rt7y, The ultimate end for which David
was fo earneft in his requefts for help and

life,

S E R M O N IV. 69

life, and the improvement he propofed to
make of both. They were no doubt blef-
fmgs that would greatly contribute to his own
honour and comfort ; but every private and
perfonal intereft was in him fubordinated to the
glory of God. He prayed for upholding and
quickening grace, that he might be better qua-
lified for the fervice of his God, to whom he
had devoted himfelf and his all. Thus he
prays, Pfalm li. " Reft ore unto me the joy
" of thy falvation, and uphold me by thy
" free Spirit : Then will I teach tranfgrefTors
*' thy way, and fmners fhall be converted un-
" to thee. Lord open thou my lips, and my
*' mouth fhall fhow forth thy praiie." And
the principal reafon for which he was defir-
ous to obtain divine confolation appears from
the ufe he intended to make of it, (verfe 3 2d
cf this pfalm), " I will run the way of thy
" commandments, when thou fhalt enlarge

my neart.

I fhall therefore make this my concluding
exhortation to you : By your folemn profef-
fion at the table of the Lord, you have pub-
licly acknowledged that you are not your
own, but bought with a price, in confequence

E 3 whereof

70 SERMON IV.

whereof you are ftridly obliged to live not
urito yourfelves, but to him that bought you ;
to glorify your Redeemer, both with your
bodies and fpirits, which are his. He fays,
concerning you, " This people have I formed
" for myfelf, to fhow forth my praife." He
calls the world to take knowledge of you, as the
perfons by whom he experts to be honoured.
*' Ye are a chofen generation, a royal prieft-
" hood, an holy nation, a peculiar people ;
*' that ye fhould fhow forth the praifes of him
" who hath called you out of darknefs into
" his marvellous light.- — ^I befeech you, there-
" fore, by the mercies of God, that ye walk
*' worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are
" called, with all lowlinefs and meeknefs, with
** long fuffering, forbearing one another in
" love. — Adding to your faith, virtue ; and to
" virtue, knowledge ; and to knowledge, tem-
*' perance; and to temperance, patience; and to
" patience, godlinefs ; and to godlinefs, bro-
" therly kindnefs ; and to brotherly kindnefs,
" charity" — abounding in all thofe fruits of
righteoufnefs, which are through Jefus Chrift,
to the praife and glory gf God ; fliining as
lights in the midft of a perverfe and a crook-
ed

S E R M O N IV. 71

ed generation ; holding forth the word of life.
After this manner improve the help and life
you have received, in your attendance upon
this precious means of grace, " Whatfoever
" things are true, whatfoever things are ho-
" neft, whatfoever things are juft, whatfoever
" things are pure, whatfoever things are love-
" ly, whatfoever things are of good report ; if
" there be any virtue, and if there be any
" praife, think on thefe things. — And let your
" light fo fhine before men, that they may fee
" your good works, and glorify your Father
" which is in Heaven." Amen.

E 4 S E R-

SERMON V.

John, xvi. 26, 27.

Ai that day ye Jlmll ajk in my name : And I
Jay not unto you that I ijdiII pray the Father
for you ; for the Father himfelf loveth yoUy

becaife ye have loved me, and have believed

that I came out from God.

THESE words fpake Jefus to fupport the
drooping fpirits of his difciples. We
are told, in the 6th verfe, " that Ibrrow had
" filled their hearts." Although they did not
fully underftand the intimations he had given
them of his approaching fufferings and death,
although their warm affedion for him made
them flow to believe an event fo contrary to
their expedations and defires ; yet the man-
ner in which he had been fpeaking to them
for fome time pall, and the unufual tender-
nefs which had of late appeared in his dif-
courfes to them, left them no room to doubt,

that

S E R M O N V. 73

that fome fore and heavy trial was at hand.
Jefus perceiving their grief, begins to tell
them more plainly of his departure from
them ; but at the fame time gives them fuch
good reafons for it as could not fail to quiet
their minds, and to convince them that his
leaving them, inftead of being a difafter, was
every way neceiTary for their beft interefts
and happinefs. " It is expedient for you,"
fays he, in the 7th verfe, " that I go away ;
" for if I go not away, the Comforter will
" not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will
" fend him unto you." As if he had faid,
The work given me to do is not yet finifhed ;
I muft yet fufFer more, before I can reign ;
but after my exaltation, to which my death is
a previous and neceflary ftep, I will fend forth
the Comforter, who {hall fully fupply my
place, and make up to you for my bodily ab-
fence. What though you fhall no more hear
inftrudion from thefe lips, you fhall have a
teacher within you, even the Spirit of Truth,
who fhall guide you into all truth. Whilil
1 am yet with you, you have indeed ready
accefs to me, for counfel and diredion, in
every cafe of hazard and perplexity; and

perhaps

74 SERMON V,

perhaps you fear, that when I am taken from
you, you fhall want a friend to apply to ;
b.ut know and rejoice, that I go to my Father
who is greater than I ; to him you fhall have
free accefs for my fake ; and whatever ye
fhall afk in my name, he fhall give it unto
you. If I have befriended you fo much in
my prefent humble condition, what may you
not expert from me when I am exalted at my
Father's right hand.

It is this laft ground of comfort which our
Saviour enlarges upon in the verfes now un-
der confideration ; and the defign of them is
to confirm his difciples in the belief of this,
that whatever fuitable prayer they fhall offer up
to the Father in his name, they may afTuredly
expert a gracious anfwer. The argument he
ufes for this purpofe is very conclufive, and
is no where elfe in Scripture, that I know of,
expreffed w^th the fame degree of energy and
force. " I fay not unto you that I will pray
" the Father for you, for the Father himfelf
" loveth you." That is. My Father is fo
fully fatisfied with my undertaking for the
redemption of the world, and my fufferings
and obedience are fo meritorious and accept-
able

S E R M O N V. 75

able in his fight, that even though I were to
conceal from you that I am to be your con-
ftant interceflbrand advocate in Heaven, all of
you who love me, and believe in me, have
abundant reafon to expedl a favourable hear-
ing from the Father himfelf ; " for the Father
" himfelf loveth you, becaufe ye have loved
" me, and have beli.eved that I came out from
" God." And if the Father is already fo much
difpofed to hear our prayers, how great muft
iheir encouragement be, and how ftrong tbeir
confolation, who know, befides, that their Re-
deemer liveth to enforce their requefts ; that
he maketh intercefTion for them, according to
the will of God ; that his mediation muft be
always effectual ; and that him the Father
heareth always. Thefe are joyful tidings in-
deed, and muft make a ftrong impreflion on
every one whofe confcience teftifies that he
loves the Redeemer, and believes that he came
out from God. The Father is fully reconcil-
ed to him ; the Son conftantly prays for him
at the throne of Heaven ; and what may he
not then expedl from the fulnefs of him who
filleth all in all. But that we may have a
more complete view of the comfort which

this

y6 S E R M O N V.

this text prefents to us, I fhall feparately con-
fider,

I. The love of the Father,

II. The interceffion of the Son.

III. The lecurity which beUevers derive
from them both, as infeparably united toge-
ther.

I. Then, let us take a view of the love of
God feparately from the interceffion of our
blefled Redeemer. And, for our better con-
ceiving of this, let us confider that remark-
able declaration which we have, John, iii. i6.
17. " God fo loved the world that he gave
** his only begotten Son, that whofoever be-
" lieveth in him fhould not perifh, but have
" everlafting life : For God fent not his Son
" into the world to condemn the world, but
*' that the world through him might be faved."
It was the Father who laid the plan of our re-
demption. It was he who fent his Son into
the world, not in anger, but in love, that his
poor loft creatures might be recovered and
faved from that dreadful gulf of mifery into
which they had plunged themfelves. Many

look

S E R M O N V. 77

look upon the Father as an auftere and rigid
Being, who has no compaffion, who deUghts
in punifliing and even fuffers a fort of vio-
lence in admitting Chrift to be furety for fin-
ners. But it appears from the fore-cited paf-
fage, that this is by no means the light in
wiiich the Scriptures reprefent him to us.
No, goodneis and mercy are the attributes
in which he glories. " God is love," faith
the Apoftle. He is not only reprefented
as accepting the offer when made by the
Redeemer, but as being the firft mover and
fpring. How does he rejoice that he has
found out a ranfom ; what fpecial delight
does he exprefs towards the Son, v/hen em-
ployed in this favoured undertaking ! " This,
fays he, by an audible voice, " is my beloved
" Son, in whom I aai well pleafed." He fent
forth his angels from Heaven to proclaim the
news of good will to men, to minifter to the
tempted Saviour, to ftrengthen him under his
agony in the garden, and at lad to conduit
him in triumph to his own right hand.
All thefe are unqueftionable proofs of the
Father's love : And if God fo loved man-
kind.

78 S E R M O N V.

kind, whilft they were enemies, how much
more muft he love them, when they become
friends, when they comply with the terms
which he has gracioufly eftablifhed for their
recovery, by loving and believing in him.
whom he hath fent ? With what delight
and complacency muft he look upon them ?
He views us now as ranfomed by the blood
of his own equal. He looks upon us in the
face of his Anointed ; and whilft he does fo.
How warm and affed;ionate muft his regard
be ? And, O what comfort arifes to us from
this ! If our hearts do not condemn us, what
confidence muft we have towards fuch a God!
When the fight of our diftrefs, worthlels and
wicked as .we were, moved him to find a
Redeemer ; Will he now rejedl us when we
cry to him, and plead the merit of his own
gift? " No, He that fpared not his own Son,
" but gave him up to the death for us all, will
" certainly with him likewife freely give us all
" things." Thus the love of God, confidered
fingly by itfelf, gives us the greateft ground
of expedation from him, even though the
interceflion of Chrift were lefs certainly

revealed

S E R M O N V. 79

revealed to us than it is. Let us now, in
the

II. Place, take under our confideration the
interceflion of Chrift, than which there is
nothing more clearly held forth to us in fa-
cred Scripture. He himfelf fays to his dif-
ciples,. in the 1 6th verfe of the 14th chap, of
this gofpel, *' I will pray the Father, and he
** (hall give you another Comforter." This is
a fpecial part of his office, as our great High
Prieft, to intercede for his people, and his fav-
ing ability is particularly concluded from this,
" That he ever liveth, to make inteiceffion for
" us." Heb. vii. 25. Indeed we have both an
example and proof of his interceffion in the
chapter following, which is wholly employed in
prayers for his people. Let us now make the fup-
pofition that the Father's love was more doubt-
ful ; yea that there were even fome ground
to fufpe£t that his afFedion was quite alienat-
ed from the children of men, yet, unlefs we
were to fuppofe that he had likewife thrown
afide all regard to his only begotten Son, we
have ftill ground enough to conclude, that for

HIS

So S E R M O N V.

HIS fake he will beftow whatever he a{ks up-
on thofe who love him and believe on him.
When he prefents that body in which he fuf-
fered fo much — When he pleads the merit
and fufficiency of that facrifice which he of-
fered up — When he urges the memory of the
fhame, the pain, and the curfed death he un-
derwent, to fatisfy the juftice of God, and to
magnify his law, how prevalent muft his fuit
be? Can the Father turn a deaf ear to his be-
loved Son, whilft he enforces his plea with
fuch powerful reafonings? Can he behold the
prints of that bloody punifhment which him-
felf inflided upon him, and be infenfible of
their merit? — Now that the moft rigorous de-
mands of ftern jullice are anfwered, will not
mercy .be awakened at the intreaty of fuch
a fuitor? It were abfurd to think fo. No,
the Father's love to our Redeemer, nay, im-
partial juftice itfelf, fecures the fuccefs of the
Saviour's interceffion, though God were more
averfe to a reconciliation, than the moft gloomy
felf-tormenting mind can conceive.

We have a famous ftory recorded of two
brothers at Athens, which, as it ferves to il-
luftrate what I have been faying, I fhall brief-

S E R M O N V. 8x

]y relate It to you : One of them, for fome
high mifdemeanour, was condemned to lofc
his life, and was going to be led to execution,
when his brother, who had loft his hand in the
defence of his country, and had been a great
mean of gaining a victory which was of the
laft importance to the ftate, came fuddenly
into the court ; aud without faying a word,
but barely holding up his mutilated arm, fo
prevailed with the judges by this remem-
brance of what he had formerly done, that
they inftantly difcharged the delinquent bro-
ther, though he had forfeited his life. Thus
far does the interceflion of man prevail with
men ; and (hall not the conftant prefentation
of the Lamb that was flain, for fo our Savi-
our's appearance in Heaven is defcribed in
the book of Revelations, fhall not this be as
operative and powerful with the loving Fa-
ther ? The Redeemer thus pleads, " Behold
" me, O my Father, Behold me in a form
" thus different from that in which 1 origi-
" nally was ! Behold me now dwelling in
" human flefh which I have affumed ; and
" how it Was treated for the atonement of
" thy juftice, and the falvation of thefe my
Vol, IV. F " people j

g2 S E R M O N V.

" people ; and now let not all my fufferings
*' be in vain, but for my fake receive thera
" into thy favour, and beflow upon them
" thofe bleffiogs which have coft me fo
*' much." Can any confider the force of
this interceffion, and yet doubt of its fuccefs ?
Let us, in the

III, Place, join both thefe together, viz.

The afiured love of the Father ; and. The

con Rant prevailing interceflion of the Son ;

and, O how great is the amount ! Either of

them fnigly give us good ground to hope ;

but when the two arc united, How certain,

how infallible is our aflurance ? When the

advocate's plea is jufl and fairly urged, when

the judge is fufFiciently qualified and pei'fe£t-

ly well difpofed, how fafe is the client, how

fecure of fuccefs ? If God himfelf loves you,

and the Redeemer never leaves importuning

him for you, how is it poffible that your

prayers ihould be rejected, or any of youi

intcrcils mifcarry ? It is needlefs to infift any

longer ia the proof of this ; the conclufion

is fo flrong and evident, that you muft all of

you

S E R M O N V. 83

you have made it before 1 could fpeak it. I
lliall therefore fuggeft to you, in a few parti-
culars, the natural ufe and improvement of
this comfortable fubjedt.

And now my dear brethren, upon the re-
view of all that has been faid, Is not this the
fecret language of your hearts : Thefe, in-
deed, are bleffed news, but what intereft have
I in them ? Does the comfort of them belong
to me in particular or not ? This is as it
ihould be. In fo far you are on the road to
the befl and moft neceflary improvement that
I can fuggeft to you. The Scriptures will
inform you, that this is the childrens bread,
in which the dogs can pretend no fhare. You
fee it is not a common privilege. It is pecu-
liar to thofe who love the Redeemer, " and
" believe that he is come out from God.'
This is the teft.

Here, then, is the great and important
queftion, which, in the name of the living
God, the fearcher of hearts, I put to every
foul who now hears me. Is it your character,
or is it not ? I do not alk you, if you believe
F 2 the

84 S E R M O N V.

the exlftence of a God ; or even the truth of
the Chriftian religion. This is a faith which
may go down with you to Hell, where the
devils themfelves believe and tremble.

Neither do I afk you, If you have felt
fome paffing motions of love to Chrift ; fome
faint defires after an intereft in him. There
is a defire of the flothful, fays Solomon,
that kills him, while it only ferves to increafe
his prefent uneafmefs, and his after punifli-
ment. But do you really know Chrift,
and love him in fmcerity ? Do you cor-
dially approve of the methods of his faving
grace ? Do you know what it is to lay down
your guilty fouls, as under the effufion of
his blood, and the covert of his righteouf-
nefs ? Do you know what it is to ftrip your-
felves of pride and felf-confidence in his fight,
that your nackednefs may be clothed with his
mofl: perfect righteoufnefs ? Do you know
what it is to bow to his fceptre, as his obe-
dient fubjeds ; to take the law of your di-
region from his mouth, and to rejoice that
you have fuch a governor or inftru£lor ? And
do vou feel the neceffity of a conftant appli-
cation

S E R M O N V. 85

cation to him as your great head, on whofe
influences you live, and by whcfe fpirit you
muft be perpetually aided to all the pur-
pofes of a divine life? Can you fay to him,
as Peter did, " Thou Lord, who knoweft
" all things, knoweft that I love thee." Does
this faith and love govern your pradice,
and appear in the fruits of holy and virtuous
converfation ? Have you, by thefe, been kept
not only from the groffer habits of falfehood,
drunkennefs, fwearing, uncleannefs, and other
rank fms ; but is the very inclination to them
mortified, and can you fay that is your prin-
cipal aim and fludy to maintain confciences
void of offence both towards God and man ?
Do you know what it is to pray in the name of
Chrift; not barely to pronounce the v/ords, as
many do a fpell, as if God were to be charm-
ed by a found ; but with a humble fenie of
your own unworthinefs, a firm perfuafion of
his infinite merit, and a hopeful expectation
of being gracioufly heard for his fake ?

Thefe are the marks by which each of you
may be known by himfelf.

And now that I have held up the mirror,

I fuppofe I may warrantably clafs this whole

F 3 audiencis

S6 S E R M O N V.

audience into three different forts of peo-
ple.

ly?, Thofe who are yet doubtful of their
ftate, and know not what judgment to pafs.

id^ Thofe who are fenfible that the marks
that I have given do not at all agree to them.
And,

3<^, Thofe with whofe fpirits the Holy
Spirit doth witnefs, that in truth they love
the Redeemer, and believe that he came out
from God. And this directs me to a three-
fold addrefs.

ly?, As for you who are yet uncertain
about your ftate, who have not accuftomed
yourfelves to this ftri6l reckoning, and there-
fore know not what judgment to form of
yourfelves. What have you been doing? How
can you anfwer this negle^l ? Ah ! fliame up-
on you, to delay an inquiry upon which all
the comfort and fafety of your fouls does de-
pend. How inexcufable is this ? If the
Scriptures had told us that it was only fome
few that fhould mifs falvation ; yea if it had
been faid, that it was only one of ten thou-
fand that was in danger of Hell fire, yet me-
thinks the hazard is fo dreadful, that each of

us

1

SERMON V. ^

us fhould be crying out, " Lord is it I." But
when the Spirit of God tells us, and the
common courfe of the world muft convince
us, that comparatively there arc few, very
few, that fhall be faved ! O, how folicitcus
fhould every one of us be to know whether
we be of that happy number ; and how utter-
ly inexcufable are they who neglccSl it. Well,
then, let the time pafl fuflice. Speedily fet
about tlie moll ferious examination. Never
be at reft till you have come to a juft fentence
on your cafe. The difcovery will repay all the
time and pains you can beftow upon i:.

2<r//)', As for you who are pafl: doubting in
this matter, whofe full blown fms teftify to
your foreheads that you cannot lay the mod
diftant claim to the character in the text ;
who neither love the Redeemer, nor believe
to any faving purpofe that he came out from
God, How deplorable is your prefent cafe !
What ! Cannot fe If- love conceal your condi-
tion from you ? Has it no covering to throw
over you j no lurking place to hide you in ?
O then bethink you, how open you muft be
to that God, v/hofe eyes are as a flame of fire,
penetrating^ into the innermoft foldings of the
F 4 moO:

8^ SERMON V.

moft deceitful heart, and marking him for a
hypocrite who calls, yea thinks himfelf juft ?
How does this difcovery aiFed; your fouls ?
Canft thou dwell with devouring flames ?
Canft thou lie down in everlafling burnings ?
Canft thou bear the heavy hand of omnipo-
tence upon thee without {hrinking ? or, if
thou canft not, fay. Haft thou the moft dif-
tant hope that poflibly thou mayeft be faved,
notwithftanding thy unbelief and wicked-
nefs ? The iftue of this matter is very ftiort,
and requires no great degree of penetration
to perceive. If the gofpel be not true, thou
canft have no ground for any hope at all.
And if it be true, thou art utterly cut off
from all the hope of it, fo long as thou con-
tinueft in thy prefent ftate. The Saviour,
the almighty Saviour himfelf, cannot fave
thee. — He cannot deny himfelf. — He cannot
overturn the whole tenor of the gofpel, and
make himfelf the minifter of fm.

And are thy unavailing hopes cut oft* —
What courfe wilt thou then betake thyfelf to
next ? Even while I fpeak thou art on the
brink of deftrudion — the wrath of God a-
bldeth on thee. Behold a black ftorm of

vengeance

•4r

S E R M O N V. 89

vengeance is gathering around thee, and thou
art excluded from the only ark in which thou
canft elcape. And what excludes thee ? Hear
and blufh, O finner, even thine own obllinate
folly. Nothing elfe can; — all the devils ir Hell
cannot fliut thee out, unlels thou wilt ; and
from Heaven thou canft meet with no hin-
derance, where all is love and goodnefs ; fo
that if thou doft perifli, it muft be by thine
own mercileis hands. And wilt thou be
thine own murderer ? Wilt thou deftro}'' an
immortal foul ? Defperate madnefs ! O flop
in time, and yet repent and believe, and ail
that is paft fhall be forgiven thee. This is
the voice of the gofpel. Thefe are the tid-
ings which I am warranted to deliver. The
much injured Saviour himfelf fhall pray for
thee — and he has been praying for thee : For
had he not, from year to year, procured fav-
ing mercy by his intercefhon, thou hadft been
long ere now cut down as a cumberer of the
ground. O then, let this melt down thy
heart to an ingenious forrow for what is paft,
and fmcere refolutions of amendment for the
future. Throw thyfelf at the feet of this"
compafhonate Saviour ; commit thy caufe to

this

90 S E R M O N V.

this prevailing high Prieft — None ever pe«
rifhed that did fo. Neither flialt thou, unlefs
almighty power be weakened, or infinite com-
paflions exhaiifted. Let this be the day of
thy return. Speedily break covenant with
hell and death, that thou mayeft be inrolled
among thofe whom the Father himfelf loves,
and for whom the Son does in a peculiar
manner conftantly pray.

3<^/)', As for you who fmcerely love the
Redeemer, and believe that he is come out
from God, to you belongs all the comfort of
thefe gracious words ; Whatever you afk in
the name of Jefus fhall be freely given you ;
for the Father himfelf loveth you, and his
bleffed Son conftantly prays for you. What-
ever carnal men may think of this, yet fure-
ly it is a privilege of which I hope you
know both the value and ufe. To be allowed
accefs to God at any rate, is a prodigious fa-
vour ; but to come before him hopefully,
with good aiTurance of being accepted, this
is a fignal bleffing, which is peculiar to your-
felves. Lift up thy head, then, O fmcere be-
Uever. Does thy confclence bear teftim.ony
that thou loveft Jefus, and beileveO: thai: he is

the

SERMON V. 91

the fent of God. Apply, then, thefe gra-
cious words to thyfelf. The Father him-
felf loveth thee, and makes thee welcome to
life the prevailing name of his once fufFer-
ing, but now exalted Son. In all thy diffi-
culties come freely to him. " Be careful for
" nothing, but in every thing by prayer and
" fupplication, with thankfgivlng, make thy
" requefts known to God." The Redeemer,
too, enforces thy requeils, and is more mind-
ful of thee than thou canft be of thyfelf. Ha
fympathifes with thee in all thy infirmities
and diftrefies ; and when thou canft not ut-
ter thy defires, yet he underftands the groan-
ings of his own Spirit within thee. He forms
thy petitions, and urges them with all their
force ; yea thy very need has a language
which he can interpret. He forelees the trials
that are coming upon thtc, when thou doft
not. Thus, whilft Peter was glorying in his
ftrength, his Saviour, knowing his wcaknefs,
and the malice of Satan, was praying for
him that his faith might not fail. The like
provident tendernefs will he fhew to thee.

Even now, O believers, he is pleading on
your behalf, whilft the Father liftens with de-
light

92 SERMON V.

light and approbation. He kindly accepts
of this teftimony of your love, in keeping up
the memory of his bitter paffion * ; and no
doubt all your well qualified prayers have
been this day powerfully enforced by your
faithful high Prieft.

What fhall I fay more to you : Praife and
thankfgiving is your duty at this time. Let
your fouls, and all that is within you, be
ftirred up to blefs your heavenly Father,
whofe love was the fountain and fpring of
your happinefs, and is ftill the foundation of
your trueft comfort.

Let your fouls, and all that is within you,
be ftirred up to blefs your gracious Redeemer,
who hath ranfomed you by his blood, and
who, amid the exaltation of heaven, the
fplendour of his Father's right hand, ftill kind-
ly remembers his humble followers whofe ears
are ever open to their prayers, whofe mouth
is ever ready to plead their caufe, and as if it
were not love enough to die for them, who al-
fo lives and reigns for them, yea and even glo-
ries in being made head over all things to the
church. Alas our praifes are fo feeble and

low,

^ Preached at the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

S E R M O N V. 93

low, that we may blufh and be afhamed to
offer them.

But do you not long for heaven, that,
with a more elevated fong than this dull ftate
can admit, you may join in praifmg this
objedt of your love. Continue yet a little
longer — have patience for a while, give fome
farther teftimonies of your faith here, and
he who intercedes for you will receive you
to himfelf ; and that you may not doubt of
this, read and ponder thefe gracious verfes
with which I conclude, John, xvii. 24. " Fa-
" ther I will, that they alfo whom thou haft
" given me be with me, where I am, that
" they may behold the glory which thou haft
" given me ; for thou lovedft me before the
" foundation of the world."

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, one God,
be glory and honour, dominion and power,
for ever. Amen.

S E R«

94

SERMON VI.

Hebrews, xii. 28, 29.

Wherefore^ we, receivmg a kingdom 'which can-
not he moved, let us have grace, whereby
we may ferve God acceptably, with reve-
rence and godly fear : For our God is a
con/liming fire.

THE gofpel of our falvation, which con-
tains the wholefome words of our Lord
Jefus Chrift, is exprefsly filled the doctrine
which is according to godlinefs. It manifefts
the grace of God to Tinners of mankind \ but
all who receive that grace are thereby taught
efFe^Lually to deny ungodlinefs and worldly
lulls, and to live foberly, and righteoufly, and
godly, in this prefent world. It abounds with
great and precious promifes ; but all thefe
-proraifes have a pradical tendency, that by
the belief and improvement of them, we may
be made partakers of the divine nature ; hav-
ing

S E R M O N VI. 93'

ing efcaped the polution that is in the
v;orld through luft. Hence that exhortation,
2 Cor. vii. I. " Having therefore thefe pro-
" mifes, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe our-
" felves from all filthinefs of the flefh and
'* fpirit, perfeding holinefs in the fear of
" God." If we look through the whole of
divine revelation, we fhall find in every part
privilege and duty infeparably conneded, and
the latter uniformly inferred from the former.
This connexion is clearly eftablifhed in the
paffage 1 have read to you, which contains,

I. The diftinguilhing privilege of believers
in Chrift. " We," faith the Apoftle, in
name of all true Chriftians, " receiving a
** kingdom which cannot be moved."

II. An exhortation to duty, founded upon
this privilege, and the motives with which
it is enforced ; " let us have grace where-
" by we may ferve God acceptably with
" reverence and godly fear : For our God
" is a confuming fire."

Both thefe fubjeds are fo extenfive, that

na-
ny

each of them might furnifh materials for ma-

96 S E R M O N VI.

ny dlfcourfes. All I can at prefent propofe
is, to give fome afliftance to your minds when
you meditate upon them in private, by weigh-
ing the import of the words in which they
are exprefled, every one of which appears to
be ftrongly emphatical, and full of the mod
inftrudive and comfortable meaning.

I begin with the privilege of believers in
Chrift Jefus, exprefled in thefe words, " We
" receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved."
Where you will obferve,

\Jl^ The defignation that is given to their
portion. It is fliled a kingdom, which, a-
mong earthly pofleflions, is univerfally admit-
ted to hold the firft rank ; but what is the
highefl dignity, and the greateft affluence that
this earth can afford, when compared with the
kingdom whereof my text fpeaks. Would
you know the extent of it, you may learn it
from I Cor. iii. 21. &c. " All things are
" your's." And it muft be fo, for God him-
felf is the portion of his faints ; for as many
as receive Chrift, " to them gives he power to
" become the fons of God, even to them that
" believe on his name ; — and if fons, then are
" they alfo heirs, heirs of God, and joint

" heirs

S E R M O N VI. 97

" heirs with Chrift Jefus." Accordingly they
are faid, by the Apoftle Peter, ** to be begot-
*^ ten a<^ain to the lively hope of an inheri-
" tance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fad-
" eth not away ;" which laft expreffion agrees
with the defcription here given by the Apof-
tle, where he calls it a kingdom that cannot
be moved ; and the ftability of it is explain-
ed by Peter, in the paffage I juft now alluded
to, where he not only informs us, that this
inheritance is referved in Heaven, beyond the
reach of every adverfe power ; but likewife,
that all who are begotten again to the hope of
it, " are kept by the power of God through
** faith unto falvation."

You will further obfervc, that believers are
faid to receive this kingdom. They have no
natural right to it ; on the contrary, by the
fatal apoftacy, they are children of wrath, and
heirs of deftrudion. They have no price to
o-ive for it ; for they are not only wretched
and miferable, but poor, and blind, and na-
ked. It is a gift altogether free and unme-
rited on their part. " It is your Father's
*' o-ocd pleafure," faid Chrift to his difciples,
*' to give you the kingdomj" and eternal life
Vol. IV. G is

9? S £ R M O N VI.

is exprefsly faid to be " the gift of God
" through Jefus Chrift our Lord."

Once more you will obferve, that this in-
heritance is not altogether future. The Apof-
tle fpeaks of it as a prefent pofleffion. He
doth not fay. We looking for a kingdom that
cannot be moved ; but, we receiving it, in
the mean time. This is perfectly agreeable
to what he had faid, vcrfe 22. *' Ye are come
'^ unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the
" living God, the heavenly Jerufalem, and to
" an innumerable company of angels, to the
" general aflembly and church of the firft
** born, which are written in heaven, and to
" God the judge of all, and to the fpirits of
" juft men made perfed, and to Jefus the
" mediator of the new covenant, and to the
*' blood of fprinkling, that fpeaketh better
*' things than that of Abel." Believers have
not only a tide to the glory that fhall af-
terwards be revealed, but they poffefs the
earneft and firft fruits of it in the mean time.
Heaven is already begun in their hearts ; the
kingdom of God is within them, that king-
dom which " confifteth not in meats and
" drinks, but in righteoufnefs, and peace, and

"joy

S E R M O N VI. 99

^* joy in the Holy Ghoft. — He who loved
" them, and wafhed them from their iins in
" his own blood, hath alfo made them kings
" and priefts unto God. — By beholding his
" glory, with the eye of faith, they are chan-
" ged into the fame image, from glory to glo-
" ry," while they fojourn here below, as we
read, 2 Cor. iii. 18. This refemblance, at
prefent indeed imperfect, fliall continually
advance, through the influences of the divine
Spirit, till, being releafed from the prifon of
the body, they ihall no more fee darkly as
through a glafs, but face to face ; and by fee-
ing him as he is, fhall be fully transformed
into his image, which will render them com-
pletely happy, as it is written, i John iii. 2.
'' Beloved, now are we the fons of God,
" and it doth not yet appear what we fhall
" be, but we know that when he fliall appear
" we fhall be like him, for we fhall fee him
" as he is."

Thus have I opened the import of the
terms by which the Apoftle defcribes the dig-
nity and happinefs of believers in Chrift Je-
fus. By their new birth, and in confequence
of their union with the Lord Jefus Chrift,
G 2 they

100 S E R M O N VI.

lliey are conftitiited heirs of a kingdom which
it is their Father's good pleafure to beflow
upon them by free gift ; this kingdom can-
not be moved ; it was prepared for thern
before the foundation of the world ; it is re-
ferved for them in heaven, and they are kept
for it through faith by the power of God ;
and though the full poileffion of it, in all hs
glory, awaits them in a future ftate, yet they
have their maintenance and provifion out of
it in the mean time; the new nature they have
got is not only the pledge, but the earneH; of
the inheritance, being of the fame kind with
that glory which is afterwards to be revealed ;
they at prefent receive eternal life, a life that
cannot die, but, like the morning light, fliall
continue to Ihine with increafing brightnefs,
till in heaven it Ihall arrive at the perfect day.
Such is the prefent dignity and happinefs
of all true believers in Chrill Jeius ; in this
fenfe the weakeft as well as the ftrong, re-
ceive a kingdom which cannot be moved.

II. Let us confider the exhortation to du-
ty, founded upon this privilege, *' Let us
*' have grace,"

SERMON VI. loi

ly?, We are called upon to ferve God, Be-
lievers, though kings, are ftill the fubjeds of
the King of kings ; and the honour confer-
red upon .them, inftead of relaxing their obli-
gation to duty, rather binds them to icrve
him with greater zeal and adlivity. Their
very royalty confifts in their releafe from
the enemives of God which formerly enflav-
ed and led them captive at their pleafure.
Hence that exhortation of the Apoftle, " Let
" not fin reign in your mortal bodies." They
are ftiled, in the book of the Revelation,
" Kings and priefts to God, even the Father;'*
and dominion is given them, not in refpedt
of God, to render them independent on him,
but in refpeQ: of fm, Satan, the world, and
death, over all which they are made conque-
rors through him that loved them, and wafli-
ed them from their fins in his own blood.
They are indeed a chofen generation, and a
royal priefthood ; but for what end ? it is,
that, by bringing forth the fruits of righteouf-
nefs, " they may iliew forth the praifes of
" him who hath called them out of darknefa
** into his m.arvellous light."

G 3 %dlj^

102 S E R M O N IV.

ldl)\ We are reminded of the qualifica-
tion that, is requifite for ferving God acceptr-
ably. We cannot do this by any ftrength
that is inherent in us. *' We are not fuffi-
" cient of ourfelves to think any thing as of
" ourfelves." We are indeed exhorted to
•work out our own falvation ; but at the
fame tim.e we are told, " that it is God who
" worketh in us, both to will and to do of his
" good pleafure." The Apoftle's words are
chofen with the moft fignificant propriety.
He doth not fay, Let us take ftrength to our-
felves ; or, let us purchafe it from another ;
but, Let us have it ; t. e. Let us afk it of him
who giveth liberally — Let us polfefs it, by
receiving the gift that is offered ; or, having
received it, let us hold it faft, as the word is
rendered in the margin, and improve it to the
purpofes for which it was beftowed.

3.'//)', We are direded to the manner of
ferving God, fo as to be accepted of him,
A-'iz. " with reverence and godly fear ;" /. e.
v.'iih a deep fenfe of his infinite greatnefs,
and of our own meannefs and unworthinefs.
We are indeed exhorted and encouraged to
come boldly to a throne of grace; but it muft

be

S E R M O N VI. 103

be fuch a boldnefs only as becometli thofe
who ftand in need both of mercy and grace,
of mercy to pardon what hath been amifs,
and of grace to help them in every time of
need. " There is forgivennefs with thee," faid
the Pfalmift, " that thou mayeft be feared."
And indeed mercy is difpenfed in fuch a way,
as renders God no lefs awful than he is a-
miable to the pardoned fmner. The facrince
of Chrift, while it manifcfts the love of God,
in giving his Son to be the propitiation for
our fins, affords, at the fame time, the flrong-
eft proof and demonftration of his holinefs
and juftice. The new and living v/ay of ac-
cefs to God is confecrated for us through the
veil of Chrift's flefh. The blood that cleanf-
eth from all fm, by which we have boldnefs
to enter into the holieR, is the blood of Ema-
nuel, the word made flelli, by whom all
things were made, and without whom was
not any thing made that is made, A proper
attention to this will lliew both the meanins:
and propriety of the Apoftle's diredion to
lerve God with reverence and godly fear ;
not the tormenting fear which cheriflieth
that enmity againft God, whereby the carnal

G 4 mind

104 SERMON Vr.

mind is charaderifed ; but that filial reverence
which flows from a fupreme love to God, as
a reconciled father, and defire to pleafe him,
which confifts in a holy jealoufy of ourfelves,
an abhorrence of every thing that is offen-
iive to God, and produceth a carefulnefs to
avoid every temptation to fin, and to fliun
not only the forbidden, but even the doubt-
ful ground, according to that juft defcription
which is given of it, Prov. viii. 12. " The
*' fear of the Lord is to hate evil." And the
genuine eftects of this fear are fully exprefl^ed
in thofc advices of the Wife Man, which are re-
corded, chap. iv. at the clofe. " Keep thy heart
*' with all diligence — Let thine eyes look right
*' on, and let thine eye-lids look ftraight before
" thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let
'' all thy ways be eftabliflied. Turn not to
*' the right hand nor to the left ; remove thy
*' feet from evil." Such is the reverence and
godly fear with which we are directed to
ferve the Lord.

Let us now briefly confider the arguments
with v.'hich the exhortation is enforced ; and
thefe are two — The one, refpeding the mat-
ter of duty in general — And the ether, the

manner

SERMON VI. 105

manner in which the fervice that is due to God
ought to be performed.

ly?, We are exhorted to ferve God, in tef-
timony of our gratitude for the ineilimable
benefits his grace hath conferred upon us.
This argument is plainly addreffed to believ-
ers in Chrift, who have received that king-
dom which cannot be moved. The Apoftle
doth not fay, Let us ferve God that we may
obtain a kingdom ; but, having received it,
as the free gift of God, through faith in his
Son, who purchafed it with his blood, let
us exprefs our thankfulnefs, by devoting our-
felves, and all that we have, or can do, to his
fervice. This is the plain and obvious mean-
ing of the Apoftle's argument ; and in order
to make this paliage of Scripture fpeak the
language of that fcheme of religion which is
too current in the world, the w-ords of it
would need to be tranfpofed and varied in
fome fuch manner as this :

Prompted by felf-love, and the tormenting
iear of future punifliment, let us relolve in
our minds, for we neither need nor expe(ft
fupernatural grace, that henceforth we will
iervc God, as well as the world and the fleih

will

io6 SERMON VI.'

will permit, that fo we may efcape damna-
tion, and procure a title to, or at leaft the
probable chance of a kingdom, which, after
all, may not only be moved, but fo agitated
and fhaken, that without a vigorous exertion
of the powers we poiTefs, we ourfelves may
be toffed out of it, and fall into perdition.
Thus ridiculous are the beft efforts of human
wifdom, to corrupt the plain meaning of
Scripture language, and to accommodate the
conftitution of gofpel grace to that pride and
felf-idolatry, which, ever fmce the apoftacy,
reign in the heart of every natural man.

"Whereas the gofpel of Chrift binds us to
duty by the cords of love, and while it pref-
feth holy diligence and adtivity in the fervice
of God, by the moft perfaafive arguments,
it animates us, at the fame time, with the
moft comfortable aflurance, that our labour
fhall not be in vain in the Lord^ H^lp is
■aid for us upon one who is mighty, even that
good Shepherd who laid down liis life for
the fheep, who gathers the lambs in his
bofom, and gently leads thofe that are with
young. Therefore they fliall never peridi,
becaufe none are able to pluck them out

of

SERMON VI. 107

of his hand. He. gives unto them eternal
life, and they enter upon the poiTeffion of it
at their new birth, when, by believing on his
name, the power, or rather the privilege, is
eiven them, to become the fons of God. His
grace is lufheient for them at all times, and
in every fituation. He is gone to his Fa-
ther's houfe to prepare a place for them ; and
he will come again and receive them to him-
felf, that where he is there they may be alfo,
to behold that glory which his Father hath
given him. " Wherefore, we receiving a
*' kingdom which cannot be moved, let us
" have grace whereby we may ferve God ac-
" ceptably, with reverence and godly fear."

The Second argument, which refpecls the
manner of our fervice, is contained in thefe
words, " For our God is a conluming fire."
This, at firft fight, does not feem to accord
with the other argument, which is addreiTctd
to the ingenuity and gratitude of a renewed
heart ; but appears rather adapted to the fpi-
ric of bondage than to that fpirit of adoption
which believers in Chriil receive, whereby
they are difpofed and enabled to call God,

Father,

to8 SERMON VI.

Father. But I fliall dired you to two paf-
lages of Scripture, which, I apprehend, will re-
move this difficulty, and lead us to the true
meaning and intent of the Apoftle's argu-
ment.

One is, Ifaiah xxxi. 9. where it is faid, as
a ground of fear to the enemies of Zion, and
confequently as a ground of encouragement
to her children, " that the Lord hath his fu'e
" in Zion, and his furnace in Jerufalem."

The other is Mai. iii. 2. where the Mef-
fenger of the Covenant and King of Zion is
compared to a refiner's fire and fuller's foap.
" He fhall fit as a refiner and purifier of fil-
" ver, and he fhall purify the fons of Levi,
" and purge them as gold and filver, that they
" may offer unto the Lord an offering in
" righteoufhefs." In this fenfe lie is a con-
fuming fire to the godly; he refines them,
by confuming their drofs. This view of
God, indeed, is terrible to the wicked, who
are all drofs ; but it hath another afped to
the godly, who are made partakers of th';i di-
vine nature. The fire that burns up the ene-
mies of God altogether, iliall only confiime
the drofs that ftiil cleaves to them, and from

which

SERMON VI. 109

Vvhich they will never be wholly feparated,
till death difTolve their earthly tabernacles.
Neverthelcfs, this is urged, with great pro-
priety, as an argument for ferving God with
reverence and godly fear ; for the means of
purifying may be very painful in the mean
time, and, as it is written, Pfalm xcix. 8.
" Though he forgives their fins, yet he will
" take vengeance of their inventions." The
children of God may be affured of it, that
the rod Ihall not be withheld — their own
backflidings fliall be made to reprove them ;
" for whom the Lord loveth he chafteneth.'*
And therefore they fhould ferve God with
reverence, that a moderate furnace may fuf-
fice to purge away their drofs, and that it
may not become neceffary, that God, for
their corredion, fhould wound their hearts in
the tendered part, by taking from them their
deareft earthly comforts, or withdrawing the
light of his countenance utterly from them.
" Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom that
" cannot be moved, let us have grace where-
" by we may ferve God acceptably, with re-
" verence and godly fear ; for our God is a
" confuming fire."

S E R.

110

SERMON VII.

Isaiah, xxii. 12. — 14.

And hi that day did the Lord of Hojis call to
weepings afid to mournings and to baldnefs,
and to girding with fackcloth ; and behold
joy and gladnefs^ Jlaying oxen^ and killing
Jheep^ eating Jlejh and drinking 'wine ; let us
eat and drink^ for to-morroiju ive foall die.
And it ivas revealed in mine ears by the
Lord of Hojls^ Surely this iniquity fhall not
he purged from you^ till ye die^ faith the
Lord God of HoJis.

THIS paiTage is introduced with a loud
and prelling call to repentance. It de-
fcribes the contemptuous behaviour of the
people to whom the call was addrefTed ; and
concludes with an alarming denunciation of
wrath againft thofe perverfe and obftinate
tranfgreflbrs.

Each

SERMON VII. Ill

Each of thefe particulars I fhall briefly il-
luftrate ; and then point out our immediate
concern in the fubjed, and the pradiical im-
provement we all ought to make of it.

The Firjl thing that occurs is the call to
repentance, verfe 12. " In that day did the
" Lord of Hofts call to weeping, and to
" mourning, and to baldnefs, and to girding
" with fackcloth."

The day here referred to was a feafon of
abounding iniquity, as we learn from the firft
chapter of this book of prophecy, which be-
gins with a heavy charge againft the nation
of the Jews, publifhed with awful folemnity
by God himfelf, in the following words :
' Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth,
' for the Lord hath fpoken! I have nourifhed

* and brought up children, and they have re-

* belled againft me. The ox knoweth his
' owner, and the afs his mafter's crib j but
' Ifrael doth not know, my people doth not

confider. Ah fmful nation ! a people la-
' den with iniquity., a feed of evil doers, chil-
' dren that are corrupters. They have for-
' faken the Lord, they have provoked the

" Holy

112 SERMON VII.

" Holy one of Ifrael to anger, they have
" gone away backward." Accordingly the
prophet, in beipeaking their attention to the
mefTage he was about to deliver, addref-
fed them, in terms of fevere reproach, verfe
lo. " Hear the words of the Lord, ye rulers
*' of Sodom ; give ear unto the law of our
" God, ye people of Gomorrah." And the
lamentation he utters, verfe 21, fhews with
what juftice and propriety thofe titles of ig-
nominy were applied to them. " How is
" the faithful city become an harlot ! It was
" full of judgment, righteoufnefs lodged in
" it ; but now murderers. Thy fiiver is be- '
" come drofs, thy wine mixt with water.
" Thy princes are rebellious, and companions
" of thieves ; every one loveth gifts, and fol»
" loweth after rewards."

Their bcldnefs and impudence in finning
are particularly taken notice of, as high ag-
gravations of their guilt, chap. iii. verfes S.
& Q. " The fhew of their countenance doth
** Vvitnefs againft them, and they declare their
" fm as Sodom, they hide it not. Their
*' tongue and their doings are againft the
" Lord, to provoke the eye of his glory.'''*

Neither

SERMON VII. 113

Neither was this accufation limited to the
men of that age, for, verfe 16. even the
daughters of Zion are reprefented as " haugh-
" ty, walking with ftretched forth necks and
" wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they
*' went," under the cumberfome load of tink-
ling ornaments, chains, and bracelets, and the
many other fuperfluous articles of drefs, of
which a catalogue is left on record from the
1 8th verfe downward, till, at the 24th verfe,
the fantaftic inventory is clofed with that hu-
miliating doom : " It fhall come to pafs, that
" inftead of fweet fmell, there fhall be ftink ;
" and inftead of a girdle, a rent ; and in-
" ftead of well fet hair, baldnefs; and burning
" inftead of beauty."

This leads me to mention another circum-
ftance, by which the day referred to in my
text is diftinguiflied. It was a day of fore
rebuke, as well as of abounding iniquity.
" Look away from me," faid the prophet,
verfe 4th of this chapter, " I will weep bit-
" terly, labour not to comfort me, becaufe of
" the fpoiling of the daughter of my people 5
" for it is a day of trouble, and of treading

Vol. IV. H " down,

114 SERMON VII.

" down, and of perplexity, by the Lord God
" of Hofts in the valley of vifion."

Such was the day in which the Lord God
of Hofts did call to weeping and mourning,
and to baldnefs, and to girding with fack-
cloth, /. e. to the deepeft humiliation on ac-
count of their fms, to the moft unfeigned re-
pentance, and amendment of life. That this
is the true import of the call appears from a
fimilar exhortation, Joel, ii. 12. where, after
the Lord had given commandment to blow
the trumpet in Zion, and to found an alarm
in his holy mountain, that all the inhabitants
of the land might tremble in the profpe£t of
that day of darknefs and gloominefs, which
was foon to be fpread over them ; he ad-
drefl'es them in thefe words: " Turn ye even
" to me v/ith all your heart, "with weeping
" and with mourning, and rent your hearts
" and not your garments, and turn unto the
" Lord your God.'*

In every age, and in every climate, weep-
ing and mourning are the natural expreflions
of inward forrow. In the eaftern countries^
and efpecially among the Jews, when grief
rofe to a great height, tears of lamentations

were

SERMON VIL lis

wefe iifually accompanied with rending theit
clothes, plucking out their hair, and covering
their hodies with fack-cloth. And though
thefe outward figns are only the trappings of
woe, which are no further acceptable than as
they truly exprefs the forrow and contrition of
the heart, yet, in the cafe bffore us, they are
exprefsly required of that impudent and hard
hearted people, that as their tongue and their
doings had been againft the Lord, to provoke
the eyes of his glory, fo their fhame and for-
row might be proclaimed as openly as their
fm, and their penitent return to God might
be no lefs apparent than their proud and in-
folent revolt had been.

Having made thele remarks upon the im«
port of the call, and the ftate of the Jews in
the day it was publiflied to them, let me
now,

II. Lead forward your attention to the ac-
count that is given us of the reception it met
with, verfe 13. And behold it is introdu-
ced, you fee, with a note of — (what fhall I
call it] — Whether doth it befpeak our ad-
miration, or aftonifhmeat? The objecft mud
H 2 furely

li6 SERMON VII.

furely be wonderful, either for beauty or de-
formity, to which the great God himfelf de-
mands our attention with fuch folemnity.

Say then, my brethren, were you not al-
ready acquainted with what follows, would
you not expert to fee a multitude of humble
penitents, proftr^e on the ground, and co-
vered with fack-eloth, while, with weeping
and mourning, they fay one to another, in
the language of genuine repentance, " Come
" and let us return unto the Lord, for he
*' hath torn, and he will heal us ; he hath
*' fmitten, and he will bind us up." But what
do we really fee ? Be aftonifhed, O ye hea-
vens, at this, and be horribly afraid. Inftead
of mourning and weeping, behold joy and
oladnefs ; inftead of baldnefs and girding
with fack-cloth, behold every kind of riotous
excefs, flaying oxen, and killing flieep, eating
ilefh, and drinking wine.

There is no room to fuppofe that they had
o-iven no attention to the meffa^e delivered
by the Prophet. It would rather appear that
they had attended to it with accuracy, nay
ftudied its meaning, on purpofe to counteract
it : For a contraft fo minutely exad, a fcheme

of

SERMON VII. 117

of contradidion fo completely adjufted, could
hardly have been ftumbled upon by mere
accident. And indeed the latter part of the
verfe puts this beyond all doubt, ' Let us eat
*' and drink^^ faid they, ''^ for to-morrozv iscn

''fiaii dur

We are not to imagine that thefe words
were fpoken ferioufly by one of thofe pre-
fumptuous and boafting rebels. The mod
daring amongft them muft have been con-
fcious, that the afpedl of the King of Ter-
rors, at their moft fumptuous entertainments,
would leave them no appetite either for flefli
or wine. They meant it as a feoff, a witty
faying, for turning into ridicule the warning
they had received, but which they did not
believe. The Prophet hath been telling us of
defolating judgments juft at hand, and w^iih
the fame breath he calls us to weeping, and
mourning, and girding with fack-cloth. How
abfurd, how unreafonably cruel is the de-
mand ? Will not the evil day come fooii
enough, though we fhould not anticipate the
forrows of it, by affliding ourfelves unncccf-
farily before its arrival ? Nay rather, if lifq
is to be cut fhort, let us make the moft of it

H 3 while

ii8 SERMON VII.

while it lafts. If we muft die to-morrow,
let U3 eat and drink and be merry to-day,
and crowd into the few fcanty hours that re-
main as much feftivity and pleafure as we
can.

Surely it is not needful that I fhould
lengthen out this picture of deformity in all
its dimenfions. Its mod diftinguiihing fea-
tures are abundantly obvious ; and I am con-
fident, that the few fketches I have given
you, will fuffice to render the generation it
reprefents the objeds of contempt and abhor-
rence to all ; thofe very perfons not except-
ed, who, in the portrait drawn for them, may
perhaps difcover their own true likenefs ; For
it is common enough to condemn with juft,
though partial feverity, the fame faults in
others w^hich we eafily forgive, nay cherifh,
in ourfelves. At any rate, I luppofe none of
us will be furpifed to hear the alarming de-
nunciation of wrath againft thofe perverfe and
cbftinate tranfgrelfors, which is the

III. Particular contained in my text, verfe
14. " It was revealed in mine ears by the
** Lord of Holb, furely this iniquity fhall

" not

SERMON VII. 119

*' not be purged from you till ye die, faith
" the Lord God of Hofts."

We meet with another threatening of the
fime import, Ezek. xiciv. 13. " Becaufe I
** have purged thee, and thou was not purged,
" thou fhalt not be purged from thy fihhi-
*' nefs any more, till I have caufed my fury
" to reft upon thee. I the Lord have fpoken
" it, and it (hall come to pafs, and I will do
*' it. ! will not go back, neither will I fpare,
" neither will I repent, faith the Lord God."

Thefe wicked men had not only refifted
the means of convidtion, but they had per-
verted thofe means, and extracted poifon
from the medicine intended for their cure.
They drew iniquity with cords of vanity,
and fmned as it were with a cart rope. By
their fcoffing reply to the call that was given
them, in the name of the Lord God of Kofts,
they faid in effedt, with infclent contempt,
and proud defiance, " Let him make fpeed,
** and haften his work, that we may fee it ;
*' and let the counfel of the Holy One of
" Ifrael draw nigh and come, that we may
" know it." The prophet therefore pro-
claims, as on the houfe top, what God had

H 4 revealed

120 SERMON VII.

revealed in his ears, that from that time for-
ward vengeance fhould purfue thofe impious
men, till, like their rebellious forefathers,
whofe carcafes fell in the wildernefs, they
fhould be utterly confumed from off the face
of the earth.

Thus have I endeavoured briefly to illuf-
trate the feveral parts of the paflage before
us.

But what concern have we in thefe things?
^nd. What improvement (hall we make of
them ?

For an anfwer to thefe queftions, I need only
refer you to I. Cor. chap. x. where, after re-
citing fome of thofe awful judgments which
God had inflicted upon his antient church,
the Apoflle fubjoins thofe memorable words,
verfe nth, " Now all thefe things happened
** unto them for enfamples, and they are writ-
" ten for our admonition, upon whom the
^* ends of the world are come."

*' The Lord is known by the judgments
*' which he executes." God is always the
fame ; with him there is no variablenefs, nei-
ther jQiadow of turning. And therefore, in

his

SERMON VII. 121

his pad ads of government, as they are ex-i
plained by his word, we behold a plan of
righteous adminiftration, from whence we
may learn, with fome degree of certainty,
what kind of treatment, in fimilar circum-
ftances, we om'felves have reafon to expedl.

They mufl know little of what pafles in
the world, who do not obferve a very ftrik-
ing refemblance between the prefent ftate of
our own nation, and that of the Jews, in the
day to which my text refers.

Ingratitude to God, for the great things he
hath done in our behalf, and for the diftin-
guifhing privileges we have long enjoyed,
js too apparent to require any proof. Our
deliverance from Popery at the Reformation j
and the full eftabliihmcnt of our civil and re-
ligious liberties at the Revolution ; thefe mar-
vellous doings of the Lord are either for-
gotten by many, as a dead man out of mind,
or at leaft remembered with cold indifFe-
lence ; nay, treated with marks of difafFec-
tion by fome, while the characters of thofe
illuftrious men, whom God honoured to be
the inftruments in bringing about thefe glo-
;*ious event^ have been canvaffed with the

utmoft

122 SERMON Vir.

utmoft feverity of criticifm, and under the
fpecious pretext of candour and impartiality,
fet forth to public view in the moft unfa-
vourable light.

Have not vice and immorality grown up
among us to an amazing height ? Do not
multitudes proclaim their fms as Sodom ? and
inftead of hiding them, do they not rather
glory in their fliame, as if they accounted it
an honour to excel in one fpecies of wick-
ednefs or another ? I do not aggravate the
charge, every one's obfervation may convince
him of the truth of it. Is there not a vifible
and growing contempt of the blefled gofpel ?
Are not its ordinances defpifed by fome, and
profaned by others ; nay, is it not by many
deemed a mark of fuperior genius, to rejedl
the whole of divine revelation, as a cunning-
ly devifed fable, and to employ all their in-
fluence in proi'elyting others to their opi-
nion ?

What fmall fuccefs attends the preaching
of the gofpel even among thofe who profefs
to believe ? Into how many feds and parties
are they divided ? With what zeal do they
build up their walls of partition ? With what

animofity

SERMON VII. 123

animofity do they contend for their own pe-
culiarities, as points of new and important
difcovery, though in fad: mod of them might
lay claim to a very antient date, have been
often republifhed, and as often refuted ? Now,
union is the ftrength of the religious as well
as ol the civil community ; and there is rea-
fon to fear that God will fuffer that candle-
ftick to be removed from among us, about
which we quarrel and fight with one another,
inftead of walking by the light it affords, and
performing the work which was given us to
do.

I fhall not wafte any part of your time
upon the mere tnflers of either fex, who li-
terally walk in a vain fhow, and ought rather
to be regarded as the fcenery or decorations
of the theatre than as adcrs fuftaining any
charadier upon the ftage. Yet even they,
light as they may feem, make fome ad-
dition to the load of national guilt, as we
learn from the paffage refpeding the daugh-
ters of Zion, in the third chapter of this pro-
phecy, which I formerly quoted. Enough
has been faid to prove, that we are a fmful
jiation, a people laden with iniquity, and that

the

124 SERMON VII.

the call to repentance is proper and feafon-
able, and belongs to the very day in which
our lot is call.

Indeed our very meeting together in this
place is a public acknowledgement of it *. For
what purpofe are we convened by Royal au-
thority ? Is it not that we may humble our-
felves before almighty God, and fend up our
prayers and fupplications to the divine Ma-
jefty, for obtaining pardon of our fms, and
for averting thofe heavy judgments which
our manifold provocations have moft juftly
deferved.

Thus far we may be aflured that the call
of the Lord of Hofts hath been diftindly
and faithfully echoed from the throne. And
lead after all we Ihould turn a deaf ear to his
voice, the Lord of Hofls hath written the
fame call upon the face of providence, in
characters fo legible, that they muft be worfe
than blind who do not read and underftand
them.

The little cloud like a man's hand, that

arofe

* Preached on a public faft-day, in the time of the
American war.

SERMON VIL 125

arofe a few years ago on the other fide of the
Atlantic, hath ever fince been increafing, both
in fize and in blacknefs.

Our envious and deceitful neighbours, who,
by fecret artifice, have endeavoured from the
beginning to keep the unhappy breach open
between Great Britain and her colonies, have
at length laid afide the malk, and are now
ftraining every nerve to fpread the defola-
tions of war through the whole extent of the
Britiili empire.

The fword that was drawn for coercion
abroad, now finds employment for felf-de-
fence at home ; and the meafijres hitherto
purfued have been fo ineffectual, that, after
much expence of blood and treafures, we may
fay with the Jews, in the days of Jeremiah,
chap. xiv. 19. " We looked for peace, and
" there is no good ; and for the time of heal-
'* ing, and behold trouble."

What Hiall we fay to thefe things ? Do
they bear no impreflion of God's holy and
righteous difpleafure ? — " Will a lion roar in
** the foreft, when he hath no prey ? Will a
" young lion cry in his den, if he hath taken
" nothing ? Can a bird fall in a fnare upon

"the

126 SERMON VII.

" the earth, where no gin is for him ? Shall
** one take up a fnare from the earth, and
" have taken nothing at all ; Shall a trumpet
" be blown in the city, and the people not be
" afraid ? Shall there be evil in a city, and
" the Lord hath not done it ? The lion hath
" roared, who will not fear ? The Lord God
" hath fpoken, who can but prophecy ?"

Our own wickednefs is made to correct us,
and our backflidings reprove us, that we may
know and fee ivhat an evil thing it is^ and
hitter^ that we have forfaken the Lord our
God.

This, my brethren, is the primary aim of
all God's corredions. He doth not afflid
willingly, nor grieve the children of men ;
but when tranfgreflbrs will not learn the ma-
lignity of fm by gentler means, then he
caufes them to feel the evil of it in the bit-
ternefs of afflidion. Hence it appears, that
temporal judgments are ads of mercy, as
well as of juftice, efpecially when they are of
fuch a nature as to bear the (lamp and figna-
ture of thofe fms which are the caufe of
them. Till we difcern the hand of God in
the fufFerings that befall us, we fliall never

have

SERMON VII. 127

have recourfe to the true and the only effec-
tual remedy. When public meafures are de-
feated, we fhall fometimes blame the contri-
vance, and at other times the execution ; but
ftill wc fhall look to the creature for help, and
place our truft in the arm of flefh.

This was an exprefs article of indi<5tment
againfl the Jews, in the preceding context.
They ufed every precaution to put their city
into a proper flate of defence. They in-
fpeded their magazines ; they repaired the
breaches in their walls ; and provided large
fcore of water for a fiege. In all this they
acted wifely, and did no more than was their
duty. But herein lay their fault, verfe nth,
they relied upon the preparations for the fafe-
ty of Jerufalem, and " did not look unto the
** maker thereof, neither had refpedi unto him
" that fajldioned it lofig agoJ'^

I have therefore endeavoured to lead your
attention to God himfelf, and to trace up all
the penal evils we feel to the feveral inflances
of our criminal departure from him, as their
true origin and fource ; and though, perhaps,
I may have erred in the illuftration of parti-
culars, yet 1 cannot help thinking that the

general

128 SERMON VIL

general truth will appear with fufficient evi-
dence, that our own backflidings arc reprov-
ing us, and that we ourfelves have made the
rod with which we are fmitten.

By this time we may all fee our concern
in this fubjetO:, and the improvement we ought
to make of it.

It is righteoufnefs alone that exalteth a na-
tion. Repentance towards God, flowing
from faith in our Lord Jefus Chrift, is the
only effectual means for preventing the ruin
of a fmful people. Without this we may ob-
tain a temporary refpite from punifhment ;
but the clouds will return again after the rain,
and all the while v/e are liiling up the mea-
fure of our iniquity, the confumption is ad-
vancing, and every day we draw nearer and
nearer to diflblution. Whereas if we accept
of the punifhment of our iniquity, and put
away from us thofe evil doings which pro-
voke the Lord to jealoufy, then may we hope
that he will return to us in mercy, and re-
joice over us to blels us and to do us good ;
according to that encouraging promife, Jer*
xviii. 7. " At what inftant I fliall (peak con-
" cerning a nation, and concerning a king-

" dom,

SERMON Vir. 129

'* dom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and
" to deftroy ; if that nation, againft which I
■ ** have pronounced, turn from their evil, I
" alfo will repent of the evil that I thought to
" do unto them."

It is this w^hich {hould always give check
to any defponding thoughts. We have but
ONE to pleafe, ONE whofe favour is defira-
ble, and ONE who is moil eafily pleafed ; be-
caufe he hath told us, without ambiguity,
what will pleafe him ; and, at the fame time,
hath declared his readinefs to aid our feeble
endeavours, by working in us efiediually both
to will and to do of his good pleafure.

Let us then hearken to the call of the Lord
God of Hofts. Let us, with weeping and
mourning, return to him, from whom, alas,
we have deeply revolted, and afk of him, this
day, the fpirit of repentance, and grace to
walk in newnefs of life, by bringing forth
fruits meet for repentance.

In this way only can we hope, that he who
hath the hearts of all men in his hands, will
give judgment to them who fit in judgment,
and firength to thofe who turn the battle

Vol. IV. I from

I30

SERMON VII.

from the gate ; and caufe our eyes once more
to fee our Jerufalem a quiet habitation, a ta-
bernacle that Ihall not be taken down, none
of whofe cords fhall be broken, neither any
of the flakes thereof ever removed. Amen.

SER-

13^

SERMON VIII.

Revelations, iii. i8.

/ counfel thee to buy of me gold tried in the
Jire that thou mayejl be rich ; and ivhite rai-
ment that thou may eft be clothed ; and that
thefham^ of thy nakednefs do not appear^ and
anoint thine eyes "with eye falve, that thou
may eft fee.

BEFORE I enter upon the confideration
of this gracious counfel, I conceive it
may be of ufe to give you fome account, /";r/?^
of the perfon who gave the advice ; and, fe-
condly, of thofe to whom it was addrefled.

The perfon, who gave the advice, was our
Lord Jefus Chrifl; that Wonderful Counfellor,
and Prince of Peace, foretold by the prophet
Ifaiah, of the increafe of whofe government
there fhall be no end. Here he fliles him-
felf the Amen, the Faithful and True Wit-
nefs : One whofe word may be depended up-

I 2 on.

132 SERMON VIII.

on, who does not come and go, fay and unfay,
but who is always in one mind, without any
variablenefs or fhadow of turning. He is
God's witnefs to the fons of men, and as he is
perfcdly acquainted wath the Father, fo he
faithfully reports the Father's mind and will
to us. His teftimony is infallible ; for as he
cannot be deceived himfelf, fo neither is he
capable of deceiving others. I need fcarcely
obferve to you the vaft importance of this
part of his character. Indeed without it, our
faith, and confequently our hope and com-
fort, v;ould be mere delufion ; but blefled be
God, the truth and faithfulnefs of this divine
witnefs, doth infinitely remove from us every
poffible caufe or ground of fufpicion. Men
may utter falfehoods through miftake and ig-
norance ; or, even when they know the truth,
they may be induced, by felfifli views, to
conceal or difguife it. But neither of thefe
grounds of diftrufl are applicable to our Lord.
His knowledge is unlimited, and. abfolutely
perfedt ; and his inhnite fulnefs and felf-
fufficiency, raife him above all kinds of dif-"
fimulation or artifice. And probably this is
the reafon why he iiiles himfelf, in the clofe

of

SERMON VIIL 133

of the 14th verfe, the Beglanlng, or firfl
Caufe, of the Creation of God. He can have
no dependence upon the workmanfliip of his
own hands. As their goodnefs cannot profit
him, neither can their maUce hurt him ; fo
that he can be under no temptation, either
to overawe them with imaginary terrors, or
to allure them with vain and flattering pro-
mifes. Well then, the character of our
Counfellor is fair and untainted, and, if the
advice he gives us is kind and obliging, there
is no room to queftion the fincerity of his
good-will. Here, therefore, my brethren, is
one great point gained; and, as I am aftei-
wards to lay a confiderable ftrefs upon it, I
beg you may attend to it in the mean time,
and confider, as I go along, tliat the pcrfon
who fpoke in this paflage, and in whofe name
I now fpeak to you, is the Faithful and True
Witnefs, the independent Creator and Gover-
nor of the world.

Let us next inquire who the perfons were
to whom the advice or counfel was addrell'ed.
In general they were members of Chrift^s
vifible church, and inhabitants of the ancient
city of Laodicea; it appears alfo from the

I 3 defcription

134 SERMON VIII.

defcrlption given of them, that, with refped
to their fpiritual concerns, they were in a very
degenerate and wretched condition. The firft
thing taken notice of is their luke-warmnefs
and indifference — a temper which is peculiarly
loathfome and offenfive to Chrift, and there-
fore he threatens to ** fpue them out of his
" mouth ;" that is, to teftify his difpleafure
againft them, by fome very awful and remark-
able judgments. Their ftate is more fully
reprefented in the verfe preceding my text,
where the Faithful and True Witnefs tells them
that they were wretched and miferable, and
poor, and blind, and naked ; and which pro-
digioufly aggravated both their guilt and mi-
fery — they knew it not — they were infenfible
of it ; though they might have known it, yet
they would not. Such was their woful indif-
ference, that they did not examine their fpi-
ritual condition, but took it for granted, and
boafted of it, that they were rich, and in-
creafed with goods, and had need of nothing.
And now judge, my brethren, whether thefe
perfons were worthy of any notice or regard,
I mean in a way of mercy ; for that they
merited wrath, I fuppofe you will readily al-
low*

SERMON VIII. 135

low. Behold then, and admire the amazing
grace and condefcenfion of our Lord. Though
the wickednefs of the Laodiceans, aggravated
by their pride and loathfome indifference,
cried aloud for vengeance, and nothing but
vengeance, yet, lo ! he vouchfafes to counfel
them as a friend ! — O how encouraging may
this be to thofe who are burdened with a
fenfe of their guilt and pollution — who fee
their need of Chrift, and pant and long for
his great falvation. You fay you are unwor-
thy of his aid, and you are right v/hen you
fay fo ; but fuch is his grace, as appears from
this epiftle, that the greateft unworthinefs is
no bar in the way of it. He not only coun-
fels, but entreats thofe Laodiceans, whofe con-
dition was as bad as can well be imagined*
*' Behold," fays he, in the 20th verfe, " I
" ftand at the door and knock ; if any man
" will hear my voice, and open the door, I
" will come in to him, and fup with him, and
" he with me." Here, then, is fufficient
evidence, that there is mercy with Chrift for
the chief of fmners. This was his very er-
rand, to feek and to fave that which waslolr.
And therefore every foul that feels its mi-

I 4 fery

TS6 SERMON VIIL

fery has no reafon to be difcouraged, becaufe
of its unworthinefs ; on the contrary, this
very temper lays it as it were in the way of
his mercy ; for though the Lord be high, yet
hath he refped: unto the lowly. — He refifts
the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. —
Yea, he dwells with thofe who are of a con-
trite fpirit, and that tremble at his word.
The ufe I intend to make of this is to ob-
viate an objection which frequently proves
hurtful to newly converted fmners. They
are tempted to think that their cafe does
not admit of any hope ; having dark and
imperfedt views of the grace of the gofpel,
they put away from themfelves the fweeteft
and moft condefcending offers of mercy, fup-
pofmg that they are not addrefled to them,
but to others whofe guilt is lefs aggravated
than theirs ; but give me leave to affure you,
in the name of the Faithful and True Witnefs,
whofe meflage I now bear, that the counfel
I have read to you, and which 1 am farther
to open, is direded to every foul within thefe
walls, the vileft not excepted. Are you
wretched and miferable, and poor, and blind,
and naked — Hearken to the advice of your

gracious

SERMON VIII. 137

gracious Lord, an advice which he gives to
every one of you in particular, as if he called
you by your name.

" I counfel thee to buy of me gold tried in
" the fire, that thou may eft be rich; and white
" raimentj that thou mayeft be clothed, and
" that the fharae of thy nakednefs do not ap-
" pear ; and anoint thine eyes with eye-falve,
" that thou mayeft fee."

It is needlefs to inquire very critically into
the precife meaning of thefe figurative ex-
preffions. I reckon that every necefl"ary
bleflRng, even all the unfearchable riches of
Chrift, are comprehended in thefe three arti-
cles. It is fufficient to obferve, that the fup-
ply here offered is exadly fuited to the fin-
ners wants — that it is not fcanty and penu-
rious, but full and compleat — and that all the
parts of it are perfedt in their kind. Let us
dwell a little upon each of thefe heads.

I. Then, you will obferve, That the fup-
ply here offered is exadly fuited to the fin-
ners wants. — As we come into the world we

are

138 SERMON VIII.

are poor bankrupt creatures. Adam had a
vaft ftock put into his hands ; but, by his
apoftacy from God, he loft it for himfelf and
for all his pofterity, fo that nothing is left that
we can call our own, but guilt and mifery.
The image of God, which was the glory and
riches of man in his firft creation, is quite ef-
faced, fo that, as the Apoftle exprelTes it, " in
" us, that is in our flefh, dwelleth no good
" thing." Well, then, to fupply this woful
defedl, Chrift here tells us that he hath gold
to enrich us — even all divine and faving
graces. The Spirit was given to him with-
out meafure, to be communicated to his
people. He is able not only to expel that cor-
ruption which hath got pofleffion of our na-
tures ; but he can give us a new heart — an
heart ftamped with the image of God, and
make us partakers of the divine nature. The
truth of this is attefted by the Apoftle John,
from his own experience, John, i. 16. where
he fays, " of his fulnefs have all we received,
*' and grace for grace."

Another branch of our mifery is naked-
ness. We have nothing to cover us either
from ihame or hurt. We are expofed to the

wrath

SERMON VIII. 139

wrath of an holy, juft, and omnipotent God,
who infinitely hates fin, and hath pledged his
faithfulnefs, that he will not fuffer it to pafs
unpunifhed. To relieve us in this cafe of
extreme neceffity, Chrift hath raiment to
clothe us, that the fhame of our nakednefs
may not appear. He can fpread his right-
eoufnefs over us. He can fprinkle us with
his atoning blood, fo that the deftroying an-
gel, the minifter of his Father's juftice, fhali
have no power to hurt us : " For there is no
** condemnation to them who are in Chrift
** Jefus — being juftified by faith, we have
" peace with God, through our Lord Jefus
" Chrift."

• Again, we are blind creatures, having our
underftandings darkened, being alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is
in us. To remedy this, our great phyfician
hath eye-falve to anoint our eyes that we
may fee. By his Holy Spirit, he can difpel
the thickeft darknefs, and difFufe heavenly
light through the whole foul. " Ye were
" fometimes darknefs," fays Paul to the con-
verted Ephefians, " but now are ye light in
" the I.crd." In a word, fomething is to be

found

I40 SERMON VIII.

found in Chrift that exadly fuits us in every
cafe we can imagine. He hatK bread for the
hungry, water for the thirfty, wine for the
faint, medicine for the fick ; or, as the Apoftle
beautifully exprefTes it ; " He is made of God
" unto his people, wifdom, and righteoufnefs,
*' and fanO:ification, and redemption." i Cor.
i. 30.

II. It deferves our notice, that the fupply
here offered is not only fuch as we need, but
likewife full and complete. A poor man
may get an alms to keep him from perifhing,
a naked creature may get a rag to cover his
nakednefs, and to fcreen his body from the
inclemency of the weather ; but our bountiful
Lord doth not deal with his people in fuch a
fparing and niggardly manner. He gives them
gold to enrich them — not merely to relieve
their wants, to anfwer their preffing neceffi-
ties — but to raife them above poverty. He
advances them to a large and opulent eftate.
The raiment he clothes them with is fair and
complete, fo that the ihame of their naked-
nefs can no more be feen. He covers them
from head to foot, fpreads his whole fatis-

fa(5lion

SERMON VIII. 141

fadion over them, fo that no part is left ex-
pofed to the fword of juftice. They are
made righteous by his righteoufnefs imputed
to them, and comely by his comelinefs put
upon them. And,

III. As this fupply is fuitable and full, fo
I farther obferved to you, That all the parts
of it are perfect in their kind. — His gold
is the moft fine gold, gold tried in the fire,
not only precious in itfelf, but thoroughly
purged from all drofs or alloy.— His raiment
is white, v/ithout fpot or blemifh ; not only
a covering, but an ornament to the foul. —
His eye-falve has a fovereign and never-fail-
ing virtue. Other medicines may ftrengthen
the eye, or recover a weak fight ; but this
cures blindnefs itfelf, and gives fuch vigour to
the eye that is anointed with it, that the per-
fon can even look within the veil, and read
his name written in the Lamb's book of life.
And now let me afk you. What think ye of
Chrift ? Is he not a Gracious, as well as a
Faithful Witnefs ? Are not his oifers great,
inconceivably great ? and is not this counfel
moft kind and obliging ?

But

142 SERMON VIIL

But what is his counfel, and how does he
dire(£t us to obtain this full and all-fufEcient
fupply ? Let us hear his own words :

" I counfel thee," fays he, " to buy it of

me —

I frankly own to you, there is fomething
in this expreffion which ftartles one at the firft
fight ; but, when we examine it more accu-
rately, the difficulty vanifhes. It is evident
that the word duy cannot be taken in a ftrid:
and literal fenfe, unlefs we fuppofe it to have
been faid by way of ridicule ; for the defcrip-
tion of thofe to whom the advice was ad-
dreffed, necefTarily implies that they had no-
thing to give. They were in the greateft
extremity of mifery and wretchednefs, not
only blind and naked, but poor, without mo-
ney to buy either clothing or medicine ;
Where, then, could they find a price that bore
any proportion to the bleffings here fpoken
of ? I think I could challenge the mod fan-
guine advocate for merit to tell me what thefe
people had to give, unlefs it was felf-conceit,
of which, indeed, it appears they had enough
and to fpare; for poor and naked as they
were, they boafted of great things, faying

ther

SERMON VIII. 143

they were rich and increafed with goods,
and had need of nothing. Indeed I am of
opinion, that this hint may help us to the
meaning of the expreffion ; for the very no-
tion of buying neceflarily includes in it that
fomething muft be parted with ; and as thefe
Laodiceans had nothing to difpofe of bat
their pride, our Saviour's advice might be in-
tended to intimate this much to them, that, in
order to their receiving thefe invaluable blef-
fings, it behoved them to forgoe their felf-con-
ceit in the firft place, and then to come to him
naked and empty as they were, under a deep
and humble fenfe of their poverty and wretch-
ednefs, and on their knees to accept thofe offer-
ed mercies, as the free unmerited gifts of his
bounty and grace. This accordingly is perfe(St-^
ly agreeable to other paffages of Scripture, par-
ticularly to that gracious proclamation and call,
Ifa. Iv. I. to which the counfel here offered has
a very near refemblance. *' Ho, every one that
" thirfteth, Come ye to the waters, and le
" that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat;
" yea come buy wine and milk without mo-
■* ney and without price." Which laft ex-

preiiion.

144 SERMON VHI.

preflion, " without price," feems to have been
added on purpofe to guard againft any wrong
fenfe that might otherwife have been put up-
on the word buying, A perfon who wants
money, may have other things of value to
trade with; but here they are called to buy
not only without money, but without price;
that is, in plain language, to buy and pay no-
thing, which is only another way of expref-
fmg the humble and thankful acceptance of a
gift. It is even probable that our Saviour
chofe this rather than another expreffion, to
fignify that their acceptance fhould not be ra{h
and hafty, but deliberate and well advifed; and
at the fame time to aflure them, that upon
their acceptance, th^fb invaluable bleffings
fhould become as truly and irrevocably theirs,
as if they had really bought them, and given
a full and adequate price for them.

Thus have I opened the meaning of this
counfel or advice — an advice feafonable at all
times, and peculiarly adapted to the occafion
of our prefent meeting. The character of
thofe to whom it was originally addreffed
would lead mc to fpeak to proud felf-jufti-

fiers,

SERMON VIIL 145

fiers, who, like the lukewarm I.aodiceans,
imagine themfelves to be rich and increafed
with goods, and to ftand in need of nothing.
A4ight I ftay accurately to examine your fup-
pofed righteoufnefl'es, I think I could fay fe-
veral things to make you afliamcd of them,
and to convince you that they are all but fil-
thy rags. But this would require more time
than we have now to fpare. All I can do for
you is to pray, and beg that others would pray,
that God may pity you, and open your eyes,
— I hope there are fome now hearing me of
a different character, to whom I reckon my-
felf more immediately a debtor, I mean thofe
whofe eyes are fo far opened as to fee that
they are wn'etched, and miferable, and poor^
and blind, and naked. It is to you, my dear
friends, that our Saviour doth this day addrefs
the advice in my text:

" I counfel thee to buy of me gold tried
" in the fire, that thou mayeft be rich 5 and
" white raiment, that thou mayeft be clothed,
*' and that the fhame of thy nakednefs do not
" appear ; and anoint thine eyes with eye-
" falve, that thou mayeft fee."

Vol. IV. K Wl^it

246 SERMON VIII.

What have you to objedt agalnft this acf-
vice — Are not thefe the very things you
need ; are they not exactly fuited to your
Hate and circumftances ? — Would you not
think yourfelves bound to blefs God eternally,
for giving you fuch a rich and full fupply ?
I think I may reafonably take all this for
granted. — What difcourages you then? — You
fay you are unworthy. I afic you, Where
does Chrift fpeak as if he fuppofed you to be
worthy? Were this a fecret known only to
yourfelves, you might indeed have caufe to
dread a difcovery ; but the Lord Jefus knew
this before you knew it : Nay, if he had not
told you of it, I dare venture to affirm you
fliould never have found it out, I mean in
this world; for death and judgment will clear
up all miftakes. Why then do you make ob~
jeftions where Chrift makes none ? — Is his
honour dearer to you than to himfelf ? — Does
he not know how to difpenfe his mercy till,
you have taught him? I charge you to be-
ware of fuch prefum.ptuous conceits. It is
becau/e you are poor, and blind, and naked^
that he counfels you to come to him, for the
fupplies here offered.

But

SERMON VIII. 147

But does he not fpeak of buying, and what
price can I offer him for fuch ineftimable
bleflings ? I have already told you what I
take to be the meaning of that expreflion ;— -
but as this objection is of a very deadly na-
ture, and commonly proves one of the flrong-
eft bars in mens way to Chrift, it is neceffary
to examine it with fome more accuracy. And,
firft, I muft alk thofe who make the objec-
tion, Are you really willing to take thefe
bleflings for nothing, if you can get them ?
Do not anfwer raflily, for I apprehend there is
a fecret deceit within you that you are not
aware of — Say, Would it not give you a
mighty fatisfadion, if you could difcover
fomething in yourfelves that might entitle
you to thefe bleffings, or, at leaft, that might
incline or difpofe Chrift to beftow them upon
you ? Would it not give you fome courage,
if you could fhed more penitent tears for
fm, if you felt more love for God and the
Redeemer, or if you were more exad: and
blamelefs in your conduct and behaviour ?
And are you not fecretlydifpleafed with your-
felves, that you cannot attain to thefe things
before you apply to Chrift for his aid ? If
K 2 this

148 SERMON VIIL

this is the cafe, allow me to put your objec-
tioii in its proper form. It is not, as you ap-
prehend, I have nothing to give to Chrtft as
a price for his benefits ; but I have not
enough. — My ftock is too fmall to buy fuch
ail inheritance ; and till it is better improven,
it is vain for me to hope that my offer can
be accepted. Alas, my brethren, it is plain,
from this, that pride is at the root of your
objection, though it has artfully put on the
form of humility ; at the bottom you are
plealed with the notion of buying, and are
only vexed that you have not enough to
give ; you fecretly dream, that by diligence
and good management you may at length ac-
quire fomething that may deferve the favour-
able regards of the Redeemer : And therefore,
once for all, I muft tell you, that, notwith-
flanding your mournful complaints of pover-
ty, you are really far poorer than you fup-
pofe yourfelves to be. You not only want a
price in the mean time, but you fhall never
be able to find a price that bears the fmalleft
proportion to the blefhngs you need ; and
Chrifl, who fhed his blood to purchafe thefe
benefits, will never fell them below their va-
lue.

SERMON Vlir. 149

Ine. The truth is, he does dot intend to dif-
pofe of them in that way. Though he bought
them at a high rate, he gives them away free-
ly, and gives them only to thofe who, dif-
claiming all merit and worthinefs in them-
felves, are willing to receive them merely as
an alms, to which they neither have, nor can
have any title.

Let me therefore entreat you to come to him
poor and naked as you are. It is his own
counfel, and, as 1 told you, he is the True
and Faithful Witnefs. You may depend up-
on his word, and fhall never have caule to
repent your following his advice. Come,
then, O fmners, at his call, and believe it, that
he is more willing to give you the bleflmgs
here fpoken of, than you are or can be to afk
them from him. You honour the truth of
Chrift when you obey his fummons ; where-
as you directly give him the lie, and call him
a falfc and flattering witnefs, when, upon any
pretence vv^hatever, you keep at a diftance from
him, and queftion his readinei's to perform
what he hath promifed. He not only coun-
fels, but invites ; he not only invites, but en-
treats ; and, to remove every ground of fuf-
K 3 picioa

150 SERMON VIII.

picion or jealoufy, he adds his oath to his
promife, and to both he fuperadds his feal,
and is now ready to hold it out to you in the
holy Sacrament. Let me therefore, once more,
befeech you to hearken to his advice. Firft
come to himfelf by an humble faith ; and then
come and receive the New Teftament in his
blood.

As for you who have already been deter-
mined, by grace, to liften to the advice of this
Faithful Witnefs, I this day invite you, in his
name, to come anew, and draw water out ot
the wells of falvation. For you, he hath again
covered a table in the wildernefs, and infti-
tuted this ordinance for your fpiritual nourifh-
ment, and growth in grace. You have form-
erly tailed that the Lord is gracious, he is now
waiting to give you fome farther experience
of it. Come forward, then, with thankful
hearts and enlarged defires. Devife liberal
things, for he is a liberal giver. Open your
moutlis wide, and he will till them abundantly.
Amen.

SER-

iS^

SERMON IX.

ECCLESIASTES, vlii. I3.

2]ut it Jhall not he well with the wicked^ nei-
ther fiall he prolong his days^ which are
as a JJjadow^ becanfe he fearcth not before
God,

THE promifcuous diftributioii of good
and evil, in the prefent life, has alv/ays
tended to weaken the influence of moral and
religious motives among mankind. Our minds
are fo framed, that pleafure or pain, imme-
diately or foon to be experienced, affect tliem
in a much ftronger degree, than greater mea-
fures of either, removed by. dillance of fu-
ture time. There is a prodigious difference
between certainty, as the mere object of our
und^rlianding, and the ftrong impreuion pro-
duced by the coniideration of thofe things
which are not only certain, but near at hand.
The former merely produces alfent of the

K 4 mind ;

152 SERMON IX.

mind ; tlie latter lays hold of the heart, and
influences the condu(5t. Accordingly we find,
that all who have afpired to the art of per-
fiiafion, in moral or religious difcourfes, have
endeavoured to heighten the influence of dis-
tant motives, by placing the objedts of them
in the ftrongeft light. This may be done
either directly, by reprefenting their fuperior
and infinite importance, or implicitly, by lef-
fening our conceptions, and thereby lowering
our follicitude as to the intervening period.

This lafl; is the method adopted by Solo-
mon in the paflage w^ith which the text is
connected. In the preceding verfe, he had
exprefl^ed, in the ftrongeft terras, the full af-
furance he had that it ftiould finally be well
with them that fear God. Many, indeed,
in the prefent time, are the afflidions of the
righteous. In the world they are generally
defpifed, and reviled, and perfecuted. And
what is the reafon of this ! Our Lord tells his
difciples the reafon, " If ye were of the
" world, the world would love his own ; but
*' bccaufe ye are not of the world, buc I have
*' chofen you out of the world, therefore the
''' world hateth yoii." But what is the hatred,

the

S E R M O N IX. 153

the calumny, or perfecution of the world, to
thofe whofe minds are raifed above it, to an
inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that
fadeth not away ; whofe light afflidlion, which
is but for a moment, works out an exceeding

o

great and eternal weight of glory.

Let us now change the view. The fumer
may do evil an hundred times, and as often
profper in his fchemes of iniquity ; yet, in
the midft of all this outward fuccefs, he is
ftill the objedl of pity and compafTion, rather
than of envy. To real happinefs his heart
is a Granger; he grafps at enjoyment, and
embraces vanity ; his days fly away as a flia-
dow ; they fee no good ; and he himfelf is
fall haftening to thofe regions of darknels
where nothing is heard but the voice of fruit-
lefs lamentation, and everlafting defpair.

This, it muft be confefled, is a gloomy
fubjed ; but gloomy as it is, we muft not
forbear to prefs it on your attention. The
fame God who commands us to fay to the
righteous it fhall be well with him, com-
mands us likewife to deliver this awful warn-
ing : " It fhall not be well with the wicked,
" neither fliall he prolong his days, which are

"as

154

SERMON IX.

" as a fliadow ; becaufe he feareth not before
« God.''

But, before I proceed to illuftrate the threat-
ning in the text, there is a previous point to
be fettled, without which all that I can lay
muft have very little effed:, and that is, who
the wicked here fpoken of are, who are the
perfons againft whom this threatning is de-
nounced.

Were I, in anfwer to this inquiry, to begin
with defcribing thofe grofs and flagitious
crimes which the natural confcience of every
man abhors, 1 Ihould only fpend your time,
and offend your ears to no purpofe ; for who
is there in all the fociety of mankind, not to
fay in a Chriftian aflembly, that will difputc
the juftice of this appellation as applied to
thieves and robbers, oppreilors and murder-
ers, blafphemers, falfe fwearers, and open
contemners of all laws human and divine.
I inay fafely prefume on your ailent, that
charaders fuch as thefe, fo obnoxious even
to human fociety, may properly be clafled
among the wicked, againft whom the threat-
ning of the text is denounced. I may even
take it for granted, that the greater part of

inv

SERMON IX.

ss

my audience will advance a ftep farther, and
permit me to pafs the fame cenfure upon thofe
who are guilty of the more prevailing fms
of the prelent time, fuch as profane fwearing,
uncleannefs, drunkennefs, hreach of the Lord's
Day, and habitual negled of divine inftiiu-
tions. Thus far, I fuppofc, we are generally
agreed. But if we confult the Scriptures, the
only infallible rule of judging, we fhall find
that the term wicked is of a ftill more ex-
tenfive fignification, and comprehends a great
many characters befides thofe already named.
Of this I cannot give you a more convincing
proof than by referring you to that plain and
inrtrudive parable of the talents, Matth. xxv,
14. There we read of one who di^^ged in
the earth and hid his Lord's money, and at his
return digged it up again, and reftored it to
him in the fame ftate he got it. In this, ac-
cording to the general ftyle of judging, there
feems to be nothing culpable. The man,
though not profitably adive, was at leall
harmlefs ; he took nothing from his mafter's
talent, neither did he put it to any bad uic.
But what charader did his lord give hurt,

when

156 SERMON IX.

when he came to call for his account. This
you may read at the 26th verfe.

*' His Lord faid unto him, thou wicked
" and flothful fervant," and, in conformity
with this character, he pronounces on him
this awful fentence, " Cafl ye the unprofit-
" able fervant into outer darknefs, there fhall
" be weeping and gnafhing of teeth." Hence
it appears, that not only the grofs and flagi-
tious tranfgreffbrs of God's law, but even
the flothful and carelefs, who negle£t to im-
prove the talents committed to them, are rec-
koned among the wicked, by the infallible
judge, in conformity with that decifive fen-
tence of the ApQfl:le James, " To him that
" knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to
" him it -^s fm." This at once undermines
the foundation upon which thoufands of de-
luded mortals build all their hopes of the di-
vine favour and acceptance. In vain, O mif-
guided men, will you plead at the Great Day,
(even though ye could prove that plea) that
■ye abufed no talent befl:owed on you — that
you did harm to none of all God's works.
Was it for this negative purpofe only, do you
think, that your Maker gave you a place in

his

SERMON IX. 157

his world ? Was it for this only that he corb-
ferred the adive powers of your nature; that
he gave you reafon. to prefide over thefe
powers ; and his word to guide that reafon ?
Was it for this only that he placed you in a
fituation where activity is neceffary for your
own happinefs, and for the happinefs of all
around you ? Is it nothing that your being is
a chafm in creation, where infinite wifdoni
intended that nothing flioukl be void, nothings
cumberfome nor unprofitable ? The tree thai-
bears no fruit, as well as that whofe fruit is
pernicious, is cut down and cafl; into the fire.
In like manner, if your lives have not been
fruitful in the works of righteoufnefs, if they
have not exhibited pofitive evidences of love
to God, and benevolence to men, your abfti-
nence from grofs tranfgreffions will be of no
avail. You will not, indeed, be ranked witii
thofe who proclaim their fins as Sodom j but
yet you will be numbered with the wicked,
and with them expelled for ever from the
prefence of the Lord.

But Vv'hat fliall we fay of thofe who are
not only harmlefs, but alfo good and ufeful
members of human fociety ; decent in their

condudt.

158 SERMON IX.

condud, upright in their dealings, beneficent
and obliging to all around them. Of fuch
perfons we are certainly bound both to fpeak
and to think well ; where thofe good fruits
appear, we ought to conclude, that the tree
which produces them is good likewife. It is
a bold and impious invafion of the divine
prerogative to judge the hearts of others; and
nothing can be more oppofite to the fpirit
of Chriftianity, than to harbour any fecret
fufpicion of mens inward tempers, when
their condud; is proper, inoffenfive, and ufe-
ful.

But if the queftion be put in another fliapc,
What ought thefe perfons to think of them-
felves ? the word of God obliges me to give
another anfwer.

There we are taught to exercife a perpe-
tual jealoufy over ourfelves, and to take no
credit from particular adts of virtue, if our
character be not entirely formed by thofe
principles which it alone infpires. Of thefe,
one of the moft commanding is mentioned
in the text itfelf. " It fhall not be well with
" the wicked, becaufe he fearcth not before
" 0(?^." Were all the combinations of lan-
guage

S E R M O N IX. 159

guage to be ftudlcd, it would be impoflible
to devife an expreflion more fignificant than
this, or more calculated to difcriminate the
fteady and commanding motives of virtue,
from thofe which are unfound, accidental,
and fluduating.

The openly profane fear not God at all.
The unprofitable fervant, who buries his ta-
lent in the ground, fears him as an auftere
mafter, and by that flavifli fear is reftrainecl
from making the proper improvement of it.
The man who afpires only to decency, and
outward propriety of conduQ, is acftuated by
a fear which refpeCts fometimes God, fome-
times the reproofs of confcience, but mod
frequently the opinion of his fellow men. In
contradidion to all thefe partial and inade-
quate principles, the truly good man fears he-
fore God. He dreads him not as an enemy,
but, confcious of his infpedion at all times,
he dreads every thing that would make this
thought a terror to him. To this decifive
teft I muft therefore lead you. Is the autho-
rity of God become the great confideradon
to which you bend all your fentiments and
condud ? Have you been led to renounce the

maxims

i6o SERMON IX.

maxims of the world, and the inclinations of
nature, and to make the will of God the
ftandard of all you do, regardlefs of prefent
danger or advantage ? Unlefs this be the ha-
bitual frame of your fouls, all your feeming
virtues are no better than dead works ; ye
are ftill in the bond of iniquity, and have eve-
ry reafon to tremble at the denunciation in
the text, " It fliall not be well with the wick-
" ed, neither fhall he prolong his days, which
" are as a fhadow, becaufe he feareth not be-
" fore God."

ly^. It cannot be well with the wicked, be-
caufe the confequences of their own conduct
naturally involve mifery. Independent of all
the fandions of the divine law, fm is in itfelf
the deftroyer of our happinefs. There is fo
much flavery and diftradtion in obeying our
corrupt paffions, the confequences are fo in-
convenient and ruinous, that none ever fol-
lowed fuch a courfe without a fecret confcK-
oufnefs of fatal miftake. To be happy, it is
neceffary that we be at peace with ourfelves ;
But how can the wicked have this peace ?
Their minds, torn by contending pafTions, are
like the troubled fea, which cannot reft,

whole

S E R M O N IX, i6i

whofe waters caft up mire and dirt. They
may indeed dethrone their reafon, and tram-
ple on their confcience ; but yet the voice of
thefe degraded faculties will at times be he.ird,
and even in their fcenes of riot and frantic
mirth, will, like the hand-writing on the wall
of Belfhazzar's palace, embitter all their joys.
Many fins are deftrudtive of bodily health as
well as of peace of mind. This is confefledly
the cafe with fenfuality and intemperance.
Others expofe men to dreadful hazards, weary
them with incefTant toils, and at laft plunge
them in infamy and ruin. " Come, fay they,
" let us lay wait for blood; let us lurk privily
" for the innocent; let us fw allow them up
" alive as the grave, and whole as thofe that go
" down to the pit ; we fhall find all precious
*' fubftance, we fhall fill our houfes with fpoil."
But behold the ilTue of thefe criminal projects.
" 1 hey lay wait for their own blood ; they
" lurk privily for their own lives. Knov/eft
" thou not this of old, fince man was placed
" upon the earth, that the triumphing of the
" wicked is fliort, and the joy of the hypo-
" crirc but for a moment. They have fown
" v-i'iry, and they ihall reap the whirlwind."
Vol. IV. L 2^//,

i62 SERMON IX.

idly^ It cannot be well with the wicked,
becaufe they are in a ftate of diftance and
alienation from God. The glorious attributes
of his nature are to them objects of terror
and' difmay, and the fecret wifli of their hearts
is, that there were no God. But there is a
God, O fmner ; a God who hateth wicked-
nefs, and who will deftfoy all the workers of
iniquity. He hath bent his bow and made it
ready; he hath alfo prepared for them the
inftruments of death. And O how hopelefs a
warfare is it to contend with him ! Who ever
hardened himfelf againft God and profpered l
Is there any ftrong hold, where the enemies
of his government may be fafe? Go try the
whole extent of creation. — Afcend to Heaven„
and he is there in the brightnefs of his Ma-
jefty. Go down to the regions of darknefs,
and he is there in the feverity of hrs jufticeo
Take the wings of the morning, and fly tc>
the uitermoft parts of the fea, even there hi;
boundlef* dominion extends; even there hi?
right hand Ihall hold thee a prifoner to hi^
vengeance. Liften, O fmner, to the tremen-
dous declaration of this omnipotent omni-
prefent God. " I even I am he, and there it

S E R M O N IX. 16

" no God with me. I kill and I make alive,
" I wound and I heal, neither is there any
" that can deliver out of ray hand: For I life
" up my hand to heaven and fay, I live for
" ever. If I whet my glittering fword, and
" mine hand take hold on judgment, I will
" render vengeance \o mine enemies, and will
** reward them that hate me. I will make
" mine arrows drunk with blood.'*

3^/}', It cannot be well with the wicked,
becaufe they lie under the guilt of all the fins
which they have ever committed. A dread-
ful load ! One fin ruined myriads of beings
fuperior to man; How fhall they efcape, then,
who, from their youth upwards, have drunk
iniquity even as the ox drinketii water ? k
is poffible that you may foothe yourfelves with
the thought. of having repented of the grofler
fins with which your lives have been ftained;
you truft that thefe are forgiven, and prefume
that a merciful God will overlook the reft.
But I muft be allowed to inform you, that
this is a rafli and groundlefs tli ought. There
is no fuch thing with God as partial for-
givennefs. If all your fins are not pardoned
j)ot one of them is; and unlefs you have
L 2 been

164 SERMON IX.

been renewed by the grace and fpirit of God,
thofe fins you committed in your earliefl
years, are as much in force againft you as
thofe of the moft recent date you can name.
Converfion and pardon are infeparably con-
nected ; and it will ever remain a certain
truth, that whom God juftifies, them he alfo
fan6tifies. There is indeed no condemnation
to them that are in Chrift Jefus; but, on the
other hand, thefe are fuch as walk not after
the flefh, but after the Spirit; for if any man
have not the Spirit of Chrift he is none of
his.

\thly^ It cannot be well with the wicked,
becaufe, while they remain in this ftate, no-
thing they do can pleafe God. I mean not
to affirm, that they cannot perform actions
materially good, the fubftance of which is
commanded by God. The morality of Chrift's
religion is fo much accommodated to the in-
tereft of individuals, and to the good of fo-
ciety, that even they, who have no higher
motives, may iind it profitable to comply with
fome of its injuncStions : Far lefs is it my
meaning, that it would be better, or as good,
for fuch perfons to negiedt or difobey thefe

injundions.

SERMON IX. 165

injurKStions. But my meaning is, that there
are fo many defedts, and To much 'unfound-
nefs of motive in their bed alliens, that God
can have no delight in them, fuch as he has
in the obedience of his own people, who are
reconciled to him by the great Mediator.

They cannot fo far pleafe God as to render
their perfons acceptable to him ; nor have
they any promife that this partial obedience
of theirs fhall be recompenfed with any fa-
vour or reward. The truth of thefe obfer-
vations is confirmed by a multitude of paf-
fages in Scripture. There we are told that
the thoughts of the wicked are abominable
to him ; that the plowing of the wicked is
fm ; that the facrifice of the wicked is an
abomination ; yea, he that turneth away his
ear from hearing the law, even his prayer,
faith Solomon, fhall be an abomination unto
God. And how can it be well with the man,
whofe whole life is a perpetual offence to the
God that made him ? Confider this, ye that
now defpife reproof, trample on the blood of
Chrift, and refill the motions of his Spirit.
In vain do you reft on the favourable parts
of your charadter, as a compenfation for this

L 3 ungrate-

t66 SERMON IX.

ungrateful abufe of the divine goodnefs and
long fufFering. In the fight of men, indeed,
this balance may be of fome avail to you ;
but God feeth not as man feeth ; in his fight
your v^'hole charadler is depraved, and every
part of your conducfl offenfive. I (hall only
add, in the

^l/j and LrJ^ place, that if you die in this
ftate, your perdition is inevitable. " Except
" a man be born again," faith our Lord, '* he
*' cannot fee the kingdom of God." — Verily,
** Verily, I fay unto you, except ye be con-
^' verted, and become as little children, yc
'' cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven."
Thefe paffages are plain and decifive ; and I
have feledled them, among innumerable others
to the fame purpofe, for this reafon, that they
were uttered by the firmeft and tendered
friend of the human race, the truth of whofe
warnings we can have no reafon to doubt.

In reviewing what has been faid, the im-
preffion left is undoubtedly gloomy ; and no-
thing but a fenfe of duty could have prevail-
ed on me to deliver fo harfii a mcfl'age. But
that watchman would be very unfaithful to

his

S E R M O N IX. 167

his truft, who would not call the alarm of
iire, becaufe of the unpleafant found it has in
men's ears. I have not been liernly deliver-
ing truths in which I have no concern myfelf.
We are all embarked in the voyage of life
upon the fame conditions. Thefe conditions
I have endeavoured to fet before you, accord-
ing to that commandment of God, " Say yc
" to the righteous, it fliall be well Vv'ith him,
*' for he fhall eat the fruit of his doings ; but
" wo to the wicked, it Ihali be ill v»'ith him,
" neither fliall he prolong his days, which are
" as a fhadow, becaufe he feareth not before
" God." Knowing, therefore, the terrors of
the Lord, I have been endeavouring to per-
fuade you to fly from the wrath to come.

The way to efcape all this milery is patent
even to the chief of fmners. The door of
mercy is open. God is leated on a throne of
grace, ready to receive every humble peni-
tent ; and this is his call to the fons of men,
" Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die. — Seek
" ye the Lord while he may be found, call
" upon him while he is near. — Let tlie wick-
*' ed forfake his way, and the unrighteous

m.an his thoughts, and let him return unto
L 4 *' the

it

i68 S E R M O N IX.

the Lord, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly-
pardon. — Incline your ear and come unto
me, hear and your fouls fhall live ; and I
will make with you an everlafting covenant,
even the fure mercies of David." Amcn«

SER-

169

SERMON X.

Revelations, ii. 5.

Remember from whence thou art fallen^ and
repeiit^ and do the firjt ivorks ; or clje I
•will come unto thee quickly^ and remove thy
candkftkk out oj his place, except thou re-
pent.

THESE are the words of our Lord Jefus
Chrift to the church of Ephefus. They
contain a call to repentance and reformation,
with a fevere and terrible threatening in cafe
of difobedience. In the fecond and third
verfes, we have an acknowledorment of what
was good in that church, " 1 know thy works,
" and thy labour, and thy patience, and how
" thou canft not bear them which are evil ;
" and thou haft tried them which fay they
" are Apoftles, and are not, and haft found
" them liars ; and haft borne, and haft pa-
*' tience, and for my name's fake haft labour-

"ed.

170 S E R M O N X.

" ed, and haft not fainted. Neverthelefs,"
fays he, in the 4th .verfe, " I have fomewhat
" againft thee, becaufe thou haft left thy firft
'* love." Their affedion was cooled, their
zeal w^as abated, they were become more rc-
mifs and lukewarm in the duties of religion.
Now, this our Saviour could not bear, he
therefore calls them to remember their firft
eftate, to confider their prcfent degenerate
condition, to mourn over it, and to rife from
it by a fpeedy repentance and reformation ;
and to give this fummons the greater efficacy,
he threatens them with the removal of the
gofpel from them, if they did not repent. " I
" will come unto thee quickly, and remove
" thy candleftick out of his place, except thou
" repent."

Many ufeful obfervations might be made
from this paffage^ aS;,/r/?, That our Lord Je-
fus Chrift take«. fpecial notice of thofe to
whom the gofpel is lent. His eyes are in
every place, beholding the evil and the good ;
but he walks in the midft of the golden can-
dlefticks, and caref Lilly obferves the improve-
ment which men make of this precious light.
This teaches us what manner of perfons v;c

ought

S E R M O N X. 171

ought to be. We are placed here, as k were
on a theatre, and ad; in the immediate view
of our King and Judge : Yea he hath in a
manner entrufted us with his glory, and cal-
led the world to take notice of us, as the per-
fons by whom he expeds to be honoured,
and therefore our behaviour cannot be indif-
ferent to him. He may wink at others, but
cannot wink at us. The hufbandman is not
diihonoured by the unfruitfulnefs of a wild
tree, upon which he has beftowed no cul-
ture ; but the barrennefs of what is planted
in his garden, or inclofed field, refleds upon
himfelf, and therefore he cannot be uncon-
cerned about that, but muft viu *;cate his ho-
nour upon it, by cutting it down, and cafting
it out as a cumberer of the ground.

Secondly^ We may obferve, that not only
grofs apoftacy, but even the lm:illeR decavs
among his people, are highly ofFenfive \ Xo
him. This church had many good thu^.^s
among them, and after the commendation tri.it
was given them in the fecond and third verks,
one would be ready to put the quellion,
What lack tliey yet ? But our Lord rema; ;-
the coldnefs of their hearts, and refents th:.t

inward

172 SERMON X.

inward and fecret declenfion from their for-
mer love and zeal, and threatens them with
fwift deftrudtion if they did not repent. O
hogw does this magnify God's patience to-
wards us ; and what caufe have we to trem-
ble and be afraid of his judgments, feeing we
Iiave not only fallen from our firft love, but
by grofs and open a£ls of enmity, have made
it extremely doubtful, whether there be any
remains of love abiding with us at all. But,
without infilling upon thefe, my defign is to
confider this threatening feparately by itfelf —
And my method fhall be,

I. To fhow that God may be provoked by
the fms of a people, to remove the gofpel
from them.

II. I (liall reprefent to you the terriblenefs of
this judgment. And,

III. Dired you to the proper ufe of this aw-
ful fubje£t.

In the Scriptures we have many comfort-
able promifes of the churche^i ftability ; it
is built upon a rock, and the gates of Hell
fnall not prevail againll it. It was Chriit's

promife

SERMON X. 173

promife to his Apoftlcs, " Lo I am with you
" always, even unto the end of the world ;"
not with their perfons, for thefe were foon to
be removed out of the world by death ; but
with their dodtrine, which was to endure
throughout all generations ; fo that wc have
the fulleft affurance, that the Zion of God, or
the univerfal church, fhall never perilh ; —
that the light of the gofpel fhall never be ex-
tinguifhed ; but that the King of Zion (liall
always have fubjed:s to ferve him in fome
corner of the earth or other. But though
the gofpel Ihall never be removed out of the
world altogether, yet it may be removed
from particular places. The candleftick is a
moveable thing, and not an entailed inheri-
tance.

The Jews are an eminent inftance of this.
Never was a nation fo highly favoured as
they. To them pertained the adoption, and
the glory, and the covenants, and the giving
of the law, and the fervice of God, and the
promifes ; theirs were the fathers, and of
them as concerning the flefh Chrift came,
who is over all, God bleffed for ever. They
were God's choien people, his peculiar trea-

fure,

174 SERMON X.

fure, his firft born, and his fpoufe ; for b}r
thefe honourable titles were they long diftin-
guiflied from the reft of the world. Nor
were they only diftinguifhed by titles, but
actually blefled with all the privileges which
thefe titles imported. God was indeed a
father and hufband unto them ; he cherifhed
them in his bofom, and employed his almigh-
ty power for their prefervation. He con-
ducted their arms, and didated their laws ;
he formed their ftate, and was prefent among
them by a vifible glory, and eftabliilicd a me-
thod of correfpondence, by which they might
.have conftant accefs to him for counfel and
direction in every cafe of difficulty. Never
had any people fuch illuftrious difplays of the
divine providence in their favours. Some
nations have had a long track of profperity,
a feries of lucky accidents, as it were, by the
help of which they have grown up to a very
flourifhing condition ; but the various fteps
of their advancement were vifible, and eafy
to be accounted for, and were nothing more
extraordinary than a plentiful crop after a fa-
vourable feed-time and harveft ; or the riches
of a fkilful and induftrious merchant. But

it

S E R M O N X. 175

it was not fo with the nation of the Jews ;
their profperity was the admiration of all that
beheld it, and forced them to acknowledge,
that the Lord was with them of a truth. God
brought them out of Egypt by a high hand
and an outftretched arm ; the fea opened a
pafTage for their retreat, and overwhelmed
their enemies ; bread was given them from
heaven, fo that man did eat angels food ; and
the flinty rock yielded them water to quench
their thirft. At the prayer of Jofhua, the
fun ftood ftill ; and at the fame time God
flew his enemies before him with hail-ftones
from heaven, and gave his people a miracu-
lous and complete vidory over them. And
after they were put in pofTefTion of the pro-
mifed land, they did not grow up like other
fiates ; they w^ere often times brought fo low,
that they feemed paft recovery, and as often
did God interpofe for their relief; and the
various changes they underwent were fo fud-
den and furpriiing, as made it evident to
themfeives, and all about them, that their af-
fairs were conduded not by the flcill and
llrength of men, but by the immediate hand
of Cod, who, by his irrefillible power go-
verns

176 S E R M O N X.

verns all creatures and things, fo that none
can ftay his hand, or fay unto him what doeft
thou. Yet notwithttanding all thefe titles,
and privileges, and providences, whereby God
diftinguifhed them in fuch a remarkable man-
ner, they are now pulled up by the roots,
abandoned by God, and defpifed among men.
No fpiritual dew falls upon thofe moun-
tains of Gilboa. Thofe that were as plea-
fant to God as the grapes in the wildernefe
to a thirfty traveller, are now of as little re-
gard as the heath or the bramble. Of a ten-
der father, he is become their enraged ene-
my ; and flings vengeance down upon thofe
heads, which before he crowned with mercy.
He caufed the land in which he planted them,
by a feries of miracles, to fpue them out be-
caufe of their fms ; and. now they wander as
miferable vagabonds over the face of the
world, a ftanding monument of God's righ-
teous judgment, and a fad proof that fpiritual
privileges are not entailed to any nation ; but
that God may be provoked, by the fms of a
people, to remove their candleftick out of his
place, and punifh them with darknels, who

would

I

S E R M O N X. 177

would not walk in the light of it whllft they
enjoyed it.

The feven churches of Afia, mentioned in
this and the following chapter, are another
inftance of this. Thefe had their day, but
are now benighted ; the judgments threaten-
ed in thefe gracious epiftles, which were di-
rected to them, have been long ago inflicted.
The banners of a blafphemous impoftor have
long triumphed over the flandard of the gof-
pel. Nor is the once famous church of Rome
a great deal better ; for though the gofpel is
ftill profeffed and honoured by them in ap-
pearance, yet the light of it is fo much ob-
fcured, and buried amidil the rubbifh of ido-
latrous opinions and pradlices, that it is fcarce
difcernible ; and without breach of charity
we may fay of them, that God hath given
them up to ftrong delufions, to believe a lie,
fo that they have all the marks of a people
whom God hath abandoned, though wrath,
be not as yet come upon them to the utter-
moft. By thefe exam.ples we fee, that the
gofpel is not the inheritance of any particu-
lar people, but that it frequently has been,
and therefore may flill be forfeited, and that

Vol. IV. M God

178 S E R M O N X.

God may be provoked, by the fins of thofe
who enjoy the light of it, to ftrip them of all
their privileges, by removing the candleftick
out of his place. Let us now proceed, in
the

11. Place, to confider the greatnefs of this
punifhment. And if we view it aright, we
fliall foon be convinced, that a more terrible
judgment cannot be inflicted upon any peo-
ple or nation. What can be more terrible
than famine. — Parents have been forced, a-
gainft all the ties of natural affedion, to de-
vour their own children ; and children to
feed upon the flefh of their parents. The ex-
tremity of hunger hath reconciled very deli-
cate people to things that are mo(\ loathfome
and naufeous, carrion, dung, and vermin of
all forts ; yet this is accounted a fmall judg-
ment when compared with the other, Amos,
viii. II. " Behold the days come faith the
" Lord, that 1 will fend a famine in the land,
" not a famine of bread, nor a thirft for wa-
*' ter, but of hearing the word of the Lord.'*
The want of fpiritual food is fo much worfe
than the want of natural food, as the foul is

better

SERMON X. 179

better than the body ; the one makes the bo-
dy weak, the other ftarves the foul, and leaves
it both weak and wicked ; the one may be a
means to make us leek the Lord, but the
other leaves us in grofs darknefs, without
either help or hope. The goipei is the fun
that enlightens the mind, the rain that waters
the heart ; it is that divine feed by which the
quickening fpirit renews the loul, and im-
plants a principle of fpiritual life, which (hall
ifTue in a glorious and eternal one. By this
our fouls are refined, and our lufts confumed;
without this we can have no profpect of a
world to come, nor any knowledge of the
way that leads to it ; for life and immortality
are brought to light by the gofpel, and by it
only we are told, that God is in Chritl re-
conciling the world to himfelf, not imputing
their trelpafles ; and therefore the want of it
muft be the fum of all mifery, and infinitely
worfe than any other calamity we can either
feel or fear in this world. God may take
notice of a people under the Iharpeft af-
flictions, but when he takes away his word,
then he knows them no longer ; then all
gracious correfpondence or intercourfe is bro-

M 2 ken

i8o SERMON X.

ken up. This, O this, is the very dregs of
vengeance ! Yea, when the gofpel departs
from a people, all other bleffings commonly
depart with it. This is the charter of all our
privileges, both fpiritual and temporal ; and
therefore in lofmg it, we lofe all that depends
upon it ; at leaft we forfeit our title, and any
outward mercies that are continued with us,
are only like food and raiment to a condem-
ned criminal, which the King's clemency al-
lows him, till the fatal fentence be executed
upon him.

The gofpel is not only the glory, but the
flrength of a nation ; when it departs, God
ceafes to be their protedtor. The flourifhing
condition of the feven churches foon wither-
ed, when the candleOiick was removed ; and
iheir deplorable and abjecl fiate ever fince,
even with refped: to external enjoyments,
and worldly advantages, is a melancholy proof
that the gofpel does not take flight alone, but
is attended with every other thing that con-
tributes to the glory or happinefs of a peo-
ple.

Thus

SERMON X. i8r

Thus have I reprefented to you the terri-
blenefs of this judgment : And now I come
to point out your concern in this fubje6t, and
to direct you to the proper improvement of
it. And if thefe things be fo, Have not we
in thefe lands *great reafon to fear, that our
iniquities may provoke the Lord to inflid:
this punifhment upon us ? Are we better than
Ephefus, or the other churches of Afia ? Are
our privileges greater or better fecured than
theirs were ? yet their candleilick has been
lonjr removed, and who dare affirm that ours
may not be removed likewife ? My brethren,
I have no defign to alarm you with ground-
lefs fears ; but my duty as a watchman obliges
me to blow the trumpet when I fee danger
approaching ; and that I may give it a dif-
tindt found, 1 fliall briefly unfold to you the
grounds of my apprehenfion of approaching
danger, in thefe following remarks : And,

i/?, Is it not evident that vice and immo-
rality have grown up to an amazing height
amongft us ? Do not many proclaim their
fms as Sodom, and hide them not ; yea, Do
not many glory in their fhame, and count it
their honour to excel in fome branch of wic-

M 3 ke duels

i82 S E R M O N X.

kednefs or other ? I do not aggravate the
charge ; every one's oblervation muft con-
vince him of the truth of it. Now, What
muft be the fruit of this ? Hear what God
fays by his prophet, Joel, iii. 13 *' Pat ye in
*' the fickle, for the harveft is ripe, the prefs
" is full, the fat overflows ; for their wicked-
" nefs is great." I do not fay we have juft
come this length, that we are already arrived
at a fulnefs of iniquity ; but furely we have
for a long time been advancing towards it by
very haiiy fteps. And this, 1 think, is one
reafonable ground of fear.

2alfy, Is there not a vifible contempt of the
bleifed gofpel ? Are not the ordinances of re-
ligion flighted and defpifed ? yea, is it not 1
become faihionable among many, to reje<ft
the whole of Revelation as a cunningly de-
vifed fable, and to ufe all their influence to
profelyte the more limple and unthinking to
their opinion ? Has not Deifm, which began
at court in King Charles II. 's. reign, been ftill
delcending through all the inferior ranks, till
now it has got low enough ? And what does
this prefage ? The Gadareans befought Chrift
to depart from their coafts, and got their re-

queft.

S E R M O N X. 183

queft. The gofpel is of too much worth to
be always expofed to the injuries of men,
and forced upon a people againft their will.
When children throw a precious jewel in the
dirt, What can be expe<fl:ed, but that their fa-
ther Ihould take it from them, and lay it in
another place, and puniih them too for their
folly and ingratitude ? A

2^d Sign of approaching danger is the
fmall fuccefs which accompanies the preach-
ing of the gofpel, even among thofe who pro-
fefs to believe it. How few converts arc
born into the church ? Is it not vifible, that
numbers who attend upon ordinances are IHU
lying in the gall of bitternefs and the bond of
iniquity ? How few are ferloufly inquiring
after the way to Zion with their faces thi-
therward ? And is not this, too, a prefagc of
a departing gofpel, when God ceafes to pour
oil into the lamp, to accompany the ordi-
nances of religion with the influences of his
Spirit ? Surely we have reafon to fear, that he
intends to remove the candleftick to fome
other place, and give it to thofe who will va-
lue it more, and make better ufe of it than we
have done. A

M 4 4//&

l84 SERMON X.

£i^h Ground of fear is the prefent divideJ
ftate of our church. Union is the ftrength
of the religious as well as of the civil focie-
ty ; for a houfe divided againft itfelf cannot
ftand. It is a weighty faying of one upon
this head, That when children fall out and
fight about the candle, the parents come and
take it away, and leave them to decide their
differences in the dark. We may juftly fear
that God will take away that light which we
abufe in quarrelling, inftead of walking and
working by it. Add to all thefe, in the

^th Place, the threatening afped: of divine
providence. The fuccefs of our enemies
abroad, and the bold attempt, which is flill
carrying on, againft our religion and liberties
at home, and then judge whether there be
not fufficient grounds of fear. " Will a lion
" roar in the foreft when he hath no prey ?
" Will a young Uon cry out of his den, if he
*' have taken nothing ? Can a bird fall in a
^* fnare upon the earth, where no gin is for
^' him ? Shall one take up a fnare from the
*' earth, and have taken nothing at all ? Shall
** a trumpet be blown in the city, and the
^^ people not be afraid ? Shall there be evil in

S E R M O N X. 185

** a city, and the Lord hath not done It ?
" The lion hath roared. Who will not fear ?
*' TheLord God hath fpoken, Who can but
" prophecy ?" My brethren, God has been
ipeaking to us in a very awful manner for
thefe fix months paft ; and that we might not
miftake his voice, moft of the events that have
fallen cut in that fpace of time have been
altogether furprifmg and unexpeded. Our
enemies themfelves were amazed at their
fuccefs, and afcribed it to the immediate hand
of God, which favoured their enterpnze; and
the hand of God has been no lels remarkably
difplayed in our benign deliverance. 'The re-
treat of the rebels, immediately after a vido-
ry, without facing an army they had lo lately
overcome, was fo contrary ic the general
opinion, that I believe the wife'l heads vvtre
afraid of fome cunning artifice, fome deep
laid plot to dra»v our men into a fnare, from
which they (hould not eafily efcape. In a
word, man's part in this whole affair has been
fo fmall and inconliderable that it is eviden:-
ly the Lord's own doing ; and though, ae
has employed inftruments both to dillreis ..^id
relieve us, yet he has done it in fuch a io.c-^

rei^n

i86 S E R M O N X.

reign manner, that he feems to have ufed
them upon no other defign, but only to con-
vince us that he can work without them. I
confefs, my brethren, the care which God
has taken to make himfelf obfervable in the
conduct of thefe. occurrences, is one of the
principal grounds of my fears at this time ;
nor are my fears a whit lefTencd by the late
favourable difpenfation. I look upon it, in-
deed, as an intimation, that he who is a God
of judgment is alfo a God of mercy ; and
that, notwithftanding all our paft provocations,
he is yet willing to be reconciled to us, upon
the terms of the gofpel ; and therefore I view
it in the light of an encouragement to repen-
tance, but not at all as a fign that God's an-
ger is turned away from us, or a fecurity that
our danger is over. No, my brethren, the fun
rofe upon Sodom the morning of that very
day in which it was confumed by fire from
heaven. We have got a breathing time, a
refpite from judgment, but not a perfed deli-
verance ; and, if we do not improve the day
of our vifitation, this mixture of goodnefs
with feverity makes it only the more proba-
ble that the laft exercife of God's patience is

at

S E R M O N X. 187

at hand, and that the things which belong to
our peace are in the greateft danger of being
hid from our eyes.

Thus then you fee what grounds there arc
to fear that the dreadful judgment threatened
in the text may be inflid:ed upon us ; and
this, i hope, will difpofe us all to lillen to the
exhortation here given us, " Remember, there-
" fore, from whence thou art fallen, and re-
" pent, and do the firft works.'*

This is the command of our Lord Jefus
Chrift, and the only way to prevent the ruin
of a fniful people. The fub-ance of this ex-
hortation I have frequently preflcd upon you,
and therefore 1 ihall not now enlarge upon it,
and every thing 1 have juft now delivered to
you may ferve as motives to induce you to
comply with it. The candleftick may be re-
moved from you. This deprivation of the
gofpel is the moft terrible of all God's judg-
ments ; and as our fins deferve it, fo God by
his providence has actually been threatening
us with it. O then let us be awakened from
our fecurity, let us value the gofpel difpenfa-
tion, and improve it to the obtaining a gofpel
nature. Let us not loiter while the fun

ftiines,

i88 S E R M O N X.

fhines, left we be benighted. It will not
Hand ftill at our pleafure, but will go its
courfe according to the command of its go-
vernor, and liftens not to the follies of men,
nor tarries for our delays. Let us then ftir
up ourfelves to call upon our Lord, who is
the Lord of Zion, and the protestor and fafe-
guard of our Jerufalem. Let us plead with
him, as the difciples that were going to Em-
maus, ** Lord abide with us, for the evening
" begins to come, and the day is far fpent."
Our Saviour did fo, and gave them his blef-
fmg. He may do fo with us likewife ; he
may return with a rich bleffing to our land
and church, and abide with us and our pofte-
rity till the day of glory break, and all the
ihadows fly away. Amen.

SER-

189

SERMON XI.

II. Chronicles, v. 13. 14.

// came even to pafs^ as the trumpeters and
fingers were as one^ to make one found to he
beard in pra'ifing and thanking the Lordy
and when they I ft up their voice with the
trumpets and cymbals^ and inftruments of
mufic^ and praifed the Lord^ fiy^^^^* For he
is good^ for his mercy endureth for ever^
that then the houfe ivas filed with a cloudy
even the houfe of the Lord: So that the
priefts could not ft and to minifter by reafon of
the cloud ; for the glory of the Lord had
filled the hoife of God,

THE day of Pentecoft excepted, when
the Holy Ghoft made a vifible defcent
upon the Apoftles of our Lord, I look upon
this to have been the brightefl: day of heaven
upon earth that ever the church of God was
favoured with. It is impoffible to conceive

the

^go SERMON XI.

the joy, the wonder, the ecftacy of thefe de-
vout worfhippers, when they beheld the cloud,
that well known fymbol of the Divine pre-
fence, and faw the temple filled with his glo-
ry. Solomon himfelf, as we learn from the
1 8th verfe of the following chapter, was fo
overpowered with this extraordinary mani-
feftation, that he made a fudden paufe even
after he had begun to pray; and, like one
doubtful whether he fhould believe the tefti-
mony of his own fenfes, abruptly afks the
queftion ; " But will God in very deed dwell
"with men on the earth? Behold! heaven,
" and the heaven of heavens, cannot contain
" thee, how much lefs this houfe that I have
" built!"

It appears, from the lafl: chapter of the book
of Exodus, that, when the tabernacle was firft
ereded in the wildernefs, God was pleafed to
take vifible poffeffion of it, in a way fimilar
to what is here recorded; and the effeds
(though not precifely the fame) were very
much akin to thofe I have now read to you ;
For we are there told, that Mofes, the man of
God, was not able to enter into the tent of
the congregation, becaufe the cloud abode

thereon,

S E R M O N XL 191

thereon, and the glory of the Lord had filled
the tabernacle : But here the cloud not only-
filled the tabernacle, but the whole temple ;
and the Divine prefence was difplayed with
fuch glory and majefty, that the priefts who
burnt incenfe at the golden altar, were ob-
liged, at leaft for fonie time, to intermit the
fervice. They could not ftand to minifter by
reafon of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord
had filled the houfe of God.

I fuppofe I need fcarcely obferve to you,
that fuch pompous and vifible manifeftations
of the Divine prefence are not to be expeded
in gofpel days. The darknefs of the former
difpenfation required thofe external aids, and
rendered them not only defirable, but ufeful
and neceflary ; but now that the darknefs is
difpelled, and the day-fpring from on high
hath vifited us ; — the great objeds of faith
being freed from the thick veil of types and
ihadows, penetrate the mind without the af-
fiftance of our bodily fenfes, and make a
deeper and more lafting impreflion upon the
believing foul, than the moft fplendid fcenes
the eye could behold.

Zion's

192

SERMON XL

Zion's glory doth not now confift in out--
ward pomp and magnificence, but in the fpi-*
ritual though invifible prefence of her King,
according to his own gracious promife, " ho
" I am with you always, even unto the end
" of the world ;'* and, " where two or three
" are gathered together in my name, there am
" I in the midft of them." When a divine
power accompanies the ordinances of religion;
when thefe waters of the fanduary are im-
pregnated with a healing and quickening vir-
tue ; when the fouls of believers are enlight-
ened and purified, revived and comforted, by
the ufe of thofe means which Chrill: hath ap-
pointed, then is the temple filled with his
glory ; and there is no need of any vifible
cloud to convince the devout worfhipper that
his Lord is with him.

It has long been lamented, (would to God
there was lefs caufe for it), that this gracious
prefence of our Redeemer is fenfibly with-
drawn from our public aflemblies. We have
heard with our ears, and our fathers have told
us, what work the Lord did in their days, in
the times of old; how his fteps of raajefty
have been feen in the fanduary, and his arm

revealed

SERMON XL 193

revealed by its glorious effeds, turning the
difobedient to the wifdom of the juft, enrich-
ing and beautifying the fouls of his own peo-
ple with righteoufnefs, and peace, and joy in
the Holy Ghoft.

But alas, How is the gold become dim,
and the moll fine gold changed? Thefe blef-
fed fruits of gofpel ordinances are rarely to be
feen in our day, and therefore is juft ground
for that mournful complaint, " The bellows
" are burnt, the lead is confumed of the lire,
" the founder melteth in vain ; for the wick-
" ed are not plucked away from their wicked -
" nefs." Few, comparatively fpeaking, are
now convened by the means of grace. And
evea among the few who have a name to live,
ihe decayed and languiQiing ftate of vital
Chriftianity, is too obfervable to need any
proof or illuftration.

To what caufe fhall we impute this ? — Is
God's arm (hortened, that it cannot fave; or
his ear heavy, that he cannot hear ? Is his
mercy clean gone for ever ; doth his promife
fail for evermore ? Hath the Lord forgotten
to be gracious ; hath he in anger fhut up his
tender mercies ? — No, God is unchangeably

Vol. IV. N the

194

SERMON XI.

the fame, yerterday, to-day, and for ever,
without any variablenefs or (hadow of turn-
ing. He is the rock, his work is perfed, and 1
all his ways are judgment; a God of truth
and inviolable fidelity. The blame, my bre-
thren, lies at our own door. — Our iniquities
have feparated between us and our -God, and
with-hold good things from us. We do not
cry to him with our hearts; we do not ftir
up ourfelves to call upon God; our prayers
are cold and llfelefs ; our praifes languifli and
die on our lips ; we ruin upon ordinances
without any ferious preparation, and are nei-
ther fuitably concerned to obtain the divine
prefcnce, nor duly affedted when we mifs it.

That this is too frequently the cafe will
not, cannot be denied. Our own obfervation
and experience moft convince us of the truth
of it. But may I not be allowed to hope
that fome, nay that many, have come up to
this folemnity with longing defires to behold
and admire the beauty of the Lord, and to
feel the power of his grace in tlie fandtuary.
May I not hope, that there is a goodly num-
ber in this large affembly, who have been
pleading, like Mofcs, in their fccret retire-
ments,

S E R M O N Xr. 195

ments, " I befeech thee, O Lord, fhew me
" thy glory."

Well, then, to fuch the paflage I am now
to difcourfe upon affords matter of ufeful and
feafonable inftru£tion, as it not only relates
an extraordinary manifeftation of the divine
glory to his antient church, but likewife in-
forms us how the worfliippers were employed
at the time when that extraordinary mani-
feftation was made. And I think the infe-
rence is perfedly juft and natural. That if we
defire and expedt to fhare in their privilege,
we ought, in fo far as the difference of our
circumftances will permit, to follow their ex-
ample, and do what they did.

" It came even to pafs, as the trumpeters
** and fingers were as one, to make one found
" to be heard in praifing and thanking the
" Lord, and when they lift up their voice
" with the trumpets and cymbals, and inftru-
"" ments of mufic, and praifed the Lord, fay-
" ing. For he is good, for his mercy en-
" dureth for ever, that then the houfe was
" filled with a cloud, even the houfe of the
" Lord, fo that the priefts could not ftand to
" minifter by reafon of the cloud ; for the
N 2 " glory

196 SERMON XI.

" glory of the Lord had filled the houfe of
" God."

Where you may obferve, in the •

I. Place, that the glory of God began to
appear when the aflembly were employed in
praife and thankfgiving. This is a flriking
circumftance, and deferves our peculiar at-
tention. Much time had been fpent in fo-
lemn duties of another kind. Numerous and
coftly facrifices had been offered up, as we
read in the 6th verfe of this chapter, even
fheep and oxen that could not be told for
multitudes. But thefe ritual parts of worihip
were all concluded before the cloud entered
into the Temple. God delayed to honour
them with this token of his favour, till the
fpiritual and heavenly exercife of praife was
begun. This is by far the mod acceptable
fervice we can be engaged in, " Whofo offer-
" eth praife," fays God, " glorifieth me." —
David knew this when he faid, Pfalm Ixix.
30, 31, &c. " I will praife the name of God
" with a fong, and will magnify him with
" thankfgiving. This alfo fliall pleafe the Lord
" better than an ox or bullock that hath horn

S E R M O N XL 197

" or hoof." Praife honours God, and there-
fore he puts a diftingui{hing honour upon this
dutv. Prayer is an exprcfTion of our indigence
and weaknefs. Thankfgiving exprefleth our
relifh of the fweetnefs of benefits received ;
but praife rifes above all felfifh regards, and
diredly terminates on the greatnefs and ami-
ablenefs of God himfelf. He loves our
prayers, he loves our penitential tears and
groans ; but nothing pleafes him io much as
the cheerful adoration and praife of his peo-
ple. Nay, penitential tears are no otherwife
valuable than as they purge our eyes from the
filth of fm, that we may behold more clearly
the lovelinefs of God, and give him that glo-
ry which is due to his name. All the c':her
duties of devotion are only means of prepa-
ration of this fublime exercife. The habita-
tions for the blefTed continually refound with
the high praifes of God. There the mod
perfed creatures, in their moft perfed: ftate,
have this for their conftant unwearied em-
ployment, " they reft not day nor night, fay-
" ing holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
" which was, and is, and is to come."

N 3 We

198 SERMON XL

"We are too backward, my brethren, to this
heavenly exercife, and perhaps that is one
reafon why we enjoy fo Httle of heaven upon
earth. Did we praife God more, he would
give us greater caufe to praife him ; but this
we feldom think of. We beg hard for relief
'when we feel our neceflities ; but alas, how
flowly do we return to give glory to God.
Let me therefore entreat you, in all your ad-
dreffes to the throne of grace, to give praife
and thankfgiving their due proportion. In
days of humiliation, or in fome fpecial cafes
of diftrefs, our fins and our dangers may have
the greater fhare ; but ordinarily, as much of
our time and thoughts fhould be employed in
the humble and thankful adoration of ihe di-
vine greatnefs and goodnefs, as is fpent in
confeffing our fms, or begging thofe fupplies
which our wants require. That excellent
model of devotion which Chrifl: has left to
his church lays a folid foundation for this re-
mark. It both begins and ends w^ith adora-
tion ; and of the fix petitions which make up
the body of the prayer, three diredly relate
to the advancement of God's glory. Nay,
thefe three are firft in order, and we are

taught

SERMON XI. 199

taught to pray that God's name may be hal-
lowed, his kingdom come, and his will done,
on earth as it is in heaven, before we afk any
thing for ourfelves in particular. Would wc
then feel the divine prefence, would we fee
the glory of God in his Sanctuary, let us ad-
drefs ourfelves to this high and heavenly
work. The occafion of our meeting gives
us a fair invitation to it. The great objed:
which this day prefents to us, is the Lamb
of God which taketh away the fm of the
world. We are to behold Chrift in the holy
facrament, evidently fet forth as crucified be-
fore our eyes. And can wc refrain from
adoration and praife, whilft we contemplate
him who is the brightnefs of his Father's
glory, and the e:s:prefs image of his perfon ?
Should we not rejoice and give thanks, when
we are called to commemorate the unfpeak-
able c:ift of God to men ? Every Lord's dav
befpeaks our praife and thankigiving ; but
the peculiar language of a communion Sab-
bath is evidently this, " Let Ifrael reioice in
'' him that made him ; Let the children of
" Zion be joyful in their King. Praife ye
' the Lord, for it is good to fingpraifes to our
N 4 f' God 5

20O S E R M O N XI.

" God ; for it is pleafant, and praife is come-

11. It deferves our notice, that the fubje6t
of praife, which God honoured with this to-
ken of his acceptance, was his own goodnefs
and everlafting mercy j and this, my bre-
thren, is a moft encouraging circumftance,
for it plainly enough tell us, that God is bed
pleafed with our praifes, when we adore and
celebrate thofe perfeQions of his nature, which
difpofe him to pity the miferable, and have
the kindeft afpe6t towards the children of
men. The fong that the priefts were fmging
when the cloud entered into the Temple, had
none of that rhetorical pomp which a cold
heart may borrow from a warm imagination ;
it confifted of a few plain but gracious words,
" The Lord is good, and his mercy endureth
" for ever." And whilft they fung this plain
and artlefs fong, God made a fudden difplay
of his glory, and caufed them to feel the hap-
py effeds of that goodnefs which they praif-
ed. And Ihall not their fuccefs encourage us
to follow their example ? They adored and
celebrated the divine goodnefs, when the Ark

wa

S E R M O N XI. 20I

was brought into the Temple, which was
only a typical reprefentation of the Mefliah
who was to come : And (hall we need any
follicitation to adopt their fong, who k, ow
that the mercy promifed to the fathers, the
confolation of Ifrael, is already come ? efpe-
cially whilft we attend upon that facred ordi-
nance, which is both a folemn commemora-
tion of his paft fufferings, and a pledge of
his return to complete our falvation. Here,
indeed, we have the brighteft difplay of the
goodnefs and everlafting mercy of God.
" God fo loved the world, that he gave his
" only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth
" in him might not perifh, but have eternal
" life ; for God fent his Son into the world,
" not to condemn the world, but that the
" world through him might be faved." Our
great Redeemer is the livelieft image of infi-
nite goodnefs, the meilenger of the moft uii-
fearchable aftonifhing love, the purchafer of
the moft ineftimable benefits that ever were
revealed to the fons of men. " Greater love
" than this hath no man, that a man lay down
" his life for his friend ; but God commen-
" deth his love towards us, in that whilft we

" were

202 SERMON XL

" were yet fmners Chrift died for us." Can
we doubt of the divine goodnefs after this
coftly expreffion of it ? " He that fpared not
" his own Son, but delivered him up for us
" all, how fhall he not with him alfo freely
" give us all things ?" Behold, likewife, this
adorable perfedion fliining through the whole
of that gracious covenant, whereof this holy
facrament is the external feal. There you
may fee fuch fure, fuch great and wonder-
ful mercies, freely given out to a world of
fmners, as may remove all your fufpicions of
the divine goodnefs and mercy, and afford
you conftant matter of praife and thankfgiv-
ing. There you may fee how unwilling God
is that fmners fliould periih. There you may
fee an a£t of pardon and oblivion, granted
upon the eafy and reafonable condition of a
believing, penitent, and thankful acceptance.
The fms that men have been committing for
many years together, their wilful, heinous,
aggravated fms, you may there fee pardoned,
by afcendant unwearied mercy ; the enemies
of God reconciled to him ; condemned rebels
faved from hell, nay brought into his family,
and made his fons. O what comfortable dif-

coveries

S E R M O N XL 203

coveries are thefe ! The Old Teflamcnt faints
faw them darkly through a veil, whereas we
behold them with open face. God appears
in his Son and covenant, to be not only good,
but love itfelf. Let us then adore him in
this amiable character ; let us give him the
glory of all his perfections ; but efpecially
let us praife him with thankful hearts, " be-
" caufe he is good, and his mercy endureth
" for ever." A ,

IIL Circumflance in the text, which claims
our attention, is the ferioufnefs and fervour
of this devout aflembly. It is faid, that they
lifted up their voice and praifed the Lord.
Here they exerted their whole ftrength and
adivity, as if they had been ambitious to
fpend themfelves in this heavenly employ-
ment. Would we then this day obtain a to-
ken of the divine acceptance, let us learn,
from their example, 'to feek it by a fervent
and lively devotion. Great is the Lord, fays
David, and therefore greatly to be praifed.
Accordingly, when he enters upon this im-
portant duty, in Pfalms ciii. he begins with a
folemn addrefs to his own foul, " Blefs the

" Lord,

204 S E R M O N XI.

** Lord, O my foul, and all that is within me
" blefs his holy name." The devotion of the
foul is the foul of devotion ; it is the praife
and homage of the heart which God requires;
if that is withheld, we have nothing elfe to
offer him that is worthy his regard. We are
commanded to love the Lord our God with
all our heart, with all our foul, and with all
our ftrength, and with all our mind ; and
what is the meafure of our love ought like-
wife to be the meafure of our praife ; for it
is as impoffible to exceed in the one as in the
other. As we cannot love him too much, fo
neither can we praife him too highly. His
greatnefs and his goodnefs infinitely furpafs
all that our minds can conceive, or our tongues
exprefs. But there is yet a

IV. Circumflance in the text, which de-
ferves our particular notice upon this occa-
fion, namely, the harmony and unanimity of
thefe antient worfhippers. " They were all
" as one, and made one found to be heard in
" praifing and thanking the Lord." The im-
portance of this circumflance will appear in
a ftronger light, if we compare the paffage

now

SERMON Xr. 205

now before us, with that extraordinary mani-
fell v'o." on the day of Pentecoft, which is
relaU'd in the 2d chapter of the Ads of the
Apofiles. There we are told, that when the
'^ Apoftles were all with one accord in one
*' place, fuddenly there came a found from
" heaven, as of a rulhing mighty wind, and it
" filled all the houfe where they were fitting."
Every one will be fenfible, that there is a ve-
ry ftriking refemblance between thefe two il-
luftrious events ; and I cannot help thinking,
that the onenefs and harmony of the wor-
fhippers, on both thefe occafions, is mention-
ed with peculiar emphafis, as a diftinguifli-
ing charaderiftic of thofe religious aflemblies,
which God delights to honour with his pre-
fence.

We are told, in the cxxxiii. Pfalm, that
where brethren dwell together in unity, there
God commandeth the bleffing ; and our blef-
fed Lord lays fuch ftrefs upon unity of affec-
tion among his difciples, that he makes it an
cffential qualification of an acceptable wor-
fhipper ; nay, he tells us that where this is
Well ling, the perfon is difqualified for per-
forming any fervice that is pleafing to God.

Matth.

2o6 S E R M O N XL

Matth. V. 23, 24. * If thou bring thy gift to
" the akar, and there remembereft that thy
" brother hath ought againft thee, leave there
*' thy gift before the ahar, and go thy way,
*' firft be reconciled to thy brother, and then
" come and offer thy gift." If this dod:rine of
brotherly love has not an obvious foundation
in the text, yet I can hardly think I need make
any apology for mentioning it, feeing it has
a broad foundation in other pafTages of Scrip-
ture, and is ftridly conneded with the great
ordinance before us. The facrament of the
fupper is not only a folemn commemoration
of our Saviour's death, and of his wonderful
love to fmners of mankind, but was likewife in-
tended to be a badge of love and union among
his difciples. Of old, they who feafted upon
the fame facrifice laid aiide all enmity, and
profefled to be knit together in love and
friendihip. In like manner, all who partake
of the great gofpel facrifice in the holy facra-
ment, are fuppofed to be members of one
body, united under one head, our Lord Jefus
Chrift. " The cup of bleflings which we
*' blefs," fays the Apoftle, " is it not the com-
" raunion of the blood of Chrift ; the bread

" which

SERMON XL

207

" which we break, is it not the communion
*' of the body of Chrifi: ; for we being many
" are one bread and one body, for we are all
" partakers of that one bread." It would be
monftrous to fee one member of the natural
body hurting and deftroying another, the
mouth devouring the hand, or the hand pluck-
ing out the eye ; it is no lefs monftrous and
unnatural, for one member of Chrift's myfti-
cal body to be at variance with another — to
fee thofe who partake of the Table of the
Lord, at the fame time partaking of the table
of devils, by entertaining hatred and malice
in their hearts, by doing, or purpofmg to do
or even by wilhing any hurt to their brethren
in Chrift. Would we then obtain the divine
prefence and bleffing on thisfolemn occafion ;
do we expert or defire that the King fliould
fit at his own table this day, and impart to us
the fruits of his favour and love, let us be
one among ourfelves ; let every bitter pailion
be put av/ay ; and let us put on, as the eledt
of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mer-
cy,, kindnefs humblenefs of mind, meek-
nefs and long-fuffering, forbearing one ano-
ther, even as we look for forgivennefs through

the

2oS S E R M O N XI.

the merits of Jefus, remitting to others their
hundred pence, whilft we plead with God for
the difcharge of our ten thoufand talents.

But the onenefs here fpoken of feems more
immediately to refped their harmonious agree-
ment in the great fuhjed of their praife. They
made one found to be heard in praifmg and
thanking the Lord, faying, " For he is good,
" and his mercy endureth for ever." And,
•when they thus concurred with heart and
voice in extolling the goodnefs and mercy of
God, " it came even to pafs," fays the facred
hiftorian, " that the houfe was filled with a
'' cloud, even the houfe of the Lord ; fo that
" the priefts could not ftand to minifter by
" reafon of the cloud ; for the glory of the
« Lord had filled the houfe of God." That
agreement in prayer has a mighty efficacy ap-
pears from that gracious promife of the Lord,
Mat. xviii. 19. *' Again, I fay unto you, that if
" two of you fnall agree on earth, as touching
** any thing they fhall afk, it fliall be done for
" them of my Father which is in heaven."
And my text affords a convincing proof, that
agreement in praife has an equal efficacy to
bring the glory of God into the affemblies of

his

SERMON XL 209

his people. We may at leaft take encourage-
ment from it to make the experiment. We
have been afking the Divine prcfence by
prayer ; let us now go a little farther, and
feek it in praife and thankfgiving. The Eu-
charist was the ancient name of the Sacra-
ment, which tells us that the facramental de-
votions of the primitive church chiefly con-
fifted in thofe laudable exercifes I am now
recommending ; and certainly their example
fhould have confiderable weight with us.

Let none fay I am a guilty, depraved crea-
ture, and therefore groans, and tears, and for-
rowful lamentations, become me better than
the voice of praife ; for, if you are penitent
believing fmners, if, defpairing of relief from
any other quarter, you have fled to Chrift, as
your city of refuge, and taken fanduary in
his atoning blood and facrifice,^ — praife is not
only lawful, but highly becoming, nay a ne-
ceflTary part of your prefent duty ; — the deiign
of your redemption, the tenor of the Gofpel
Covenant, the glorious privileges to which
you ftand entitled, loudly demand this grate-
ful return. " We are built up," fays PtJter,
" a fpiritual houfe, an holy prieflhood, to of-

VoL. IV. O " fcr

2ID SERMON XI.

" fcr up fpiritual facrifices, acceptable to God
" by Jefus Chrift ;" I. Peter, ii. 5. : And, that
praife is one of thefe fpiritual exercifes ap-
pears from the 9th verfe, " Ye are a chofen
*' generation, a royal priefthood, an holy na-
" tion, a peculiar people, that ye fhould fhew
" forth the praifes of him who hath called you
" out of darknefs into his marvellous light."

But alas, fays one. What is all this to me !
My harp muft ftill hang upon the willows ;
for how fhall I, a wretched captive, prefume
to fmg the fongs of Zion ? No evidences of
grace are legible in my heart. Grief and fear
have fo thoroughly pofTeiTed it, that the love
of God can find no room. How then, or to
what purpofe, fhould I lift up my voice, whilft
my foul is caft down and difquieted within
me ! Now, to fuch I would anfwer in gene-
ral, that, let your cafe be as bad as you fup-
pofe it, yet ftill you have caufe to blefs the
Lord. If you cannot thank him for his fpe-
cial grace, yet furely you ought to praife him
for his unwearied patience, and thefe offers of
mercy which are daily tendered unto you :
Blefs him that you are ftill on .earth, in the

land

SERMON XL 21 1

land of hope, and not confined to the regions
of everlafting defpair.

But I muft not flop here. Come forward
Into the light, thou dark difcouraged foul,
and, in the prefence of God, give a true and
proper anfwer to thefe few queftions. Thou
complaineft of the want of love to God, and
thy complaints indeed fhow that thou haft no
delighting^ enjoying love : But anfwer me,

ly?, Haft thou not a defiring^ feeking love \
A poor man who defires and feeks the world,
rhows his love to it as convincingly as the rich
man who delights in it ; — the tendency of the
heart appears as truly in an anxious purfuic
as in a delightful enjoyment. But, as the
weakaefs of hope is frequently miftaken for
the want of defire, I muft afk you,

idly^ Do you not find a moaning, lament-
ing love ? You {how that you loved your
friends by grieving for their death, as well as
by delighting in them whilft they lived. If
you heartily lament it, as your greateft un-
happinefs and lofs, when you think that God
doth caft you off", and that you are void of
grace, and cannot ferve and honour him as
you would, this is an undoubted evidence that
O 2 your

212 S E R M O N XT.

your hearts are not void of the love of God.
Once more,

3^/)/, Would you not rather have a heart to
love God, than to have all the riches and
pleafures in the world ? Would it not com-
fort you more than any thing e\(e, if you
could be fure that he lovetli you, and if you
could perfectly love and obey him ? If fo,
then know affuredly, that it is not the want
of love, but the want of aflurance that caufeth
ihy dejedion.

And therefore I charge thee, in the name
of God, to render unto him that tribute of
praife which is due. To be much employed
in this heavenly duty, has an evident tenden-
cy to vanquifh all hurtful doubts and fears; —
by keeping the foul near to God, and within
the warmth of his love and goodnefs ; — by
difTipating diftruflful vexing thoughts, and
diverting the mind to fweeter things ; — by
keeping olT the tempter, who ufually is leaft
able to follow us when we are highefl in the
praifes of our God and Saviour ; — and efpe-
cially by bringing out the evidences of our
fmcerity, while the chiefeft graces are in ex-
crcife*

Praife

SERMON XL 213

'^ Praife brings comfort to the foul, as {land-
ing in the funfhine brings warmth to the body,
or as the fight of a dear friend rejoices the
heart, without any great reafoning or arguing
in the cafe. Come then, my dear friends,
and make the experiment. Obey that voice
which proceedeth out of the throne, faying,
*' Praife our God all ye his fervants, and yc
" that fear him, both fmall and great". Let
no voice be amiffing on this folemn occafion,
but let us all be as one, praifmg and thanking
the Lord, while we commemorate his good-
nefs and everlafting mercy; and then may we
hope that he will grace our communion-table
with his prefence, proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prifon to
them that are bound, and fill all the guefts
with the fatnefs of his houfe. Amen.

O 3 S E R'

214

SERMON XII.

EzEKiEL, xxxvi. 31.

l^hen Jljall ye remember your own evil ways^
and your doings that were not good^ and
fiall loathe your/elves in your own fight for
your iniquities and for your abominations,

THE Jews were at this time captives in
Babylon, and fo difperled through that
vaft empire, that they faid of themfelves, in
the language of defpair, " Our bones are
" dried, and our hope is loft ; we are cut off
*' for our parts." Even the Prophet himfelf
looked on their cafe as fo irrecoverable by
human means, that, when God gave him a
vifionary reprefentation of their ftate, by a
valley covered with dry bones, and put the
queftion to him, " Son of Man, can thefe
*' bones live?" His anfwer was, " O Lord
" God, thou knoweft." With thee indeed
Lill things are poffiblej Omnipotence may do

this

SERMON Xir. 215

this great thing; but whether it fhall be done,
or by what means it may come to pafs, thou,
O Lord God, and thou only knoweft.

Thus abject and hopelefs was the condition
of the Jews when God pubUfhed his gracious
deiign to take them from among the heathen,
and to bring them back into their own land,
(verfe 28.) " Ye Ihall dwell," faith he, " in the
*' land that I gave to your fathers ; and ye
** {hall be my people, and I will be your C^od.
** I will alfo fave you from- all your unclean-
" nefles: And I will call for the corn, and will
" increafe it, and lay no famine upon you.
*' And I will multiply the fruit of the tree,
'* and the increafe of the field, that ye fhall re-
'* ceive no more reproach of famine among
" the heathen." And then, even at this fea-
fon of returning peace and plenty, at this fea-
fon, which fo often mifleads and intoxicates
the mind of man, " Then fhall ye remember
" your owm evil ways, and your doings that
" were not good, and fhall loathe yourfelves
" in your own fight, for your iniquities and
" for your abominations.'

The account which we have of thefc pe-
nitents furnifheth us with fome very impor-
O 4 tant

2i6 SERMON XII.

tant inftrudions with regard to the nature of
true repentance, which I propofe, in the Firji
place, to illuftrate ; and then to recommend
their example to your imitation. And the

ift Inftruftion which we obtain from this
paflage is, That true repentance is the gift of
God, and the peculiar effed; of his Holy Spi-
rit. The courfe of providence is indeed ad-
mirably iidapted to reclaim the fmner from
the error of his ways. Bitternefs is written,
as with a fun-beam, on the line of folly, and
certain degrees of mifery never fail to accom-
pany our deviations from the path of duty.
Yet fo dead are men naturally in trefpafles
and fms, that nothing lefs than a divine
power can render the beft means of reforma-
tion effectual. Without this, judgments will
harden rather than humble or reclaim the
tranfgreiTor, We read of Ahaz King of Judah,
that in the time of his diftrefs, he did trefpafs
yet more againft the Lord. And we are told,
in the book of Revelation, that the vials of
wrath, which the angels fhall pour out upon
the men who have the mark of the beaft, in-
Head of leading them to repent and give
glory to God, fhall only caufe them to blaf-
pheme the name of God, who hath power

over

SERMON XII. 217

over thefe plagues, and to curfe the God
of heaven, becaufe of their pains and their
fores. The calamities with which the Jews
were vifited in their captivity to the Kin^ of
Babylon, were in like manner unprodu<5tive
of any genuine repentance in that ftiff-neck-
ed people. They had not only polluted their
own land, but had alfo profaned the name of
God among the heathen whether they went,
and continued to do fo, until he whom they
had offended had pity on them for his own
name's fake, and gave them a new heart and
a new fpirit, having taken away the Itony
heart out of their flelh, and given them a
heart of flelh. A

id InftruQion which we derive from this
paffage is, That the grief and felf-loathing of
true penitents, do not flow fo much from
their feeling that fm is hurtful to themfelves,
as from the confideration of its own bafe na-
ture, and efpecially of the ingratitude vv'hich
it carries in it towards a kind and merciiul
God : For when were the Jev/s to remember
their own evil -A'ays? When were they ro
loathe themfelves m their own fight for their
inicjuities and their abominations ? Was it

when

2iS SERMON XII.

when they felt the rod, and lay under the
feet of their cruel oppreflbrs ? No, it was
when they fhould be delivered out of their
hands, brought back to their own country,
and enriched with the multiplied fruits of
their trees, and the increafe of their fields.
'Then were their fins to rife up in their re-
membrance, filling them with grief and
fliame, for having offended a being of fuch
tranfcendent goodnefs and unmerited conde-
fcenfion.

Times of calamity do indeed often pro-
duce a temporary humiliation and repentance,
which for a time refemble the real feelings of
penitence ; but felf-love alone is at the bot-
tom of the appearance. The man is wearied
. of the inconvenience, but not weaned from
the love of fin. But true penitence hath its
fource in a nobler principle, and is rather the
child of love than of fear. It is the melting
of the foul at the fire of divine love ; it is
the relenting of the prodigal fon, when his
injured father runs forth to meet him ; it is
the tear of gratitude, which burfts from the
condemned criminal, when a pardon from his

offended

SERMON Xir. 219

offended fovereign Is put into his hands. It
appears, in the

3</ Place from this paflage, that the foul's
converfion to God is the great introdudtory
blefTing which renders all other bleffings va-
luable. This is evident from the order in
which God arrangeth his promifes to his cap-
tive people. He firft engageth himfelf to
take away the provoking caufe of his anger,
and then to put away his indignation, to re-
ceive them gracioufly, and to love them free-
ly. The dil'eafe began within, and the cure
muft begin there likewife. Their captivity
by men was the rruit of their voluntary capti-
vity to fin, and therefore deliverance from fin
muil precede their deliverance from the hands
of men. This God undertakes to perform
by the powerful agency of his Holy Spirit.
" A new heart," faith he, " will I give you,
" and a new fpirit will I put within you, and
" I will take away the rtony heart out of your
" fielh, and I will give you a heart of fleih ;
" and I will put my Spirit within you, and
" caufe you to walk in my ftatutes, and ye
" fhall keep my judgments and do them,"
yerfes 26, 27. After which he gives the pro-

mife

120 SERMON XII.

mife of temporal deliverance, in the verfes
immediately preceding my text. And, to (hew
that this was no accidental arrangement, he
declares, with great folemnity, at the 33d
verfe, that in this very order he had meditat-
ed to difpenfe his mercy. " Thus faith the
" Lord God, in the day that I (hall have
*' cleanfed you from all your iniquities, I will
" alfo caufe you to dwell in the cities, and
" the waftes fhall be builded.'*

Thefe are the inllrudions which we may
derive from this paflage, with regard to the
nature of true repentance ; and it is only to
be added, although not exprefsly contained in
the text, that as this great and valuable blef-
fmg cometh down from the Father of lights,
who is the author of every good and perfect
gift, it is therefore to be fought by our hum-
ble fupplications and prayers; " For thus faith
•* the Lord God," at the 37th verfe of this
chapter, " I will yet for this be inquired of
** by the houfe of Ifrael, to do it for them,"
God, indeed, is often found of thofe who
feek him not. His powerful grace fometimes
arrefts the fmner in his mad career, while lie
is equally unmindful of God and of himfelf.

Bur

SERMON XII. 22t

But let none defplfe the life of means, be-
caufe he who is almighty at times a6ts with-
out them. It is our part to place ourfelves
in the way of his mercy, and to wait patient-
ly at the pool until the angel trouble the wa-
ters, and communicate to them a healing vir-
tue. It is our part to feek the Lord while he
may be found, and to call upon him while
he is near, having the certain afTurance that
he never faid to any of the feed of Jacob,
feek ye my face in vain. And this leads me
to the

II. Thing propofed, which was to recom-
mend the example of thefe penitents defciib-
ed in the text to your imitation. In the

ijl Place, then, let me call upon you to re-
member your ways. The negledl of ferious
confideration is the ruin of almoft every foul
that perifheth eternally. Hence it is that we
continue in our fins, and that we relapfe after
having forfaken them ; that we decline from
our religious attainments, and being again
entangled in the pollutions of the world, that
our Jaft (late becomes worfe than our firfl.
-•Ml thefe evils flow from a thoughtlefs unre-

fleding

222 SERMON Xlt

fleding life. A great part of mankind paf?
their days in a courfe of perpetual diffipation,
without once refleding on their anions, until
the near view of an eternal world awakens
them from this fatal fecurity. Then, indeed,
the cafe is extremely altered. Then the re-
membrance of his ways forceth itfelf upon
the finner. Then he fees his error, and la-
ments his folly, and prays for mercy, and
even afks the prayers of thofe whom once he
derided as precife and fanatical. He would
not refled upon the great truths of religion,
while he might have done it to good purpofe.
Now he refleds, and refleds at leifure ; but
it is a cruel leifure, for the fruits of it are per-
plexity and difmay.

God is reprefented, by the Prophet Jere-
miah, as putting this queftion, " Why is the
" people of Jerufalem Hidden back withaper-
" petual backfliding ? They hold faft deceit,
** they "i-efufe to return." Jeremiah, viii. 5.
The anfwer is given in the following verfe,
" I hearkened and heard, but they fpake not
" aright ; no man repented him of his wick-
" ednefs, faying, " What have I done?" The
confequence of which was, " Every one turn-

" ed

SERMON XII. 223

" ed to his courfe, as the horfe ruflieth into
" the battle." Whereas, did we ferioufly afk
ourfelves that important queftion, What have
we done ? we would foon difcover fo much
guilt in our doings, as to be compelled to afk
ourfelves another queftion, What ihall I do
to be faved ?

Let me then prevail with you ferioufly
and impartially to examine your paft condud.
Confider what hath been the prevailing courfe
of your life ; and reft not fatisfied with a ge-
neral convid:ion that it hath been wrong, but
labour to recollect as many paflages of it as
you can. Review all its different periods
lince you came to the years of underftand-
ing. Confider the various relations in which
you have been placed, ^he fpecial duties which
arofe from thofe relations, and the manner in
which you have performed them. This will
be a tafk difpleafmg indeed to the ilefh, and
mortifying to the natural pride of your hearts.
But you muft not hearken to thefe pernicious
counfellors : The more they cry out, For-
bear, the more refolutely muft you perfift.
Charge your confciences with it as a religious
duty, and implore the. Holy Spirit of God to

affift

224 Sermon xii.

affifl: your endeavours. When by fuch means
you have difcovered your ov/n evil ways,
then proceed to confider attentively the na-
ture and degree of that evil which is in them.
Let it not fufHce to know that you have been
fmners, without pondering the dreadful ma-
lignity and demerit of fm. View it in its
natural turpitude and deformity, as the plague
and leprofy of the foul, which renders you
loathfome and abominable in the fight of
your Maker. View it as a daring adl of re-
bellion againfl the moll righteous authority,
as the tranfgreffion of a law which is in all
refpefts holy, juft, and good, the precepts of
which are not only reafonable in themfelves,
but alfo moft kind and falutary to us. View
it as the bafeft ingratitude towards your beft
and moft unwearied benefador. View it,
above all, in the feverity of the puniihment
which it deferves, exemplified in thofe my-
fterious and inconceivable fufterings which
the fon of God underwent to expiate its
guilt.

See here, O finner, the awful demerit of
thy tranfgrefTions. Thou waft doomed to the
wrath of God, and to everlafting banifhment

from

SERMON XII. 225

from his prefence : And tliou wad: not only
incapable to deliver thyfclf by any works or
fufferings of thy own, but all the angels in
heaven could not have offered a price that
would have ranfomed thy pcrifhing foul.
None elfe could pay thy debt but the Son of
God, and even he could pay it in no other
way than by fuifering the penalty which thou
hadft incurred. O how hateful doth fni ap-
pear when viewed in this light ! Adam's ex-
pulfion from Paradife, the deluge of the an-
tient world, the burning of Sodom and Go-
morrah, loudly proclaim its pernicious nature
and heinous demerit. We feel it to be hurt-
ful in the natural evils of ficknefs and pam to
which it hath fubjedled us. Death, which is
its wages, is an awful monitor of its malig-
nant effed:s. It appears terrible in the v/orm
that never dieth, and in the fire that is not
quenched. But no where doth it appear fo
deformed and odious as in the fufferings and
death of Chrift : For how deep muft that
{lain have been, which nothing could walh
away but the blood of the Son of God ? How
deadly that difeafc which no other medicine
could cure ?

Vol. IV. P But

226 SERMON XII.

But as thefe confiderations are applicable
to all fms in common, it will be neceflary, in
order to your forming a juft eftimate of your
own evil ways, to look more narrowly into
the aggravating circumftances with which they
have been attended.

Have not many of your tranfgreflions been
committed with knowledge and deliberation,
nay, with artifice and cunning ? Have they
not coft you no fmall degrees of ftudy, be-
fore thofe deiires, which lull conceived, were
accomplifhed in adlual fm ? Have you not
courted temptation, and wearied yourfelves
with committing iniquity ? Confider what de-
grees of refinance from your own minds you
have vanquifhed ; what obftacles in provi-
dence you have overcome ; what ftrivings of
the Holy Spirit you have defeated in the
courfe of your tranfgreflions. Nay, have not
fome of your fins been ftill more aggravated,
by the breach of exprefs vows and refolu-
tions againft them, often repeated with the
greateft folemnity ? Hide not your eyes from
any of thefe aggravating circumftances which
have attended your offences, hvery fin which
you wilfully cover, or extenuate, will there-
by

SERMON XII. 227

by gain an invincible addition of ftrength.
Every hift, which you conceal in your bo-
fom, will become a viper which one day will
fting you to the heart. Every good difpo-
fition, which you magnify, fhall languifli and
pine away ; and thofe treafures of grace, with
which the humble are enriched, fliall be of no
advantage to you, till you feel your poverty
and wretchednefs. Let me therefore call on
you to exercife the

id Branch of repentance, which is here
exemplified to us, viz. Loathing yourfelves in
your own fight, for your iniquities and for your
abominations. And fay, O finner, is there
not caufe for this ? Doft thou loath that
which is deformed and filthy ? " We are all,"
faith the Prophet Ifaiah, " as an unclean thing,
" and all our lighteoufnefies are as filthy rags.
*' The whole head is fick, and the whole heart
" faint. From the fole of the foot, even un-
" to t)ie head, there is no foundnefs in us, but
*' wounds, and bruifes, and putrifying fores.'*
Thou art difpleafed with thine enemies who
feek to injure thee ; but where is there fuch
an enemy as thou art to thvfelf? Men may
wrong thee in thy temporal interells, but no
P 2 man,

i>28 SERMON XII.

man, nay no created being, can ruin thy foul
without thine own concurrence. It is thou,
and none elfe, that haft wounded thy con-
fcience, and thrown away thy peace, and ex-
poied thy foul to everlafting mifery. Thou
abhorreft him v.7ho hath killed thy deareft
friend ; but where had ft thou ever fuch a
friend as the Lord Jefus Chrift, whom, by thy
fnis, thou haft crucified and flain ? Thy fms
brought him down from heaven to earth j
thy fms fubjeded him to poverty, perfecu-
tion, and reproach ; thy fms involved him in
conflids dreadful and unutterable ; nailed him
to the crofs, and laid him low in the grave.
By thy fms thou haft often trampled on his
blood, crucified him afreih, and put him to an
open iliame. Is there not caufe, then, to
loathe thyfelf in thine own fight, for thine
iniquities and for thine abominations ? But as
there are feveral counterfeits of this penitent
difpofition, it may be proper to mention a
few^ of them, that you may have a clearer
view of that felf-loathing which I am defir-
ous of recommending to you.

A man who, by his bafe unworthy beha-
viour, has forfeited the efteem of the world,

may

SERMON Xir. 229

may feel much inward fhame and uneafmefs
on that account, which may he miftaken by
others, and even by himfelf, for true humiH-
ation. And yet though he feem to loathe
both himfelf and his fms, he doth ncitlier
truly, and there is nothing genuine or promif-
ing in this kind of remorfe. If the world
would be reconciled to him, he would foon
be reconciled to himfelf; for at bottom he
hath no other quarrel with his fms, but that
they happen to be difgraceful in the eyes of
thofe whofe efteem he would wiih to pre-
fcrve.

In like manner a natural confclence, irri-
tated by fome flagrant violation of the law of
God, may fevercly fting the offender with
Ihame and remorfe. Yet, when narrowly ex-
amined, this faame amounts to no more than
a proud vexation, that he cannot think fo well
of himfelf as he would wiih to do. If the
exchange could be made, he would rather part
with that confcience which gives him uneafi-.
nefs than with thofe fms which occaf.on its
reproofs ; and his only motive in condemning
his fms is, that he may pacify that awful mo-
nitor. Nay, a man may advance a ftep farther,
P 3 and

230 S E R M O N XII.

and make fllll nearer approaches to tke gra-
cious temper defcribed in the text, without
fully attaining it. He may fee the bafenefs
and deformity of fin, and be deeply afflicted
at the remembrance of his multiplied tranf-
greflions, and yet, through ignorance of the
inbred corruption of his nature, he may be
far from loathing himfelf in the fpirit of true
penitence.

What a bead was I, may he fay, to adl in
a manner fo reproachful to my faculties ?
Had I not reafon to dired me? Could I not
have governed my will and affedions ? Was
I not mafter of my own heart and ways ?
Thus he may complain, and feemingly con-
demn himfelf; but this felf-condemning lan-
guage is in truth the expreffion of reigning
pride, even as none are more fevere in blam-
ing themfelves for mifcondud: in their world-
ly affairs than thole who have the higheil
opinion of their ability to manage them a-
right.

In oppofition to this, the truly convinced
fmner fees himfelf to be all guilt, pollution,
and vv^eaknefs, deftitute equally of righteouf-
nefs and ftrength. He is led to fee that cor-
rupt

SERMON XII. 231

rupt fountain of inward enmity to God,
which is manifefted in the iffues of his out-
ward condudt. He is made fenfible that he
" was conceived in fm, and brought forth in
" iniquity, and that in him, thar is in his
** flefh, dwelleth no good thing.'* On thefe
accounts he loathes himfelf in his own fight,
not partially or occafionally only, for having
adted a wrong part, which he fuppofes that
by prudence he might have avoided, but
imiverfally, as a degenerate and corrupted be-
ing. He can find nothing to be proud of,
nothing that he can call his own, but guilt,
diiorder, and weaknefs ; And, under this con-
viction, he falls down before God, faying,
with Job, " 1 have heard of thee by the hear-
" ing of the ear, but now mine eyes feeth
" thee, wherefore I abhor myfelf in duit and
" alhcs."

This is that felf-loathing which I now call
upon you to exercife. And the necefTity of
it is apparent ; for until you are brought thus
low in your own eftimation, you will never
efteem the Lord Jefus Chrift, who alone can
£ave you from the wrath to come. Who is
it that values a phyfician while he feels no
P 4 difeafe,

233 SERMON XII.

difeafe, and hath no fears of death ? Will any
fly to Chrift for refuge, who is not fenfible
that he ftands in need of fuch a faviour ? No,
they only who are perifhing in their own ap-
prehenfions will welcome the tidings of a
Redeemer, and look to him, as the (lung If-
raelites looked to the brazen ferpent, lying
proftrate at his feet, and refigning themfelves
wholly to his difpofal and government.

Let me then conclude, with exhorting you
to repair to that fountain which is opened for
fin and for uncleannefs, to that blood which
can cleanfe you from all fm. This is the
proper ufe and improvement of all that hath
been faid. Here is a remedy for all your dif-
eafes, a full fupply for all your wants. Here
you will find gold tried in the fire, tliat you
may be rich; and white raiment, that you
may be clothed, and the fhame of your na-
kednefs do not appear. The Lord Jefus is a
complete faviour. Be your burden what it
will, he is able to fupport it. His merit
furpaffeth your guilt by infinite degrees ; and
his victorious fpirit can fubdue and mortify
yqur mod imperious. Let what hath been

faicl

SERMON XII. 2;^^

faid then lead you to liim. Dwell on the
confideration of your own vilenefs, till your
felf-confidence is entirely deftroyed, and your
hearts difpofed to receive him as the unfpeak-
able gift of God to man.

In this your Chriftianitv doth confift, and
on this your juilification depends. This is
the funi of your converfion, and the very foul
of the new creature. Other things are only
preparatives to this, or fruits that grow out
of it. Chrifi; is the end and fulfilling of the
law, the fubftance of the gofpel, the way to
the Father, the help, the hope, the life of
the believer. If you know not him, you
know nothing; if you pofFefs not him, yoa
have nothing ; and if you be out of IIIM,
you can do nothing that hath a promife of
falvation. O, then, fiy to him as your re-
fuge and fantftuary, and commit your ibuls
into his hands, that he may purify and form
them for himfelf. Plead, in the language of
David, Pfalms, li. 3. *' Walh me thoroughly
*' from mine iniquity, and cleanfe me from
" my fm. Purge me with hyfop, and I fliall
" be clean ; walli me, and I fhall be whiter
♦^ tharufnow." And look by faith for the ac-

complifhment

234 SERMON XII.

complifhment of that promife, Ezekiel, xxxvi.
25. " Then will I fprinkle clean water upon
" you, and ye fhall be clean ; from all your
" filthinefs, and from all your idols, will I
" cleanfe you." Amen,

SER-.

^ 0 :i

SERMON XIII.

Job, xxxvL 21.

Tah heed ; regard not iniquity ; for this hafi
thou chofen rather than aff,i£iion,

THESE words were addrefled to Job,
who, from the height of profperity, was
fuddenly plunged into the deepeft and moft
complicated diftrefs. They are the words of
Elihu, the youngcfl, but by far the wifell: and
moft candid, of all Job's friends. The otlier
three w^ere indeed, as he himfelf had fliled
them, milerable comforters. It was their be-
lief, that adverfity was in all cafes a certain
token of God's difpleafure ; and, upon this
principle, they endeavoured to perfuade this
excellent fervant of God, that his whole reli-
gion was farfe and counterfeit, that divine juf-
tice had now laid hold of him, and thai he

was

236 SERMON XIII.

was fufFerIng the punifliment of his hypocrify
and iniquity.

At length Elihu interpofes ; and, moved
with zeal for the honour of God, and with
compaflion to his friend, he unfolds the my-
ileries of Divine Providence, afferts and proves
that afflidlion is defigned for the trial of the
good, as well as for the punifliment of the
bad, directs Job to the right improvement of
his prefent diftrefs, and comforts him with
the profpedt of a happy deliverance from it>
as foon as his heart fhould be thoroughly
moulded into a meek and patient fubmiffion
to the will of his God. At the fame time,
he rebukes him with a becoming dignity for
fome rafli and unadvifed fpeeches which the
feverity of his other friends, and the fliarp-
neis of his own anguifli, had drawn from him,
and rtarticLilarly cautions him in the paflage
beiore us, " Take heed ; regard not iniqui-
« ly . for this haft thou cholen rather than
" afHiaion."

The latter part of the text contains an heavy
cenfure, for which fome of Job's impatient
wifhes for relief had no doubt given too juft
occafion. But thefe expreflions, uttered in

his

SERMON XIII. 237

his hafte, he afterwards retraded, and finally
came out from the furnace of afflidiion, like
gold tried and refined by the fire. — What I
propofe, in difcourfing on this fubje£t, is to
illuftrate and prove the general propofition^
that there can be no greater folly than to feek
to efcape from affliction by complying with
the temptations of fin ; or, in other words,
that the fmalleft adt of deliberate tranfgreflion
is infinitely worfe than the greateft calamity
we can fuffer in this life.

That the greater part of mankind are un-
der the influence of the contrary opinion, may
be too juftly inferred from their practice. How
many have recourfe to finful pleafures to re-
lieve their inward diftrefs ? What unlawful
methods do others ufe for acquiring the pe-
rifliing riches or honours of this world? while,
in order to evade fufferings for righteoufnefs
fake, thoufands make fliipwreck of faith and
a good confcience, through finiul compliances
with the manners of the world, againft the
clear and deliberate convidion of their own
minds. Thefe things plainly (hew, that the
fubjedt I have chofen is of the higheft impor-
tance ;

238 SERMON XIIL

tance ; and if what may be faid on it fhall be
fo far blefled to any as to render fin -more
odious, or afflidiion lefs formidable, I fhall
gain one of the nobleft ends of my office,
and we fhall have reafon to acknowledge, that
our meeting together has been for the better,
and not for the worfe.

In proof, then, of the general propofition,
That there can be no greater folly than to
chufe fm rather than afflidion, let it be ob-
ferved,

I. That fm feparates us from God, the on-
ly fource of real felicity. That man is not
fufficient to his own happinefs is a truth con-
firmed by the experience of all who have
candidly attended to their own feelings. It
is the confcioufnefs of this infufficiency of
the human mind for its own happinefs, which
makes men feek refources from abroad; which
makes them fly to pleafures and amufements
of various kinds, whofe chief value confifts
in filling up the blanks of time, and divert-
ing their uneafy refledlions from their own
internal poverty. But thefc are vain and de-
ceitful

SERMON XIII. 239

ceitful refuges of lies. The want remains,
and we have found out only the means of
putting away the fenfe of it for a time. God
alone can be the fource of real happinefs to
an immortal foul, an adequate fupply to all its
faculties, an inexhauftible fubjedt to its un-
derftanding, an everlafting object to its affec-
tions.

Sin bereaves the foul of man of this its
only portion. " Behold," faith the Prophet,
' God's hand is not fhortened that it cannot
' fave, neither is his ear heavy that it cannot
* hear, but your iniquities have feparated be-
' tween you and your God, and your fms
' have hid his face from you, tl^^t he will
' not hear." Affliction, on the other hand,
nftead of feparating the foul from God, is
often the means of bringing it nearer to him.
Let a man be ever fo poor, difeafed, reproach-
ed, perfecuted, ftill if he hold faft his inte-
grity, if he be a real faint, he is near and
dear to God. The eyes of the Lord are up-
on him, and his ears are open to his cry.
The angel of the Lord encampeth round a-
bout him, and a guard of angels wait to car-
ry

24o SERMON XIIL

ry his departing fpirit into Abraham's bofoni.
Whereas fin renders us loathfome in the eyes
of God. He is angry with the wicked every
day ; and even their prayers and facrifices
are an abomination to him. He hath bent
his bow, and made it ready ; he hath alfo
prepared for him the inftruments of death.
God looks on him with abhorrence, and,
when confcience is awake, they think of him
with horror, and dare not come into his pre-
fence, knowing that he is a confuming lire to
the workers of iniquity.

II. Afflidion may not only confift with
the love, of a father, but may even be the
fruit of it, " Whom the Lord loveth he
'" chafteneth, and fcourgeth every fon whom
" he receives. — By this," faith the Prophet
Ifaiah, fpeaking of afflidion, " fhall the ini-
" quity of Jacob be purged, and this is all
" the fruit to take away fm." David could
fay, " It is good for me that I have been af-
" Aided that I might learn thy ftatutes. Be-
*' fore I was afflided I went aftray, but now
" I have kept thy word." A good man may

even

SERMON XIII. 241

even glory in tribulation, knowing that tri-
bulation worketh patience, and patience ex-
perience, and experience hope, and hope
maketh not afliamed, becaufe the love of God
is flied abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghoft
which is given unto him. But fui is always
both evil in its own nature, and pernicious in
its effects. This coatraft is very flrikingly
difplayed by the Apoftle Paul. Of the one
he fpeaks as a privilege, and a token for good
to thofe who are exercifed thereby. " Unto
*' you," faith he, (writing to the Philippians,
i. 29.) " it is given in the behalf of Chrift
*' not only to believe on him, but alfo to fuf-
" fer for his fake." But what doth he fay
concerning the other, Romans vii. 24^ " O
" wretched man that I am, who (hall deliver
" me from the body of this death ?" . If any-
had ever reafon to complain of the burden of
afflidion, Paul had more — " in labours more
*' abundant, in ftripes above meafures, in pri-
'^ fons more frequent, in deaths oft." Bu^ in
the midft of thefe fufferings, w^e never hear
him crying out. Who fliall deliver me from
this weight of unremitting diftrefs ? His in-
ward corruption gave him greater pain, than
Vol. IV. Q^ the

242 SERMON XIII.

the evils of his outward condition ; and his
captivity to the law of fin was worfe to him
than prilbns, and tortures, and death.

III. Sin is evil whether we feel it or not,
and worft when we are moft infenfible of it.
To be paft feeling, in this refpe£t, is the great-
eft curfe we can pofTibly bring on ourfelves ;
and the moft defperate condition in which a
human creature can be placed, before his ever-
lafting doom be pronounced, is when God
faith of him, as he did of Ephraim of old,
'* He is joined to his idols, let him alone."

Afflidlion, on the other hand, though a bit-
ter, is yet a falutary medicine ; and though
no chaftening for the prefent feemeth to be
joyous, but grievous, neverthelefs afterwards
it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteouf-
nefs to them w^ho are exercifed thereby. Af-
flidion is the difcipline by which we are
trained to glory, and honour, and virtue. If
this world, indeed, were our only portion,
there would be fome reafon, or at leaft fome
excufe, for chuftng the pleafures of iniquity,
rather than thofe fufferings which would em-
bitter the ftiort period of our exiftence in it.

But

SERMON XIII. 243

But the greateft error we can pofTibly fall in-
to, is that of taking it for the place of our
reft. To cure this fatal miftake, God vifits
us with afflidions. They are his meffengers
fent to teach us our true condition, what this
world is, a fleeting fcene of vanity and illu-
fions ; and what we ourfelves are in it, pil-
grims and ftrangers, haftening to another land
of perpetual abode,

IV. In affliction we are commonly paflive,
but always active in fin. The one is left to
our choice ; the other is not. When we fuf-
fer in the caufe of virtue, we are in the hand
of our moft faithful and everlafting friend ;
but when we fin, in order to avoid fuffering,
we commit ourfelves into the hands of that
malicious, cunning, and eternal enemy, who
goeth about feeking whom he may deftroy.
Afflidiou only hurts the body, but fin affeds
the health and well-being of that immortal
principle, which is deftined to furvive the
ruins of this earthly tabernacle, and to inhe-
rit happinels or mifery for ever. Which leads
me to obierve, in the Loji pl.ice,

0^2 That

244 SERMON XIIL

That the evil of afflidion Is but of fiiorfc
duration, but that of fm perpetual. Weeping
may endure for a night, but joy cometh in
the morning ; and thefe light afflidlions, which
are but for a moment, vv^ork out for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Should they continue throughout our whole
lives, yet even that is but a moment, compa-
red with eternity. The evil of fm, on the
contrary, goes beyond the grave, and lafts as
long as the foul itfelf, which it has polluted.
The delight of it is foon gone, but the fting
remains ; the guilt and punifhment of it pafs
with us into the other world, and there con-
ftitute the worm that never dieth, and the fire
which is not quenched.

Thefe obfervations may fuffice to illuftrate
the general propofition, That there can be no
greater folly than to feek to efcape from af-
flidion, by complying with the temptations
to fm ; or, in other words, that the fmalieft
a<£t of deliberate tranf^rrelTion is infinitely
worfe than the greateft calamity we can fuffer
in this life.

What

SERMON XIII. 245

What hath been faid ought, hi the \Jl place,
to ferve for reproof to thofe who, fo far from
confidering iniquity as more to be dreaded as
a greater evil than affliction, will not refrain
from their ungodly and vicious practices even
when their fm proves their afflidlion. To
many, alas ! it feems to be as their meat and
drink to obey the commands of fin, b^/ ful-
filling the lufts thereof. In vain hath the
word of God and providence admonifiicd
them, that nought but bitternefs is to be found
in the path of folly. They fiill purfue that
path, in defiance of their own experience, and
weary themfelves with committing iniquity.
They break through all reilraints, not only
when an angel Hands in the way, but where
ruin, mifery, and deftrudion, flare them broad
in the face. How many are to be fecn bound
with the cords of their own fins, from which
ihey have neither the inclination nor power
to free themfelves ? How many wafted and
maimed by criminal indulgence ? How many
brought to poverty and rags by riot and in-
temperance ? " V/ho hath wo ? who hath for-
*' row ? who hath contentions ? who hath
^■' wounds without caule ? who hath rednefs

Q 3 " of

246 SERMON Xin.

" of eyes ? They that tarry long at the vAne^
" they that go to feek mixed wine." Sin has
had its martyrs as well as godlinefs, who, in
premature old age, have been made to pofiefs
the tranfgreffions of their youth, in all the
bitter fruits of a body tortured with difeafes,
and a fpirit wounded with remorfe.

Let us then be warned, ere it be too late,
againfl; the fatal error referred to in the text ;
the preference of the momentary pleafures of
fm, to the falutary difcipline of afflidion. Let
us never allow ourfelves to imagine, that any
prefent pleafure or advantage of fni w^iil com-
penfate the dreadful evils which it carries in
its train ; but uniformly oppofe, to every fuch
fuggeftion of a deceived mind, that impor-
tant and folcmn queftion which our Lord ad-
dreffed to the multitude, " What fliall it pro-
" fit a man, if he fhall gain the whole world,
" and lofe his own foul ; or what fhall a man
*' give in exchange for his foul ?"

■2c/ij'y Let us examine ourfelves carefully,
whether our judgment and choice have been
redilied on this important point. What is it
that afteds us with the deeped concern and
forrow ; the adverfe events in providence, or

the

SERMON Xlir. 247

the fins by which we have incurred the lofs
of the divine favour ? When the hand of
God lies heavy on us, what do we defire vv^ith
the greateft earneftnefs ; whether is it to have
the trial fandified, or to have it removed ?
"What is the chief obje£t of your ambition ;
is it to grow in grace, and in conformity to
the image of God ; or is it to become great,
and profperous, and powerful in the world ?
Were God now to put wifdom or riches in.
our choice, as he once did to Solomon, would
we determine as he did ; or would we grafp
at the riches, leaving it to age and experience
to bring wifdom along with them in the or-
dinary fuppofed courfe of things ? In what
charad:er does Chrift appear moft amiable to
us, as a faviour from punifhment, or as a la-
viour from fin ? Finally, in what view does
heaven appear moft worthy of our defires and
wifhes J as a place of deliverance from fuf-
fering, or as a flate of perfed: freedom from
fin and infirmity of every kind, where we
fhall be enabled to ferve God with the en-
tire affedlions and powers of our whole na-
ture ?

0.4 By

248 SERMON XIII.

By thefe marks let us try the real ftate of
our charaders, that i'o we may not pafs
through life with a lie in our right hands ;
but knowing that we are of the truth, may
afTure our hearts before God, looking for his
mercy unto eternal life. Amen.

SER-

249

SERMON XIV.

II. Corinthians, v. i.

For we kncnv^ that If our earthly houfe of this
tabernacle were dijjolved^ we have a k-jud-
ing of God^ an houfe not made with bandsy
eternal in the heavens.

THE profped; of a blefled immortality is
one of the moft powerful fupports to
the people of God, amidit all the trials of
their prefent Hate; and therefore hope is com-
pared to an anchor, which being caft: within
the vail, keeps the loul firm and unmoved, fo
that nothing from without can difturb its in-
ward peace and tranquillity. Iliis was the
true foundation of that courage and conflan-
cy, with which the Apoftles and ]M-lmit!ve
Ciiriftians endured and overcame tiie mill
grievous fufterings. Faith prcfentcd to tfie;r
view a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory, in comparifon of which their pre-

fent

250 SERMON XIV.

fent afflidions appeared fo light and momen-
tary, that they were incapable of giving them
much pain or uneafmefs, as the Apoftle more
fully declares in the clofe of the preceding
chapter. And being unwilling to leave fuch
an agreeable fubjedl, he further enlarges upon
it in the words of my text, " For we know,
" that if our earthly houfe of this tabernacle
" were diflblved, we have a building of God,
" an houfe not made with hands, eternal in
" the heavens." Death itfelf can do us no
real prejudice ; on the contrary, we have rea-
fon to welcome it as a friend, becaufe, when
it beats down thefe tenements of clay in
which we are lodged, or rather imprifoned
upon earth, it only opens a paflage for us into
a far more commodious and lading habitation,
where we fliall poflefs the greateft riches, the
higheft honours, and the moft tranfporting
pleafures, without intermiffion, and without
end.

I. He compares the body to an earthly
houfe, yea to a tabernacle or tent, which is
ftill lefs durable, and more eafily taken down,
and therefore the diilblution of fuch a frail

thine:

SERMON XIV. 251

thing ought not to be reckoned a very great
calamity. To this he oppofe^ , in the

il. Place, the glorious object of the Chrif-
tian hope, which he calls a building of God,
an houfe not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens. And,

III. He exprelTes the firm pcrfuafion which
he had, in common with all true believers, of
being admitted into that glorious and perma-
nent dwelling place, as foon as the earthly ta-
bernacle fhould be diflblved.

Each of thefe particulars I (hall briefly il-
luftrate, and then diredt you to the practical
improvement of the whole.

I begin with the firft of thefe heads, which
refpedts our ftate and condition upon earth ;
and in the defcription here given us, there are
feveral things that deferve our notice.

I/?, The body is called an houfe ; and it
may well get this name, on account of its cu-
rious frame and ftrudure, all the parts of it
being adjufted with the greatell exad:nefs, in-
fomuch that there is not one member redun-
dant nor fuperfluous, nor any thing wanting
that is neceflary either for ornament or ufe.

But

252 SERMON XIV.

But it is principally with relation to the in-
ward inhabitant, that the body gets the name
of a houfe in the text. It is a lodging fitted
up for the foul to dwell in. It is the refi-
dence of an immortal fpirit, and from thence
it derives its chief honour and dignity. As
God created this earth, before he made any
of the creatures which were to inhabit it, and
as the world was completely furnilhed with
every thing neceflary and defirable, before
man, its intended fovereign, was introduced ;
fo like wife, in the formation of man, God be-
gan with the body, and firft completed the
outward fabric, before he breathed into it a
living foul. How foolifh then are they who
fpcnd all their thoughts and cares upon the
bodies, and overlook thofe immortal fpirits
within, for whofe ufe and accommodation
they were folely intended, efpecially when it
is confidered, in the

id Place, that the body was not only m.ade
for the fervice of the foul, but that it is like-
'wife compofed of the meaneft materials, even
of that duft which we trample under foot.
Upon this account, the Apoitle calls it in the
text, noi merely a houfe, but an earthly

houk\

SERMON XIV. 2S-:,

houfe. Thus we are told, Genefis, il. 7. " that
" the Lord God formed man of the duft of
" the ground." . None of us can claim an
higher extraaion. We may all fay to cor-
ruption, Thou art my father, and to the worm,
thou art my mother and my fifter. And afi
the body is an earthly houfe with refped to
its original, fo it is conflantly fupported and
repaired by that which grows out of the earth,
" The king himfelf," faith Solomon, " is ferv-
" ed by tht field ;" yea, after a little time, we
muft all be reduced unto earth again. Thefe
bodies will fhortly mix with the common clayL
Duft we are, and unto duft we Ihall return.
This, I confefs, is a very humbling reprefen-
tation ; but as it is true, it ought not to be
nightly regarded by any of us, and young
people, in a peculiar manner, may reap much
advantage from it. You perhaps are ftrong
and healthy, and, with refped to outward
form, either have, or fancy you have, advan-
tages beyond others. Come hither, then, and
view youi;felves in the glafs of my text. Your
bodies, in their highell perfedion, are but-
earthly houfes; and after all the pains you can

take

254 SERMON XIV.

take upon them, their beauty will fhortly con-
fume like the moth. If age do not wrinkle
it, death will diffolve it. The comlieft body
ihall ere long be as loathfome as the dirt on
the ftreets, and muft be buried feveral years
out of fight, too, before it can be born with as
■well. Need I tell you, then, that the noble
inhabitant within is by far moft worthy of
your care and attention. Here your labour
can never be loft, for when the duft fhall re-
turn to the earth as it was, the fpirit fhall re-
turn to God who gave it; it furvives the ruins
of this earthly tenement, and, if adorned while
here with the beauties of holinefs, it (hall
Hourifh eternally in the prefence of God, in
whofe prefence is fulnefs of joy, and at whofe
right hand are plealures for evermore. Be
perfuaded, then, my dear friends, to make the
improvement of your fouls your principal ftu-
dy. They were made at firfl: after the like-
nefs of God, and herein confifted both their
glory and felicity. Let this then be your high-
eft ambition, your conftant unwearied endea-
vour to get this divine image reinftamped up-
on them, that being purged and refined from

all

SERMON XIV. 2SS

all your drofs, you may bc-come meet for the
inheritance of the faints in light.

3^/, It deferves our notice, that the Apoftle
not only calls the body an earthly houfe, but
the earthly houfe of a tabernacle, to make us
ftill more fenfible of its meannefs and frailty.
A tabernacle or tent, you know, is a very
flender habitation — a few flight poles put in
the ground, and a piece of canvafs or paint-
ed cloth thrown over them ; yet fuch is the
body of a man, a fair bat frail tenement, liable
to be thrown down, or torn in pieces by every
blaft of wind. At any rate, we are lold, in the

4//> Place, That thefe earthly tabernacles
muft at length be diflblved. Death will foon
plant its batteries againft them ; this king of
terrors will ftorm them with troops of pains
and difeafcs, and Ihall in the iffiie fo far pre-
vail, as to dlflodge the foul from the body,
and throw down the houfe of clay, crumbling
it into that duft from which it w^as taken.
This is not a bye-law that binds only a few,
but an univerfal royal ftatute, that ftands in
force againft the whole hurtian race. " It is
" appointed for all men once to die," faith this

Apoftle J

CLsS SERMON XIV.

Apoftle; hence the road to the grave is called
the way of all the earth, and the grave itlelf
is filled, in Scripture, the houfe appointed for
all living. Even the bodies of the faints,
which have been the temples of the Holy
Ghoft, and fubje6t to this awful decree; they,
too, muft be diflblved and fee corruption, but
with this material difference, that in due time
they fhall be raifed up again, in glory and in-
corruption. Nor fhall their fouls for any
fpace be deflitute of an habitation ; for, as the
Apoflle here informs us, " they have a build-
" ing of God, an houfe not made with hands,
" eternal in the heavens." And this is the

II. Branch of the text, upon which I fhall
offer a few obvious remarks. I fuppofe you
have already obferved, that this figurative de-
fcription of the future happy flate of the
faints, is conceived in terms of oppofi.tion to
their prefent flate of frailty and mortality.
Once, indeed, the Apoftle calls the body a
houfe, but he immediately explains his mean-
ing, by calling it a tabernacle, a flender thing
which is eafily taken down, or moved out of

its

SERMON XIV. 1S7

its place; whereas their future abode is ftiled
an houfc, without any diminilhing epithet ;
a place of reft and fafety, where they dwell
with God the great mafter of the family, and
enjoy the fweeteft communion with the Fa-
ther of their fpirits, and all thofe focial plea-
fures which the company and converfation of
their brethren and fellow fervants can be fup-
pofed to give them.

Our blelfed Lord, in his hfl: confolatory
difcourfe to his difciples, m.ade choice of the
fame fimilitude. as beft adapted to difpel that
gloom which was hanging over their inhids.
*' In my Father's houfe," faid he, " arc many
" manfions ; if it were not fo, I would have
*' told you. I go to prepare a place for you,
" and if I go and prepare a place for you, I
" will come again and receive you to myfelf,
" that where I am there ye may be alfo."
And is not this, my brethren, a delightful re-
prefentation of the faints felicity ? Every
word is full of melcdv. The very notion of
an houfc or home is agreeable, elpecially to
a poor pilgrim, who is toii'cd and perfecuted
in a malignant world, and perhaps, like his

Vol. IV. R great

258 SERMON XIV.

great Mafter, has not where to lay his head.
But to what a height mud our joy arlfe,
when we hear that this is the houfe of God
himfelf, the houfe of the Father of our Lord
Jefus Chrift, where we fliall dwell with our
dearcft friend and benefaQor, and have a place
allotted us in thofe happy manfions which his
blood harh purchafed, and his infinite love
hath prepared for us.

This houfe is farther defcribed by the build-
er of it. The great God is the archite6t,
and therefore we may be aiTured that nothing
is w^antinp-, that can render it a fit habitation
for his people. It is a houfe not made with
hands ; it was not built by any creature, nei-
ther was it formed out of any pre-exiftent
matter, but created immediately by God him-
felf. It is called his building, by way of
eminence: All things were made by him, but
this was intended for the mafter-piece of his
works, the brightefi: difplay of his creating
power and goodnefs.

This houfe is farther defcribed by its fitua-
^Iqq — it is a houfe in the heavens. The earth
which we now inhabit is a valley of tears, a

place

SERMON XIV. 259

place of exile, a common inn as it were
where clean and unclean, faints and finners,
meet together, and are promifcnoufly enter-
tained. Here the godly live as in a ftrange
land, amid ft the enemies of their Father and
their King, where their righteous fouls are
vexed from day to day, with the unlawful
deeds, and filthy converfation, of thofe among
whom they are obliged to dwell. But hea-
ven is a place of perfect purity, where there
is nothing that defileth, nothing to hurt or
deftroy. None fhall be able to afcend unto
the hill of God, none can dwell in that holy
place, but fuch as have clean hands and pure
hearts; who are wafhed, and fan«^ified, and
juftified, in the name of the Lord Jefus, and
by the Spirit of our God. And,

Lajl of all, this houfe in the heavens ij far-
ther defcribed and commended by its dura-
tion. It is not fubjedl to decay or diiTolution ;
it is an eternal houfe, an incorruptible inheri-
tance, a kingdom that cannot be fliaken. All
other things fhall wax old and perifli, but
this fliall endure for ever and ever,

R 2 But

26o SERMON XIV.

But who are the perfons for whom this
building of God is prepared ; or how fliall
we know whether we belong to that happy
number? — This, my brethren, is a moft im-
portant inquiry, which I propofe to make the
fubjed: of another difcourfe.

SER-

26l

SERMON XV.

II. Corinthians, v. i.

For we knoiv that if the earthly hoiife of this
tabernacle ivere dijfolved, ive have a build-
ing of God, an houfe not made with hands ^
eternal in the heavens^

N the firft part of this veiTe, the Apoftle
compares the body to an earthly houfc,
yea to a tabernacle or tent, which is ftill lefs
durable, and more eafily taken down, and
therefore the dilTolution of fuch a frail thins:
ought not to be reckoned a very great cala-
mity. To this he oppofes the glorious ob-
ject of the Chriftian hope, which he calls " a
" building of God, an houfe not made with
** hands, eternal in the heavens." At the
fame time exprefTes the firm perfuafion which
he had, in common with all true Chriftians,
of being admitted into that glorious and pcr-
R 3 manent

262 SERMON XV.

manent habitation, as foon as the earthly ta-
bernacle fhould be diflblved. " We know."
He does not fay we think, or we hope fo, but
we are aflured of it ; we are as firmly per-
fiiaded that this fhall be our lot, as if we were
already entered upon the pofleffion of it. In
handling this important branch of the fub-
jeCty I propofe, through divine aid,

I. To defcribe the perfons for whom this
building of God is prepared.

II. To inquire how or by what means they
come to know that they fhall certainly poflefs
it.

And then dire£t you to the practical im-
provement of the whole.

The Pfalmift propofes a queftion in the
24th Pfalm, which you muft all be fenfible
deferves our mod ferious attention. " Who
*' ihall aicend into the hill of God, and who
*' fhall ftand in his holy place." This is the
queilion which I am now going to anfwer,
and as God enables me, I iliall follow the Hght
of his own word, and bring in nothing as a
v^'ark of the heirs of glory, but what is clear-

SERMON XV. . 263

ly exprefled in the Scriptures of truth, that
infallible rule by which we muft all be judged
at laft.

ijl^ Then, we are taught that this building
of God, this houfe in the heavens, is prepa-
red for believers in Chrift Jefus, and for them,
only, exclufive of all others. " This is the
*' will of him that fent me," fays our bleffed
Lord, John, vi. 40. " that every one that
" feeth the Son, and believeth on him, may
" have everlafting life, and I will raifc him up
" at the laft day. He that believeth on the
" Son hath everlafting life ; he that believeth
" not the Son fhall not fee life, but the wrath
" of God abideth on him." It is f.iith which
unites us to the Lord Jefus Chrift, who is the
heir of all things ; for, " to as many as re-
" ceive him, to them gave he power to be-
" come the fons of God, even to them who
" believe on his name ;" and if ones v/e are
made fons, then are we likewife heirs, heirs
of God, and joint heirs with Chrift, and may
confidently expe<f^ that inheritance which he
hath purchafed. By nature we are all chil-
dren of wrath, and can look ior nothing out
judgment and fiery indignation, to devour us

R 4 as

264 SERMON XV.

as adverfaries ; but, immediately upon our be-
lieving on the Lord Jefus Chrift, the great
Mediator between God and man, we pafs
from death to life, God receives us into fa-
vour, adopts us into his family, and invefts us
with a title to all the privileges of children, '
of which this is the greateft and the bed, that
we fl'iall dwell with him for ever in the build-
ing here fpoken of, this houfe not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens.

idiy^ Another qualification, by which the
heirs of glory are diflinguiilied, is this, that
they are new creatures, born from above,
born again of the Spirit of God. " If any
" man be in Chrift he is a new creature ; old
" things are pall away, behold all things are
" become new." Whereas, " If any man
" have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of
" his. — Except a man be born again," faid
the faithful and true witnefs, " he cannot fee
" the kingdom of God," John, iii. 3. and verfe
5. " Except a man be born of water and of
^' the Spirit, he cannot enter into the king-
" dom of God." None bat fuch as are born
anew fhall find accefs into this building of

God,

SERMON XV. 265

Qod, when death pulls down thefe earthly
tabernacles. Heaven, therefore, is ftiled the
inheritance of the faints in light. Nothing
that is unclean can enter into that holy place.
There muft be a thorough change wrought
in us before we can be admitted into the pre-
fence of God ; for the Scriptures are peremp-
tory on this head, that without holincfs no
man fliall fee God. Chrift muft be formed
within us, before we can entertain the hope
of glory. We only delude ourfelves, if we
look for happinefs till our fouls are renewed
by the Spirit of God; for flefli and blood
can never inherit the kingdom of heaven. A
new heart muft be given us, a new fpirit muft
be put within us, before we can be fit for the
fight and enjoyment of a holy God.

A partial reformation of manners will be
of no avail — far lefs a mere abftinence from
fome grofler kinds of fin. The very franie
and temper of our minds muft be altered.
Our corruptions muft not only be reftrained,
l)ur mortified. In a word, w^e muft put off
the whole old man, as the Apoftie beautifully
expreffes it, *' and put on the new man,

" which

266 SERMON XV.

" which after God is created in righteoufners

" and true holinefs."
3^, None fhall dwell in this building of

Gods this houfe not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens, but thofe who live as pilgrims
and ftrangers upon earth. If we feek the
things which are above, where Chrift fitteth
on the right hand of God, then, and then on-
ly, may we hope, that when he who is our
life fhall appear, we fhall likewife appear with
him in glory. It is one of the diftinguifhing
charavi^ersof the wicked, that they mind earthly
things. Thechildrenof God, on the other hand,
have their converfation in heaven : They look
upon that as their home, and view this world
merely as a ftrange country, through which
they muft neceffarily pafs, before they can
come to their father's houfe. This heavenly
temper is one of the m.oft fubftantial evidences
that they are born from above ; for every
thing tends to the place of its original. And
as it proves their divine birth, fo it is likewife
a certain pledge of their future glory ; for
God will never abandon his own offspring —
" If the Spirit of him that raifed up Jefus
" from the dead dwell in us, he that raifed

" up

SERMON XV. 267

" up Chrift from the dead, fhall alfo quicken
" our mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwel-
" leth in us.'* He will certainly rebuild his
own temples, and not fuffer them to continue
always under the ruins of death. I fliall on-
ly add, in the

4/^ Place, That a conftant readinefs to do
good' to all, efpecially to thofe who arc of the
houfehold of faith, is another Scripture mark
by which the heirs of glory are diftinguifh-
ed. This plainly appears from the account
which our Saviour gives us of the procefs of the
laft judgment, Matthew, xxv. 34. " Then
" fhall the King fay unto them upon his right
*' hand, Come ye bleifed of my Father, inhe-
" rit the kingdom prepared for you from the
** foundation of the world ; for 1 was an hun-
" gred and ye gave me meat, thirfty and ye
*' gave me drink, I was a ftranger and ye took
" me in, naked and ye clothed me ; I was
" fick and ye vifited me ; 1 was in prifon and
" ye came unto me ;" which he afterwards
explains thus, " in as much as ye did it unto
** one of the leaft of thefe my brethren, ye
" have done it unto ::\e." Upon this account,
Paul exhorts Timothy, to " charge them that

268 SERMON XV.

*' arc rich in this world, to do good, to
" be rich in good works, ready to diftri-
" bute, willing to communicate, laying up for
" themfelves a good foundation againft the
" time to come, that they may lay hold on
" eternal life." To the fame purpofe is that af-
fectionate addrefs of the Apoftle John, i. John,
iii. 18. 19. " My Kttle children, let us not
" love in word, neither in tongue only, but in
*' deed and in truth ; and hereby we know
** that we are of the truth, and fhall aifure
*' our hearts before him." Not that any thing
done by us can merit a reward at the hand of
God ; for after we have done all, we are but
unprofitable fervants, we have done no more
than was our duty ; but thefe ads of obe-
dience prove the fmcerity of our faith and
love. They are the genuine fruits of the new
nature, and may lawfully be confidered as
evidences of our union with Chrift, " who of
'• God is made unto us wifdom, and right-
" eoufnefs, and fandification, and redemp-
" tion." Thus have I laid before you a few
diftinguilhing charaders of the heirs of glory.
Thefe are the perfons for whom God hath pre-
pared this glorious building whereof my text

fpeaks.

SERMON XV. 269

fpeaks, this houfe not made with hands, eter-
nal in the heavens. And what I have faid
upon this head, will very much flicilitate the

n. Inquiry propofed, namely, Kov/, or by
\vhat means, the faints come to know that
they fliall certainly pouefs this glorious inhe-
ritance, when the earthly houfe of this taber-
nacle is dlilblved.

Whatever proves our relation to Chrift, at
the fame times proves our title to all the blcf-
fed fruits of his fufferings and death ; for all
the promifes of God are in him, yea and
amen. *' He that fpared not his own Son.
*' but delivered him up for us all, how fhall
" he not with him alio freclv c;ive us all
" things." Whoever, then, can difcover m
himfelf thofc gracious qual'.lications which I
formerly named, has a fufHcient warrant to
conclude, that he is vitally united to the Lord
Jefus Chrift, and ccnfcquently an heir of that
kingdom which he liath purchafed. Thus
Paul fays of tlie primitive Chriftians, tOLt
" they took joyfully the fpoiling of their
" goods, knowing in themfelves that they
*' had in heaven a better and an enduring
*' lubftance." They knew it in themfclve:. ;

by

270 SERMON XV.

by looking inwards, they difcovered fuch
traces of the divine image ; they feh fuch a
fupernatural life begun in their fouls, as could
be produced by no other agent than the Spi-
rit of God, and might therefore be looked
upon as a fure prefage of their future glory.
You fee, then, how this aflurance is common-
ly obtained. The Scriptures defcribe the per-
fons who fhall infallibly be faved. The Chrif-
tian compares himfelf with this unerring rule,
and finding that the elTential charaders agree
to him, from thence he concludes the cer-
tainty of his own falvation. He proceeds af-
ter this manner : God who cannot lie hath
faid, " He that believeth fhall be faved ;" —
after the moft ferious and impartial examina-
tion, I find reafon to conclude that by grace
I have been enabled to believe, — therefore I
am perfaaded that 1 ihall be faved.

The firft of thefe propcfitions is abfolutely
fure, having the truth and faithfulnefs of God
for its foundation ; the fecond, as it is a judg-
ment or fentence of our own minds, muft, in
its own nature, be fallible, and hence it is that
believers have not all of them an equal aiTur-
ance of their falvation. Though they are all

perfuaded

SERMON XV. 271

perfuaded that he who believeth Ihall be fav-
ed, yet every one cannot fay for himfelf, I am.
perfuaded that I believe, and therefore I fhall
be faved. Before a perfon can fay this, there
mull be a farther work of the Spirit of God,
even a divine light fhining upon our faith and
other graces, and making them vifible to our-
felves. We may derive good ground of hope
from a ftridl and careful examination of our
own temper and practice, but cannot arrive at
a full afTurance, till, as the Apoftle expreffes
it, Romans, viii. 16. *^ The Spirit himfelf
" bear witnefs with ou^ fpirits, that we are
" the fons of God." But when this divine
Witnefs concurs with his tellnTiony, irradia-
ting his own workmanihip within us, and dif-
covering to our own minds fuch linaments of
the new creature, as plain evidence that w^e
are born of God, then our affurance is full
and complete ; and we can joyfully fay, wnth
the Apoftle in the text, " We know, that if
" the earthly houfe of this tabernacle were
" diifolved, we have a building of God, an
" houfe not made with hands, eternal in the
" heavens.'* I now come to the pradical
improvement of the fubjec^.

And,

272 SERMON XV.

And, \f}^ I muft fpeak a few words to thofe
who call themfelves Deifts. I know if you
could you would flop our mouths, and bury
the name of the Lord Jefus Chrift ; and yet
I lliall not ceafe to feek your good, and fay,
from time to time, what I can for your con-
vicStion. I feldom read the threatenings of
the word, but I think of you with trembling;
and I never read the comforts of it, but I think
of you v/ith pity. Pray, what affurance have
you got of a happy eternity? In what houfe are
you to take up your everlafting abode ? Alas,
everything beyond the grave muft be dark and
fearful to you. You have no promife to build
upon — no mediator to take hold of — no atone-
ment to plead — no covenant to depend upon.
You know that God is juft, and you know
that you are fmners — thus far you can proceed
in your own fcheme with certainty ; but I
defy you to move one ftep farther upon fure
ground. You cannot prove that God is re-
concileable, far lefs can you tell upon what
terms he will be reconciled to you ; fo that
your caufes of fear are real and certain,
whereas your hopes are mere guefs v/ork,
having no other foundation than the do'jbt-

ful

S E R M O N XV. 27J

ful conjedures of your own darkened minds ?
What will you do when you come to die ? A
Chriftian can fay, " I know that my Redeemer
" liveth ; and becaufe be lives I fhall live al-
" fo." But what will you be able to fay, who
liave no Redeemer, no interceiTor, into whofe
hands you can commit your departing fpirits?
who have nothing in your view but a tribu-
nal of juftice, a tribunal from which there is
no appeal. Be entreated, my dear friends, to
think of this in time. " K^fs the Son, left he
*' be angry, and ye perifh from the way :'*
If once his wrath begin to burn, then fliall
you find that they, and they only, are bleffed
who put their truft in him. But,

idly^ This comfortable fubjed doth prin-
cipally dlredt me to fpeak to Chriftians ; and
I fhall addrefs my exhortation to you iu the
words of the Apoftle Peter, " Give all dili-
*' gence to make your calling and election,
" furc." That this affurance is attainable you
have already heard. Let me then prefs you,
by fome motives, to feek after it. Confider
how much it is for your prefent intereft. O
the joy to be aflured of the favour of Cod ;
this is heart eafe, this is the very reft and
Vol. IV. S Sabbath

274 SERMON XV.

Sabbath of the foul. How fweet and com-
fortable will the thoughts of a Saviour be to
you, when once you can fay, " My beloved
" is mine, and I am his." Then will it do
thee good to view his wounds by the eye of
faith, and to put, as it were, thy hand into his
fide, when thou canft call him, with Thomas,
my Lord and my God. The holy Scriptures
will then have a double relifh. With what
delight will you turn over this charter of your
future inheritance, and ponder that exceeding
and eternal weight of glory which you (hall
one day pofTefs. With what holy boldnefs
may you approach the throne of grace, when
you can call God your reconciled Father !
What would a defpairing fmner, who feels
ihe burden of guilt, and the foretaftes of
everlafting mifery, give for fuch a privilege,
efpecially in a dying hour. How will this
fweeten the difficulties of obedience. It was
this that kept the Apoftle from fainting, as
we read in the clofe of the preceeding chapter.
What can quicken us more than to know,
that after w^e have gone through a fhort life
in this world, everlafting happinefs fhall be
our portion in the next ? Who would not

mend

SERMON XV. 275

mend his pace, who is aflured that every flep
brings him nearer to heaven ?

What a mighty cordial will this be, under
the fliarpeft afflidions, to confider that God
meaneth us no hurt ; but, on the contrary,
hath pledged his faithfulnefs to make them all
work together for our good ? One who hath
eternal life in the eye of his faith and hope,
can look through tribulation, and fee funfhine
at the back of the darkeft cloud.

And then what comfort does it give in the
hour' 8f death ? How miferable is the foul
that muft be turned out of doors {hiftlefs and
harbourlefs, and is not provided of an ever-
lafting habitation, or a better place to go to ;
but aifurance makes the foul to triumph over
the grave, and take death chearfally by the
cold hand, and even long to be gone, aad to
be with Chrift. Dark and doubting Chrlftians
may indeed fhrink back, and be afraid of the
exchange; but the affured foul defires to de-
part, and needs as much patience to live, as
other men do to die. Let us then, my bre-
thren, prefs after this attainment, and not on-
ly feek to be in lafety, but to know that we
are fo. And as it is a gift of God, let us, by

S 2 humble

276 SERMON XV.

humble and importunate prayer, aik it of him
who giveth to all men liberally, and upbrald-
eth not. And,

Lajl of all, let thofe who have got this in-
valuable mercy, improve it for thofe purpofes
for which it was bellowed. " I will run the
" way of thy commandments," faid the Pfal-
mift, " when thou hafi; enlarged my heart."
Make fwift progrefs in the way of duty, if
you defire the continuance of this comfort-
able privilege. Let it appear to all that your
converfation is in heaven. Live ab^ve this
world, and be daily " adding to your faith
" virtue 5 and to virtue, knowledge ; and to
" knowledge, temperance; and to temperance,
" patience ; and to patience, godlinefs ; and
" to godlinefs, brotherly kindnefs; and to bro-
" therly kindnefs, charity." And then fhall an
entrance be adminiftered unto you abundant-
ly, into the everlafting kingdom of our Lord
and Saviour Jefils Ghrift, to whom be glory
for ever. Amen.

SER-

^7i

SERMON XVI.

I. John, Iv. 9.

In this was manijefted the love of God towards^
7tSy becaufe that Godfent his otdy begotten Son
into the worlds that we might live through
him*

THE value of different truths, like that of
all other obje<9:s, is to be eftiinated bv
the different degrees of their ufefulnefs and
importance. Judging by this rule, there arc
none which better deferve our attention, than
'thofe which relate to the character of the Su-
preme Being. If our ideas of him be diffe-
rent from what he really is, it is impoffible
that we can love him truly, or ferve him with
acceptance. There may be qualities in the
imaginary being which we adore, utterly re-
pugnant with the perfections of the true God;
and the mode of worfliip by which we llrive
to pleafe him, may of confequence be as ab-

S 3 furd

«78 SERMON XVI.

furd as the ideas which we entertain of his
character. Various are the means which God
hath provided for guiding us to the true
knowledge of himfelf. The heavens declare
Iiis glory, and the firmament fheweth his han-
dy works. The invifible things of him, even
his eternal power and Godhead, are clearly
feen, being perceived by the things which he
bath made. His moral perfedtions may be
learned ft'om his general adminiftration of the
world, and efpecially from his conduct to-
wards his rational creatures. Had we capa-
cities fufficient to take a comprehenlive view
of all his works and ways, inch a review
would refult in a full conviction, that righ-
teoufnefs and judgment are the habitation of
his throne, and that mercy and truth conti-
nually go before him. But as we fee only a
fmall part of the great fyftem which he is
carrying on, and of confequence are liable to
miftaken and im^partial conceptions, lie hath
been gracioufly pleafed to re'ii his character on
one great fact, which it is impoffible to mifun-
derftand. This fadt the Apoftle places in our
view in the paflage before us. He is enga-
ged in an argument for his favourite doctrine

of

SERMON XVI, 279

of un'iverfal benevolence. To enforce this
dodrine, he reminds his readers of the love
and benevolence of God, and of this he can
find no other way to exprefs his ftrono- con-
ceptions, than by denominating him love and
goodnefs itfelf. " Beloved," faith he, at the
7th verfe, *' let us love one another, for love
*' is of God, and every one that loveth is born
" of God, and knoweth God. He that lov-
" eth not knoweth not God, for God is love.'*
To prove this, he enters into no refined dif-
quifitions, or abftrad: reafonings, on the di-
' vine nature. Thefe, he knew, wtre but little
adapted to the general apprehenfions of man-
kind. He thinks it fufficient to appeal for
a proof of it to that wonderful expedient
which God devifed for faving loft fmners.
" In this," fays he, " was manifefted the love
" of God towards us, becaufe that God fent
" his only begotten Son into the world, that
" we might live through hlni." Thefe words
then imply,

I. That the redemption of mankind was
an ad of the freeft and moft unmerited grace*

84 n.

28o SERMON XVI.

II. That it is a full demonftration of the
unbounded love and goodnefs of God.

As thefe are truths of the greatefl: import-
ance, and very properly fuited to our medi-
tation at this time *, I will lay the evidence of
them before you in as clear a manner as I can,
and then conclude with an application of the
fubjed.

I. Then, the text implies, That the re-
demption of mankind was an a£t of the freeft
and moft unmerited grace. God was under
no obligation to provide a Saviour for his fal-
len creatures. Without any imputation on
his juftice, he might have left them to eat the
fruit of their own doings, and to be filled
with their own devices. He flood in no need
of our fervices, nor could he be injured by our
rebellion. Our perdition would have made
no blank in his works, which his power could
not have fupplied in one moment. Man was
indeed miferable enough to excite compaf-
fion ; but he was defervedly fo, and therefore
.ccmpaffion might have been reftrained, and

juftice

* Preached at die celebration of the Lord's Supper.

SERMON XVI. 281

juftice have had its courfe. He had left the
ftation in which he was placed ; infolently
thrown off his dependence on his Maker ;
queflioned his veracity, and dared his power.
Nothing, therefore, but fovereign mercy could
liave interpofed for his relief. But, to make
this point perfeiftly clear, let it be obferved,

I/?, That God's defigns of mercy could not
arife from his thinking the conftitution he had
made with Adam as the head and reprefenta-
tive of his pofterity, fevere and unright'::ous. It
is certain, on the contrary, that had it not been
holy, juft, and good, God could never have
been the author of it ; and if it was once
righteous, no fiilure on the part of his crea-
tures could alter its nature. There is no infi-
nuation that God changed his opinion of that
tranladlion, or that he hath ceafed to cbnfi-
der man as juilly condemned by the firft co-
venant. In fa^, the method of our recovery
through Jefus Chrift, contains a virtu:d rati-
fication of the fentence by which we wc:'
condemned : For it haih appointed the lecj..
Adam to be the head of an eiedt world, ?:
through the merit of his lufferings and cit.
mercy might be difpenfca to the guikx , ' •

282 SERMON XVI.

confiftency with the rectitude of the divine
nature, and the honour of his law.

idly^ God was not moved to provide a Sa-
viour for his creatures, by any fenfe, that
his law was too ftridt in its demands for
them to be able to obey. We find that the
w^ord of God ftill denounces a curfe on
every deviation from that perfect rule. —
There is no mitigation of the penalties an-
nexed to difobedience. The law which re-
quires perfect obedience is in full force. The
exactions of juftice are not in the lead abat-
ed. How indeed is it pofTible that they could ?
for confider how the cafe ftands. God is in-
iinitely amiable and perfed ; and what does
he require of his creatures, but that they
fhould love him with all the foul, flrength,
and • heart, which he hath given them. Can
this ever ceafe to be an obligation ? What
fhould make it ceafe ? Nothing, but that God
fhould become lefs amiable, that his perfec-
tions fhould fade, his goodnefs be exhaufted,
or his greatnefs impaired. On the other hand.
What is it that he threatens to thofe who
withdraw their hearts from him ? Is it not the
lofs of his favour and friendfhip ? Can either

the

SERMON XVI. 283

tiie obligation or penalty be accufed of feve-
rity ? Surely in this God does nothing unbe-
coming a wife and righteous governor. Nay,
with reverence be it faid, he could not do
otherwife without denying himfelf. Is it con-
ceivable that he fhould retract his word, that
he Ihould compound, like earthly creditors
for a parr of vhat is owing him ; that he
fhc^uld depreciate the honour of his law or
dii'penfe with the exadlions of his juftice ?
No, he hath faid, and never will unfay it
*' That the v;ages of iin is death ;" but he hath
purpofed to difplay his compaffion to fallen
man, in a manner that fhould reconcile all his
perfedions. " And in this was manifeiied
" the love of God toward us, becaufe that he
" hath fent his Son into the world, that we
" might live through him."

3<y/y, The inability to perform his duty,
which man contraded by his fall, did not
render his cafe in the leaft more deferving of
companion. This inability, as it proceeds en-
tirely from the depravity of our tempers, and
the enmity of our hearts, can only fervc to
render us more vile and odious in his lignt.
Had we, indeed, loft the affedion of love al-
together,

284 SERMON XVL

together, had our natural powers been quite
deftroyed by the fall, our cafe might have
moved compaffion ; but this cafe was not
curs. The affedion of love ftill remains, and
we exert it with ardour and vivacity towards
a variety of objedts. Our natural powers,
though impaired, are not deftroyed, for we
employ them fuccefsfully in our worldly con-
cerns ; fo that our inability to love God, when
tranflated in its true language, amounts juIV.
to this, that we love thofe things which are
contrary to his nature fo mwch, that it is im-
poffible we can love him ; and how this
ihould extenuate our guilt, let thofe who
plead it explain.

j!\^thly^ God was not moved to this ad of
unmerited grace, by any foreknowledge he
had that mankind would receive it with thank-
fulnefs. He forefivw, as appears by the pro-
phetic writings, the ingratitude and contempt
that would be poured on his Son. He fore-
faw that ne fhould be defpifed and rejeded of
men; that Vis perfon ihould be infulted, his
n^tne derided, his blood ihed, and the calls of
his grace rejeded. All. this was full in his
eye, when he laid the plan of our redemp-
tion ;

Sermon xvi. 285

tion ; fo that in all views, y^ fee it was an
ad of the freeft and mod unmerited grace.
It took its rife from no good in the creature,
either exifting or forefeen. Unmerited, un-
folicited, and ill requited, the fountain of all
this grace was in God himfelf ; for his good-
nefs is like himfelf, unfearchable. " His
" thoughts are not our thoughts, neither his
" ways our ways." I now proceed, in the

II. Place, to fliow that the redemption of
mankind is a full demonftration of the un-
jDounded love and goodnefs of the Divine na-
ture. " In this," faith the Apoftle, " was the
*' love of God manifefted towards us, becaufe
" that God fent his only begotten Son into
" the world, that w^e might live through him."
Confider, then,

\Jl^ The dignity of the perfon whom God
fent on this gracious errand. Had he fent one of
the meaneft of his fervants to fympathife with
us in our forlorn eftate, it would have been an
act of great condefcenfion and goodnefs. Had
he commiilioned one of the leail confider-
able of thofe fpirits who furround his throne,
to minifter fome relief to us in our miferable

fituation.

2S6 SERMON XVL

fituation, with what gratitude ought we to
have received fuch an inftance of his com-
paflionate regard. But who is this that com-
eth in the name of the Lord to fave us ? What
are his rank, his titles, and dignity ? Let a Pro-
phet declare : " Unto us a child is born, unto
" us a fon is given, and his name fhall be
" called Wonderful, Counfellor, the mighty
" God, the everlafting Father, the Prince of
" Peace." — Let an Evangelift declare — " The
" Word was made .flefh and tabernacled a-
" mong us, and we beheld his glory, the glo-
" ry as of the only begotten of the Father,
" full of grace and truth." — Let an Apoftle de-
clare— ^^ God who at fundry times, and in
" divers mahners, fpake to our fathers by the
" Prophets, hath in thefe laft days fpoken to
" us by his Son from heaven — who is the
" brightnefs of his glory, and the exprefs
" image of his perfon." Or if all thefe tefti-
monies are infufficient, let it be declared by a
voice from the excellent Majefty, " This is
" my beloved Son, hear ye him." Such was
the perfon whom God fent to fave us. " In
*' this was manifefted the love of God to-
" ward us, becaufe that God fent his only be-

" gotten

SERMON XVI. 287

" gotten Son" — but whether did he fend this
divine perfon. This is a

2d Circumftance, that cannot fail to heigh-
ten our gratitude. He fent him into this
lower world. He came from heaven to earth,
from the throne to the foot-ftool, from the
bofom of his Father to this guilty and pollu-
ted world, which deferved to be vifited with
an executioner of juftice, inftead of an herald
of peace. And in what circumftances did he
appear on earth ? Was it in the pomp of roy-
alty, to receive the homage and fervices of his
creatures ? No ; his life on earth was one
continued fcene of fuffering. From his birth
to his death, he was a man of fon*ows and
acquainted with grief. He was even fo
deftitute of the common accommodations of
life, that he faid of himfelf, " The foxes have
" holes, and the birds of the air have nefts,
" but the Son of man hath not where to lay
" his head." Yet thefe fufFerings, though
great, were light in comparifon with what he
afterwards underwent. The bittereft forrows
which the common lot of humanity knows,
admit fome intervals of eafe and relief. At
worft, the mind of man, in its moft oiprcfled

moments,

288 S E R M O N XVI.

moments, anticipates the bright fide of things ;
or, ignorant of futurity, feels but the weight of
the prefent moment. But this confolation of
human weaknefs, the prophetic mind of Jefus
did not admit. He forefaw the approaching
hour of fuffering, and was fully aware of every
bitter ingredient in the cup that was prepared
for him to drink. He beheld the lowering cloud
of darknefs and diftrefs. He knew the ma-
lice of his enemies, the perfidy of his betrayer,
and the unfaithful n€j|s of his friends. He faw
the accurfed tree, the torturing fcourge, the
piercing nails, the hour and the power of
darknefs.

Behold him in that inutterable conflid,
which wTung from him thofe complaining ac-
cents, " My foul is exceeding forrowful even
" unto death." Behold him at his Father's
footftool, offering up prayers and fupplica-
tions, with ftrong crying and tears, unto him
that w^as able to fave him. Behold him go-
ing forth to meet his enemies ; receiving the
treacherous kifs ; ftretching forth his hands to
the fliackles ; forfaken of all his friends ; buf-
feted, fcourgcd, and fpit upon 5 at lad nailed

to

SERMON XVr. 289!

to a crofs, and infulted even in his expiring
moments with a derifion of liis woe. When
you have beheld this complicated (ccne of
anguifli, fay if there was ever forrow like un-
to this forrow ; and yet far beyond all ihi9,
jnuft have been thofe myfterious feelings of
the Son of God, when he cried out, ' My
" God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me.'*

Such was the treatment which the Son of
God met with on earth, and which he was
prepared to meet with for our fakes ; and can
we doubt, after this, of the love of God in
fending him into the world. " Greater love
" than this hath no man, that a man lay down
" his life for his friend ; but herein God com-
" mended his love towards us, in that while
" we were yet fmners, Chrift died for us.'*
Confider, in the

3^ Place, the gracious defign on which he
came into the world. It was, '' that we might
" live through him." Life, you know, is the
moft important of bleffings, and the founda-
tion of all other enjoyments. To purchafe
life, we reckon no expence or lofs too great.
** Skin for flcin, all that a man hath will he
'* give for his life." But life, in Scripture
Vol. IV. T Ian-

290 SERMON XVI.

language, is generally ufed to fignify happU
nefs in general, and in this lenfe it is to be
underftood in the text. It is here oppofed to
aU that mifery which we had brought upon
ourfelves by our apoftacy from God. By na-
ture w^c are dead in law, lying under a fen-
tence of condemnation, the execution of which
is only fufpended by the brittle thread of life.
We are alfo fpiritually dead, alienated from
the fountain of life and happinefs, dead in
trcfpalTcs and fins. To complete our mifer-
able fituation, we are liable to the fecond
death, that awful death which fubjeOs both
foul and body to everlafting punifliment in
the world to come. Now, the death of Chiifl;
delivers us from all thefe evils. By him all
who believe on his name are freed from con-
demnation, and obtain a right to live : " For
" Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of
*' the law, being made a curfe for us.'* Through
him we alfo are made fpiritually alive. " You
" hath he quickened," faith St Paul to the
Ephefians, " who were dead in trefpaifes and
" fms.< — The old man is crucified with Chrift,
*' that the body of fin might be deftroyed,
" that henceforth we fhould not ferve fin."

To

SERMON XVL 291

To crown all, through him we have the gift
of eternal life, being begotten again into the
lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible,
undefiled, and that fadeth not away.

And is there now ought wanting to de-
monflrate the unbounded love and goodnefs
of God ? How warnnly does Hezekiah fpeak ;
with what gratitude does he exprefs himfelf,
on a few years being added to his natural life ?
— " The living, the living they fliall praife
*' thee, as I do this day The fathers to the
" children fhall declare thy truth. Upon a
" ftringed inftrument will I praife thee, and
" upon the harp with a folemn found." What
then ought to be our feelings of gratitude ;
what ought to be our language of praife, to
whom God hath granted length of days for
evermore ?

I have thus endeavoured to fhew you, that
the redemption of mankind is an ad: of the
freeft grace; and that it is a full demonftra-
tion of the unbounded love and goodnefs of
God.

From what hath been faid, the firft and
raoft obvious inference is, Our obligation to

T 2 love

'^gz

SERMON XVI.

love that God who hath thus loved us. And
is he not w^orthy of this affedion in himfelf ?
Has the perfection of beauty and goodnefs
no charms to move us, while with fo much
ardour we run after the faint traces of thefe
qualities in creation ? Efpecially what are our
hearts made of, if they can refift the impref-
fion of a benefit fo ineftimable as I have been
defcribing, conferred with a bounty that even
prevented our requefts. We value ourfelves,
we efteem others, for their grateful and affec-
tionate feelings : We can hardly entertain any
regard for a charader in which we fee no
marks of fenfibility. Shall this defed, then,
excite our difapprobation in all cafes, except-
ing in that where it is mod glaring and odi-
ous ? Shall we exert our affedions with ar-
dour on many inferior objeds, and refer ve
none for him whofe power made us, and
whofe goodnefs has made us happy ? You
excufe yourfelves, perhaps, by faying, that
your affedions are engaged to your friends
and benefactors, becaufe they are objeds of
perception, and you have feen and converfed
Vvith them ; whereas God is unfeen and fpi-
ritqal, fo that your feelings, with regard tp

him.

SERMON XVI. 293

him, cannot be fo lively. Is nothing, then,
an objecl of your affedions, but what you
have feen with your bodily eyes I Is it only
the outward form of your friend that you
love ? Is it only the hand that confers the be-
nefit, or the feet that move to ferve you ? Is
it not rather the foul, the heart of your friend,
that engages your love ? even that kindnefs
which never fails, that fmcerity which you
can always truft, that faithfulnefs on which
you can at all times depend, that fympathy
which makes your griefs and joys his own I
Do you ceafe to love your friend after his
body is laid in the duft ? Sure I am, none who
ever knew a friend will fay fo.

It is then the foul that engages affection —
And is not the foul invifible ? Are you not as
certain of the exiftence of God^ as you are
of your own foul's exiftence, or the fouls of
thofe you converfe with ? True it is, that
God is not to be difcerned by our fenfes j
But is he then afar off? Doth he not fill hea^
yen and earth with his prefence ? Do not
kindnefs, faithfulnefs, and fympathy, belong
to his character, more than to any earthly
friend ? Who is it that hath faid, " I will ne-

T 3 *' yer

294 SERMON XVI.

" ver leave thee nor forfake thee ?" Who is it
that hath faid, " Call upon me in the day of
** trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou
" fhalt glorify me ?" Who is it that hath de-
fired us to caft all our care upon him, becaufe
he careth for us ? Who is it that hath faid,
*' He that toutheth you toucheth the apple of
** mine eye ?" Say not, then, I cannot love
God, becaufe 1 have not feen him ; fay ra-
ther, if thou haft the heart to fay fo, I cannot
love God, becaufe that love is already enga-
ged to his rivals. 1 love the world too much ;
I love my fms too much, /. e. I love his ene-
mies too much, to have any remaining affec-
tions to beftow on him. In the

id Place, We may infer from what hath
been faid. If God fo loved us while we were
enemies how much more will he love us, now
that we are reconciled to him by the death
of his Son ? There are but few points on
which I am fanguine enough to think I could
argue to the convitlion of a perfon difpoled
to evade the force of evidence ; yet if there
is any, I think it is in proof of this fentiment
of the Apoitle, " He that fpared not his own
" Son, but gave him up to ihe death for us

" all,

SERMON XVI.

295

" all, how fhall he not with him alfo freely
" give us all things." Allow me that God
hath fent his only begotten Son into the
• world, that we might have life through him ;
and then fay, is there another favour fo coftly,
that you fliould think it beyond the reach of
his benevolence ? You may perhaps fay, that
he hath already done fo much, that you cannot
conceive how he fhould do more. But I will
afk you this, Why did he confer the firft
favour ? Was it only to fave appearances to
his creatures ? Do yoU' conceive of it as of
that conftrained kind of benevolence which
we fometimes fee ia the world ; a man pay-
ing the debts of another, and then fetting him
adrift to do as he beft can in the world ? No,
I will tell you what it rather refembles, if a
referablance to it can be found in this felfilli
world. It refembles a man taking up a help-
lefs orphan. He at firft clothes and feeds
him ; by and bye he conceives an attach-
ment for him. Having done fo much, he is
unwilling to leave his work imperfed: ; he
makes him worthy of his care, by inftilling
good principles into him. In time he adopts
him into his family ; at laft he makes him his
T 4 heir,

296 SERMON XVr.

heir, and leaves him all he has. Whoever
knows the human heart, knows that this is
the natural progrefs of affedion. He that
gives, cheriiheth his own benevolence by
the gift ; and to have conferred one fa-
vour is a reafon for continuing and adding
others. I fay not this, as if God's thoughts
were to be meafured by ours. I have a bet-
ter warrant for ufmg this comparifon — " be-
" ing confident," as an Apoftle hath expreffed
it, " of this very thing, that he who hath be-
" gun a good work in you, will perform it
" until the day of Jefus Chrift. — Behold what
" manner of love the Father hath beftowed
" upon us, that we fliould be called the fons
" of God — and if fons, then heirs, heirs of
" God, and joint heirs with Jefus Chrift. —
" God commended his love towards us, in
** that while we were yet finners, Chrift died
*' for us. — Much more then, being now jufti-
'* fied by his blood, we fhall be faved from
" wrath througli him : For if when we were
" enemies, we were reconciled to God by the
** death of his Son, much more being recon-
** ciled, we fhall be faved by his life,"

But"

SERMON XVI.

297

But here, my brethren, I find the fubjed
rifing and widening beyond the reach of my
thoughts, or feeble illuftrations. " How great,
" O God, is that goodnefs which thou haft
" laid up for them that fear thee, which thou
" haft wrought for them that truft in thee, be-
*' fore the fons of men."

One other inference from what hath been
faid we cannot omit, being the inference of
the Apoftle himfelf in the context. " Be-
" loved, if God fo loved us, we ought alfo to
" love one another." I will not inquire whe-
ther this is an exhortation to univerfal bene-
volence, or an exhortation to Chriftians to
love their brethren ; certain it is, that the dif-
ciples of Chrift are exhorted to both of thefe
amiable difpolitions. Of whom are we bold
enough to fay, that he may not be one of
thofe for whom Chrift died ; that he may not
become, through grace, one of the excellent
ones of the earth ? If thou art a veflel of
mercy, confider who it was that filled thee ;
and may not the fame fountain fill hjm — fill
any of the race of Adam ? Let your bene-
volence, then, extend to the whole of man-
kind : but let your love be fpecial towards

the

298 SERMON XVI.

the houfehold of faith. Love them for the
image they bear — love them for the ties by
which you are conned:ed together. Let your
love to them be fervent and active. Impart
to them every afliftance of friendfhip, efpe-
cially of that friendlhip which regards the
interefts of their fouls. Exhort one another
daily, left any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulnefs of fm. Continue together
in one accord, in prayer and fupplication,
forwarding one another in your way to Zion,
and fmging fongs of comfort as you go
along.

On the whole, you fee how much the re-
ligion of Chrift applies itfelf to the beft af-
fections of the human heart. To whom does
it direct our worfhip ? — To the God of love,
the God who is love, and who manifefted
his love to us, in that he fent his only begot-
ten Son into the world, that we might live
through him. What doth it require of us,
but that we fhould love him who firft loved
us ; that we fliould yield ourfelves to be his,
and truft in him for all good things. Are ye
willing ? The pledges of the covenant are at
hand, and may God feal them to your fouls.

Amen.

SER.

299

SERMON XVII.

Acts, viii. 39.
' and he went on his way rejoicing,

THE perfon of whom this account is giv-
en was a man of Ethiopia, who pof-
fefled a place of great truft and authority un-
der the queen of that country. It appears
from the hiftory, that he was a profelyte to
the Jewifh religion ; for he had come as far
as Jerufalem, to attend on the worfhip of the
God of Ifrael. The manner of his conver-
fion to Chriftianity, by the miniftry of Philip
the Evangelift, is circumftantially related in
the preceding verfes ; and as there are feveral
ftriking incidents in this paflage of hiftory, I
fliall point out a few of them which are chief-
ly remarkable.

iji. We are told, that when this officer of
the Ethiopian queen was about to take his
departure from Jerufalem, God fent his angel

to

30d S E R M O N XVII.

to Philip at Samaria, with a peremptory or-
der to leave that place, and to travel fouth-
ward, till he fhould come upon the road that
goeth down from Jerufalem to Gaza ; which
place he had no fooner reached, than, lo, the
iliuftrious ftranger appears in his chariot, pur-
fuing his journey to his own country,

idly\ It deferves our notice, that at the
precile moment when Philip, by a divine im-
pulfe, ran to meet him, this devout profelyte
was reading aloud a part of Ifaiah's prophecy,
which fpeaks plainly and diredly concerning
the Meffiah. The place of Scripture which
he read was this : " He was led as a fheep to
** the flaughter, and like a lamb dumb before
*' his fhearer, fo opened he not his mouth :
" In his humiliation his judgment was taken
** away, and who iliall declare his generation,
** for his life is taken from the earth." Upon
hearing thefe words, Philip accofted him with
this queftion, " Underftandeth thou what thou
** readeft ?'* The other ingenuoufly confeffed
that he did not ; and having, with jancom-
mon courtefy, taken the Evangelift up into
his chariot, begged to be informed who the,
perfon was whom the prophet had in his eye.

" Then,"

SERMON XVII. 301

** Then," as we read in the 35th verfe, " Phi-
*' lip opened his mouth, and began at the
** fame Scripture, and preached unto him Je-
" fus."

Thus both the preacher and his rubje(a:
were very remarkably ordered in the provi-
dence of God ; and, as might be expected
from fuch favourable prefages, the difcourie
was accompanied with the powerful influences
of his grace : For upon their coming to a
certain place where there was water, the new
difciple, of his own accord, modeftly fignified
his defire to be baptized ; and after profelFmg
his faith in Chrift, in thefe few but folemn
words, " I believe that Jefus Chrift is the Son
" of God." — The chariot was ftopt, and Phi-
lip went down with him into the water, and
baptized him. A

3^ Incident, no lefs remarkable than the
former two, is recorded in the verfe where
my text lies. " When they were come up
*' out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord
" caught away Philip, that the Eunuch fav/
" him no more." How admirable, how per-
fect are the works of God ! Thefe two were
brought together by the agency of an angel,

and

302 SERMON XVII.

and now they are parted alunder by a miracle;
but a miracle of wifdom as well as of power.
For this fudden and fupernatural removal of
the preacher^ was a powerful confirmation of
the dodtrine which he taught, and had an ob-
vious tendency to imprefs on the mind of the
new convert this important truth, that al-
though a man had been employed as the in-
ftrument of his converfion, yet the work it-
felf was truly divine, and the glory of it due
to God alone.

Accordingly we learn, from the latter part
of the verfe, that all thefe wondertul events
had a moft happ3/ influence on his mind. He
was tranfported with what he had feen, and
heard, and experienced ; his judgment ap-
proved the wife choice he had made, and he
went on his way rejoicing. He went on his
way, i. e, he proceeded on his journey home-
ward. The new perfuafion he had received
into his mind, did not miflead him into fan-
ciful plans of action, inconfiftent with, or per-
haps oppofite to, the duties of his ftation.
No, he knew that the religion he had em-
braced, inftead of releafing him from ^heX^
duties, rather bound him to a more faitaful

and

SERMON XVII. 303

and diligent performance of them. He there-
fore went on his way, and he rejoiced as he
went. He felt his foul enriched with hea-
venly grace. He had now got a treafure
w^hich he could properly call his own, even
that pearl of great price^ with which all the
treafures of Ethiopia were not worthy to be
compared.

Your condition, my brethren, is in feveral
refped;s fimilar to the condition of this man.
He had folemnly avouched the Lord to be
his God : You, with equal folemnity, have
this day done the fame. He had juft receiv-
ed one feal of the covenant of grace : You,
this day, have received the other *. He had
a long journey before him : Ye alfo are tra-
vellers through this wildernefs, toward the
promifed land of reft. In thefe 'jircumftances
I think that, without apology, I may take oc-
calion, from the words that have been read,
to addrefs you with a twofold exhortation ;

I. To go on your way heavenward. And,

II. To rejoice as you go.

I

* Preached after the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

So4 SERMON XVir.

I truft I need hardly inform you, that the
ipiritual repaft to which you have been this
day admitted, is purely intended to ftrengthen
you in your journey to the heavenly country.
God fends us thefe grapes from the Canaan
above, not to detain us in the wildernefs, but
to allure us out of it, and to make us haften
our fteps towards that country of which they
are the natural and fpontaneous product. My
firft exhortation, therefore, is both feafonable
and necefTary. — Arife and go forward. Ma-
ny who miftake the nature of this ordinance,
are very anxious and bufy for a few days, in
making a fort of formal preparation for it.
Then their countenances are demure, and their
fteps are folemn, and their converfiition is
precife, and their attendance upon the moft
protraded fervices of devotion indefatigable ;
and this they call religion, and truft in its me-
rit to abfolve them from all the difhonefl:
worldly, uncharitable, and ungodly pradtices,
of which they are guilty in the other periods
of their time. But I truft, my brethren, that
ye have not fo learned Chrift, and I truft that
we, who ai"e your fpiritual guides, fliall never
Qocourage you in fo fatal a deluiion. I ad-

drels

SERMON XVIL 305

drefs you now, as the difciples and friends of
Chrift. I fpeak to you in his name, and that
his authority may be the more unqueftionable
in the exhortation I am to give you,Jl Ihall de-
liver it in the very words which his own Spi-
rit hath employed. " I befeech you, there-
" fore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
" ye prefent your bodies a living facrifice, ho,
" ly, acceptable unto God, which is your rea-
*' fonable fervice." And bewai*e of a fiufu)
conformity to this w^orld, " but be ye trans-
" formed by the renewing of your mind, that
*' ye may prove what is that good and accep-
" table and perfed: will of God. — As ye have
" this day received Chrift Jefus the Lord, H^
*' walk ye in him," in a manner fuitable to the
" vocation wherewith ye are called, with ail
" lowlinefs and meeknefs, with long-fuSering,
" forbearing one another in love, endeavour-
" ing to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
" bond of peace. — Add to your faith, virtue ;
" and to virtue, knowledge ; and to knovv-
'* ledge, temperance ; and to temperance, pa-
" tience ; and to patience, godlincfs ; and to
" godlinefs, brotherly kindneis ; and to bro-
*' therly kindnefs, charity." Think not that
Vol. IV. U yc

3o6 SERMON XVII.

ye " have already attained ; but this one thing
do ye, forgetting thofe things which are be-
hind, and reaching forth unto thofe things
which are before, prefs towards the mark,
for the prize of the high calling of God in
Chrift Jefus. — And I befeech you, brethren,
that every one of you do fhew the fame
diligence, to the full affurance of hope unto
the end ; that ye be not flothful, but fol-
lowers of them who through faith and pa-
tience do now inherit the promifes. — What-
foever things are true, whatfoever things are
honeft,whatfoever things are juft, whatfoever
things are pure, whatfoever things are love-
ly, whatfoever things are of good report, if
there be any virtue, and if there be any
praife, think on thefe things. — And let your
path refemble that of the juft — a fhining
light, that fhineth more and more unto the
perfed: day. — Finally, my brethren, be
ftrong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might. Put on the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to ftand againft the
wiles of the devil — having your loins girt
about with truth, and having on the breaft-
plate of righteoulnefs, and your feet fhod

" with

SERMON XVIL 307

" with the preparation of the gofpel of peace ;
" above all taking the (hield of faith, >vvhere-
" with ye fliall be able to quench all the fiery
" darts of the wicked. And take the helme*
" of falvation, and the fword of the Spirit,
" which is the word of God : Praying always
*' with all prayer and fupplication in the Spi-
" rit, and watching thereunto with all perfe-
verance.

Thefe few pafTages of Scripture, which
fpeak to us diredlly as foldiers and travellers,
who, under the conducl and tuition of the
great Captain of Salvation, muft force their
way to the Zion above, fully exprefs the
meaning of my firft exhortation ; and as they
are not my words, but the words of the liv-
ing and true God, the divine authority with
[ which they are marked, muft neceflarily im-
ply our obligation to obey them, and confe-
quently give a greater weight to my prefent
addrefs than any arguments that I could poi-
fibly devife. Let me therefore once more re-
peat the exhortation, and call upon you to
make progrefs in your Chriftian courfe. Let
your prefent attainments, inftead of fatisfv-
ing you, only incite your zeal and ambition to
U 2 rife

3o8 S E R M O N XVII.

rife ftlll higher in the excellencies of the di-
vine Hfe. Carry ever in your minds, that the
defign of the folemn and inftrumental duties
t)f rehgion is to beget and fcrengthen thofe
principles and habits of goodnefs in your
fouls, by which they will be gradually ripen-
ed for the life of heaven. Stir up your faith
to behold him who is invifible, that you may
walk before him in the light of the living,
having no other anxiety but to do what he
commands ; no other ambition but to enjoy
his favour now, and to receive his approba-
tion at laft. Let your meditation on thofe
fufferings of the Redeemer, which ye have
been (hewing forth to-day, inftrudl you what
you are to exped: in the prefent life, and how
you ought to behave under all its trials and
afflidiions. Do not flatter yourfelves with the
profped of uninterrupted eafe, and unclouded
enjoyment ; but confider him who endured
fuch contradidion of fmners againil himfelf,
when at any time ye are weary or faint in
your minds : And ftudy to know him in the
power of his refurredion, and in the fellow-
Ihip of his fufferlngs, being made conformable
to his death. Exercife yourfelves daily ia

mortifying

SERMON XVII.

3^9

lOitifyIng the deeds of the body; in crucify-
ing the^flcfh, with its affedions and lulls ; and
in oppofing your inclinations as often as they
oppofe your duty. Thus labouring to be ex-
amples of patience, meeknefs, contentment,
and to come behind in no good thing to which
you are called ; go on in the ftrength of the
Lord, making mention of his righteoufnefs,
even of his only : " And may the God of
" Peace, that brought again from the dead our
" Lord Jefus, that great (liepherd of tlie
" fheep, through the blood of the everlafling
" covenant, niake you perfed: in every good
" work, to do his will, working in you that
*' which is well-pleafmg in his fight, through
" Jefus Chrift, to whom be glory for ever and
*' ever. Amen."

Having thus exhorted you to continue
your progrefs in the good ways of God, let
me now exhort you, in the

11. Place, to rejoice as you go on.

xifter all the comfortable topics that have

been fuggefted to your medication in the i'o-

Icmn fervice in which we have been engaged,

it fhould be almoi'i unnecefiary to recall to

L' 3 your

3>

lo SERMON XVII.

your minds any of thofe copious fources of
joy which belong to the redeemed of the Lord.
Yet left there fliould be fome mind fo dark,
fome apprehenfion fo flow, as to be at a lofs
in difcovering its own comforts ; 1 will men-
tion, in their order, a few of thofe that are
moft obvious and folid, and beft fitted o fill
the mind with peace and joy in believing.
In the

ijl Place then, if fo be ye have tafted tliat
the Lord is gracious, {and to thofe only who
have had this experience do T fpeak), then re-
joice that ye have pafTed from death to lite, and
that there is now no condemnation for them
who are in Chrift Jelus. Rejoice in that dif-
tinguifhing grace which hath plucked you as
brands from the burning, which hath brought
up your foul from the grave, which hath kept
you alive, that you fhould not go down into
the pit. Lock around among your fellow
cren.tures, and behold the multitudes who
walk in the broad way that leadeth to deftruc-
tion, who go on headftrong and blindfold in
the paths of folly, until their eyes are opened
in the everlafting burnings. Then confider
your own better choice and fafer condition,

and

SERMON XVir. 311

and rejoice in that mercy which found you,
when you were wandering from peace and
happinefs, which arrefted you in your mad
career, and brought you back to the Shepherd
and Bifhop of your fouls. In the

id Place, rejoice that you have not only
pafled from death to life, but are alfo advanc-
ed to the deareft and moft intimate relation
to all the Perfons of the everblefled Godhead.
By your new birth ye are become the fons of
God, members of Chrift, and temples for the
Holy Ghoft. And what an overflowing
fource of confolation is this ? Can there be
any caufe of fear or difquietude to thofe who
dwell in the fecret place of the Moft High,
and abide under the fhadow of the Almighty?
Can they want any good thing of whom
God hath taken the charge as his peculiar
property, and for whom he provides as for
his own? Is not his wifdom fufficient to guide
you through all the perplexing paths of life ?
Is not his power fufficient to fupport you un-
der every danger and difficulty ? Is not his
goodnefs fufficient to beftow on you all things
richly to enjoy ? — In w^hat fhape, then, can
any real evil aflail you ; or what imperfection
U 4 can

312 SERMON XVII.

can there be in your profpeds of felicity ? In
the

3</ Place, rejoice that God hath made with
you an everlafting covenant, well ordered in
all things and fure. He hath not only aiTur-
ed you, in general, of his good vvHU and gra-
cious purpofes on your behalf; but hath alfo
given you a variety of exceeding great and
precious promifes, fo that there can be no
poflible exigence in your fituation, in which
you may not find a fuitable and abundant re-
lief, in thefe gracious aflurances of a faithful
God.

Were I to defcend to particulars, it would
be neceifary for me to repeat the greater part
of this facred book, every page of which con-
tains fome reviving declaration of v/hat God
hath already done, or promiled to do, for his
people. And, " the words of God are pure
*' words, like filver tried in a furnace of earth
*' purified (even times.- — He is the rock, his
" work is perfed, and all his ways are judg-
*' ment ; a God of truth, and without iniqui-
'' ty, ju(l and right is he." Have not thofe,
then, good caufe to rejoice, who have fuch an
^m.ple charter put into their hands by the

Kin

i3

SERMON XVII. 313

King of kings, a charter invefting them with
a full and unalterable right to every neceflar)^
blefling, even to all the unlearchable riches of
Chrift. In the

4//? Place, rejoice that the life which is be-
gun in you is an immortal principle, that can
never be extinguiflied. Ye are born again by
the Spirit of God ; and ye are kept by his
mighty power, through faith unto falvation.
United as you are to Chrill, by a living faith,
ye can never periih. His charge to preferve
vou is as ilrid: and bindino: as his charsre to
redeem and renew you at firft. Ye were
given unto him from eternity, by his heaven-
ly Father, and will he not keep thofe whom
the Father hath committed to him? Hear his
own words : " All that the Father hath given
" me fhall come to me, and him that cometh
" to me I will in no wife call out." Chriil
formed in the heart of a true believer, refem-
bles, in fome meafure, Chrift incarnate in the
world. The divine nature may be obfcured
for a feafon; it may, and probably will, have
its leafon of humiliation: But though it may
feem to die, yet it fiiall have its relurretlion
Jikewife, and afterwards its afcenfion into glo-

ry«

314 SERMON XVII.

ry. This it was that enabled Paul to fay,
" I therefore run, not as uncertainly; fo fight
" I, not as one that beateth the air." Perfe-
feverance is not only the duty, but the privilege
alfo of all who fet themfelves in good earneft
to travel for heaven. And though the law of
God obliges them, and their new nature in-
clines them, to work out their own falvation
with fear and trembling, yet they have a far
better fecurity for their fuccefs than any ef-
forts of their own. Omnipotence is their
guardian; " the eternal God is their refuge,
" and underneath them his everlafting arms."
My brethren, time and ftrength would
fail me, were I to attempt enumerating all
the fources of joy which belong to the re-
deemed of the Lord. I truft, that in your
own frequent medit?tion you revolve them,
and that in your frequent addrelTes to the
throne of grace, you commemorate them
with thankful hearts before the God and Fa-
ther of your Lord Jefus Chrift. Do you not
then exprefs the joy and gratitude of your
fouls, for the benefit of your Redeemer's ex-
ample ; for the promifed aids of his Spirit ;
for the afTurance of his intercefTion ; for the

gracious

SERMON XVII. 315

gracious appointment of him as the Judge of
the world; for the accels you now have by him
to the throne of grace ; for the means of
communion with the Father of your fpirits,
and the pleafmg fellowflup of thofe who arc
travelling with you in the fame road to the
Zion above. Leaving thefe, then, to be re-
volved in your own minds, I will now only
exhort you, in ;he

^th and laft place, To rejoice in the hope
of the glory of God. " Fear not, little flr)ck,"
faid the bleffed Jefus, " for it is your Fa-
" ther's good pleaiure to give you the king-
" dom." Ere long your trials and fufFerings
Ihair come to an end, and your light afflic-
tions, which are but for a moment, fhall be
followed by an exceeding great and eter-
weight of glory. At prefent we come from
fcenes of anxiety and vexation to keep our
foiemn feafts ; and our wedding garme -e

ftained with the pollution, or torn wiia ^ne
briars through which we travel. Even amidft
our moft fublime delights, we are confcious of
a certain blank in our feelings, which reminds
us that this is not our reft : But in the pre-
fence of God there ib iumeis oi joy, and at

his

3i6 SERMON XVII.

his right hand are pleafures for evermorc-
The poor afflided broken fpirit, which now
breathes in trouble as in its daily air, and
fcarcely knows any other rule for computing
the periods of time, than by the revolutions
of forrows and difappointments, fhall then be
tuned to the high praifes of God ; and its
love to him who is the Lord of love, Ihall
feel no bounds, and fear no end. O how
the unveiled glory of God will then brigh-
ten many a face which is now darkened
with grief, and ftained with tears, and daily
wears the hue of melancholy ! — There is not
a forrowful countenance in all the Courts of
Zion's King j their doubts and fears have
dropt oft with the veil of mortality, and for-
row and fighing have fled far away. Lift up
your heads, then, ye that travel towards the
heavenly Zion, and rejoice in the hope of the
glory of God. It is not more certain that
the fun doth fhine in the firmament, than that
ye Ihall live for ever in the heavenly Jerufa-
lem, and join the innumerable company about
the throne, in the everlalling praife of your
God and your Redeemer. Then fliall you
\^iderl1and the happinels of believers, and

know

SERMON XVII. 317

know better than I can tell you, what God
did for your fouls, when he called you out of
darknefs into his marvellous light.

Rejoice then in the Lord always, and again
I fay rejoice. Let it appear, by the ferenity
of your countenance, and the alacrity of your
fteps, that your falvation is already begun,
and that though the fulnefs of your joys be
referved for another world, yet even in this
you can remark, with a fatisfadion unknown
to the mere fons of earth, how fweet is the
face of nature, how delicious are the fruits of
the field. " Go your way, eat your bread
*' with joy, and drink your wine with a mer-
" ry heart, for God now accepteth your work."
Amen.

SER-

3i§

SERMON XVIII.

Hebrews, v. 12.

For when for the time ye ought to he teachers ^
ye have need that one teach you again ivhich
be the firft principles of the oracles of God ;
and are become fuch as have need of milk^
and not offtrong meat,

THE Apoftle having, at the loth verfe,
compared, in general terms, the prieft-
hood of Jefus with that of Melchifedek, finds
himfelf obUged to break off the argument,
not from any defeat of his own knowledge,
but from the dulnefs of thole to whom he
wrote. Their minds were not as yet prepa-
red for fuch fublime inftrudlion, and that not
owing to any natural infirmity, but merely to
their negledt or mifimprovement of the beft
advantages. " For when for the time ye
" ought to be teachers, ye have need that one

" teach

SERMON XVIIL 319

" teach you again which be the firft principles
" of the oracles of God ; and are become
** fuch as have need of milk, and not of ftrong
*' meat." Accordingly, he tells them, very
plainly, how difgracefully deficient they were
in the improvement which might have been
expected from the time that they had been in
the fchool of Chrift. Inftead of being in a
capacity of teaching others, they were them-
felves in the lowed clafs of learners. Inftead
of making progrefs in the knowledge of di-
vine truth, they had forgotten what they once
pofleiTed. Inftead of growing to the ftature
of perfect men in Chrift Jefus, they had
flirunk again to the condition of babes, whofe
weak and tender organs muft be nouriflied
with the fimpleft food. Inftead of expand-
ing wath a regular and folid growth, opening
and enlarging, their faculties, through difufe,
had become fo contracted as to refufe admit-
tance to the plaincft truths, much more to
doctrines fo deep and involved as thofe which
he had begun to ftate. Such is the fpirit of
the Apoftle's reproof, contained in the text :
" For when for the time ye ought to be
" teachers, ye have need that one teach you

" again

/

320 SERMON XVIII.

** again which be the iiifl; principles of the
*' oracles of God ; and are become fuch as
" have need of milk, and not of ftrong meat."
The cafe of the Hebrews, as reprefented in
thefe words, is by no means fmgular. The
negleifl, at leaft the flow improvement, of the
means of knowledge, has not ceafed to be a
reproach in thefe latter days. Although blef-
fed with the moil abundant means of becom-
ing wife unto falvation, how trifling are our
attainments ; how ill arranged are our reli-
gious ideas ; how little cfl:abliflied are we in
the faith ; and how ill qualified to give a
good reafon of the hope that is in us ? Amid ft:
all thefe infirmities, how difdainful are we of-
ten of common truths ; how defirous to be
gratified with novel fpeculations ; how fan-
tafl:ical in our tafl:e for religious infl:ru(!lion.
I hope I may be allowed to offer fome obfer-
vations on thefe topics, without being fuppo-
fed to aim at any peculiar cenfure, my fole
defign being to ftir you up to further im-
provements, even to afpire to the wifdom of
the perfed, and of thofe who, by reafon of
ufe, have their fenfes exercifed to difcern both
good and evil.

The

SERMON XVIIT. 321

The text naturally gives rife to the three
following obfervations :

I. That aJl who are favoured with the light
of the gofpel, fhall be utterly inexcufable, if
their improvements in knowledge do not bear
a proportion to the time they have continued
to enjoy it.

II. 1 hat thofe who are not careful to add
to their knowledge, will be in great danger of
lofing what they have formerly acquired.

III. That without a proper acquaintance
with the firft plain principles of religion, men
are unfit to receive dodrines of a higher and
more fpeculative nature.

Thefe obfervations 1 will confirm by fome
reafoning, and then make a pradical applica-
tion of the fubjedl. The

I. Obfervation was, that all who are fa-
voured with the light of the gofpel, Ihall be
utterly inexcufable, if their improvements in
knowledge do not bear a proportion to the
time they have continued to enjoy it.

This is one of thofe propofitions which nei-
ther needs nor will admit of much pofitive

Vol. IV. X proof.

322 , SERMON XVIII.

proof. There cannot be a plainer didate of
common fenfe, than what our Saviour hath
tatight us in thefe words : " Unto whomfo-
" ever much is given, of liim the more fhall
" be required," Every advantage bellowed on
us by providence is a truft of which we mud
give an account hereafter. The advantages
which tend to our improvement in heavenly
wifdom, are a truft of the moft: important kind ;
and therefore the guilt of neglecting or abu-
fmg thefe, muft be of the deeped nature. But
let us hear what may be faid in oppofition to
this. Every objedion that can be dated may
be refolved into one or other of thefe two —
Either that Chridianity is not worthy of our
dudy ; or that, from its incomprehenfible na-
ture, it is im.podible to make any confiderable
progrefs in the knowledge of it. To main-
tain the fird of thefe, is in fad to deny the di-
vinity of our holy religion: For certainly a re-
velation proceeding from indnite wifdom, with
this merciful intention, to dired wandering
fmners to cvcrlading and unfpeakabh felicity,
mud be allowed to deferve all the time and
attention we can pofTibly bedov/ on it, As
tp tl)C fccond objcclion, relating to tlie myi-

terious

SERMON XVIir. 323

tciious nature of Chrlftianlty, ic mufl: partly
be admilted, but In no fenfc that will apply
to the pohit in queftion. There are indeed
dodtrines taught in it far furpafling the extent
of our underftandings, which muft be receiv-
ed with the obedience of faith, refling on this
folid principle of reafon, that they are reveal-
ed by him who cannot lie. But though there
are deep and infcrutible myfteries in Chrifii-
anity, it is f2.r from being myllerious in all its
parts. Its dilcoveries of the moral character
of God, and of his gracious purpofcs toward
the human race ; its precepts, promifes, and
fandions ; and its general influence upon hu-
man condutit, prefent the nobled and moll:
improving fubjedt of contemplation, in which
the faculties of man can be engaged. In
thefe a well formed mind will talle a pleafurc
and fatisfad:ion flir beyond what all the trea-
fares of fcience and philofophy can bellov/.
It is true, that even in thi^ iludy, certain dif-
ilcullies will at firft be experienced ; bat lliall
it form an objcQion to the purfuit of heaven-
ly v.Midom, tliat it bears an analogy to every
improvement of which the human mind i:i
ful-ceptible ! V/Iicre is the valuabl'j advantage
X 2 that

324 SERMON XVIIL

that is to be acquired without patience, me-
thod, and application ? Shall we exped to be-
come mafters of religious truth, with lefs di-
ligence and application than we beftow on
the rnofc trifling fcience, or the meaneft me-
chanic art ? 1 mean not that it is either ne-
ceiTary or poflible for every private Ciiriftian
to attain a thorough knowledge of theology.
The leiiure and the capacities of men are fo
different, that an equal progrefs in divine
knowledge cannot be fuppofed in every indi-
vidual. This much, however, may be rea-
fonably required and expeded, that perfons
folliciting the outw^ard privileges of religion,
ftiould know the great truths to which thefe
privileges refer — fhould be able to tell what
benefit they exped: from them — fliould be
able to fliew fome fruit of all the inftrud:ions
they receive. Yet how often is even this mo-
derate expectation difappointed? How many
are there to be found in this land of gofpel
Kght. almoft as ignorant of Jefus and his re-
ligion, as thofe who never heard his name ?
How deep muft be their fhame, how heavy
their condemnation, when at laft it fliall ap-
pear in what manner their time has been em-
ployed ?

SERMON XVill. S2S

ployed ? This will flop the mouths of all ig-
norant Chi'illians, and expofe*their vain apo-
logies, when their confciences, awakened by
the dawn of an everlafting day, fliall reproach
them with the hours, days, and months, in
which they fatigued themfelves with vice and
folly, inftead of ftudying how to become wife
unto falvation. The

II. Obfervation from the text was. That
thofe who are not careful to add to their
knowledge, are in danger of lofmg what they
have already acquired.

This was the very cafe of the Hebrews.
They had not been at due pains to increafe
their knowledge, in confcquence of which
negle(5l they were even decayed in their for-
mer attainments. *' Ye are become fuch," fays
the Apoftle, " as have need of milk and not
" of ftrong meat." He does not fay, Ye are
IViil in the condition of babes ; but ye are re-
■ turned or fhrunk back again to that condition,
thereby plainly intimating that there had been
a time when the cafe was otherwife with
them.

X 3 And

326 SERMON XVIIL

And as this propofitlon Is well founded m
the text, fo it is fufficlently fupported both hy
reafon and experience. Our own obferva-
tion, if we have not been extremely inatten-*
tive, cannot fail to furnifli us with inflances
fimilar to what is here recorded. The truth
is, a comprehenfive knowledge of the wholej
in all its conncdlions, is the only fecurity for
the diftindt knowledge, or remembrance of any
one part. Nothing is fo difficult as to rctaiu
the rudiments of any fcience, unlefs we pur-
fue them to their proper life, and difcover
their fubferviency to the general fcheme ta
which they belong.

Let a man be introduced to the view of a
complete piece of machinery, without being
acquainted with the general purpofe it is in-
tended to acGomplifh ; let him furvey every
part of it with the mod minute attention, and
labour to imprint the idea of each as deeply
as poffible in Lis mind ; yet if he fall (hort of
comprehendhig the intention of the whole,
all tliat he has feen will be equally ufelefs to
himfclf and to mankind. His obfervations,
nnconnecfted with any leading principle, will
float, without method or opplication in his

mind ;

SERMON XVIIt. 327

mind ; or if they have any efFe£l, it will be
only to make him rafli and petulant in ha-
zarding opinions on a i'ubjedt which he im-
pcrfeclly underftands.

Oar purfiilt of religious knowledge, under
the difadvantages of our prefent dark and de-
generate ftate, may be compared to a perfon
fvvimming againft the current, who has no
other way to m.aintain his advantage but oy
preffing forward* Our faculties, by difufe,
conirad: a ruft, a difability either for difcern-
ing or purfuing thofe things that are excel-*
lent* Hence the Apoftle fays, at the i4tU
verfe, " Strong meat is for thofe v/ho, by rea-
" fon of ufe, have their fenfes exercifed to
*' difcern between good and evil ;" thereby
intimating, that the mJnd muft be kept in
conftant exercife, otherwife we may lofe the
faculty of diftingulfliing between things the
moft widely different. But this is not all : —
A perfon who ft ops fliort in his purfuit of
religious truth, plainly difcovers that he has
loft that reliili v;lilch alone imprints it in
c'.eep and lafting charadlers on the mind. It
is well known how ilowly \Ve imbibe,, and
how quickly we forget, thofe parts oi learn-
X 4 ing

o

28 SERMON XVIII.

ing which we ftudy with rehidance. No
man v^/ill be careful to prefer ve a matter about
which he is become indifferent, efpecially if
this cannot be done without much labour and
^ittention. Accordingly, it is never fuppofed
in Scripture that we fhould remit our ap-
plication to make further progrefs, through
a lazy fatisfaclion with our prefent attain-
ments. No laint ever fet fuch an example of
ndolent felf contentment. " I count all things
but lofs," ii\id the Apoftle Paul, " for the
excellency of the knowledge of Chrifl. Jefus
my Lord ; for whom I have fuffered the
lofs of all things, and do count them but
dung that 1 may win Chrift, and be found
in him, not having mine own righteoufnefs
which is of the law, but that which is
'through the faith of Chrift, the righteouf-
nefs which is of God by faith ; that I may
know him, and the power of his refurrec-
tion, and the fellowfliip of his fufferings,
being made conformable unto his death ; if
by any means I might attain unto the re-
furret'rtion of the dead : Not as though I had
already attained, either were already per-
fe(5t ; but I follow after, if that I may ap-

" prehend

SERMON XVIII. 329

" prehend that for which alfo I am apprehend-
" ed of Chrift Jefus. Brethren, I count not
" myfelf to have apprehended ; but this one
" thing I do, forgetting thofe things which
" are behind, and reaching forth unto thofe
" things which are before, I preis toward the
" mark, for the prize of the high calling of
" God in Chrift Jefus." The

III. And laft obfervation from the text was
that without a proper acquaintance with the
plain principles of religion, men are utterly
unfit for receiving dodtrines of a higher and
more fpeculative nature.

This is the precife argument of the text
and needs only to be mentioned to force our
aflent. It is faying nothing more ftrange,
than that a perfon, in order to be able to read,
muft firft know letters, a propofition fo plain
and obvious, that it would be ridiculous to at-
tempt a formal proof of it. The operations
of grace, as well as thofe of nature, are, for
the moft part, gradual. Miraculous gifts in-
deed have been enjoyed, and miraculous pro-
grefs hath been made in divine knowledge,
beyond what the common ufe of means could

have

330 $ E R M O N XVItl.

have produced ; but thefe have been rare in-*
fiances for fpecial purpofes in providence,
and are by no means to be expected in the
common courle of things. If, therefore, we
afpire to eminent knowledge in religion, wc
muft begin by cultivating diftintft apprehen-
fions of its firft principles. Nothing has been
of more prejudice to Chriftianity, than the
premature indigefted reafonings of novices,
about its more fpeculative dodilrines, before
thev have been well eftablifhed in its ereat
and fundamental articles. Hence have arifen
all thofe odious names with which particular
fedls have ftigmatifed one another, while, in
contending for the name of difciplt-s, they
have thrown away that badge of charity b^/
which the true difciples of Chrift are mofl
effcdlually diftinguifhed.

Juftly, then, does the Apoftle fay, that
ftrong meat belongeth only to them who, by
reafon of ufe, have their fenfes exercifed to
difcern between good and evil. The meta-
phor is highly proper and fignificant : For as
llrong meat, adminiftered to a weak ftomach,
contributes only to increafe its infirmity ; in
like manner, the more difficult do<5lrines of

Chriftianity,

SERMON XVIII. 331

Chriftianlty, meeting with weak prefump-
tuous underftandings, have no other efFed:
than to fwell the natural vanity of the heart,
which afterwards vents itfelf in words and be-
haviour, equally difhonoufable to God and
ofTenfive to man.

Having thus endeavoured to confirm the
obfervations which naturally arife from the
text, it remains only to make a pradtical ap-
plication of the fubje£t.

In this application, the hearers of the gof-
pel feem to have the firfl. and principal con-
cern. Ye have enjoyed this advantage from
your earlieft years. For the time ye might
have been teachers of others. Let lis fop-
pofe that ye had attended^ as punctually upon
inftfudlion in any other fcience, Would you
not be afliamed, after ten or twentv years, to
own you were as ignorant as the firft month,
and much more afhamed to have it thought
that you were contented to be fo ? Let me
afk, Plow you would tolerate fuch carelefTnefs
and infenfibility in your children, whom you
educate at a great expence, for the purpofcs
of this wodd ? Yet how do the cafes differ ?

— IMucIk

:^Si SERMON XVIlt.

— Much, indeed, in one refpedt ; for a mah
may be happy without human learning, but
without the knowledge of religion, you muff
be miferable for ever, and fo much the more
miferable for the ncgled; of the opportunities
which you have enjoyed. Let me befeech
you to bring this home to your minds. In
all other fubjeds you defire to be well in-
formed. You would not proftitute your time
to a ceremonial attendance of any other kind,
without fome folid and ufeful objed:. You
would not give up four hours in every week,
merely to hear words, without intending to
derive fome inftrud:ion from them. " Take
" heed, then, how ye hear." Be affured we
do not fpeak in vain. Our defedls, indeed,
are many, (w^e do not preach nor live as we
ought to do ; may God pardon and amend
us) ; but we difpenfe the ordinances of God ;
and his word, though dilpenfed by weak un-
fkilful hands, Ihall not return void, but fhall
accompliih the thing whereunto he fent it ; it
fhall either be the favour of life unto life, or
of death unto death to your fouls.

Again, ye have heard that they who are
not careful to add to, their knowledge, are in

danger

SERMON XVIII. 333

danger of lofing what they had formerly ac-
quired. Beware, then, of refting fatisfied
with your prefent attainments, but follow on
to know the Lord. Be afliduous to improve
the advantages ye poffefs, for growing in
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jelus Chrift, that ye may walk worthy
of God unto all pleafmg, being fruitful in every
good w^ork, and increafmg in the knowledge
of God. — Strengthened with all might, ac-
cording to his glorious power ; continuing
in the faith, grounded and fettled, and not
moved from the hope of the gofpel which ye
have heard.

Once more — Ye have heard, that without
a proper acquaintance with the plain princi-
ples of religion, men are unfit to receive doc-
trines of a higher and more fpeculative na-
ture. Kxped not, then, that we fhould ftudy
your amufement at the expence of your edi-
fication. There are perfons, perhaps, who
exped: us to difcufs fome nice ponits in ca-
fuiftry, or to clear up fome controverted points
in divinity ; in fliort, who would take it kind-
ly, if, dropping the common topics, which
have been long and much worn in the fervice

of

3J4 SERMON XVIIL

of religion, we provided fome frefli ones al-
ways for their entertainment. This may be
very proper in its feafon, and, fo far as it is
fit, a faithful minifter of Chrift will not be
wanting to their expedation ; for he has ga-
thered nothing in all the ftores of divine
knowledge, of which he is not willing that
they fliould partake. But in common, this
indulgence is entirely out of place. The plain-
eft and moft pradlical truths are firft of all to
be inculcated. Many more ftand in need of
thefe than of novelties in fpeculation ; and
even of thofe who call out for fuch, many
make the demand with a very bad grace.
They might be amufed, perhaps, with a cu-
rious diicuflion ; but what if their fenfe of di-
vine things be dead ? What if they need to
have their minds ftimulated, and their con-
fciences alarmed w^ith the terrors of God's
word. When our Lord v/as aiked, by a cu-
rious inquirer, if there were fev/ that fhouid
be laved, inftead of anrwering diredly to ihe
queflion, he addreiled the perfon v;ith a prac-
tical exhortation, " Strive to enter in at the
*' rtrait gate, for many, I fay unto you, ihall
" feek to enter in, and fhall not be able." If

any

SERMON XVIII. 335

any of a fimilar charader iLoiild attend our
aflemblies, let them not think it ilrange, if
we imitate fo high an example, by preferring
to impart to them the plaineft and fimplcft,
becaufe the mod neceflliry truths ; efpecially
as it cannot be doubted that the Apoflle's re-
proof in the text is Hill applicable to many
hearers of the gofpel : — " For when for the
' time ye ought to be teachers, ye have nee.l
' that one teach you again, which be the lirlt
' principles of the oracles of God ; and are
* become Aich as have need of milk, and not
' of fironcr meat," Amen.

S E R.

336

SERMON XIX.

II. Corinthians, vi. i.

ifVe tht7y^ as workers together with hinu befeech
you cilfo^ that ye receive not ibc'^race of God
in vain.

NOTHING can be conceived more en-
couraging to creatures, in our feeble
and depraved fituation, than thofe views oF
the Supreme Being difclofed by the Apoftle,
in the concluding part of the former chapter.
There God is reprefented in the charaifters of
condefcenfion and grace, fo perfedly fuited
to our neceffitous and guilty condition, as
muft rencer him the objed of our-fupreme
love, and unreferved confidence.

The firft queftion that will always occur to
an aw^akcned fmncr, hath been exprefled by
the Prophet Micah, in thefe words: " Where-
" with fhall I come before the Lord, and bow
" myfelf before the high God?" and the on-

SERMON XIX. n^^y

iy anfwer to this qiieftloii, which an unen-
lightened mind can fuggeft, hath alfo been
exprefled by the fame Prophet, in the form of
another queftion, " ShiiU I come before him
*' with burnt offerings, with calves of an year
" old ? Will the Lord be pleafed with thou-
*' fands of rams, or with ten thoufand rivers
" of oil ? Shall I give my firft born for my
*' tranfgreirion, the fruit of my body for the
" fm of my foul r" A confcience alarmed
with a fenfe of guilt, naturally reprefents the
Moft I-iigh as clothed with terrible majelly, as
a God of vengeance, a ftern unrelenting cre-
ditor, demanding payment even to the utter-
moft farthing. And however the advocates
for the light of nature may boaft of their dif-
coveries, it may be pronounced impofhble for
unafTiiled reafon, proceeding on found prin-
ciples, to difcover any means whereby guilty
creatures can hope to fatisfy the juftice, or re-
gain the friendfliip of their Maker. All our
knowledge, vvith regard to ihis fuhjed', muft
flow from revelation alone. The fanO.ions of
juPilce may indeed be comprehended by hu-
man reafon; but juftice demands inexorably
the puniihment of traufgrefTors. Juftice ad-
VoL. IV. Y ' mits

33^ SERMON XIX.

mits no claim for the exercife of mercy. Nay
more, mercy does not even come within the
ftr£l conception of legal adminiftration ; but
is an a6t of pure prerogative, having no
other meafure than the will of the fovereign.
«' And who knoweth the mind of the Lord,
*' or who hath been his counfellor.'* None
elfe but the only begotten Son, who is in the
bolom of the Father, and hath declared him
unto us: And this is the name whereby he
hath made him known, God is love.

What the Apoftle fays, chapter 5th, verfe
18. has a ftronger fignilication than is com-
monly attended to, " All things are of God."
It not only imports that all things owe their
exiftence to God, and are the efFed:s of his
creating power, but farther, that all the mo-
tives to exercife that power are of himfelf
likewife. He finds them in his own perfedt
n:iiure ; and every exertion of power, whe-
ther for producing being or happinefs to any
of his creatures, is the ipontaneous a.Ci of his
effential goodnels and benignity. Why did
God creat-e a w^orld ? No oiher anfwer can
be civen to this queftion, but that it was his
fovereign pleafure {o to do. No other reafon,

but

SERMON XIX. 339

but the fame foverelgn pleafurc, can be af-
figned for man's exiftence on earth, with all.
the honours conferred on hhn at his firft cre-
ation. And now that man hath forfeited thefe
honours, and incurred the penalty annexed
to his difobedience, whither fhall we refort to
iind an inducement for his Creator fnewing
him mercy ? Can rebellion, outrageous un-
provoked rebellion, furnifh a motive to pity ?
Can deformity and pollution prefent any at-
tradions of love ? No, it is manifeft that af-
ter all our refearches, w^e muft finally have
recourfe to what God himfelf faid to Mofes
of old, " I will be gracious to whom I will
" be "^racious, and will (hew mercy on whom
" I will ihew mercy." Upon this principle
the Apo'ille proceeds in the paffage I have
quoted : " All things are of God," faith he,
*' who hath feconciled us to himfelf by Jefus
" Chrili, and hath given to us the miniilry
" of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in
" Chrift reconciling the world unto himfelf,
*' not imputing their trefpaffes unto them."
He it was who gracioully fpared thofe rebe s
whom his righteous vengeance might have
crulhed ; and who, inllead of requiring the

Y 2 fruit

j4o S E R AI O N XIX.

fruit of our body for the fui of our foul,
withheld not his own Son as the ranfom of
our tranfgreffions, but gave him up to the
death for us, that we might live through him.
Having thus, by his infinite wifdom, and felf-
moving goodnefs, opened a way for extend-
ing mercy to offenders, confident with the ho-
nour of his perfedlions, he proceeds to com-
plete the gracious plan, by fending forth fome
of the apoRate race, as ambaffadors for Chrift,
to befeech fnmers in his own nanae, and in
Chrifl's (lead, to be reconciled to God. Paul
was one of thefe cliofen inftruments, and ac-
cordingly he fiiles himfelf in the text " a
" worker together with God," and in this
character befeecheth the Corinthians, in the
mod carneft manner, " not to receive the
*** grace of God in vain."

The fame exhortation I now addrefs to you^
deeming it peculiarly feafonable, in the near
view we have of celebrating that folemn or-
dinance of our religion, in which the grace
of God appears in all its luftre and glory. It
feems unneceflary to employ many words in
explaining the exhortation, its meaning being
fo clearly aicertained by the connection iu

which

SERMON XIX. 341

which it ftands, as to be obvious to every in-
telligent reader. x^U that is needful to be ob-
fcrved is, that we are to look for the true im-
port of the grace of God, which the Apoftle
befeecheth the Corinthians not to receive in
vain, in that miniftry or word of reconcilia-
tion, which he had already faid was commit-
ted to himfelf, and to his brethren in the
Apoftlefhip, This plainly appears to confift
of two parts :

ly?. The declaration of an important fad",
" God was in Chrift reconciling the world
** unto himfelf." And,

idly^ An exhortation founded on this fad,
*' We pray you in Chrift ftead be ye recon-
" ciled to God."

Hence it is evident, that receiving this grace
of God, imports neither more nor lefs than
believing the fad:, and complying with the
exhortation, and, confqquently, every thing
fliort of this is receiving the grace of God in
vain. Without any farther explanation, there-
fore, -I Ihall now proceed to prefs the exhor-
tation, by the moft powerful arguments that i
am able to prefent to your minds.

Y 3 Let

342 SERMON XIX.

Let me befcech you, then, not to receive
the grace of God in vain, — by the confider-
ation of the mifery and abjed: bondage of
your condition, while you continue thus per-
verfe and ungrateful. I will not enter in-
to any fpeculative difquifition with regard
to the pretenfions of natural religion. — Whe-
ther thcfe who never heard of the grace of
God revealed in the gofpel may yet be fav-
ed, by the efficacy of an unknown atone-
ment, is a queftion with which we have little
concern. 1 fpeak at prefent to thofe whofe
fate has nothing to do with the determination
of this queftion. What fay the Scriptures of
truth with refpeG: to them ? " He that be-
" lieveth on the Son hath life" — ponder what
follows — " he that believeth not the Son fhall
" not fee life, but the wrath of God abideth
" on him." How awful are thefe words,
*' God is angry with the wicked every day. —
" He hath bent his bow and made it ready ;
" he hath alfo prepared for him the inftru-
*' ments of death." And O how hopelefs a
warfare is that which you have undertaken !
is there any that ever hardened himfelf againft
God and profpered ? Is there any ftrong hold

or

SERMON XIX. 343

or lurking place, where the enemies of his
government may be fafe ? Go try the whole
creation round. Afcend to heaven, and he is
there in the brightnels of his majefly. Go
down to the regions of darkneis, and he is
there in the feverity of his juRice. Take the
wings of the morning, and fly to the utter-
moft parts of the fea, even there his bound-
lefs dominion extends ; even there his right
hand fhall hold thee a prifoner to his ven-
geance. Go afk protection from the higheft:
angel, and he will tell you that one Cm ruin-
ed myriads of his companions, and hov/ then
fhould he protect you from the penalty. of
multiplied tranfgreffions : And if fo exalted a
being cannot help you, what can vou hope
from any other part of the "creation ? " Sure-
" ly in vain is falvation looked for from the
" hills and from the mountains." There is no
other deliverer than this Jefus whom we
pre ch. He is the alone furety that can pay
all our debt ; and even he can proiit: us no-
thing, till we receive him into our hearts by
faith. Till that happy moment, the weight
of all our fins lies on ourfelves, and nothing;
but the brittle thread of life fufpends us from
Y 4 finking

344 SERMON XIX.

finking for ever into the pit where there is no
hope.

But the profpe^t of impending mifery is
not the only circumftance that characlerizeth
your unhappy condition. Prefent bondage —
diftrading and difgraceful bondage, is no lefs
juft a defcripiion of your ftate. The enemy
of God and man rules in your hearts, and, by
his imperious commands, all your inclinations
and a(flions are fwayed. It is pofTible, indeed,
that this Ihameful flavery may be unknown to
yourfelves. You may flatter yourfelves with
a luppofed liberty, and even boaft of your
freedom from thofe reftraints to which the re-
ligious part of mankind are fubje6t. But be
affured this is no proof that your fhackles are
not real and binding. The tyrant, to whom
you are fubjed, rules by deceit ftill more than
by force, and all his artifices are uled to blind
the eyes of his prifoners. Nay, it may be
aflerted with confidence, that if you have not
felt your chains — if you have not been con-
fcious of a ftruggle in getting free of them,
your redemption is not yet begun : For vio-
lence there muft be, and violence that cannot
but be felt, ere the ufurper of your liberty be

de-.

SERMON XIX. 345

dethroned. Such, then, is your unhappy and
difgraceful condition, while ye receive the
grace of God in vain. And let me remind
you, that this is no painting of mine. I have
only declared what the oracles of truth have
pronounced ; and to their fentence you mull
fuhmit, or take the bold ftep of calling God a
liar. In the

id Place, let me befeech you not to receive
the grace of God in vain, by the confideration
of the happinefs of thofe who give it a full and
cordial reception. Every one of this happy
number is juftified from the guilt of all his
iniquities ; and fay, whether you have well
weighed the value even of this loweft privi-
lege of believers. I am aware that thought-
lefs tranfgreflbrs can have no conception of
its importance ; in their mad and defperate
folly they even make a mock at fm, and de-
ride the fears of the contrite and penitent.
But go afk the pardoned fumer what he
thinks of the benefit of forgivennefs. Hear
rhe grateful accents of one v/ho fpokc from
deep and thorough experience. " Blefied is
" he whofe tranfgrelfion is forgiven, whofe
** fm is covered ; blelied is the man [o w^hom

'' the

346 SERMON XIX.

" the Lord imputeth not iniquity: — For day
*' and night thine hand was heavy on me, fo
" that my moifture is turned into the drought
*' of" fummer. — O Lord my God, I cried un-
" to thee, and thou haft healed me. Thou
" haft brought up my foul from the grave ;
" thou haft kept me alive, that I ftiould not
*' go down into the pit ; thou haft put off my
" fackcloth, and girded me with gladnefs. —
" 'I herefore fhall every one that is godly pray
" unto thee, in a time when thou mayeft be
" found ; and 1 will give thanks unto thee, O
*' Lord my God, for ever and ever." But this
forgivennefs, precious and invaluable as it is,
it nly the introdudory bleffing bcftowed on
thole who give the grace of God a full and
cordial reception. Being juftified by faith, they
have peace with God, and peace with their
own confcience. The caufe of enmity being
removed, they are reftored to friendlhip with
their Maker. God is not aftiamed to be cal-
led their Father, nor relu<flant to beitow on
them all the blcflings and honours that per-
tain to his children. Hence the rapturous
gratitude of the Apoftle John, too big for ex-
preflion, and yet, by the very want of ex-

preftion.

SERMON XIX.

347

prefTion, more forcible than the moft defcrip-
tive eloquence. " Beloved, now are we the
" ions of God, and it doth not yet appear
" what we Ihall be, but we know that when
" he (hall appear we Ihall be like him, for we
** fhall fee him as he is." The meaneft indi-
vidual, nay, the moft abandoned finner that
now hears me, may yet become an heir of
God, and a joint heir v/ith Chrift, a king and
prieft unto God, and a pillar in the heavenly
temple, never to be removed. Let your de-
fires foar to the greateii height, ftretch vour
imaginations to the utmoft, — yet the liberality
of God will be ftill more unbounded. Much
he hath promifed to beftow on his people,
and many limilitudes he hath condefcended
to ufe, that their flow minds might be affifted
in conceiving his bounty ; but no where hath
he faid this is all your portion, or beyond thi&
no more is to be expeded. No, his bounty
will be an everlafting fountain, and benefits
for ever (hall nourifli eternal gratitude in the
bofoms of the redeemed. " For he that fpa-
" red not his own Son, but gave him up to
" the death for us all, how {hall he not with
" him alio freely give us all things." Perufe

the

34S SERMON XIX.

the valedidory difcourfe of our Lord to his
difcipleS) and learn from it what you may
lawfully expedl from a reconciled Father.
All your prayers fhall be heard. The Com-
forter, even the Holy Ghoft, fhall come into
your hearts, and lead you into the knowledge
of all truth. Ye fhall he made fruitful in the
works of righteoufnefs, God himfelf fhall
make his abode with you. Ye (hall be kept
from the evil of the world while in it, and at
laft ye fhall be where your exalted Redeemer
is, to behold his glory, and to partake of his
blifs.

And fhall thefe confiderations be ftill in-
fufficient to determine your choice. O v/on-
der not at the unbelieving Jews, who perfe-
cuted and flew the Lord of life. Let not
your indignant fentiments rife at their injuf-
tice and cruelty. Their fm and folly were
light compared with yours, who now reject
his counfel, and defpife his grace. Their
fcorn was excited by his mean appearance,
and they hid their faces from him, becauie
difauiied in the form of a fervant. But I
will tell you a thing mere horrible and afto-
nifhing : The Son of God, ciothed in all the

mild

SERMON XIX. 249

mild glory of an exalted Saviour, and ftretch-
ing forth his hands to beflow all the bleffings
purchafed with his blood, is flill defpifed and
rejeded. x'^nd thou, O impenitent finner, art
the man guilty of this contempt and ingrati-
tude ; — yet, blefled be God, though you may
juftly be charged with this almoft incredible
guilt, I am ftill warranted to befeech you, in
the

3^ and lajl place, Not to receive the grace of
God in vain, by the confideration of the riches
of his long fuffering and forbearance. Long as
his mercy has been infulted, it is flill in your of-
fer. I need not appeal to particular pafTages
of Scripture to confirm this comfortable truth.
It appears confpicuoufly through the whole
tenor of revelation, every page of which con*
tains the language of love and compaffion to
finners. Review^ the hiiloiy of Jefus, and
after you have feen what he hath already
done for our fakes, try if you can poffibly
queftion his good will. Did he condefcend
to be clothed with our mortal flefh, and will
he difdain the entertainment of an afFedtion-
ate and grateful heart ? Did he bleed and die
on the crofs for our fins, and will he fail to

perfe<^

350 SERMON XIX.

perfect his work in our falvation ? — It was a
powerful argument which the Apoftle Paul
employed on a certain occafion with Agrippa,
' Believeft thou the Prophets V So fay I to
vou, Do you believe the hiftory of your Sa-
viour, as recorded by four Evangelifts ? How
do you read them ? What was it that afFeded
him with grief — was it not the hardnefs of
men's hearts ? What was it that drew tears
from his compafTionate eyes — was it not the
view of Jerufalem, that impenitent city, which
knew not, or regarded not, the day of its
merciful vifitation ? Nay, what was the er-
rand on which he folemnly declared himfelf
to be come into the world — was it not to ' feek
* and to fave them who were loft.' — And, O!
will ye counteract, by your obftinate folly, all
thefe gracious intentions on his part. Will ye
perfift in rejecting his grace, until ye have ex-
torted vengeance and indignation from him
whofe heart is love ? How dreadful, in that
cafe, muft your doom be ! — As ye love your
fouls, be warned in time againft this defpe-
rate, this ruinous madnefs. The gracious call
iViil refouniis in your ears, * to-day if ye will
^ hear his voice, harden not your hearts.'

And

SERMON XIX. 351

And we, as ambafladors, are Hill charged to
' befeech you, In Chrift's ftead, be ye recon-
* ciled to God.'

And now let me afk. What imprefTion
thefe plain and obvious remonftrances have
made on your minds ? What may be their ef-
fed:, I cannot foretel. This I know that could
I hope to fucceed better, I would with plea-
fure come .down, and addrefs each of you,
even on my bended knees, obtefting you by
every folemn, every tender argument, to fly
from the wrath to <:ome. 1 eafily forefee the
time, when the remembrance of this offered
grace ihall either fill you with joy unutter-
able, or with fruitlefs and everlafting anguifh.
For whatever thoughtlefs fmners may ima-
gine, no word of God fhall ever return to
him void, but fhall accomplilh the purpofe
for which he fends it. " We are a fweet fa-
*' vour to God," faith the Apoftle Paul, " in
" you that believe, and in you that perifli ;
" to the one we are the favour of life unto life,
" and to the other of death unto death." 1 am
aware that pleadings of this kind are fome-
times treated with ridicule ; but the time is
at hand when the fcoffer Ihall be made fober ;

the

352

SERMON XIX.

the view of death may do it — the day of
judgment certainly will.

Now, then, is the accepted time. Now you
may obtain an interell in this Saviour ; and if
you apply to liim, as fure as God liveth, you
lliall find mercy. Thus far 1 can go ; but
one ftep farther I cannot proceed upon fure
«TDund. I cannot promil'e you on any future
time. If you reject the counfel of God now,
I cannot affure even the youngeft of you of
another opportunity. Before to-morrow your
doom may be iixed unalterably. May God
enable you to profit by thefe inftrudions, and
to his name be praife. Amen.

S E R-

35:!>

SERMON XX.

I. John, il. 15.

Love not the njoorld^ neither the things that are
in the world : If any man love the world ^
the love of the Father is not in him.

FROM thefe words I propofe, by divine
affiftaiice,

I. To defcribe that excefTive or finful love
of the world, from which the Apoftle here
diffuades us.

II. To inquire wherein the . malignity of
this fin confifts,

III. To lay before you a few fymptoms of
a worldly mind, and examine fome of the
apologies upon which men flatter themfelves
with being free of it. And,

IV. To enforce the exhortation, and give
fome diredions how to get this undue affec-
tion towards earthly things mortified and fiib-
dued.

Vol. IV. Z I

3^4 SERMON XX.

I. It will readily occur to you, that the ex-
hortation is to be underftood under certain
reftridions. The place of his works, which
God has appointed us to inhabit, cannot in
itfelf be fuppofed an objed: deferving our a-
verfion or diflike. This would be to impeach
the goodnefs of our Creator, and to tax his
handy work with imperfedion. We may
lawfully love the world, as it is the work-
manfhip of God, and the mirror in which we
behold the perfedions of the invifible Crea-
tor. Creation is a large inftrudive volume,
and the fenfe of every line is God. The pro-
per ufe of all the creatures is to lead us up-
wards to him that made them, and to kindle
in our fouls the warmeft gratitude to that un-
wearied benefador, who has provided fo li-
berally for our comfort and happinefs. They
are naturally the means of fupporting our bo-
dies while we are employed in thofe duties
which we owe to God, and they alfo enable
us to fupply the wants of others, to lefTen the
miferies, and to heighten the lawful joys of
our fellow creatures. On all thefe accounts
we may and ought to value them as real blef-

fmgs,

SERMON XX. -sS

fings, which may be improved to the mod im-
portant purpofes.

• But our love of the world becomes excef-
five and iinful, when we give it that room iq
our hearts which is only due to God ; wheri
it is defired, for its own fake, as a fufEcient
portion, independent of his favour and friend-
fhip. If the world will keep its due place, it
may be valued and efteemed in that place ;
but if it ufurp an higher ftation, and promife
more than it is able to give, it muft be rejed:-
ed, as a deceiver, with abhorrence and con-
tempt. When we feek after earthly things,
merely that our inordinate defires may be gra-
tified, that the pride of our hearts may be
cherifhed, or our ambition attain its objed: ;
when we are not contented with our daily
bread, and that portion of the good things of
life which is fufficient to fuftain us during our
pilgrimage to a better country — then is our
love of the world undue and excefiive; and
the more we defire it under fuch views, the
worle, the more corrupted and ellranged from
the love of God will our hearts become. Tnis
leads me,

Z 2 II.

356 SERMON XX.

IT. To inquire "wherein die malignity of
this fin confifts. This will be mod efFedual-
]y illuftrated, by confidering how deeply it
taints the whole character and principles of
adion.

There are fins which only engage particu-
lar faculties of our nature in their fervice.
Thus the love of pleafure is chiefly feated in
the fenfes and the imagination. While thefe
are ftrongly agitated by a particular entice-
ment, confclence may indeed be totally over-
powered for a feafon, and the perfon be car-
ried along by an headftrong irrefiftible im-
pulfe ; But the moral faculties have afterwards
leifurc to refume their influence ; reafon is
again at liberty to rcprefent the pernicious
confequences of tranfgrefllon; and experience
is ahvays at hand to convince the finner how
inconvenient and dangerous his forbidden
pleafures are.

But no fuch checks are ready to occur to
the man in w^hom the love of the world pre-
dominates. His fin is of deliberate choice,
and engages the whole man. in purfuit of it.s
own ends. It is not an error about the
means,, it is not feeking a right cntl in a mif-

taken

SERMON XX. 357

taken v/ay; but it is purfuing a falfe and per-
nicious end, with care, anxiety, and fclf-ap-
probation. Hence it is called in Scripture
Idolatry, not from any refemblance it has
to the outward a6t of falling down before
flocks or ftones, but becaufe it entirely dif-
places our affedions from their proper obje«f^,
and leads them to the preference of an unjuft
and delufive rival. Hence it is alTerted, by
the Apoftle James, that " the friendfliip of
" the world is enmity to God." It is not
merely a want of affedion to our Maker,
which more or lefs characterifes every iin ;
but it is an abfolute oppofition and hatred to
him, fo that, in the language of the text, " it
*' any man love the world, the love of the
" Father is not in him."

From thefe confiderations, it is evident that
this fm ftands as it w^ere at the moft remote
diftance from repentance. It overfpreads the
mind fo entirely as to leave in it no found
principle to withftand the progrefs of com-
plete alienation from God. It refembles thofe
difeafes which do not attack one part of the
body only, but which invade the whole con-
jlituticn. And it refembles fuch difeafes in

Z 3 another

358 SERMON XX.

another refped alfo, that the perfon Is feldoiri
convinced of their reality, until the app "oach

of a fatal termination renders it imDoffible for

1.

him longer to deceive himfelf.

This reafoning is confirmed by experience.
No fault of the mind is in fad: fo rarely cur-
ed as a wordly difpofition. Age and expe-
rience, Vi^hich often bring a remedy with them
for other follies, only confirm and increafe the
habits of an earthly mind. Even on the brink
of the grave, when every other paffion and
defire has been extinguiflied, it has been
known to occupy the departing fpirit, with an
anxiety little, if at all inferior, to that which
animated its moO: adive purfuits.

Such is the peculiar malignity, and dange-
rous nature of this fin. But as few will de-
fend this criminal difpofition diredly, and as
many who are enflaved by it are ready enough
to join in generally condemning it, I pro-
ceed,

lii. To lay before you a few fymptoms of
a worldly mind, and to examine fome of the
apologies upon which men flatter themfelves
with being free of it.

1/?,

SERMON XX. 359

ly?, Then, we love the world plainly to
€xcefs, when we ufe any unlawful means to
obtain its advantages. This is a mark which
cannot well be controverted ; and yet how
many will it involve in the charge of a world-
ly mind ! Prove yourfelves, then, by this cha-
radteriftic. Would any profped of gain tempt
you to cheat or dilTemble ? Will your con-
fciences allow you to go beyond or defraud
your neighbour, providing you can do it in a
way fo fecret' as to defy human difcovcry ?
Does it feem a light matter to you to take
advantage of the fimplicity or ignorance of
others in the courfe of bufmefs ? If fo, your
minds are indeed deeply corrupted ; and it is
not regard to God, or his law, but to your
own credit and fafety, which reftrains you
from the moft flagrant ads of injuftice. Such
perfons may affure themfelves, without far-
ther examination, that the love of the Father
is not in them, and that their hearts are whol-
ly alienated from God : For, as the Apoftle to
the Romans argues, " Know ye not that to
*' whom ye yield yourfelves fervants to obey,
** his fervants ye are to whom ye obey, whe-
" ther of fm unto death, or of obedience un-

Z 4 *' to

36o S E R M O N XX.

" to righteoufnefs. And no man can ferve
" two maflers, for either he will hate the one
" and love the other, or elfe he will hold to
" the one and love the other; ye cannot ferve
" God and Mammon."

idly^ We love the world to excefs, when,
in the enjoy;ment of its good things, we are
ready to fay, with the rich man reprefented
in our Lord's parable, " Soul take thine eafe,
" thou haft goods laid up for many years,
" eat, drink, and be merry." Too much
complacency, in what we pofTefs, is no lefs
an evidence of a worldly mind than an
exceffive defire of more. Examine your-
felves, then, wuth regard to the fource whence
you derive your pleafures — from heaven or
from earth — from the abundance of corn, and
wane, and oil— or fi-om the light of God's
reconciled countenance ? Can you furrender
yourfelves to the relifli of earthly enjoy-
ments, without any acknowledgment of him
who beftovvTs them ? When riches increafe, do
you yield yourfelves to the fatisfadions arif--
ing from them, without coniidering the true
ftate of your fouls, whether they be growing
jn the favour of God. and in meetnefs for the

heavenly

SERMON XX. 361

heavenly mheritance ? If fo, the world has
deceived you, and God has little room in your
affedions.

3^/y, The world predominates in our hearts,
when it engroffes the principal train of our
thoughts, when it is the lafl idea that polTef-
feth us when we lie down, and the firft when
we arife ; when it diftradls us in, our atten-
dance on the duties of religion, interrupts our
devotion in prayer, diverts our attention in
hearing, and fetters our minds in meditation.
I mean not to alTert, that every degree of in-
fluence which it has in thefe refpedts, betrays
its abfolute afcendency over the mind ; for
who then could free himfelf of this charge I
— But when thele worldly thoughts engrofs
the mind by its own confent, w^hen they
make us grudge the time beftowed on reli-
gion, and eager to refume our earthly occupa-
tions, as foon as we have lulled our con-
fciences with an unmeaning attendance on its
ordinances — when, like the Jews of old, -ve
fay of the Sabbath, " vrhat a wearinefs ! when
" will it be over, that we may fell corn/ —
This is not only a preferring of the world to
God, but in reality a folemn mockery of him,

not

362 SERMON XX.

not lefs provoking than open profanity itfelf.
The

/^th and loft mark of a worldly mind which
I fhall mention, is unmercifulnefs to the poor.
Thofe who have a large meafure of temporal
goods beftowed on them, ought certainly, in
proportion to their abundance, to contribute
to the neceffities of their fellow creatures.

This is evidently the defign of providence
in permitting, or rather appointing, fuch ex-
^eme diverfities of condition in the world.
But too many of the opulent feem to think
no fuch duty required of them. They flatter
themfelves that they do all that is incumbent
on them in this refped:, if, by the plenty of
their tables, the fplendour of their dwellings,
the fumptuoufnefs of their equipage, and
other articles of their luxury, they find em-
ployment for the poor in providing for their
confumption. This, indeed, is an eventual
btnefit 10 fociety, but is far from abfolving;
them from the obligation they owe to it,
much lels does it acquit them of their duty
to him. who favoured them with fuch diftin-
gi^iihed.'bleflings : For what mark of grati-
rude to God is it, that we confume his boun-
ty

SERMON XX. ^6^

ty upon our own pleafures, although, in fo
doing, we cannot avoid diftributing a part of
it to our fellow creatures ?

Such perfons. whatever they may think of
thcnifelves, how remote foever they may
think a worldly character from being appli-
cable to them, are in fad deeply chargeable
with it. Perhaps they even do give a part of
their fuperfluity for the relief of their bre-
thren, and eitimating that by its proportion to
what others give, and not to the extent of
their own means, think themfelves uncom-
monly bountiful. But this is a grofs decep-
tion, and will be found fo in the day when
every falfe pretence fhall be detected before
the judgment feat of Chrift. Then (hall they
be found among thofe who loved the world,
and in whofe heart the love of the Father had
no place.

Thefe fymptoms, if properly attended to,
may be of confiderable ufe towards difcover-
ing the true fiate of your chara6ters in this
refped. But as the heart is deceitful, and as
we are extremely prone to flatter ourfelves
that we are free of *his criminal difpofition,
it may be proper to endeavour, before clofmg

this

3^4 SERMON XX.

this head of difcourfe, to deted fome of thofc
falfe apologies upon which men flatter them-
felves that they are not chargeable with it.

One concludes thus in his own favour, bc-
caufe he is poor, and neceflity obliges him to
work for his daily bread. How (fays he)
lliould I be fufpe£ted of a criminal love to the
world, when I poifefs fo little of it, and can,
by all my labour, procure fo few of its ad-
vantages ? But this is a very deceitful ground
of reafoning. He who lacks riches, may love
them as well as he who poffefles them : And
therefore if you be difcontented with your
ftate — if you envy thofe above you — if, in
your habits of thought, you confider wealth
and happinefs as infeparable — and if your di-
ligence to prepare for another world be not
fuperior to your induftry in endeavouring to
obtain a Ihare of this — the world is ftill your
idol^ " and the love of the Father is not in

*' VOU.

Another flatters himfelf that he has no un-
due attachment to the world, becaufe he does
not proJ£<fl for himfelf any great or extenfive
acquifitions in it, — very fmall matters would
fatisfv him, and a moderate competence is all

that

SERMON XX. 3^S

that lie defires. But if your hearts are more
fet on thefe fuppoied moderate matters than
on the heavenly inheritance, you are ftill
Haves to the world ; and the more mean and
inexcufable you are, that your objedt is fo trif-
ling and inconfiderable.

Eefides, this is a very indecifive mode of
reafoning. He that engages to feek only a
competence^ takes on himfelf a very eafy en-
gagement, becaufe he binds himfelf only to a
condition which is to be afcertained by his
own opinion. The moft covetous man on
earth may make the fame profeflion, provid-
ed you leave him to be the judge of what that
competency amounts to. Look above you to
the fuperior ranks of fociety, and fee whether
their extenfive pofTeflions extinguifh their de-
fires for more. Is not the reverfe the fa(fl: ?
The richeft are often in as great neceffity as
the moft indigent — as often, at leaft, (and it is
not feldom), as the imaginary wants, created
by luxury, exceed their means of gratifying
them. The decifive inquiry is not how much
you defire, but for w^hat ends you dcfire it.

A third conceives a favourable opinioa of
himfelf, becaufe he ufes no unlawful means

to

S66 SERMON XX.

to rife in the world. Now this is in fo far good
—and would to God we could all fay as much
for ourfelves. But even this is not deciiive
in the point ; for a man may love the world
inordinately, who would neither fteal, nor
rob, nor diffemble, in order to enrich him-
felf. The fad; is, thofe who have a jufl and
fteady fenfe of their intereft, find that thefe
are by no means the befl v^ays of advancing
it.

A good charader is fo neceffary to carry-
ing on w^orldly bufmefs of any kind with fuc-
cefs, that a wije man in his generation will be
fair and honeft in his dealings, from mere re-
gard to his own advantage. But with all this
prudential regard, coinciding with feeming
virtue, his afFedtions may be entirely placed
on the world, to the exclufion of things fpi-
ritual and everlafting, which is the very
charader defcribed and condemned in the
text.

But, fays a fourth, it is impofFible that I
ihould love the world to excels, for it is the
very vice which 1 principally hate and con-
demn in others. — But alas, fo do many thou-
sands

SERMON XX. 367

fands who arc themTelvcs abject flaves to the
world, to the convi(Slion of every perfon but
themfelvcs. It would indeed be utterly afto-
nifhing to obferve, how keenly worldly men
inveigh againft the fame difpofitions in others,
if this account of the appearance did not of-
fer itfelf, viz. that the more they are rivals in
this love, the more mutual jealoufy and re-
fentment muft arife in their minds ; or, to
fpeak without any figure, the more covetous
their neighbours are, the more they ftand in
the way to prevent their obtaining the emo-
luments they defire for themfelves.

I will mention but one more pretence by
which men deceive themfelves in the refpedt
we are confidering, and that is the relolution
of leaving their fubftance to charitable pur-
pofes when they die. — But ah ! what an ab-
furd delufion is this — to oifer their worldly
poiTefnons to God, after they have abufed
them while they could, and can now retain
them no longer. But upon this point I need
not dwell longer j for although an abufe very
common in former times, it is one with
which the prefent age is not peculiarly charge-
able.

S6S SERMON XX.

able. " Be not deceived then, God is not
*' mocked. Whatfoever a man foweth, that
" fhall he alfo reap. He that foweth to the
" llelh, fhall of the flefli reap corruption ; but
" he that foweth to the Spirit, fliall of the
** Spirit reap life everlafting." Amen.

SER.

3^1)

SERMON XXI.

I. John, li. 15.

Love not the world^ neither the things that ard
in the iziorld ; if any man love the vjorld^
the love of the Father is not in him,

I HAVE already defcribcd that excefuve
love of the world from which the A-
poftle here diffuades us ; and reprefented to
you the greatnefs and malignity of the fm.
I alfo laid before you fome fyniptoms of an
earthly mind, and endeavoured to dete(St the
falfehood of thofe pretences, by which too
many impofe on their confciences, and flatter
themfelves that their love of the world is no
greater than it ought to be. I nov/ proceed
to enforce the exhortation, and to offer a few
diredtions for the help of thofe who are de-
firous of having their affeclions weaned irom
Vol. IV. A a ihe

370 SERMON XXI.

the world, that they may rife upward to fpi-
ritual things. Confider then,

I. That this undue attachment to the world
is abfolutely inconfiftent with the love of
God. This is the Apoftle's argument in the
text. " If any man love the world, the love
*' of the Father is not in him." — No man,"
faid our bleffed Lord, " can ferve two maf-
" ters ; for either he will hate the one, and
" love the other ; or elfe he will hold to the
" one, and defpife the other. Ye cannot ferve
" God and Mammon." Hence covetous men
are ftiled idolaters. They rejed: the true
God, and fubftitute an idol in his room ; they
put the creature in place of the Creator ; and
make the gifts of his bounty, which fhould
knit their hearts to him, the occafions of ali-
enating their affedlions from him.

I am aware that worldly men are very un-
willing to acknowledge this charge, and
would be highly offended fhould any accufe
them diredtly of hating the God that made
them. There is fomething fo monftrous and
fhocking in the idea of hatred and enmity
againft God, that it is (carcely to be fuppofed

any

SERMON XXL 371

any thinking man can reconcile himfelf to it.
But be affured this charge, however odious it
may appear, will be made good againft every
worldly man at laft ; and therefore, as you
would avoid the fhame of Handing before the
judgment feat in fuch a charader, labour to
get your afFedions divorced from earthly
things, and henceforth let God be fupreme in
your hearts. Confider,

II. That an immoderate love of the world
is not lefs foolifh than fmful. " All that is in
*' the world," faith the Apoftle, in the verfe
following the text, " the luft of the flefh, the
*' luft of the eye, and the pride of life, is not
*' of the Father, but of the world. And the
" world pafleth away and the luft thereof."——
Many of its enjoyments are imaginary as
well as tranfient. The pleafure and happi-
nefs we expedt from them have no founda-
tion in the nature of things, but depend en-
tirely on a difeafed corrupt fancy. If we look
back to the hiftory of mankind in all ages,
the difcontented and miferable will be as of-
ten found among the profperous and affluent,
as among the poor and deprefted conditions
A a 2 ©f

37^

SERMON XXL

of life. Thofe fituations which appear fo de-
firable as objects of expedlation, are often in
experience found marvelloufly barren of real
happinefs. Whence doth this arife ? Is it not
from the wife appointment of God, that no-
thing here below fhould fatisfy the defires of
an immortal creature ? Vanity is, for this rea-
fon, engraved in deep and legible characters
on all things below the fun ; and he that pur-
fues the good things of this world as his on-
ly portion, will inevitably find that the mofl:
fortunate experience of life will never amount
to a folid happinefs, in which the heart of
nian can find reft and fluisfadion. " He that
" loveth filver fliall not be fatisfied with fil-
" ver, nor he that loveth abundance with in-
" creafe." Therefore faid our Lord to the
multitude, " take heed and beware of cove-
" toufnefs, for a man*s life confifteth not in
" the abundance of the things which he pof-
*' feffeth."

Nature is eafily fatisfied, but when men;
create for themfelves imaginary wants, they
only provide an inexhauftible ftock of folici-
tude and difappoiuiment. The craving ap-
pr e will fiill be -.vvr:.,':. «^1 ■;, give, and in

the

SERMON XXI.

zi:

the fulnefs of their futEciency they will be m
want. What has the world ever done for its
moft devoted fervants, that fhould make you
defire it fo greedily ? Solomon went as far as
any man ever did, both in the acquifition and
enjoyment of earthly things, and in the con-
clufion paiTed this fentence on the review of
all his experience, " Vanity of vanities, faitli
*' the Preacher, vanity of vanities ; all is va-
" nity and vexation of fpirit." — And have
you difcovered an art of extracting comfort
from the creatures, beyond what the wifeft of
men was able to do ? — What do you ferioufiy
expert from the world ? Will it prevent or
remove ficknefs ? — Will it ward off the ftroke
of death ; or will it even adminifter any con-
folation to you at that trying feafon ? Should
one come to you on your death-bed, when
your fpirits are languifliing, your hearts fail-
ing, and your bodies poiTeifed with racking
pain, and begin to confoie you by reprefent-
ing your vaft acquifitions of wealth, would
his v;ords be reviving ? AVill it aftbrd you
any joy to contemplate thofe pofTeliions from
which you are prefenily to be divorced for
ever ? You cannot think fo. You mud be
A a 3 fenfible,

374 SERMON XXL

fenfible, tha^^ all things below the fun will
prove miferable comforters in dying mo-
ments, and that the favour of God will then
appear infinitely more defirable than ten thou-
fand worlds. What infatuation, then, is it
to fet your hearts fupremely on that which
you know will appear moft contemptible at
iaft. Coniider,

III. That as the love of the world to ex-
cefs is fmful and foolilh, fo it is alfo perni-
cious and fatal. " They that will be rich,"
faith the Apoftle to Timothy, " fall into temp-
" tation, and a fnare, and into many foolilh
*' and hurtful lufts, which drown men in de-
" ftruclion and perdition ; for the love of

*' money is the root of all evil."

It were an endlefs tafk to enumerate all the
difmal effects of this fordid difpofition. " From
*' whence come wars and fightings," faith the
Apoftle James, ** come they not hence, even
" of your lufts which war in your members.
*•' Yt lufi and have not ; ye kill and defire to
*' have, and cannot obtain." It is this which
engenders flrife and contention, and almoft
every evil work. It deftroys the tranquillity

of

SERMON XXL 375

of the perfon pofTejfk^d by it ; it incites him
to trelpafs on the rights and enjoyments of
others, and on both thefe accounts is often
punifhed with remarkable judgments even in
the prefent life. How awful is that curfe
pronounced by the Prophet Habakkuk, " Wo
" to him that coveteth an evil covetoufnefs to
" his houfe, that he may fet his nefi on high,
" that he may be delivered from the power
" of evil. Thou hall confulted fhame to thy-
" felf, and haft fumed againft thy foul ; for
" the ftone fhall cry out of the wall, and the
" beam out of the timber (hail anfwer it." —
How dilmal was the faie of Ananias and Sap-
phira ! — How horrible the end of Judas if-
cariot ! In both theie inllances, the faying of
the Wife Man, Proverbs, i. 19. was remark-
ably verified, " the grcedinefs of gain taketh
" away the life of the owners thereof." But
although they iliould efcape in this world,
yet they fhall not efcape the damnation of
hell. Then (hall they find that riches will
not profit them in the day of God's wrath.

There is a flrik-ing paffage to this purpofe,

James, v. i. *' Go to now, ye rich men, weep

" and howl, for your miferies that ihall come

A a 4 " upon

376 SERMON XXI.

*' upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and
" your garments are moth eaten ; your gold
*' and filver is cankered, and the ruft of them
" fhall be a witnefs againft you, and (hall eat
" your flefh as it were fire, Ye have heaped
" treafure together for the laft day." Such is
the prefent wretchednefs, and the miferable
portion at laft of an earthly mind. Whereas,

IV. An heart difengaged from this excef-
five love of the world, would not only pre-
vent all this mifery, but likewife give us the
true relifh of life, and ruake death itfelf eafy
and comfortable. Take away earthly things
from a v^orldly man, and you take away his
all ; but the fime things withdrawn from an
heavenly minded Chriftian, do not annihilate
his fund of happinefs. When the ftreams of
created comforts fail, he reforts to the foun-
tain ; when the creatures forfake him, he can,
rejoice in the Creator, and joy in the God of
hiL falvation. The good things he poiTeiTeth
have a peculiar relifh, v/hich earthly minds
are incapable of feeling. Ke fees the bounty
of God in every gift, and the faithfulnefs of
Ills covenant in every comfort he enjoys. He

therefore

SERMON XXI.

377

therefore eats his bread with joy, and drinks
his wine with a merry heart ; and while he
thus fits chearfuUy at the feaft which provi-
dence has fet before him, he fears not the in-
trufion of any unwelcome meflenger to in-
terrupt his peace. He is not afraid of evil
tidings, his heart is fixed trufting in the Lord.
Prepared for all the viciflitudes of life, adver-
fity can take nothing from him which, in the
difcipline of his own mind, he has not refign-
ed already. Nay, death itfelf, that prefenti-
ment fo dreadful to the worldly mind, is to
him, in a great meafure, diverted of its ter-
rors : For he knows, " that if this earthly
" houfe of his tabernacle were diflblved, he
" has a building of God, an houfe not made
" with hands, eternal in the heavens.'*

Having thus endeavoured to enforce the
exhortation in the text, it only remains that I
offer a few diredions for the help of thofe
who are defirous to have their affecfilons wean-
ed from the world, that they may rife upwards
to ipiritual things.

ijl^ Let us beware of receiving too flatter-
ing a pidure of the world into our minds, or

of

378 SERMON XXI.

of expeding more from it than it is able to
bellow. Let us corre(3: our florid and gaudy
exped:ations, and make a fober eftimate of its
real amount. For this purpofe go fometimes
to the houfe of mourning, rather than to the
houfe of feafting. Behold there the untime-
ly hand of death, taking away the defire of
the eyes with a ftroke, blafting the mod vir-
tuous joys of humanity, tearing afunder the
deareil connections, demolifhing the painted
tapeftry, and hanging ilp in its place the fo-
lemn fable and efcutcheon.

Such objedis, viewed with ferioufnefs and
attention, are far more profitable than the
gilded fcenes of mirth and gaiety ; they check
that wantonnefs which is the growth of eafe
and profperity, and lead us to reflect that this
world is not our home, but a foreign land, in
which our vexations and difappointments are
defigned to turn our views towards that high-
er and better ftate, which we are deftined to
inherit.

idly^ Be very fufpicious of a profperous
ftate, and fear the world more when it fmiles
than when it frowns. It is difl[icult to poffefs

much

SERMON XXI.

379

much of it, without loving it to excefs. The
great enemy of our fouls is well aware of this,
and therefore would give all his fervants libe-
ral portions in this world, were it in his power.
This was his lafl: effort in the train of tempta-
tions which he addrefled to our Lord m rhe
wildernefb, and, when this failed, he immedi-
ately departed from him.

There is not a more falutary maxim in re-
ligious concerns than always to fufped uan-
ger where we feel much delight. If our fi-
tuation be fuch as entirely pieafes our natural
defires, it is high time to look well to the foul,
and to fet a ftrid guard on our heart, left, by
thefe pleafmg enjoyments, they fhould be be-
trayed and alienated from God, wtio alone has
a right to them.

3^/)', Make a wife improvement of the af-
flidions with which you may at any time be
vifited. Beware of repining under them, or
thinking them greater evils than they really
are ; but rather believe that they are graci-
oufly fent for the benefit of your fouls, to
mortify your inordinate affedions to the pre-
fent world. " Whom the Lord loveth he
" chafteneth."~-Nay, the feafoaaole vifitation

of

58o SERMON XXL

Cf temporal calamities, is included in the te-
nor of that cverlafting covenant, which is well
ordered in all things and fure. Does the
world then frown on you ; are you afflidted
with poverty, ficknefs, pain, and reproach ?
Do relations grieve you ? Do friends prove
imfaithful, or are you bereaved of them by
death ? Negledl not fo fair an opportunity of
inllru£lion, when you have experience itfelf
to difgrace the pretenfions of the world, and
your very fiefli is made to feel that it is both
vain and vexatious. Remember that God
has fent thefe rough meflengers to bring you
home to himfelf. Gratefully, then, comply
with his call, and chufe him for your portion,
leaving the w^orld to thofe who have no bet-
ter fources of fatisfadion.

4/;6/)', Look forward to eternity, and take a
fericus view of that world, wherein you mult
dwell for ever, after you have fpent a few
more days and nights in this. Remember
that heaven or hell mull be your everlafling
abode ; and mud it not be of the laft impor-
tance to knovvT which of thefe difierent ftates
fliall be your lot ? Can that man fpend his
time and ihxngth in the puriuit of trifles,

who

SERMON XXI. 381

who believes and who confiders that he is
haftening to appear , before God in judgment,
when his final ftate (hall be allotted according
to his prefent behaviour ? Muft not the fore-
fight of this awful trial difengage his mind
from the world j and cure his anxiety about
earthly things, by producing in him an anxie-
ty about matters of infinitely greater confe-
quence. " Let your moderation be known un-
" -to all men (faith the Apoftle) the lord is
" AT HAND." A more powerful argument
could not be ufed. An habitual impreffion
of this awful truth, that the Lord is at hand,
that he ftandeth before the door, would ef-
fedlually cure our feverifli defires after earth-
ly things, and awaken us to a deep concern
about the interefts of our pvecious and in^-
mortal fouls.

Finally, let us be wife in time, and give
the fupreme affedions of our hearts to God,
who alone is worthy of them ; imploring, for
this purpofe, the aid of his Holy Spirit, to
enable us to comply with his own gracious
expoftulalion, Ifaiah, Iv. 2. " Wherefore do
*' ye fpend money for that which is not bread,
" and your labour for that which fiitisfieth

" not ?

^S2 SERMON XXI.

* not ? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat

* ye that which is good, and let your foul de-

* light itfelt in fatnefs. Incline your ear, and
' come unto me, hear, and your fouls fhall
' live, and I will make with you an ever-

* lafting covenant, even the fure mercies of

* David." Amen.

FINIS.

~t