YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY tHE WORKS OF PHILIP DODDRIDGE, D. D. VOL. III. THE WORKS OF PHILIP DODDRIDGE, D. D. VOL. III. CONTAINING SETS of SERMONS ON THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. TO THE YOUNG. POWER AND GRACE OF CHRIST, AND EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY, AND ON ^pGENERATION. LONDON : PRINTED FOR W. J. AND J. RICHARDSON, R. BALDWIN, G. AND J. ROBINSON, T. AND C. RIVINGTON, OTRIDGE AND SON, J. MATHEWS, OGILVY AND SON, 3. SCATCHERD, J. WALKER, CUTHEIL AND MARTIN, DABTON AND HARVEY, J. NUNN, LACKINGTON AND CO. VERNOR AND HOOD, C. LAW, LONSMAN AND HEES, T. BURST, J. jirAWMAN*, AND J. HIGHAM. 1804. ^tt Primed by K. BIGGS, Crane-Coi:l't, Fleet-Street. noB CONTENTS. VOL. Ill, On the RELIGIOUS EDUCATION o/" CHILDREN. SERMON I, ... . '*°=- II y. '. \'.\ :: '. 2% —-"1 37 IV ,3. To YOUNG PERSONS. SERMON V. The Importance of the Rising Generation 77 '>¦¦. SERMON VI. Christ formed in the Soul, the only Foundation of Hope for Eternity '•••.,..,..,,., loi SERMON vn. J. Dissuasive from Iteeping bad Company . , . , . 122 SERMON VIII. Religious Youth invited to early Communion , , , . 143 SERMON IX. The Orphan's Hope . , , . . . 164 SERMON X. The Reflections of a pious Farent on the Death of a wicked Child, considered and improved I83 --, SERMON XI:: '¦ T • 457 SERMON XXV. Of the Incapacity of an unregenerate Person for relishing the Enjoyments of the heavenly World ...... 478 SERMON XXVL Of the Importance of entering, into the Kingdom of God 496 SERMON XXVII. Of the Necessity of Divine Influences to produce Regene ration in the Soul 5 15 SERMON XXVIII. Of the various Methods of the Divine Operation in thi Production of this Saving Change 535 CONTENTS. SERMON XXIX. Directions to Awakened Sinners .......* 500 SERMON XXX. An Address to the Regenerate, founded on the preceding Discourses 575 ( . I ) SERMON L ON THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHIL'DREN. DEDICATION, Church of Christ, in Northampton, under my Ministerial Care. Mv DEAR Friends! AS I leckon the Providence *hich fixed hie with you, in the pastoral relation, amongst the most singular blessings of my life; I would always retain a sense of those engagements whichit brings me under, to labour to the utmost for your spiri tual Iraproyement. And thr'oUgh the diyine goodness, I find it a delightful work ; as your candid and serious tempei' adds a freedom and pleasure, both to my public ministrations, and private converses with you. I take this opportimity of renewing the assurances 1 have often given you, that I could gladly converse with you more frequently at home ; did not the other work, in which I am engaged as a tutor, demand so large a share of my time, t heartily thank you, that you so kindly consider it, and make all the allowances .(or it I could reasonably expect. I trust, God is my witness, that it is a sincere concern for his glory, and the inte rest of a Redeemer in the rising age, that has determined me to undertake the addi tional labours of such an employment: And as you vtluntarily chose to sacrifice something of your private satisfaction to these great and important views, I hope you will have the pleasure te see them answered, and that you yourselves will not, on the whole, be losers by them. You know, it is my desire, that as my pupils advance in the course of their preparatory studies, they would endeavour by their religious visits, conversation and prayer, to supply in part, that lack of service to you, which my care for them must necessarily occasion ; and it is as a farther supply of it, that I now ofier you these Sermons on the Religious Education of Children, which you heard from the pulpit some months ago. The indulgence and thankfulness with which you then received them, is one in- stancCj amongst many others, of your relish for plain and practical preaching. When some of you expressed your desire that they might be made more public, I confess I knew not well how to deny you'; and 1 was the more willing to comply with your request, because it is a subject which cannot be often handled, so largely, in the course of preaching. That tender concern for you and j'ours, which led me to treat of Education, en. gaged me also to manage it in such a manner, as I apprehended might be most for your advantage and for theirs j that isj to make it, as far as I could, a warm and seri- Vol. III. B ( 2 ) eus address to you. I have likewise, for the same reason, retained that form in transcribing them for the press ; though I am sensible it might have appeared more fashionable and polite, to have cast them into a different mould, and to have proposed my remarks in a more cool and general way. It is indeed my deliberate judgment, that there is an important difference between popular discourses and pl^ilosophical essays. The more I converse with the most ce lebrated speakers of anti-quity, the-more I am confirmed in that thought: and 1 will take the liberty to add, that, for the sake of common christians, I could wish it were more generally considered. But whether in this respect I am in the right or the wrong, I must say with the Apostle to the Corinthians, Brethren, it is for your sakes. I would not willingly disgust persons of elevated genius and refined education ; but I must confess, the great labour of my life is to bring down my discourses to com mon apprehensions, and to impress tlie consciences of men by them in subserviency ¦to the momentous design of their eternal salvation. And as I am your shepherd, and you in a jieculiar manner the' people of my care, whom God has committed to my hand, and of whom he will require an account from me, I would always cherish a peculiar concern for you ; and desire that, whenever I appear amongst you, my heart may overflow with a kincl of paternal tenderness for you. There are, perhaps, some traces of this in these discourses, which a severe critic may censure, and a prophane wit may deride ; nevertheless 1 have a chearful hope, that they will be accepted by God, and approved by you. If divine grace render thepi useful to others, I would own it as an additional favour ; and that they might be so, I have diligently avoided whatever might offend any serious reader ; yet they are yours by a peculiar claim. For you I composed them ; for you I published them ; and to you I now present them ; humbly commending them and you to the blessing of God, and intreating your continued prayers that it may attend the labours of Your very affectionate brother, and obliged servant, in our common Lord, Iffwinglon, July 14, 1732. P. DOUPRIBGE. THE RECOMMENDATORY PREFACE. THE §B^ject of the following discourses is of high importance to the interest o{ religion, and justly claims a share in our labours, if we would fulfil the ministry we haVe received in the Lord, and give a good account of it another day. This led the author to insist upon it, in the congregation under his caie. What was delivered from the pu'tpit met with a favourable reception, and many who heard these Ser mons, have importunately desired that they might be published, for the benefit of others. 1 have perused them wilh some attention, and such special satisfaction, tliat 1 heartily concur in the same request. The neglect of the rising generation, which so generally prevails, ought, turcly, to awaken our serious concern for it: and I persuade myself, that the present attempt will be welcome to all who are duly impressed with that concern ; for so far as I am capable of judging, it is well adapted to answer its intended purposes. The method is natural and easy, the language correct, the reasoning strong, jhe address pathetic and convincing ; and the whole is so agreeably adjusted, that I can with pleasure recommend it as a valuable and useful performance. The peculiarities of the Christian scheme are frequently and pertinently interspersed through tbe several parts of this work ; which will be acceptable to them, who have tasted that the Lord is gracious. I look upon these as the brightest ornaments of piactical discourses ; and When they ate introduced in this view, it must evidently ap pear, tbat the principles of our holy religion, are not. merely refined speculations for the entertainment of curious and inquisitive minds, b,ut doctrines according to godli- riess, and tbe great support of viituc and goodness in the world. "When argumonn are drawn from the glorious .dispensation ofthe grace of God, to petsuade us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly ; sucb eMearing motives represent duty in its most amiable fight, and have a most direct ( 3 ) Cendency to engage our ctieai'ful compliance. It tieserves our serious corisitferatiotii whether this be not a proper method to prevent the growth of infidelity ; if not to reclaim those, whose arguments against the sacred fcriptures are mere banter and ridi cule, and who are gone so far as to glory in their contempt of the gospel ; yet, at least, to prevent the spreading of that dangerous inSyition. It has been justly observed by an excellent person,* whoSe practical writings meet with that general acceptance which they so justly deserve, "I'hat when men have " heard the sermons of their ministers, for many years together, and find little o^ " Christ in them, they have taken it into their heads; ttiat they may go safe tti " heaven without Christianity." And this I apprehend Will ever be the consequence' if we so lay the whole stress of our moral obligations, on the reason and fitness of things, as to neglect that Saviour who g'ave himself for us, to redeem us from all ini quity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. When Chris tian preachers seldom mention redemption and salvation by the Son of God, unless it be .to expose an .absurd sense, which some have .put upon those doctrines; and thereby more artfully slur them, th-an by a direct and open attack ; they cannot ex pect their hearers should have any great regard for them. Tlieir people will be insen. sibly led into this conclusion, that they have little concernment with any thing in the: new testament but the morality of it, and that the other parts of the gospel may be! neglected without hazard to their souls. And when they ha've advanced thus far, the next step will be, to set the inspired writings on a level witb heathen authors, whose moral sentiments are admired, though there are many poetical fictions and fabulousi stories, intermixed with them. The Apostles took a different method, and constantly supported their instructions, by considerations peculiar to the gospel of Chri-st. And if our schemes in religiort will not permit us to follow their example, and we feel a secret unwillingness to form ourselves on their model, lest our discourses should not be polite and rational, we havd reason to fear, we are declining from that faith which they once delivered to the saintSi But if -vre copy after these wise master-builders, we may hope the hand of the Lorb will be with us ; and that we shall see something of that Divine success alttending our labours, which so remarkably accompanied theirs^ when many believed and turned to the Lord. And they, who have experienced the powerful influences of the gospel, irt forming their hearts «nd lives for God, will be no more children, tossed to and fro,' and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight and craftiness of men, nor easily prevailed tipon to part with it. And Iam confirmed in this opinion, by ob serving liiat deism 'makes little progress in those auditories, where the distihgiiishing doctrines of Christianity are frequently and judiciously considered; For this reason, I would humbly propose the following composOfes to the imita tion of younger ministers. And 1 cannot but indulge a reasonable expectation, that those who are forming for the service of the sanctuary under the instructions of the learned and worthy author, having so good a, pattern diiily before tbem, will appear in our assemblies with a fixed resolution to exalt a Redeemer in all their ministrations; that they will stand as pillars in the temple of our God, and be the ornaments and, supports of the christian cause. When their fathers shall sleep in the dust. As the subject of these sermons is no matter of Controversy, but plain and impor. tant duty, one would hope, they will not fall under the severe censure of any. At least, i ara fuUy'persuaded, that humble and serious christians, whose chief concern is to know, and do their_dtlty, will find agreeable entertainment, and much profitable instruction, in the perusal of them. D. SOME, ADVERTISEMENf. , i hope t1ie reader will pardon me, that I trouble him with the mention of two things, which, for some obvious reasons, I thought it not proper to omit. The one is, that as my very worthy and condescending friend, Dr. Watts, had prf*. mised the world an essay on education, t would not have pablished these papers, »,Dr. 'Waftsi ( 4 ) Without his full approbation of the design, as no way injurious to liis ; and I hart omitted some particulars I might have mentioned, that I might interfere with him ai little as possible. The other is, that when I came to look over Dr. Tillotson's sermons, and some other treatises on this subject, I found many of the thoughts I had before inserted in my plan. They seemed so obvious to every considerate person, that I did not think myself obliged to mention them as quotations. What I have expressly taken from others, I have cited as theirs in the margin ; and if 1 have been obliged to any for other thoughts or expressions, which is verj^ possible, though I do not particularly leraember it, I hope this general acknowledgment may suffice. Prov. xxii. 6. Train Up a child in the way he should go ; and when he is old, he ZPill not depart from it. J.T is a most amiable and instructive part of the character which Isaiah draws of the great shepherd of the church, that he should gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom : A representation abundandy answered by the tender care which our Redeemer expressed forthe weakest of his disciples; and beauti fully illustrated by the endearing condescension, with which he embraced and blessed Httle infants. Nor is it foreign to the present pmpose to observe, that when he recommends to Peter the care of his flock, as the most important and acceptable evidence of his sin cere affection to his person, he varies the phrase ; in one place say ing, feed my sheep, and in the other, feed my lambs. Perhaps it might be in part intended to intimate, that the care of a gos pel-minister, who would in the most agreeable manner approve his love to his master, should extend itself to the rising genera tion, aswell as to those of a maturer age, and more considerable standing in the church. It is in obedience to his authority, and from a regard to his interest that I am now entering on the work of catechising, which I shall introduce with some practical dis courses on the education of children, the subject which is bow laefore u». On the Education of Children. 5 I persuade myself, that you, my friends, will not be displeased to hear that I intend to handle it at large, and to make it the employment of more than a single sabbath. A little reflection may convince you, that I could hardly offer any thing to your consideration oi' greater itnportance; and that, humanly speak ing, there is nothing in which the comfort of families, the pros perity of nations, the falvation of souls, the interest of a Re deemer, and the glory of God, is more apparently and inti mately concerned. I very readily allow, that no human endeavours, either of ministers or parents, can ever be effectual to bring one soul to the saving knowledge ofGod in Cheist, without the co-operat ing and transforming influences ofthe blessed Spirit: Yet you well know and I hope you seriously consider, that this does not io the least weaken our obligation to the most diligent use of proper means. The great God hath stated rules of operation in the world of grace, as well as of nature ; and though he is not limited to them, it is arrogant, and may be destructive, to expect that he should deviate from them in favour of us or ours. We live not by bread alone, but by every word that proceed eth out of the mouth of God ; and were he determined to con tinue your lives, or the lives of your children, he could no doubt feed or support you by miracle: yet you think yourselves ob liged to a prudent care for your daily bread, and justly conclude, that were you to neglect to administer it to your infant-offspring,^ you would be chargeable with their murder before God and man ; nor could you think of pleading it as any excuse, that you referred them to a miraculous divine care, whilst you left them destitute of any human supplies. Such a plea would only add impiety to cruelty, and greatly aggravate the crime it attempted to palliate. As absurd would it be for us, to flatter ourselves with a hope that our children should be taught of God, and regenerated and sanctified by the influences of his grace, if we neglect that pru dent and religious care in their education, which it is my busi ness this day to describe and recommend, and which Solomon urges in the words of my text: Train up a child in the way he fliould go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 33 6 On the Education of Children. I need not offer you many critical remarks on so plain and intelligible a passage, j^ou will easily observe, that it consists of an important advice, addressed to tlie parents and governors of children, "Train up a child in the way he should go;" and also of a weighty reason by which it is inforced, '^•' and 'vy^hen he is old, he will not depart from it." The general sense is undoubtedly retained in our translation, ?is it commonly is, but here, as in many other places, something of the original energy and beauty is lost. The Hebrew word*, which we render train up, does some.? times signify, in the general, to initiate into some science pr discipline ; and, very frequently, to apply any new thing tq the use for which it was intended.-|^ It is especially used of sacred things, which were solemnly dedicated, or set apart to the service of God:J And perhaps it may here be intended to intimate, that a due care is to be taken in the education of chil dren, from a principle of religion, as well as of prudence and humanity; and that our instructions should lead them to the knowledge of God, and be adapted to form them for his service^ ^s well as to engage them to personal and social virtue. It is added, that a child should be trained up in the v/ay in which he should go;!] which seems to be more exactly rendered |)y others, at the entrance or from the beginning of his way, to ¦* 'Tjn inibuere, prima rudimcnta dare, erudire, docere, dedicare. Pagn, initiarc. Cocc. The LXX. render it, with an exactness which our language will not admit, by Eyxa/»/^Eiv. It is used also of those attendants of Abraham, •who in the text are called — his trained, and in our margin — his instructed ser vants ; Gen. xiv. 14. 1. e. probably, formed to military discipline, though reli gious instruction is not to be excluded. Gen. xviii. 19.— "T'l^rtj * word derived from the same root in the rabbinical writings signifies— a catechism j and there fore rhe margin of our text reads, catephise a child, &c. t Thus it is applied to any new built house, Deut. xx. 5. to that of David, Psal. xxx. tit. and to the wall of Jerusalem, Neh. xii. 27. + Thus it is applied to the dedication of the altar, Numb. vii. 10, 11, 84, 88. S Chron; vii. 9. and to that of tbe temple, i Kings, viii. 63. e Chron. vii. 5. II IDIT ''3 /i^j which tlie French version renders a 1' entree de son train : Yet I am fensible, 13 when used with y\) is sometimes an expletive, as Gen. xliii. 7, Numb. xxvi. 56. and the learned GlasSiuJ, as well as our translatp/S^ ^bought the text another instance of it. Gl?ss, Phil. Sac. pag. 482. On the Education of Children. 7 express" the early care which, ought to he. taken to pi-event- the prs'valencyrofiiTegular habits, by endea^'ourini^, fi-ont tlie fiESt dawning' of- reason to direct it aright, and-tainfuseinttrthe-teii-i' der, unpractised mind,, the- impoitant maxims of wisctonr and goodness. To encourage us to this care, the wise man assures us, that we may reasonably expect the most happy consequence from it: That: if the yonng traveller be thus directed to set out weliin the journey of life, there is a fair prospect that he will go on to its most- distant stages, with increasing honour and happiasss. Train up a child- in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart- from it. I shall endeavour to iUustrate and inforce. tliis iniport&nt ad* vice^ in the,- following method, which appears to- me-the most na* tural,,and foi-rthat-nsason the most eligible. I. I shall more particularly mark out the way in which, chit* dten aa-e to be trained up. IL Offer some plain aEBtserioBs considerations, toawaken .yoit torthis pious.' and, necesHai:y; care. III. Direct to the manner in -which the attempt is to hie made, and the precautioiis.wbich ace. to bi& used in: order to rendei;; it effectual. And then, IV. I will conclude the whole with a more particular appiieas. tioBry.suited; to your different characters, relationis, and circum^ stances- ofi hfe. r fflsa: v6ty;'SBnsibte,.thatit is^a verydelicate as- well as impor* taat sn^ecti- whiclr is now-' befois me ; I- have theref«ie thought myself obliged more attentively t» weigh- what hasioccun-ed to laiy own meditatioirsj.mone; diligently to coliaul* the sentimignts of others;, and abovejall, move earnestly to seefesthose Divine in fluences, -vvithout whiclTj I know, I am uneqBEd^to theeasiest task; teiadepjeiidaiace-onwiiMi^ I ciiearfoily.'>atteaaft one of' the most B4' t On fhe Education of Childreii^ difficult, The result of the whole I humbly offer to your candid examination; not pretending at any time to dictate in an autho ritative manner, and least of all on such an occasion as this ; but rather speaking as to wise men, who are themselves to judge what I say. May the Divine assistance and blessing attend us in all. First, I am to describe the way in which children are to be trained up. Our translation, as I have told you, though not very literal, is agreeable to the sense of the original. The way in Avhich the child should go. And undoubtedly this is no other than the good old way, the way of serious, practical religion: The way which God has in his word marked out for us: the way which all the children of God have trodden in every succeeding age; the way, the only way, in which we and ours can find rest to our souls. But it is not proper to leave the matter thus generally ex plained. I would therefore more particularly observe, — that it is the way of piety towards. God, — and of faith in our Lord Jesus Cueist; — the way of obedience to parents, — and of benevolence to all; — the way of diligence, — and of integri ty; — the way of humility, — and of self-denial. I am persuaded, that each of these particulars will deserve your serious attention and regard. 1 . Cliildren should undoubtedly be trained up in the way of piety and devotion towards God. This, .as you well know, is the sum, and the foundation of every thing truly good. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The psalmist therefore invites children to him, with the promise of instructing them in it; Come, ye children, hearken unto me, and I will teach you the fear of the Lord. And it isi certain, some right notions of the Supreme Being must be im planted in the niinds of children, before there can be a reason- nble foundation. for teaching them those docti-ines which peculi arly relate to Christ under the character of the Mediator; for he that comes unto Gon. (by him) must believe that he is, ancj that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 0« the Education of Children^ § The proof of the being of God, and some of those attributes of the Divine Nature in which we are most concerned, depends on such easy principles, that I cannot but think, the weakest mind might enter into it. A child will easily apprehend, that as every house is builded by some man, and there can b^ no work without an author; so he that built all things is God. And firom this obvious idea of God, as the Maker of all, we may na-i turally represent him as very great and very good, that they may be taught at once to reverence and love him. It is of great importance, that children early imbibe an awe of God, and an humble veneration for his perfections and glories. He ought therefore to be represented to them as the great Lord OF all; and wheri we take occasion to mention to them other invisible agents, whether angels or devils, we should, as Dr. Watts has most judiciously observed,* always represent them as entirely under the go-vernment and controul of God, that no' sentiments of admiration of good spirits, or terror of the bad, may distract their tender minds, or infringe on those regards which' are the incommunicable prerogative of the Great Supreme. There should be a peculiar caution, that when Ave teach these infant-tongues to pronounce that great and temble name. The Lord Our God, they may not learn to take it in vain; but may use it with a becoming solemnity, as remembering that we and they are but dust and ashes before him. When I hear the little creatures speaking of "the great God, the blessed God, the' " glorious God," as I sometimes do, it gives me a sensible plea sure, and I consider it as a probable proof of gi'eat wisdom and piety, in those who have the charge of' their education. Yet great care .should be taken not to confine our discourses to these awful views, lest the dread of God should so fall upon them, as that his excellencies should make them afraid to ap-^ proach him. We should describe him, as not only the greatest but the best of beings. We should teach them to know him by themost encouraging name of the Lord, the Lord God, merci- fiil and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, and forgiving iniquity, ¦ * Discourse on Catechismt 10 On the Education of Children. transgression, and an.. We should represent him asthe univer sal, kind, indulgent parent, who loves- his creatures, and by all proper methods provides' for their happiness. And we should particularly represent his; goodness to them; with Avhat more than paternal tenderness he watehed round their cradles; with vihat compassion he heard their feeble cries, before their infant- thoughts could form themselves into prayer: We should, tell them, that they live every moment on God; and that all our affection for them, is no more than he puts into our heai'tss; and all our power to help them, no more than he lodg-:es in our hands. We should also solemnly remind them,, that in a very little while their spirits are to return to this God; that as he isr now always with them, and knoAVs cA^ery thing they do, or speak, or think, so he will bring CA'cry work into judgment, and make them for ever happy or miserable, as they on the whole are found obedient or rebellious). And here the most lively and pathetic descriptions, which the scriptures giveus, of heaven and of hell, should be laid befoie them, and m'ged on their consideration. When such a< foundation is laid, in the belief of the Being: and Providence of God, and of a future state both of rewards and panishnienits, children should be instructed in the duty they owe to God, and should be particularly taught to pray to him and to praise: him. It would be best of all, if from a deep sense of his perfectionsi and their OAvn necessities, thej^ could be engaged to breathe out their souls; before him in Affords of their* own, Avere tbey ever so Aveak and broken. Vet you will readily allow, that till this can.be expected, it may be very proper to teach them arome foiims of prayer and thanksgiving, consisting of suehi plain scriptures, or other familiar expressions, as may best suit their circumstances and understandings. If the Lord's Prayer be taught them, as a, form> I hope you wiU consider, how compre- hensiA'e the expressions are ; how fast the ideas.rise and vai-y ; and consequently how necessary it is, that it be frequently and lai-gely explained to them; lest the repetition of it degenerate into a mere ceremony, as I fear it does amongst many,; w-ho ai-e perj^apa most zealous for its use. But what I have said, Qa^this head, of -piety and devotion, must On the Education of Children. ] l be coHsidered in an inseparable connection AA'ith what I am to add under the next. 2, Children must be trained, up in the. way of faith in the Loi5d Jesus Christ. You know, my friends, and I hope many of you know it to the dail}'- joy of your souls, that Christ is the Avay, the truth, and the life; and that it is by him we have boldnes's and access with confidence to a G on, who might otherwise appear as a consuming fire. It is therefore of great importance to lead children betimes into the knowledge of Christ, which is, no doubt, a consider able part of that nurture and admonition of the Lord, which the Apostle recommends, and was perhaps AA'hat he principally intended by those Avords. We should therefore teach them, betimes, that the first parents of the human race most ungratefully rebelled against God, and subjected themselves and all their offspring to his wrath and curse. The awful consequences of this should be opened at large, and we should labour to convince them, that they have made themselves liable to the Divine chsplcasure (that dreadful thing!) by their own personal guilt; and thus by the knowledge of the law should Ave make Avay for the gospel, the joyful news pf deliverance by Christ. In unfolding this, great care ought to be taken that Ave do not fill their minds AA'itli an aversion to one Sacred Person, while we endeavour to atti'act their regards to another. The Father is not td be represented as severe, and almost inexorable; hai-dly preA'ailed upon by the intercession of his compassionate Son to entertain thoughts of mercy and forgiveness. Par from that, Ave should speak of him as the oA-^erfloAving fountain of goodness, whose eye pitied us in our helpless distress, whose Almighty arm was sti-etched out for our rescue, Avhose eternal counsels of wis dom and love formed that important scheme to which we OAve all our hopes. I have often had occasion to shew you at largej that this is the scripture-doctrine; our children should be early taught it, and taught what that scheme Avas, so far as their un derstandings can receive it, and ouis can retain it. We should ofte-a repeat it to them, that Gqd is so holy, and yet so gracious. 12 On the Education of Children: that rather than he would on the one hand destroy man, or on the other, leave sin unpunished, he made his own Son a sacrifice for it, appointing him to be humbled, that we might be exalted, to die, that Ave might live. We should also represent to them, (Avith holy wonder and joy,) how readily the Lord Jesus Christ consented to procure our deliverance in so expensive a vvay. How chearfully he said, Lo, I come; I delight to do thy will, O my God! To enhance the value of this amazing love, we should endeavour, according to our Aveak capacities, to teach them who this compassionate Redeemer is; to represent sometliing of his glories as the eter nal Son of God, and the great Lord of angels and men. We should instruct them in his amazing condescension in laying- aside these glories, that he might become a little weak helpless child, and aftenvards an aflSicted son'owful man. We should lead them into the knowledge of those circumstances of the his tory of Jesus, which may have the greatest tendency to strike their minds, and to impress them Avith an early sense of gratitude and love to him. We should tell them, how poor he made him self, that he might enrich us ; how diligently he went about do ing good ; how Avillignly he preached the gospel to the lowest of the people. And we should especially tell them how kind he was to little children, and how he chid his disciples when they would haA'e hindered them from being brought to him: It is expressly said, Jesus Avas.much displeased, and said. Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the , king dom of God. A tender circumstance! which perhaps was re corded, (in part at least) for this very reason, that children in suc ceeding ages might be impressed and affected with it. Through these scenes of his life Ave should lead them on to hia death : We should shew how easily he could have delivered him self, (of which he gave so sensible an evidence in striking doAvn by one word those who came to apprehend him ;) and yet how patiently he submitted to the most cruel injuries, to be scouro-ed and spit upon, to be croAvned with thorns, and to bear his cross. We should shew them hoAv this innocent, holy, and diA'ine per-^ son was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and while diey were piercing him with nails, instead of loading them with curses On the Education of Children. 1 3 te prayed for them, saying. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And when their little hearts are awed and melted with so strange a story, we should tell them, it was thus he groaned, and bled, and died for us, and often remind them of their own concern in Avhat was then transacted. We should lead on their thoughts to the glorious vicAvs of Christ's resuiTection and ascension; and tell them v.'ith Avhat adorable goodness he still remenibers his people in the midst of his exaltation ; pleading the cause of sinful creatures, and em ploying his interest in the court of heaven, to procure life and glory for all that believe in hira and love him. We should then go on to insti'uct them in those particulars of obedience, by which the sincerity of our faith aud our love is to be approved; at the same time reminding them of their OAva weakness, and telling them how God helps us, by sending his Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts, to furnish us for every good Tfford ahd work. An important lesson, without attending to which, our instruction will be vain, and their hearing will likeAvise be vain ! 3. Children should be trained up in the way of obedience to their parents. This is a command Avhich God recommended from Mount Sinai, by annexing to it a peculiar promise of long life; a blessing which young persons greatly desire. The Apostle therefore observes, that it is the first commandment with promise ; i. e. a command eminently remarkable for the manner in which the promise is adjoined. And it is certainly a wise cqn.stitution of Providence, that gives so much to parental authority, especially Avhile children are in their younger years, their minds being then incapable of judging and acting for themseh'-es in matters of im portance. Children should therefore be early taught and con vinced by scripture, that God has committed them into the hands of their parents ; and consequently, that reverence and obedience to their parents, is a part of the duty they owe to God, and disobedience to them, is rebellion against him. And .parents should by no means indulge tlieir childien in a direct and resolute opposition to their will in .^matters of greater or smaller moment; remembering, that a child left to himself brings 14. On the Education of Children. his parents to shame, and himself to ruin; and with regard to subjection, as Avell as affection, it is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. 4. Children should be trailed up in the Avay of bencAolence and kindness to all. The great Apostle tells us, that love is the fulfilhng of the law, and that all those branches of it, Avhicli relate to our neighbour, are comprehended in that one Avord, love. This love therefore. We should endeavour to teach them; and Ave shall find, that in many instances it Avill be a law to itself, and guide them right in many particular actions, the obligations tOAvhich may depend on principles of equity, AA'hich lie far beyond the reach of their feeble understandings. There is hardly an instruction relating to our duty more happily adapted to the capacity of children, than that golden laAV, (so important to all ofthe maturest age,) What soever ye would tbat others should do unto you, do ye so unto them. This rule Ave should teach them, and by this should ex amine their actions. From their cradles ^\e should often inculcate it upon them, that a great deal of religion consists in doing good; that the wisdom from above is full of mercy and good fruits ; and that every christian should do good unto all as he has oppor tunity. That such instructions may be welcome to them, we should endeavour, bv all prudent methods, to soften their hearts to sen timents of humanity and tenderness, and guard against every thing that Avould liaA^e a contrary tendency. We should remove from them, as much as possible, all kind of cruel and bloody spectacles, and should carefull}* discourage any thing barbarous in their treatment of brute creatures; bj' no means allowing them to sport themseh^es in the death or pain of domestic animals, but rather teaching them to treat the poor creatures kindly, and take care of them ; the contrary to Avhicli is a most detestable sign of a savage and malignant disposition. The merciful man reeardeth the hfe of his beast. We should likewise take care to teach them the odiousness and folly of a selfish temper, and encourage them in a Avillingness to impart to others, what is agreeable and entertaining to them selves : Especially Ave should endeavour to foi-m them to senti- On the Educ-afion -of Children. ^5 ments of compassion to the poor .- We should shew them Avhece God has said. Blessed is the man that considereth the poor, the Lord will remember him in the day of trouble. He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth to the Lord, and that Avbich he hath •given, will he pay him again. And we should slieAv them, by our oAvn practice, that Ave verily believe these promises to be true, and important. It might not be improper sometimes to make our children the messengers, by which Ave send some small sup ply to the indigent and distressed; and if they discover adisposi- ¦tion to give something out of the little stock Ave allow them to call their oAvn, we should joyfully encourage it, and should take' carethat they never lose by their charity, bat that in a prudent manner Ave abundantly repay it. It is hardly to be imagined, thdt children thus brought up, should, in the advance of life, prove injurious and oppressive ; they will rather be the ornaments of re ligion, and blessings to the world, and probably will be in the number of the last whom providence will suffer to want. 5. Children should be trained up in the Avay of diligence. This should undoubtedly be our caie, if Ave have any regard ta tlie Avelfare, either of their bodies, or their souls. In AvhatCA'cr station of life the}'^ may at length be fixed, it is certain there is little prospect of their acquitting themselves with usefulness, honour and advantage, AA'ithout a close and resolute application; whereas the wisest of princes and of men has said, Seest thou a Tnan diligent in his business; he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men. And it is evident, that a dili gent prosecution of business keeps one out of the Avay of a thou- •sand temptations wliich idleness seems to invite, leading a man into numberless instances of vice and folly, because he has no thing else to do* A prudent and religious parent vrill therefore be concerned that his children may not early contract so pernicious a habit, nor enter upon life like pei-sons that have no business hi it, bat t(y * Tfaus.it.is said of yEgisfhus, Ne nilageretur, amavit. O.vid. t Nee sum adeo .^tatum imprudens, ut instandum teneris protinus acerbe pu- tem, exigendamque pleMm Qpcraip ; — — Luius h'ic sit, &c. Quintil. Orat, Xiib.i. Cap, I. l6 On the Education of Childreni croud the stage, and stand in the Avay of those who are better Cin* ployed. Instead of suffering them to saunter about from place to place, (as abundance of young people do, to no imaginable purpose of usefulness, or even of entertainment) he will quickly assign them some employment for their time : An employment so moderated, and so diversified, as not to overAA^helm and fatigue their tender spirits;-)- yet sufficient to keep them Avakeful and active. Nor is this so difficult as some may imagine; for chil dren are a busy kind of creat-ures, naturally fond of learning new things, and trying and shewing what they can do. So that, I am •persuaded, Avere perfect inactivity to be imposed upon them as a penance, but for one hour, they Avould be heartily weary of it, and would be glad to seek their refuge from it, in almost any busines* you would think fit to employ them about. Thus should they be disciplined in their infant-years, should early be taught the value of time, and early accustomed to im prove it, till they grow fit for some calling in life ; in which they should at length be placed with this important maxim deeply in- graven upon their minds, " That full employ, in whatever service ." they are fixed, is a thing by no means to be dreaded, but, on thte " contrary, greatly to be desired." I shall conclude this head with the mention of a very remark able law amongst the Athenians, which ordained, " That those " who had been brought up to no employ by their parents, should " not be obliged to keep them, if they came to want in their old "' age; Avhich all other (legtimate) children were."* 6. Children should be trained up in the way of integrity. Simplicity and godly sincerity is not only a very amiable, but an essential pait of the christian character; and we are every one of us indispensably obliged to approve ourselves Israelites indeed, . jn whom there is no allowed guile. And this is a circumstance that will peculiarly require our regard, in the education of our children, and of all young persons under our care. It is very melancholy to observe, how soon the artifices and de ceits of corrupt nature begin to discover themselves. In this re spect Ave are transgressors from the womb, and go astray almost * Potter's Greek Antiq. Vol.1, pag. \/^%, On the Education of Children. 17 as soon as we are born, speaki'ng lies. • Great care therefore should be taken to form the minds of children to a love for truth and cap- dour, and a sense of the irieanness as well as the guilt of a liei We should be cautious, that we do not expose them to any temp tations of this kind, either by unreasonable severities, on account of littlfe faults, or by hasty surprises when enquiring into any matter of fact, which it inay seem their interest to disguise by a falsehood: And when Ave find them guilty of d, known and deliberate lie, we should express our horror of it, not only by a present reproof or correction, but by such a conduct towards them for fome time afterwards, as may plainly shew them how greatly we are amazed, grieved, and difpleased. When so solfemn a business is made of the first faults of this kind, it may be the means of preventing many more. I will farther add, that we ought not only thus severely to animadvert upon a direct lie, but likewise, in a proper degree, to discourage all. kinds of equivocations and double meanings, and thofe little tricks and artifices, by which they may endea vour to impose on each other, or on those that are older than themsel-ves. We should often inculcate upon them that ex cellent fcripture. He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely; but he)»that perverteth his way, (that twists and distorts it Avith the perplexities of artifices and deceit) shall af length be know;n.* Be shewing them every day how easy, how pleasant, how honourable, and how advantageous it is to maintain a fair,' open, and honest temper ; and on the other hand, what folly there is in cunning and dishonesty in all its forms; and how certain it is, that by studying and practising it, they take the readiest way to make themselves anxious and useless, infamous and odious. Above all, should we remind them, that the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, and his favourable counte nance beholds the upright; but lying lips are such an abomina* tion to him, that he expressly declares, all liars shall have tbeir part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. 7. Children should be trained up in the way of humility, * Prov. X. 9. typya (i K'pW hue 'Hue se Sexit. Pagn. TOL. III. C 18 Qn the Education of Children. This is a grace, which our Lord particularly invites ua to learn of him, and most frequently recommends to us ; well knowing, that without > it, fo huiribling a scheme as he came to intiodube, would never meet with a welcome reception. And with regard to the present hfe, it is a most lovely orna ment, which engages universal esteem and affection; so that before honour is humility : On the whole we find, he that exalteth himself is abased, and he that humbleth himself is ex alted both by God and man. A regard therefore to the ease, honour, and happiness of our children, should engage us to an early endeavour of checking that pride, which AA'as the firft. sin, arid the ruin of our natures; and diffuses itself fo Avide, and sinks so deep, into all that draw their original from degenerate Adam. We should teach them to express humility and modesty in their converse with all. They should be taught to treat their superiors with peculiar respect, and should at proper seasons be accustomed to silence and reserve before them. Hence they will learn in some degree the government of the tongue ; a branch of Avisdom, Avhich, in the advance of life, Avill be of great importance to the quiet ofothers, and to their own comfort and reputation. Nor should they be allowed to assume airs of insoleifce to wards their equals; but rather be taught to yield, to oblige, and to give up their right for -the sake of peace. To this purpofe I cannot but think it deshable, that they should be generally ac customed to treat each other with those forms of civility and complaisance, .which are usual among well-bred people in their rank of life. I know these things are mere trifles in themselves, yet they are the out-guards of humanity and friendship, and effectuaily prevent many a rude attack, which, taking its rise from some little circumstance, may nevertheless be attended with fatal consequences. I thought it proper to mention this here, becaufe, (as Scougal very justly and elegantly expresses it,)* " These modes are the shadows of humihty, and seem in- " tended t6 shcAV our regard for ,othersj and the low thoughts " Ave ha-^e of ourselves." Seougal's Life ofGod, pag. 45. On the Education of Children. \g I shall only add farther, that it is great imprudence and un kindness to children, to ifidulge them in a hauty and imperious hehaviour towards those who are most their inferiors. They should be made to understand that the servants of the family are not their servants, nor to be under their government and eontroul. I the rather insist upon this, because I have generally observed, that where young people haA'e been permitted to ty rannize over persons in the lowest circumstances of life, the hu mour has shamefully grown upon them, till it has diffused inso lence and arrogance through their behaviour to ail about them. Lastly, Children should be trained up in the way of self- denial. As without something of this temper we can never folloAV Christ, or expect to be owned by him as his disciples; so neither indeed can we pass comfortably through the world. For, whatever unexperienced youth may dream, a great many dis tasteful and mortifying circumstances will occur in life, Avhich will unhinge our minds almost every hour, if we cannot manage, and in many instances deny our appetites, our passions, and our humours. We should therefore endeavour to teach our children this important lesson betimes; and if Ave succeed in our care, we shall leave them abundantly richer and happier, in this rule and possession of their own spirits, than the most plentiful estates, or the most unlimited power over others, could make"tliein. When a rational creature becomes the slave of appetite, he sinks beneath the dignity of the human nature, as well as the sanctity of the christian profession. It is therefore observable, that when the Apostle mentions the three grand branches of practical religion, he puts sobriety in the front ; perhaps to inti-r mate, that where that is neglected, the other cannot be suitably regarded. "The grace of God, (i. e. the gospel,) teachesus, to " live soberly, righteously, and godly." Children therefore, as well as young men, should be exhorted to be sober-minded : And they should be taught it, by early self-denial. It is certain, that if their own appetite 'and taste were to determine the kind and quantity of their food, many of them would quicklj' destroy their constitution, and perhaps their lives ; since they have often the greatest desire for those things, which are the most imprpper, C 2 20 On the Education of Children: And it seems justly obserA'cd by a very Avise man, (who Avas hlin- self a melancholy instance of it,) " That the fondness of mothers " for their children, in letting them eat and drink what they will, "lays a foundation for most of those calamities in human life>' " which proceed from bodily indisposition."* Nay, I will add, that it is the part of AA''isdom and love, not only to deny what would be unvrholesome, but to guard against indulging them in too great a* nicety, either of food or dress. People of sense cannot but see, if they would please to consider it, that to know how to fare plain ly, and sometimes a little hardly, carries a man with ease and pleasure through many circumstances of life, whicli to luxury and delicacy AA'ould be almost intolerable. The gOA'crnmentof the passions is another branch of self-denial to which children should early be habituated ; and so much the rather, because, in an age Avhen reason is so weak, the passions are apt to appear with peculiar force and violence. A prudent care should therefore be taken to reprefs the exorbitancieS of them. For which purpose it is of great importance, that they never be suffered to carry any point, by obstinacy, noise, and clamour, which is indeed to bestow a reward on a fault that de serves a severe reprimand. Nay, I will venture to add, that though it be very inhuman to take pleasure in making them uneasy by -needless mortifications, yet when they are eagerly and intemperately desirous of a trifle, they ought, for that very reason, sometimes to be denied it, to teach them more modera tion for the future. And if by such methods, they gradually leai-n to conquer their little humours and fancies, they learn no inconsiderable branch of true fortitude and Avisdom. I cannot express this better, than in the words of Mr. Locke,;!: in his excellent treatise on the subject before us ; " He that has found " out the way to keep a child's spirit easy, active, and free, and " yet at the same time to restrain him from many things Avhich " he has a mind to, and draw him to things uneasy to him, has " got the true secret of education." 1 have sometimes been surprised to see, hoAV far a sense of * Baxter's Practical Works, Vol. iii. pag. 746. i Locke- on Education, ^46. On the Education of Children. 21 honour and praise has carried some children of a generous tem per, in a long and resolute course of self-denial. But undoutedly the noblest principle of all is a sense of religion. Happy Avould ' it indeed be, if they Avere led to see, that there is but A'ery little in this kind of gratifications and indulgehcies; that the Avorld itself is but a poor empty trifle; and that the great thing a rational creature should be concerned about, is to plea.se God, and get well to heaven. May divine grace teach us this im portant lesson for ourselves, that we may transmit it Avith the {greater advantage to om- children ! Amen. SERMON IL ON TBE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. Prov. xxii. 6. Train up a child in the way he should go ; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. It is certainly a very pleasing reflection to every faithful minister of the gospel, that the cause, in which he is engaged, is the most benevolent, as well as the most religious; subserving the glory of God by promoting the happiness of mankind. It must be a great satisfaction to a man of integrity and humanity, to think that it is not his business to dazzle and confound his hearers Avith the artifices of speech, to give the appearances of truth to falsehood, and importance to trifles ; but to teach them to weigh things in an impartial balance, and by the words of of truth and soberness, to lead them into the paths of Avisdom and of goodness. This is a satisfaction which I peculiarly find this day, while I am urging you to that religious care in the education of children, which I have at large opened in the former discourse. And it is a circumstance of additional pleasure, that I am pleading the cause of the Aveak and the helpless ; of little tender creatures, who are incapable of pleading for themselves, and know not how much their interest is concerned. Nor am I without a secret hope, that if the Divine Spirit favor us with his assitance, some tvho are yet unborn may have eternal reason to rejoice vc). the fruits of what we are now to hear. Amen, On tht Education of Children. 23 Having already endeavoured to describe the way in which children are to be trained up ; I now proceed. Secondly, to propose some arguments to engage parents to this pious care. And here I would intreat you distinctly to consider, — that the attempt itself is pleasant; — you have great reason to hope it may be successful, — and that success is of the highest im portance, I. The attempt itself is pleasant. I speak not merely of the pleasure arising from the conscious- , ness of discharging present duty, and a probable '/iew of friture success ; such a satisfaction may attend those actions, which are in themselves most painful and mortifying. But I refer to the entertainment immediately flowing from the employment Itselfj when rightly managed. This is undoubtedly one of those Avays of wisdom, which are ways of pleasantness, as well as a path, which in its consequences is peace and liappiness: It is a com mandment, in keeping of which there is great reward. The Go Dof nature has wisely annexed a secret unutterable de light, to all our regular cares for the improvement of our rising offspring. We rejoice to see our tender plants flourish, to ob serve how the stock strengthens, and the blossoms and the leaves successively unfold. We trace, with a gradually advanc ing pleasure, their easy smiles, the first efforts of speech on their stammering tongues, and the dawnings of reason in their , , feeble minds. It is a dehghtful office to cultivate and assist opening nature,* to lead the young strangers mto a new world, * belightfal task ! to rear the tender thought. To teach the young idea how to shoot. To pour the fresh instruction o'er the mind, ' . . and plant The generous purpose in the glowing breast. Thoii^. Spring. 24 On the Education of Children. and to infuse the principles of any useful kind of kn6wlfedge, Avhich their age may admit, and their circumstances require. But when we attempt to raise their thoughts to the great Father of Spirits, to present them, as in the arms of faith, to Jesus the compassionate Shepherd, and teach them to inquire after him ; AA*hen Ave endeavour to instruct them in the principles of divine truth, and form them to sentiments of prudence, inte grity, and generosity ; we find a pleasure superior to what any . other labour for their improvement can give. On this occasion, my friends, I persuade myself I may appeal to the repeated experience of many amongst you. Do you not find, that the sweetest truths of Christianity, which are your hope and your joy in this house of your pilgrimage, are peculiarly sweet when you talk them over with your children ? Do you not . find, that your instructions and admonitions to them return into your own bosom Avith a rich increase of edification amd refresh ment? Thus Avhile you are watering these domestic plantations, you are watering also yourselves; and from these holy converses with your children, you rise to more endearing communion with your Heavenly Father : God by his Spirit visiting your souls in .the midst of those pious cares, and giving you immediate com fort and strength, as a token of his gracious acceptance, and per- . haps as a pledge of future success. This leads me to urge the re/tgiOMs education of children, II. By the probability there is, that it will be attended with such success, as to be the means of making them wise and goo,d. This is the argument' urged,' by Solomon in the text, " Train " up a child in the way in which he should go ; and when, he " is old, he will not depart from it." Being early initiated into the right way, he will pursue it with increasing pleasure ; so that with regard to the prosperity of the soul, as well as of the body, his path will be like the morning light, Avhich shineth more and more unto the perfect day. It is true, this assertion is to be undefstood "with some limita tion, as expressing the probabihty, rather than the certainty of Onthe Education of Children. 25 'the success; otherwise experience would contradict it in some ;melancholy instances. Would to God there were none un- , tractable under the most pious and prudent methods of educa- -tion; none, who like deaf adders stop their ears against the voice ; of the most skilful charmers, and have been accustomed to do it from their infancy! Would to God there were none of those who appeared to set out well, and seemed eager in inquhing the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, who have forgotten the guides of their youth, and the covenant of their God, and are to this day Avandering in the paths of the destroyer, if they are not already fallen in them! ., But do you throw by every me dicine, which some have used without being recovered by it ; or ¦ decline every profession, of which there are some who do not .thrive ? What remedy must you then take ? what calling must you then pursue ? The application is obvious. It would be folly to pretend to maintain, that religious education will cer- . tainly obtain its end ; but let me intreat you to consider, — that ;it is in its own nature a very rational method, — that it is the method which God has appointed, — and, a method which in many instances has been found successful. Attend seriously to these remarks, and then judge whether prudence and con science will not oblige you to pursue it. 1. The religions education of children is a very rational method of engaging them to walk in the way in whicb they . shquld go. There is this most evident advantage attending our early attempts of this kind, that we shall find the mind more open aqd disengaged, not , tainted with all those corrupt princi ples, nor enslaved to those irregular habits, which they would probably imbibe, and contract in the advance of age. Though the paper on which we AA'ould write the knowlege of God be noit entirely fair, it is clear of many a foul inscription and deep blot, with Avhich it would soon be coA'ered, Though the garden, in which we would plant the fruits of holiness, be not free from weeds, yet many of tlien are but (as it were) in the invisible seed, and the rest are not grown up to that luxuriant gize, which we must e?p^ct, if due cultivation be omitted of delayed. S6 On the Education of Children. It is a farther advantage which deserves to be mentioned here, that infancy and childhood is the most impressible , age ; and as principles are then most easily admitted, so they are most firmly retained. The ancients, those judicious observers of hu- ¦ man nature, as Avell as many modern writers, are full of this remark in their discourses on education, and illustrate it by a great many beautiful allusions which are well known. The nCAV vessel takes a lasting tincture from the liquor which is first poured in:* The soft; clay is easily fashioned into what form you please f The young plant may be bent with a gentle hand ; and the characters, engraved on the tender bark, grow deeper and larger with the advancing tree.;}: It will be our Avis dom then to seize these golden opportunities ; and so much the rather, as it is certain they will either be improved, or perverted; and that, if they are not pressed into the service of religion, they Avill be employed as dangerous artillery against it.|| But you will say, " With all these advantageous Circum- " stances we cannot infuse grace into the hearts of our children ; " and after all our precautions, corrupt nature will prevent us, " and fix a wrong bias on the mind, before we can attempt to " direct it aright." A mournful, but too evident truth ? which, far from denying or suppressing, I would often declare and inculcate; and the rather now, as it greatly confirms my argu-. merit. Are the influences of a degenerate nature unavoidably so strong, and Avill you suffer them to be confirmed by these additional advantages ? Do you apprehend, that running with * Quo semel est imbuta recens, servabit Odorem Testa diu. — - Horat. Epist. Lib. i. No. e. v. 69, 70. + Udum & molle Lutum es : Nunc, nunc properandus, & acri Figendus sine fine Rotsl, — Pers. Sat. III. v. eb, 83. £t Nature lenacissimi sumus eorum, quz rudibus Annis percipimus; ut Sapor, quo nova inbuas, durat ; nec Lanarum Colores, quibus simplex ille Candor mutatus est, elui possunt. Quintil. Orat. Lib. i. Cap. j. Ut Corpora ad quosdam Membrorum Flexus formari, nisi tenera, non possunt, sic Animos quoque ad pleraque duriores Robur ipsum facit. Ibid. ^ Bates's Works, pag. 636, II Hec ipsa magis pertinaciter ha:rent, qus pejOra sunt. Quintil. Orat. Lib. i. Cap, 1. On the Education of Children. gj the footmen, you shall be in danger of fainting ; and do you fot that very reason chuse to contend with the horsemen ? You can not sure, in the face of so much reason and scripture, urge this as an excuse against making any attempts at all of this kind; and how then is it an apology for the neglect of those, which are, (other things being equal,) the most rational and easy? But the trifling plea is more evidently silenced, by observing, Q. The religious education of children is a method which God has appointed ; and this greatly increases the probability of its Success. I assuredly know, (and may God more deeply engrave it on our hearts !) that with regard to your labours, as well as ours, ¦neither is he that planteth any thing, nor he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. But consider;^ I beseech you, how that increase is to be hoped for : Is it in the omission, or in the use of prescribed means ? I urge in on your consciences, my friends, that religious education is an ordinance of God,* which, therefore, you may reasonably hope he will honour with a blessing. And you might as justly expect, that your souls should flourish in an unnecessary absence from the table and house ofthe Lord, or an habitual neglect of reading-and prayer; as that your children should grow up for God, while you fail in your endeavours to engage them in his service. I repeat it again, religious education is an ordinance of God. And is it a work of labour and difficulty to prove the assertion? Which of you does not know, that christian parents are solemnly charged to bring up their children in the nurture and admo nition ofthe Lord; and that even under the Mosaic economy, God urged it on his people in a very affecting manner? Surely you must have observed, hoAv strictly God charges it upon the Jews to take all opportunities to this purpose, occasional, as well as stated. These words, says he, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart ; and thou shalt teach them dili gently to thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou Walkest by the way, and Avhen thou liest down, and Avhen thou riseSt up. And elsewhere, Thou shalt teach them to thy sons and thy sons sons : Plainly recom mending a care of more remote, as well as immediate descen- S8 On the Education of Children. .dants, of grandrchildren as well as children. Thus Avhen Go» established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, he, commanded the fathers, that they should, make them knoAvn unto their children ; that the generation to come might knoAv them, CA'cn the children that should be born, that they should arise and declare them unto their children ; that so religion might be transmitted to ever}' rising age. You cannot be ignorant of such passages as these, Avhich need no comment to explain them, and consequently you cannot but knoAv, that the religious education of children is a Divine institution, as Avell as in itself a most rational attempt : After Avhich you Avill not not Avonder to hear, 3. That it has in fact been attended Avith very happy success. We acknoAvledge, that the great God does not Confine him self to work by this Avay ; and that he sometimes displays his sovereignty in visibly turning out of it. We acknowledge, that he sometimes leaves those Avho had been, as it AA'cre, born and brought up in his family, to forsake it in a very scandalous manner : while he seems- to go into the very territories of Satan, into ignorant, carnal, and prophane families, and takes from thence persons, whom he erects as trophies of free, surprising, and (as Mr. Hovi^e justly expresses it,) " unaccountable grace." But you well know, that these are more rare and uncommon cases : And though some of you, my friends, are (and I hope you .will never forget it,) happy instances of the singular Di\ine ¦goodness; yet most of you, as I apprehend, were from your .childhood, trained up in the knowledge of God, and are living monuments of the success Avhich has attended the care of pa rents, or masters in this particular. The greater part of those, who have of late been admitted to your communion, have, to my certain knowledge, mentioned it with thankfulness ; and I rejoice to think, how many of the rising generation amongst .us, (if even a child may be known by his doings,) are like to increase the number, and give us an encouraging hope that they will at length be set as olive-plants around the Lord's table, as well as yours. I persuade myself it is so elsewhere, and think I may pronounce it Avith some confidence, that the iamilies of God's children are, generally fpeaking, the nurscrieis On the Education Of Children.' ^§' •f his church. Soloriion, no doubt, had observe^d that a good isducation had generally been sticcess&l, or we could by no means account for the remark in the text ; and a very accu rate writer of our own age and nation has carried it so far as to say, " That of all the men Ave meet with, nine parts in ten are " what they are, good or bad, useful or not, according to their " education."* ¦' I hope yoti are' by this time convinced, that, humanly speak ing, there is great probability, that religious education may be' the effectual mearis of promoting serious piety in the rising age;' which was the second argilment by which I was to recommend it : An argument, whicli may be greatly strengthened by ob serving, III. That the success, AA'hich We may so reasonably expect, is a matter' of very high importance. It is of evident importance — to the honour of God and and the support' of religion, — to the present and future happi ness of your children, ^and to your own comfort both in life and death. Weighty and comprehensive thoughts! which I shall briefly touch,t and to which I beg you will renew youp attention. ' 1. The honour of God, and interest of a Redeemer, is- greatly concerned in the behaviour of your children ; aud con sequently in your cate of their education, Avhich is likely to have so great an influence upon it. We live in a dying world. Our fathers, Avhere are they? Sleeping in the dust, as we must shortly be. We are sure, that in a little, a very little While, these pilaceS must know us no more : And when we tire mouldering in the house of silence, who must fill our places in the house of God ? Who must rise up in our stead for the support of religion amongst those that succeed us ? From whom caii it be expected, but from our children? Yet * Locke on Education, § i . t I omit many things which might be said on these heads, because I have opened thettl more largely in a .Sermon on this very subject, The Importance •f the Rising Generation, which Is the first of the Sermons to Young Persons. so On the Education of Children* how can Ave expect it from these, in the neglect of a method which comes recommended by so many advantageous circum stances? " Yes," you will perhaps be ready to say, " God will " take care of his oAvn cause, and Almighty grace will do what " we have not attempted, because Ave kncAv that we could not " accomplish it." Almighty grace can indeed dp it; and Almighty power can of these stones, on which Ave tread, raise up children to Abraham. But shew me your warrant from the word of God for expecting it, either in the one case, or in the other. You Avill possibly ansAver, " He has promised to be ever " with his church, and that the gates of hell shall not prevail 'f against it ; but that one generation shall arife and declare his " mighty Avorks unto another, and that the kingdom of his Son " shall continue as long as the sun and the' moon endure." Blessed be his name for these encouraging promises,, which shall, no doubt, be accomplished. But where has he engaged, that this kingdom shall always continue amongst us ? Such passages as these will no more prove, that the gospel shall never be re moved from Great-Britain, than they Avould once have proved, that it should never be taken away from Pergamos or Thyatira, orany other of the Asian churches, which have so many ages ago been given up to desolation. Now let me entreat you, for a few moments, to dwell upon that thought; Avhat if the gospel should be lost from amongst your descendants ! What if in the age of these little on^s, or the next that shall succeed to theirs, the house of the Lord should be forsaken, and his table abandoned ? What if the ministry should be grown into disuse, or the servants of Christ in it should have nothing to do, but to bear a fruitless testimony against an unbelieving generation, till (when their hearts are broken with so sad an oflfice,) the gospel here die ivith them, and religion be buried in their graves ? Is it a thought easily to be supported by a true Israelite, that the ark of the Lord should thus be lost, aud God should write upon us Icabod, the sad memorials of a departed glory ? It Avould surely be peculiarly melancholy, that religion should die in the hands of those Avho were the children of the kingdom. And Avere not yours so ? In this respect, my friends^ On tfie Education qf Children, 31 permit me to say, that I am witness against some of you. When you have offered yqur children to baptism, you have delivered them into my hands, with an eJcpress declaration of your sincere desire, that they might be devoted to God; and have received them again with a solemn charge and promise to bring them up for him, if their lives should be continued. Arid as for those of you, who do not practise this institution, I doubt not, but many of you are equally faithful in dedicating your infant-offspring to God. Is it not then reasonable to expect from both, that they should be brought up as a seed to serve him,? And from whom l^ay we hope it, if not from you? If you have experienced the power of Divine grace upon your own souls, and have tasted that the Lord is gracious, methinks it should awaken a holy zeal to spread the sweet savour of his name and word wherever you come: You should labour to the utmost for the advance ment of his gogpel amongst, all your acquaintance, and even amongst strangers; how much more in your OAvn families, amongst those whom you have received from him, amongst those whom you have so solemnly given back to him, 2. The character of your children, and consequently your care in their education, is of the most evident importance to their present and future happiness. I need not surely employ a great deal of time in proving the truth of the assertion. As Christians, you must undoubtedly own, that godliness is profitable to all things, having the pro mise of the life which noAV is, as well as of that which is to come. If your children, through the divine blessing on your holy care, become tnily religious, they will not only be pre served from those follies and crimes, which stain the honour, and ruin the substance of families, but they AviU secure a -fair reputation; they will take the most probable method to make life truly comfortable; they will be entitled to the paternal care and blessing of God; and, to crown all, wUl be heirs of eternal glory with him : And what coul " these are they, that will " increase your labours; and aggravate your sorrows: that will '^ hasten upon you the infirmities of age, or crush you the faster f' under the weight of them, till they have brought down your " hoary hairs with anguish to the grave." Little do they or you think, how much agony and distress you may endure, from what you will see, and what 'you will fear concerning them. How many slighted admonitions, how many deluded hopes, how many arixious days, how many restless nights, will concur to make the evening of life gloomy! And at length, when God gives you a dismission fi-om a world, which the foljy and wick edness of your children has so long embittered, how painful will the separation be ; when you have a prospect of seeing them but once more, and that at the tribunal of God, where the best you can expect, (in their present circumstances,) is to rise up in judg ment against them, and to bear an awful testimony, which shall draw down upon them aggravated damnation ! And let me plainly tell you, that if in these last moments, conscience should also accuse you ofthe neglect of duty, and testify that your OAvn sorrow, and your children's ruin, is in part chargeable upon that, it will be a dreadful ingredient in this bitter cup, and will greatly darken, if not entirely suppress those hopes with regard to yourselves, which alone could support you in this mournful scene. I, am fully persuaded, that if you knew the weight with which these things will sit upon your mind in the immediate views of the eternal world, you would not suffer evei'y D2 36 On the Education of Children. trifling'difficulty,. or little care,' to deter you from the discharge of those duties, whicli are so necessary to prevent these galling reflections. ; , To conclude : Let me intreat you seriously to Aveigli the united force of these arguments, vvliich I have now been urging to ex-' cite your diligence in this momentous care of training up youi" children inthe way in Avliieh they should go. Consider hoAV pleasant the attempt is: — Consider how fair a probability there is that it may prosper> as it is in itself a very rational method, as it is a method God has appointed, and a method which he has crowned Avith singular success : — Consider how important that success is, to the honour of God and interest of religion, to the temporal and eternal happiness of your children, and family, to your oAvn comfort both in life and death. On the Avhole I well know, and I am persuaded. Sirs, that you ¦yourselves are convinced, that whatsover can be opposed to such considerations as thefe, when laid in an impartial balance, it is altogether lighter than vanity. I do therefore; seriously appeal to those conA'ictions of your conscifnces, as in the sight of God : And if, from this time at least> the education ofchildren amongst you be neglected, or regarded only as a light care, God it Avit^ ness, and you yourselves are Avitnesses, that it is not for want of being plainly' instructed in your duty, or seriously urged to the performance of it. ( S7 •)¦ SERMON III. ON THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. Prov. xxii. 6. Train up a child in the way he should go ; and when he is old, he ' will not depart from it. X HOSE of you Avho haye made ahy observations on human life, must certainly know, that if we desire to be agreeable and- useful in it, we must regard not only the quality, but the manner of our actions, and that while we are in the pursuit of any im portant end, we must not only attend to those actions which do immediately refer' to it, but must watch over the Avhole of our conduct; that we may prese^-ve a corisistency iri the several parts bfit. Otherwife we shall spoil the beauty and acceptance of riiany anhoriest, and, perhaps inthe main, prudent attempt ; or hy a train of urithought of consequences, shall demolish Avitli the one hand, what we are labouring to build up Avith the other. " This is a remark which we shall have frequent occasion to recollect; and it is of peculiar importance in the busiriess of edu cation. It is therefore necessary, that haying before described the'way in Avhich children are tq be trained up, and urged you to a diligent application to the duty, I noAV proceed. Thirdly, to "offer some adAaces for your assistance in this attempt, of leading children 'into, and conducting them in this way. '-¦ '"¦ ' ¦ ¦ ¦¦¦-"¦ '¦ D 3 38 On the Ediecatwn of Children. These Avill relate — partly to the manner in Avhich the attempt is to be made, — and partly to the precautions necessary for ren dering it effectual: Which are, as you see, matters of distinct consideration, though comprehended urider the general head of directions. I. As to the manner in which the attempt is to be made. And here it is evident it should be done plainly, — serious ly, — tenderly, — and patiently. 1. Children are to be instructed plainly: In the plairifest things, and by the plainest words. They are to be taught the plainest things in religion in the first place. And it is a pleading reflection on this occasion, that according to the abundant goodness and condescension of the gieat God, those things which are the most necessary are the plainest. Just as in the Avorld of nature, those kinds of food, which are the most wholesome and nourishing, are also the most common. We should shew our grateful sense of the Divine goodness in this particular, by our care to imitate it ; and should see to it, that when the necessities of our children require bread, we do not give them a stone, or chaff; as we should do, if we were to distract their feeble minds with a variety of human schemes, and doubtful disputations. The more ab struse and mysterious truths of the gospel are gradually to he unfolded, as they are exhibited in the oracles of God, and to be taught in the language of the Spirit ; according to the excel lent advice of the great Dr. Owen,* " making scripture phrase- " ology our rule and pattern in the declaration of spnitn'al " things." But we must not begin here. We must feed them with milk when they are babesj and reserve the strong meat for maturer age. Take the most obvious and vital truths of Christi anity, Tell them, that they are creatures, and sinful creatures ; that by sin they have displeased a holy God ; and that they must be pardoned, and sanctified, and accepted in Ciieist, or must perish for ever. Shew them the difference between sinj and * Owen on the Spirit, pref, ad. 6n. On the Education of Children- 39 holiiie.ss; between a state of nature, and of grace. Shew them, that they are hastening on to death and judgment, and so must ©nter on heaven or hell, and dwell -for ever in the one or the other. Such kind of lessons will probably turn to the best ac count, both to them and you. I knoAV it is a very easy thing to inflame the vi'arm ignorant minds of children with an eager zeal for distinguishing forms, or distingriishing phrases ; and to make them violent in the interest of a part}'^, before they know any thing of cominon clnistianity.' But if Ave thv^s sow the wind, we shall probably reap the whirhvind; venting ourselves, and transfusing into them, a wrath of man, which never Avorks, but often greatly obstructs, the righteousness of God. Blcsfed be Gon, this is riOt the fault of you, my friends, of this congrega tion. I would mention it with great thankfulness, as both your happiness and mine, that, so far as I can judge, it is the sincere milk of the Avord that you desire. Let it be your care to draw it out for the nourishment of your children's souls, as their under standings arid capacities, wiU permjt them to take it in. Arid while you are teaching them the plainest things, endea vour to do it in the plainest wwds. It is the gracious method which God uses with usj who speaks to us of heavenly thi^igs in language, not fully expressive of the sublimity and grandeur of the subject, but rather suited to our feeble apprehensions. Thu^ our Lord taught his disciples, as they were able to hear it; and used easy and familiar similitudes, taken from the most obvious occurrences in hfe, to illustrate matters of the highest impor tance. A most instructive example I Such condescension should we use, in training up those cpmmitt;ed to our care, and should examine, whether \ve take their understandings along with us as we go on : Otherwise we a^e speaking in an unknoAvn tongue, and ag the Apostle expresses it, ?^»-e harbaii-ians unto ihein, he^our language ever so graceful, elegant, or pathetic.* Give me leaA-e to add, for the conclusion of this head, that though it is to be taken for granted, that children in their ear liest infancy are to be engaged to Avh^t is good, and to be re- * Mercator renders 1311 ig) bj}, ju»ta, niensuram vi? ejus, i. e. pro captu ingenij ejus iitfirmjoris. 40 On the Education of Children. strained from evil, chiefly, by a view fo reivards and punish ments, more immediate and remote, or by some natural work ings of a benevolent affection, which are by all means to be che rished and cultivatad ; yet, as they might grow up to greater ripeness of understanding, something farther is to be attempted. It must then be our care, to set before them, in the strongest light, the beauties of holines.s, and deformities of sin ; and like- wife to promote, in the easiest and most familiar Avay, the evi dences of the truth of Christianity, that they may be fortified against those temptations to infidelity, Avitli which the presenf age does so unhappily abound. The external evidences of it are by no means to be slighted, such as the credibility of the gospel- history, the accomplishment of prophesies, the unity of design, carried on by so many different persons in distant ages and countries, its amazing and even miraculous propagation in the World; all which, with many other considerations to the same purpose, are very judiciously handled in a variety of excellent Avritings of our OAvn age ; of which I know not any more suited to your use, than Mr. Bennefs Discourses on the Inspiration of Scriptm-e, which I therefore recommend to your attentive peru sal; and with them Dr. Watts's Seririons on the Inward Witness to the'Truth of Christianity from its efficacious Tendency to pro mote Holiness : This appears to me the noblest evidence of all, and Avill to those, avIio have actually experienced it, be an anchor to the soul, both sure and stedfast. 2. Children should be instructed in a very serious manner. There is an unhappy proneness in our degenerate nature to trifleAviththe things of God; and the giddineSs of children is peculiariy subject to it. Great care should therefore be taken, that Ave do not encourage such a humour, nor teach them by our levity or indolence in the manner of our instruction, to take thd awful name of God in vain, while they are speaking of himj or to him. For this purpose we must labour with our own hearts, to Avork them to a deep and serious sense of the truth and importance of what we fay: This Avill give us an unaffected solemnity in speaking, aa hich Avill probably command the atten tion, and im prefs the hearts of our children. Endeavour to preserve on your OAvn spirit an habitual aAve of the great and On the Education of Children. 41 blessed God, the Lord of heaven and earth; that when you speak of him to those httle creatures, they may evidently see the indications of the humblest veneration and reverence, and so may learn to fear him fi-om their youth. When you speak of Christ, let your souls be bowing to him as the Son of God, through whom alone you and yours can obtain pardon and life; and let them be overflowirig with love to him, for his unutterable and inconceivable grace. And when you remind them of death,' judgment, and eternity, consider yourselves and them as dying creatures: Think in how few months, or weeks, or days, your , lips may be silent in the dust, or they may be for ever removed beyond the reach of your instructions ; and plead Avith them in as earnest and importunate a manner, as if the salvation of tlieir immortal souls depended on the- effect of the prfesent address. Again, 3. Children should be instmcted in a very tender and affec tionate manner. We should take care to let them fee, that we do not desire to terrify and amaze them, to lead them into unnecessary scA'crities, or to deprive them of any innocent pleasures; that Avhat aa'c say is not dictated by an ostentation of our own AA'isdom and autho rity : but that it all proceeds from a hearty love to them, and an earnest desire for their happiness. Study therefore to address them in the most endearing language, as well as with the softest and sweetest arguments. Endeavour, according to the practice of Solomon, to find out acceptable words. And if tears should rise while you are speaking, do not suppress them. There is a language in them, which may perhaps affect beyond words. A weeping parent is both an awful and a melting sight. Endeavour therefore to look upon your children in such a vieAv, as may be most likely to awaken these tender sentiments. Consider them as creatures, whom you (as instruments) haAC brought into being, tainted with innate coiruption, surrounded with snares, and, on the whole, iri such apparent danger, that if not snatched as brands out of the burning, they must perish for ever. And that your hearts may be further mollified, and you may be formed to the most gentle, and moving manner of ad dress, let me intreat you to study the scripture in this view, and 42 On the Education of Children.. to observe the condescending and endearing forms in AA'hich the blessed God speaks to us there. Observe them for yourselves, and point them out to your children. Tell thera, hqw kindly he has demanded, how graciously he has encouraged their services ; Avhile he says, Remember noAV thy Creator in the days of thy youth ; and elsewhere, I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me. Tell them, 4hat the Lord Jesus Christ hath invited them to come to him ; for he has said. Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest : Him that cometh unto me, I will in no Avise cast out: And whosoever will, let him take of the Avaters of hfe freely. Such scriptures as these should be often repeated to them, aud should be early inculcated on their memory, with an attempt, as far as possible, to let them into the spirit and force of them. Nor will it be improper sometimes to set before them, how much you have done, how much you are ready to do for them j how many anxious thoughts you entertain, how many fervent prayers you offer on their account. Thus Lemuel's mother addressed him. What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows ? As if she had said, " My dear " child, for whom I have borne so much, for whom I have "' prayed so earnestly ; in what words shall 1 address thee, to " express what my heart feels on thy account? How shall I " speak my affectionate overflowing concern for thy happiness " both in time and eternity ?" So Solomon pleads. My son, if thine heart be Avise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine: As if he should have said, " Think how much is comprehended in that " argument, that a parent's happiness is in a great measure to " be determined by thy character and conduct," And the Apostle Paul lays open his heart to the Galatians in those pathetical words, My little children, of whom I travail in birth again, till Christ be formed in you. Yet these were, comparatively, strangers to him. And should not you, my friends, feel, should not you express, an equal tenderness for those, who are so nearly allied to you in the bonds of nature, for those who are indeed pai-ts of yourselA'cs ? But further, 4. Children should also be instructed patiently. i On the Education of Children. 43 You know, when the husbandman has committed the seed to the ground, he patiently expects the fruit of his labours. So must ministers do, Avhen instructing their people : So must pa-; rents do, when instructing their children. You must not ima gine, my friends, that a plentiful harvest will spring np in a day. The growth of nature is slow, and by insensible degrees : Nor are you to wonder, if advances in knowledge and grace be still slower. Be upon your guard therefore against fretfulness and impa}:ience. Your children will forget what you have once taught them ; repeat it a second time ; and if they forget it the. second time, repeat it the third. It is thus that the great God, deals with you; and you have daily reason to rejoice that he does. He knows the frailty and weakness of your minds, and therefore acts by a rule, which seems to be laid down with pecu.^ liar regai'd to the very point I am urging : Whom shall he teach knowledge, and whom shall he make to understand doctrine ? thent that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts ? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon pre-i cept, and line upon line, line upon line ; here a little, and there a little; As if the prophet should have said, " God has treated " you like little children, who must have the same short easy " lesson repeated again and again," And is it not indeed thus with regard to you ? Does not the patience and condescension of your heavenly Father send to you his ministers sabbath after sabbath, frequently inculcating the same things, that what you have forgot may be brought to mind again ? Thus should you do by thofe committted to your care. Be teaching them every sabbath: This is remarkably a good day for the purpose. Then you have leisure for it ; then you have peculiar advantage to pursue the work ; then you are fur nished with some new matter by what you have heard in pub lic; and I would hope, your spirits are then quickened by it; fo that you can speak out of the abundance of the heart : and you may, by discoursing with diem on what is addressed to you, receive tfce impression on your own sonls. I add. Be teaching them every day, by occasional discourfes, when yon have not an opportunity of doing it by stated ad- 44- On the Education 0/ Children. dresses. Drop a Avord for God every da}^, and often in a day. You will probably find your account in it, and your children theirs. A sudden glance of thought towards God in the midst of the world is often a great reh-eshment to the christian ; and a sudden turn tbsomething serious and spiritual in conversation, is frequently \ei-y edifying to others. It strikes the memory and the heart, and is, periiaps, as a nail fixed in a sure place, when many a solemn admonition, and many an elaborate sermon is lost. It is Avith pleasure that I frequently hear great christians speaking of such oecasionaj hints, which have been dropped by saints ofthe former generation : Those transient passages, which the pious parents might forget in a few moments, their children distinctly 1-eriiembered for many future years, and repeated for their own edification, and [ inight add for mine. Let this there fore be an encouragement to 3'ou; and in this respect, in the morning soav this precious seed, arid, in the evening withhold not your hand, since you know not whether shall prosper, or whe ther both shall be alike good; Once more, let me intreat you to repeat your pious instructions and admonitions," even though your children should grow up to years of maturity, Avithoiit appearing to profit by them. Say not, that you can teach theni no more than they already know ; or, that you can try no new methods which you have not already attempted. You see that, in our assemblies, God often brings back souls to himself, by setting home on the conscience truths which, with regard to the speculatiA'e part ofthem, they know as Avell as their teachers; and adds a Divine efficacy to those institutions, v/hich, for a long succession of years> they had attended in vain. Be not therefore Aveary in well-doing ; but let patience in this instance, have her perfect work. Thus let your children be instructed plainly, seriously, ten derly, and patiently. I wave fome other particulars, which I might have added to these, concerning the manner of instruct ing them, because I apprehend they will more pr6perly fall under the second branch of thefe directions, Avhere I am fm-.thec to advise you. , On the Education- of Children. 45 . H. As to the .precautions you. must use, if you desire that these attempts in the religious education of your children may be at tended with success- • j ^ .. Here I would particularly, advise, — that a prudent care be taken to keep up your authority over them — and at the same time to engage their affections to you; — ^^that you be solicitous to keep theni ou.tof the Avay of temptation; — that you confirm your admonitions by a-s^iitable example;— that you cheaifully accept of proper assistances in this important attempt ; — and that you hum.bly and constantly look up to God for his blessing on all. , .; . i 1. If we desire to succeed in our attempts for.the religious education of our children, Ave must take care to., keep up our authority over them. .,,. • To' this purpose, we must avoid, not .only Avliat is grossly vicious and criminal; (which will be mpre properly mentioned under .a following head,) but also those little levities and follies which.might make us appear contemptible to tbem. Whatever hbertiqs we may take with those who are our equals in age, and station,, a more exact decorum is to be preserved before our children. Thus we are to reverence them, if , Ave desire they should reverence us ;* for, as Dr, Tillotson very justly obserA'es, "there is a certain freedom of conversation, Avhich is only pro- " per amongst equals in age and quality,- which if Ave use before " our superiors we seem to despise them^ and if we do it before "our inferiors, we teach; them to,despise us.-j-" ; , , I will not insist. on this hint, Avhich your own prudence mu.st accommodate to particular circurastasnces; but shall here intro duce the mention of correction, which, in some cases, may be absolutely necessary, to the support of parental authority, especit, ally where admonitions and counsels are slighted. You know, that the scriptures expressly require it on proper occasions;, and Solomon, in particular, enlarges on the head, and suggests some important truths with regard to it. Foolish ness (sajs he), is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod * Maxima debetur Peuro Reverentia.-— Juven. Sat, xiv. v. 47. t Tillotson's Serm. vol. 1. 46 On the Education of Children; of correction shall drive it far from him. Nay, he speaks of it as a matter in which life is concerned, even the life of the soul : Withhold not correction from a child; for if thou beat him with the rod he shall not die : Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul fiom hell. And is it kindness, or cru elty, in a parent, to spare the flesh to the hazard of the soul ^ Parents are therefore exhorted to an early care in this respect, lest vicious habits growing inveterate should render the attempt vain or hurtful ; and they are cautioned against that foolish ten derness, Avhich would lead them to regard the tears of a child, rather than his truest and highest interest. CoiTect thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying : He that.sparetli the rod, hateth his son; but he that loveth him, chasteneth him betimes. Nor can we imagine a more lively commentary on the words than the melancholy story of Eli, who, though he was a very eminent saint in a degenerate age, yet eiTcd here, and by a fatal indulgence, brought ruin, as well as infamy, on himself and his family. He reproved the abomi nable wickedness of his sons ; but did not make use of those severe methods, which, in such a case, the authority of a parent might have warranted, and the office of a judge did undoubtedly require. Observe the sentence which God pronounced against him for it, and which he executed upon him in a AFcry awful manner. The Lord said unto Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle: In that day I will perform against Eli all the things which I have spoken concerning his house ; when I begin, I will also make an end. For I hav-e told him, that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth ; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not : And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice or offering for ever. Take heed, I intreat you, as you love your children, as you love yourselves, that it may not be said of you, that yours have made themselves vile, and you have neglected to restrain them. Let mothers, in particular, take heed, that they do not, as it were, smother their children in their embraces; as a French author ¦On the Education of Children. 47 smartly expresses it.* And let me remind you all to be parti cularly cautious, that the arms of one parent, be not a refuge to the children from the resentnient of the other. Both should appear to act in concert, or the authoiity of the one aviU be des pised, and probably the indulgence of the other abused, and the mutual a'ffeetion of both endangered. I cannot say, that I enlarge on this subject with pleasure; but how could I have answered for the omission of what is so copi ously and so pathetically inculcated in the sacred Avritings? Ii is indeed probable, that the rugged and servile temper of the generality ofthe Jewish nation, might render a scA'cre discipline peculiarly 'necessary for their children ; yet I fear, there are fcAV of our families, where everything of this kind can safely be neg lected. But, after all, I would by no means drive mattei-s to «xlr(?aiities ; and therefore cannot- persuade myself to dismiss the head without a caution or two. Take heed, — that your cor rections be not too frequent, — or too severe, — and that they be not given in an nnbecoming manner. If your -conrections be too frequent, it will probably spoil touch of'the success. Your children, like iron, will harden under r-epea*ed strokes; and that ingenuous shame will be gradually "worn off, which adds the greatest sting to Avhat they suffer from a parent's hand. And there will he this farther inconvenience attending it^ that there will not be a due difference made, be tween great and small faults. The laws of Draco the Athenian were justly rejected, because they punished all crimes alike, and made the stealing of an apple capital, as Avell as the murder of a citizen. Yon, on the contrary, should let your children see, that you know how to distinguish between indiscretion and wicked ness; and should yourself appear most displeased, Avhen you think God is so. Nor should your corrections at any time be too severe. It is very prettily said by Dr. Tillotson on this occasion, " that whips are not the cords of a man :" They should be used in a family, only,'(«s tlie sword in the republic) as tlie last remedy, when all others have been tried in vain ; and then should be so used, as that we may appear to imitate the compassion of our heaveuly * Superville, Serm. vol. iii. 48 On the Education of Children. Father, who doth not afflict AA'ilHngly, nor grieve the children ofmen. Which leads me to add, that Ave should be greatly cautious, that correction be not inflicted in an unbecoming manner: And it always is so, Avhen it is given in a passion. A parent's correct ing his child should be regarded as an act of domestic justice, AAliich therefore should be administered with a due solemnity and decorum ; and to behave otherwise on the occasion, is almost as great an indecency, as for a judge to pass sentence in a rage. It is injurious to ourselves, as it tends to spoil our OAvn temper ; for peevishness and passion will grow upon us, by being indulged toward those who dare not oppose them : And it ig, on many accounts injurious to our children. Solomon intimates, that correction and instruction should be joined, Avhen he says. The rod and reproof gives Avisdom. But what room is there for the still voice of wisdom to be heard in a storm of fury ? If your children .see, that you act calmly and mildly ; if they read paren tal tenderness in your heart, through an awful frown on your brow ; if they perceive that correction is your strange work, a violence Avhich you offer to yoiirselves from a principle of duty to God and affection to them ;, they must be obdurate indeed, if they do not receive it Avith reverence and love ; for this is both*a venerable and an amiable chaiacter. But if once they imagine that you chastise them merely to vent your passion, and gratify your resentments, they will secretiy despise, and perhaps hate you for it: In that instance at least, they will look upon you as their enemies, and may, by a continued course of such severities, contract an aversion, not only to you, but to all that you recom mend to them. Thus you may lose your authority and your influence, by the very method you take to support it, and may turn a wholefopie though bitter medicine into poison. But I hope and trust that your humanity and your patience will concur to prevent so fatal an abuse. 2. If you desire success in your attempts for the education of your children, you must be careful to secure theh affection to you. Our Lord observes, that if any man love him, he will keep his word; and the assertion is applicable to the present case; On the Education of Children, 4Q The more your children love you, the more will they regard your instructions and admonitions. God has indeed made it'their dut}' tq love you, and the most indispensible laws of gratitude require it; yet since so many children are evidently wanting in filial affection, it is certain that all this may not secure it in yours, unless you add a tender obliging behaviour, to all the other benefits you have conferred upon them. I observed, under a former head, that you should address them in an affectionate manner when discoursing on religious subjects ; but now I add, that you should carry the femper through life, and be daily en deavouring to render yourselves amiable to them. The Apostle cautions parents, that they should not provoke their children to wrath, if they would bring them up in the nurture and admoni tion of the Lord : On the contrary, you should put on the kindest looks, you should use the most endearing and conde^ scending language ; you should overlook many little failings, and express a high complacency in what is really regular and laudable in their behaviour. And though you must sometimes overrule their desires, when impatiently eager, yet far from delighting generally to cross them, you should rather study their inclina tions, that you may surprise them with unexpected favours. Thus will they learn quietly to refer themselves to your care, and will more easily submit to mortification and denial, when it is not made neces^ry by clamourous and impetuous demands. On the whole, you should endeavour to behave so, as that your children may love your company, and of choice be much in it ; which will preserve them from innumerable snares, and may furnish you with many opportunities of forming their temper and beha viour, by imperceptible degrees, to Avhat may be decent, amiable, and excellent.* If you manage these things with prudence, you need not fear, that such condescensions, as I have now recommended, will im pair your authority ; far from that, they Avill rather establish it- The superiority of your parental character may be maintained in the midst of these indulgencies ; andwhen it is tliusl attempered, * In Parentibus vero quam pluriraum esse Eijucatibnis optaverim. Quintil. ubi supra. Vol. in, E 50 On the Education of Children. it is most like to produce that mixtm-e' of reverence and loA^e, by Avliich the obedience qf a child is to be distinguished fi-om that of a slave. ,g. You must' be solicitous to keep your children out of the way of temptation, if you would seethe success of your care in tlieir education. If you are not on your guard here, you will probably throAV down what you have built, and build up that Avhich you have been endeaA'ouiing to destroy. An early care must be taken, to keep them from the occasions, and the very appearances of evil. Wq would not venture their infant-steps on the brink of a preci pice, on AA hich groAvn persons, Avho know how to adjust the poise of their bodies, may walk without extreme danger. More hazar dous might it be, to allow them to trifle with temptations, and boldly to venture to the utmost limits of that whicli is lawful. An early tenderness of conscience may be a great preserva tive; and the excess of strictness, (though no excess be de sirable,) may prove much safer than an excess of libferty. Bad company is undoubtedly one of the most foi-midable anil -pernicious entanglements. By forming friendships Avith persons of a vicious character, many a hopeful youth has learnt their Avays, and found a fatal snare to his soul. Yon should be very AA'atchfur to prevent ditir contracting suchdang-erous friendships; and Avhere yuu discover any thing of that kind,' should endea vour, by all gentle and endearing methods, to draw them off from- them ; but if they still persist, you must resolve to cut the knot you cannot untie, and let your children know, that they must either renounce their associates or their .parents. One reso lute step of this kind inight have prevented the i-uin of multitudes, Avlio have fallen a sacrifice to the importunities of wicked com panions, and the Aveak indulgence of imprudent parents; who have contented themselves with blaming, what they ought stre nuously to have redressed. All bad company is, in this respect, formidable ; but that is most evidently so, which is to be found at home. Great care ought therefore to be taken, that you admit none into your families, ,vvho may- debauch the tender minds of ybur On the Education of Children. 51 children by pernicious opinions,' or by vicious practices.* This is a caution which should be particularly remembered in the case of servants. Take heed you do not bring into your fami lies such as may diffuse infection through the souls of your dear offspring. It is a thousand times better to put up with some inconveniences and disadvantages, when you have reason to believe a servant fears God, and will, from a principle of con science, be faithful in watching over your children, and in se conding your religious care in their education ; than to prefer such, as while they are, perhaps, managing your temporal affairs something better, may pervert your children to the ser vice ofthe Devil, I fear, some parents little think, how much secret mischief these base creatures are doing. And it is very pos sible, that if some of you recollect vvhat you may have observed amongst the companions of your childliood, you may find in stances of this nature, Avhich riper years have not since given you ©ppoartunity to discover. See to it therefore, that you be dili- .gently on your guard here. Again; If you send your children to places of education, be greatly, cautious in your choice of them. Dearly will you purchase the greatest advantages for learning, at the expence of those of a religious nature. And I will turn out of my Avay to add, that school-masters and tutors will haA'e a dreadful account to give, if they are not faithfully and tenderly solicitous for the souls of those committed to their care. The Lord pardon our many defects here, and quicken us to greater diligence and ileal ! — But to return : Give me leave only to add, that it is of the highest importance, if you would not havg all your labour in the education of your children lost, that you should be greatly cautious with regard to their settlement in the worla. Apprenticeships and marriages, into irreligious families, have been the known sources of innu merable evils. They, Avho have exposed the souls of their chil dren to apparent danger, for the sake of some secular advan- * Nil dictu fcedum, vifuque, heec Limina tangat. Intra quae Puer est,-, — Juv. Sat. xiv. v. 44, 45. E2 52 On the Education of Children. tages, have often lived to see them drawn aside to practices ruinous to their temporal, as well as their eternal interests. Thus their own iniquity has remarkably corrected them: And I hear tily pray, that the God of this world may never be permitted thus to blind your eyes ; but that you, nay friends, may learn from the calamities of other families, that wholesome lesson, which, if you neglect it, others may perhaps hereafter learn from the ruin of yours. 4. See to it, that you confirm your admonitions by a suitable example, if you desire on the Avhole that they should prove use ful to your children. A consciousness of the irregularity of your own behaviour, in any remarkable instances which may fall under their observa tion, will probably abate much of that force and authority with which we might otherwise address them.* When wcknow they , may justly retort upon us, at least in their minds, those words of the Apostle, Thou that teachest another, teachestthou not thy self ? surely a sense of guilt and of shame must either entirely silence us, or at least impair that freedom and confidence, with which we might otherwise have exhorted or rebuked. Or had we so much composure and assurance, as to put on all the forms of innocence and virtue, could we expect regard, when our actions contradicted our discourses, or hope they should reve rence instructions, which their teachers themselves appear to despise? It is in the general true, that there is a silent, but powerful oratory in example, beyond the force of the most ele gant and expressive AVords ; and the example of parents has often a peculiar weight Avith their children ; which seems to be alluded to in that exhortation of St. Paul, Be ye followers (or imitators) of God, as dear children. So that on the whole, as a * Unde tibi Fronlem Libertatemque Parentis, Gum facis pejora Senex ? Juv. Sat. xiv. V. 56, 57. -f- — — -Velocius & citius nos Corrumpunt vitiorum exempla domestica, magnis Cum fabeunt animos Auctoribus. — Juv. Sat. xiv. V. 31,-33. On the Education of Children. 53 very celebrated writer well expresses it,* '^'To give children " good instruction, and a bad example, is but beckoning to " them with the head to shew them the way to heaven, Avhile " we take them by the hand, and lead them in the way to hell." We should therefore most heartily concur in David's resolution,. as ever we hope our families should be religious and happy : I Avill behave myself wisely in a perfect Avay ; I will walk Avithin my house Avith a perfect heart. 5. Chearfully accept of all proper assistances in the education of your children, if you desire it may succeed well. It will be your Avisdom to accept of the assistance, which may, be offered, either from books, or friends. Books may in this respect be very useful to you ; the book of God above all ; both to furnish you with materials for this great work, and to instruct you in the manner of performing it. Otlier writings may be subservient to this purpose. Wise and pious treatises on the subject of education may be read with great pleasure and advantage; and you may receive singular a.ssistance from those catechisms, and prayers, and songs for children, with which most of. your families are now furnished, through the condescension of one valuable friend^ in Avriting them, and the generosity of another in bestowing them upon us. I hope you will express your thankfulness to both, by a diligent care to use them; and I persuade myself, that you and yours may abun dantly find your account in them ; for Avhile the language is so plain and easy, that even an infant may understand it, you will often find, not only a propriety, but a strength and sublimity in the sentiments, which may be improving to persons of advanced capacities. There is much of that milk, by which strong men may be entertained and nourished, I add, that in this important work, you should gladly embrace the assistance of pious and prudent friends. I can by no means approve that Lacedemonian law, which gave every citizen the power qf correcting his neighbour's children, and made it infa mous for the parent to complain of it : Yet we must all allow, that considering the great importance of education, a concern • TiUotfon.Vol. I. J Dr. Ifaac Watts. E3 54 On the Education of Children. for the happiness of families and the public, will requir? a mu tual Avatchfulriess over each other in this respect; nor is there any imaginable reason to exclude this from the number of those heads, on which Ave are to admonish one another ; and to consi der each other to provoke unto good AVorks. Nothing seems more evident than this ; and one Avould sup pose, that persons, who are acquainted Avith human nature, should suspect, that self-love might Avork under this fonn, and that they might be a little blinded by a partial affection to their offspring. Such a reflection might engage them at least pati ently, or rather thankfully, to hear the sentiments, and receive the admonitions of their friends on this head. But instead of this, there is in many people a kind of parental pride, (if I may be alloAA'ed the expression,) which seldom fails to exert itself on such an Occasion. They are so confident in their oivn way, and do so magisterially despise the opinion of others, that one would almost imagine, they took it for gi-anted, that Avith every child, nature had given to the parent, a certain stock of infallible wis dom forthe management of it; Or that, if they thought other wise, they rather chose their children should be ruined by their own conduct, than saved by any foreign advice. If this arro gance only rendered the parents ridiculous, Cne should nOt need to be greatly concerned about it ; especially as their high com* placency in themselves would make them easy, whatever Other* might think or say of them : But when Ave consider the unhappy consequences it may produce, with regard to the temper and conduct of the rising generation, it will appear a very serious evil, Avell Avorthy a particular mention, and a particular Care td guard against it. As for the assistance of ministers in this Work of education, I persuade myself, you will be so wise as thankfully to embrace it, both in public and in private; and let me urge you to improve it to the utmost. Accustom your children to an early constancy and seriousness in attending Divine ordinances, and be often yourselves inquiring, and give us leave sometimes to inquire, how they advance in acquaintance with religion, and in love to it. And more particulariy let them attend to our catechetical lec tures, which are peculiariy intended for their service. Qn the Education of Children. 55 I bless God, I have seen the happy cflects of this exercise, both in the places Avhere I Avas educated whilst a child,* and in those where I was formerly fixed: and ^is I am now introducing it amongst you, Avith an intent to continue it as long as I am capable of public service, I proihise myself j-our most hearty concurrence in it. 1 AA'ill not at large insist on the advantages ¦which may attend it. You easily see, that it will be an engage ment to the children to learn those excellent Summaries of Divine Truth, Avhen their progress in them is so often. cxa- .niined : By repeating it themselves, and hearing it rehearsed hy .others, it will be more deeply fixed upon their memories: The ..exposition of it in a plain and familiar manner may much im prove their understandings in the doctrines and duties of reli gion : And I will add, you that are parents may, by attending on these occasions, possibly learn something as to the way of open ing and explaining things, whicli you may successfully piactice at home. In consequence of all, Ave may hope, that, by the Divine blessing, some gOod impressions may be made on the minds of children. And when they find a minister Avilling to talce pains to instruct them, when they hear hira seriously and tenderly pleading with them, and pleading Avith God for them, it may much engage their affections to him, and so promote his usefulness amongst them, in other ordinances, and in future years. And giA'C me leave to say, upon this head, that as no wise and good minister will think it beneath hira, to desire the affection ofthe children of his congregation ; so it is the duty of parents to cherish in their offspring, sentiraents of respect and love to all the faithful ministers of Christ, and especially towards those Avho statedly labour amongst thera. Whatever mistakes you may discover in our conduct, or Avliatever deficien cies in our public ministrations, you should study to conceal * Kingston, and St. All>ans. On the mention of which, I cannot forbear re turning. my public thanks to my reverend and •worthy friends Mr. Mayo and Mr. Clarlt, forthe many excellent instructions they gave me both in public and pri vate, when under their ministerial care in the years of childhood. As I Avould always retain a grateful and affectionate remembrance of it, I cannot but pray, that the like care may be as much the practice, as It is the duly, of their brethren of every denomiiration. E4 56 On the Education of Children. them from the notice of your children; lest they should grow up in a contempt of those, whose services might otherwise be highly advantageous them. 6. Lastly, Be earnest in prayer to God for his blessing on your attempts in the education of your children, if you desire to see them successful. This I Avould leave with you as my last advice ; and though I have had frequent occasion to hint at it before, I would now more particularly urge it on your attentive regard. God is the author of every good and eVeiy perfect gift; it is he, that has formed the mind and the tongue, and that teaches man knoAV- ledge and address. On him therefore must you fix your depen dance, to teach you so to conceive of divine things, and so to express your conceptions of them, as may be most suited to the capacities, the dispositions, and the circumstances of your chil dren; and to him you must look to teach them to profit by all, by his Almighty grace to open their ear unto discipline, and to boAV their heart unto understanding. A heathen poet could teach the Romans, in a form of public and solemn devotion, to look up to heaven for influences from thence, to form their youth to the love and practice of virtue.* Surely you, my fiiends, are under much greater obligations to do it, and that in a chriftian manner; earnestly mtreating the God of grace, to send down on your rising offspring the effusions of that Blessed Spirit, Avhich was purchased by the blood of Christ, and is deposited in his compassionate hand. If you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, you are daily living on those supplies ; let it be your constant errand at the throne of grace, to plead for your children there. Wrestle with God in secret, for the life of their souls, and for those regenerating influences on v/liich it depends; and in those family devotions, which I hope you dare not neglect, let the little ones, from their earliest infancy, have a share in your remembrance. You may humbly hope, that He, by whose encouragement and command * Dii bonos Mores docili Juvents Date. — , Hor. Car. Sasc. ver. 45, 46, On the Education of Children. 57 you pray, will not suffer these supplications to be like water spilt upon the ground : And, in the nature of things, it may tend to make serious impressions on the minds of your children, to hear their own case mentioned in prayer, and may dispose them with greater regardj to attend on what you say to them, when . they find you so frequently, so solemnly, and so tenderly plead ing with God for them. Doubt not that every faithful minister of Christ Avill most heartily concur with you, in so great and necessary a request. May God return to our united addresses an answer of peace! May he pour out his Spirit on our seed, and his blessing on our offspring, that they may grow up before him as willows by the water-courses; that they may be to their parents for a comfort, to the church for a support, and to our God for a name and a praise ! Amen, ( 58 ) SERMON IV. ON THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. Prov. xxii. 6, Train vp a child in the way he should gO; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Xn treating on this subject of Education, I have all along en deavoured, according to my usual manner," to make my dis courses as practical as I could. While I was describing and recommending the way, and offering my advices, with regard to the manner of conducting children into it, most of what I said under those generals was an application to you. I have therefore left mj'self the less to do here; yet I was not willing to conclude iny discourses on a subject, which it is probable I shall never so largely resume, without Fourthly, A particular address to my hearers, according to your different relations and characters in life. This I promised as my fourth and last general, and I enter on it without farther preface ; humbly begging that God, who has so intimate an access to all our hearts, Avould enable me to speak in the most aAvakening and edifying manner; and that he would, by his Blessed Spirit, apply it to your consciences, that On the Education of Children. 59 it may be as a nail fastened in a sure place; that hearing and knowing these things for yourselves, you may hear and know them for your good. , I would here particularly address myself, — first to parents, — then to children, and — in the last place, to those young persons who are grown up to years of maturity, but not yet fixed in families of their OAvn. I. Let me address my discourse to those of you that are parents ; whethei" you have been negligent of the duties I have now been urging, or through grace have been careful in the discharge ofthem. 1 . To those who have been grossly negligent in this important care. I have here one advantage not common to every fubject; 1 mean, that the guilty will immediately know themsclve^. When we apply ourselves in general to unconverted sinners, ignorance of the nature of true religion, a neglect of conversing ivith your own souls, or the insinuating prejudices of self-love, may disguise the true state of the case, and teach people to speak peace to themselves, under the most awful denunciations of wrath and vengeance. Bnt here, one would imagine, that the recollection of a fevr moments might be sufficient to determine the case; be cause the question relates to past fact, and that not merely to one particular action, but to a long train and succession of labours and attempts. Now let your consciences witness, whether I am guilty of a breach of charity, when I take it for granted, that there are some amongst you, who have been, and are, very negligent of the duty Thave now been enforcing ? You have probably contented yourselves with teaching your children to read, and setting them to learn, like parrots, a prayer, and, perhaps too, a catechism and a creed. But I appeal to your consciences, have you from the very day bf their birth to this time, ever spent one hour in seri ously instructing them in the knowledge of God, and endea vouring to form them to his fear and service; in setting before them the misery of their natural condition, and urging them to apply to Christ for life and salvation; in representing the so- 60 On the Education of Children. lemnities of .death, and judgment, and the eternal world, and urging an immediate and diligent preparation for them? Where is the time, where the place, that can witness, that you have been pouring out your souls before God on their account, and wrestling with him for their lives, as knowing they must perish for ever, Avithout the righteousness of his Son, and the grfice of his Spirit ? Where, or Avhen, have you thus prayed with them,- or for them ? What sermon have you heard, AA'hat scripture have you read, Avith this thought, " This will I carry to my children, " and communicate to them as the food of their souls ?" I fear, there are several of you that have been so far from doing it, that you have hardly ever seriously thought of it as a thing to be, done. Arid I would ask. Why have you not thought of it, and why have you not done it? Are these creatures that you have produced, like the other animals of your houses or your field, mere animated systems of flesh and blood, made to take a turn in life for a few days and months, and then to sink into everlast ing forgetfulness ? Or are they rational and immortal creatures, that must exist for ever in heaven or in hell? This is not a mat ter of doubt with you; and yet you behave, as if the very con trary to what you believe were evident, certain truth. In short, it is the most barbarous part you act, and more like that of an enemy than a parent. It is not that you are insensible of the workings of parental tenderness. No, far from that, it may .sometimes rise to a weak and criminal dotage; yet I repeat it again, you are acting a hostile and barbarous part. You are greatly solicitous for their temporal happiness. For this you labour and watch; for this you deny yourselves many an enjoyment, and subject yourselves to many an uneasy circumstance: But, alas! Sirs, where is the real friendship of all tiiis, while the precious soul is neglected? Your children are born with a corrupted nature, perverted by sinful examples, ignorant of God, in a state of groAving enmity to him, and, in consequence of all, exposed to his wrath and curse, and in the way to everlasting ruin ; in the mean time it is your great care, that they may pass through this precarious, mo mentary life, in ease and pleasure, perhaps in abundance and On the Education ofChildrem Si grandeur » that is, in such circumstances, as Avill probably lull them into a forgetfulness of their danger, till there be no more hope. How cruel a kindness ! It brings to my mind the account which an ancient writer* gives of the old Carthagenians, which I can never recollect without great emotion. He is speaking of that diabolical custom which so long prevailed amongst them, of offering their children to a detestable idol, which was formed in such a manner, that an infant put into its hands, Avhich were stretched out to receive it, Avould immediately fall into a gulph of fire.+ He adds a cir cumstance, which one cannot mention Avithout horror ; that the mothers, who with their own hands presented the little innocents, thought it an unfortunate omen that the victim should be of fered weeping ; and therefore used a great many fond artifices to divert it, that soothed by the kisses and caresses of a parent, it might smile in the dreadful moment in which it was to be given up to the idol.§ Pardon me, my friends; such is your parental care and love; such your concern for the piesent ease, and prosperity of your children, while their souls are neglected : A fond solicitude, that they may pass smiling into the hands of the destroyer ! You know, Avith what just severity God reckons with the Israelites for their abominable wickedness, in taking his sons and his daughters, (for so he calls the children of his professing peo ple,) and sacrificing them to be devoured : And can you suppose, he will take no notice of the unnatural neglect of yours. Not to endeavour to save, is to destroy ; and is it a little guilt, when an immortal soiil is in question ? You probably remember those terrible words in Ezekiel; (may they be deeply inscribed on the hearts of all whom they concern !) Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel, therefore hear thou the word from my mouth, and give them warning from me ; — and if thou speakest nol to Avarn the wicked from his wicked Avay, to ¦* Minutius Felix. + Diodor. Sic. lib. xx. cap. 14. Euseb. Prsep. Evang. lib. iv. cap. 7. ^ Blanditiis & Osculis comprimente Vagitum, ne flebilis Hostia iinmoletur. Minut. Fel. Octav. §. go, pag. 57. TertuU. Apol. cap. ix. 62 On the Education of Children. save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. If ever you read this pas sage with attention, you must own it is exceedingly awful, and must be ready to say, " The Lord be merciful to ministers, they " have a solemn account to give." Indeed they have ; and we thank you, if you ever bestow a compassionate thought and prayer for us. But permit me to remind you, that though it be our case, it is not ours alone; you have likcAvise your share in it. Your children are much more immediately committed to your care, than you and they are committed to ours ; and, by all parity of reason, if they perish in their iniquities, while you neglect to give them warning, their blood will be required at your hand. And when God comes to make inquisition for that blood, how will you be enabled to endure it? That aAvful day will open upon you, and the tribunal of God, in all its ten-ors, will stand unveiled before you. Give me leave to direct your eyes to it in this distant prospect, while there is yet room to mitigate those terrors. If you go on in this cruel negligence of the souls of your children, how Avill you dare to meet them at that judgment- seat? How will you be able to answer the great Father of Spirits, when expostulating with you on account of his offspring, as well as yours, who have been.betrayed and rained by your neg lect? " Inhuman creatures, (may he justly say,) "to Avhom " should I have committed the care ofthem, rather than to you? " Did they not, by my appointment, derive their being from " you ? Did I not implant in your hearts the natural affections " of parents towards them ? And to inciease the obligation, did " they not pass through the tender scenes of infancy and child- " hood in your arm.s, and under your eye ? If you had no com- " passion for their perishing souls, if you would exert no efforts " for their deliverance and salvation, fi-om whom could those " compassions, those efforts have been expected ? But wherein " did they appear? Behold the book of my remembrance, the " records of thy life, thrown open before thee : Where is the " memorial of one hour spent in holy instruction, or in fervent " prayer with them, or for them? Can I approve, can I acquit " you on such a review? Or shall i not rather visit for these' On t%e Education of Children. 63 " things, and shall not my soul be avenged for such a conduct " as this ?" And your children, will they be silent on the occasion? Did Adam, in the disti'ess and amazement of his soul, when in the presence of his judg^, accuse Eve, his wife, so lately taken from his side, and committed to his protection, and still, no doubt, appearing lovely in the midst of sorrow ? and will your children in that terrible day spare you ? You may rather expect they will labour to the utmost to aggi-avate a crime Avhich costs them so dear, that so they may, if possible, alleviate their own guilt, or if nbt, indulge their revenge. " O God," (may they perhaps then cry out, in the most piercing accents of indio-nation and despair,) " thou art righteous in the sentence thou passest " upon us, and we justly die foi- our own iniquity. We have " destroyed ourselves. But wilt thou not remember, that our " ruin is in part chargeable here ? Had these our parents been " faithful to thee, and to us, it had perhaps been pre\'ented. Had " our infancy been fiDrmed by religious instruction, we might " not have groAvn up to wickedness; Ave might not, in the ad- " vance of life, have despi&ed thy word, and tramjjled on thy " Son; but might this day haA'e been oAvned by thee as thy " children, and have risen to that inheritance of hght andgloiT, " which Ave now behold at this unapproachable distance. Oh! " cursed be the fathers that begat us ; cursed the Avombs that bare " us; cursed the paps that gave us suck ! Remember us,0 Lord, ^' whilst thou art judging them; and let us have this one AA'retcli- " ed comfort, in tlie midst of all our agonies, that it is not with " impunity that they have betrayed our souls. !" This is indeed shocking and diabolical language; and for that very reason, it is so much the more probable on so dreadful an -occasion. And give me leave to ask you one question, my friends, and I will conclude the head. If your children Avere ¦thus crying out against you in the bitterness of their souls, could you attempt to silence them, by reminding them of the care Avhicli you took of their temporal affairs, or of the riches and grandeuiT in which you left them on. earth ? Nay, could you have the heart so much as to mention such a trifle ? And if you could not, tiien, in the name of God, Sirs, how da you 64 On the Education oj Children. satisfy yourselves to confine all your thoughts and labours to that which, by your own confession, will neither secure your chil dren from everlasting destruction, nor give them one moment's rehef in the review, when they are falling into it ? I will make no apology for the plainness, and earnestness, which I have used. Eternal interests are at stake, and the whole tenor of scripture supports me in -what I say. I had rather you should be alarmed with hearing these things from me now, than tormented with hearing them in another manner from your children, and from God at last. If you please to take proper measures for preventing the danger, I have told you the way at large : If you do not, I hope I may say, " I am, in this respect, " clear from your blood, and the blood of yours, who may perish " by your means : Look you to it." But it is high time that I proceed in my address, and apply myself, £. To those parents, who have been careful to discharge the duty, we have so copiously described and inforced. I cannot suppose, that any of us would pretend to maintain, that in this, or any other branch of duty, we have acted up to the ut most extent and perfection of our rule. I hope, an humble sense of the deficiencies of all the best of our services, is frequently kad- ing us to the believing views of a better righteousness than our own, in Avhich alone we can dare to appear before a holy God, and answer the demands of his perfect law. Nevertheless, it is surely allowable to rejoice in the testimony of our conscience, with regard to the regularity of our own behaviour, so far as it is conformable to reason and scripture ; and it is an im portant duty, thankfully to own those influences of sanctifying and strengthening grace, by which we are what Ave are. It is with great pleasure I recollect the reason I have to believe, that many of you, christians, who hear me this day, ai-e^ in the main, conscientiously practising these duties ; and that some of you were doing it long before I was capable of exhorting and directing you. Acknowledge the singular goodness of God, by Avhich you have been excited to them, and furnished for them. More espe Ji' ally have you reason to adore it, if through On the Education of Children. 65 grace you can say, with regard to the present success, Avhat you may certainly say as to the future recompence, that your labour in the Lord is not in vain. Let God have, the glory of his own work. I persuade myself, you understand the gospel too well, to ascribe it to the prudence of your own conduct, to the ftrength of your reasoning, or to the Avarmth and tenderness of your ad dress. Whatever .of these advantages you have possessed, were derived from God; and your very care for your offsprina^, is, (as the Apostle expresses it in a like case,) the earnest care which God has put into your hearts. But it Avas not this care, or these advantages alone, that produced so happy an effect. In vain had your doctrine from day to day dropped as the rain, and distilled as the dew, in the most gentle and insinuating manner; in vain had the precious seed of the Avord been sown with unwea ried diligence, and watered with tears too ; had not God com manded the operations of his Blessed Spirit to come down, as a more efficacious rain, as more fruitful showers to Avater their hearts. Oh ! be not insensible of the favour. Your own souls might to this very day, have been a barren Avilderness, a land of drought, an habitation of devils; and behold, not. only they, but your families too, are like a field, like a garden, which the Lord has blessed. God might have cut you off many years ago, for your neglect of his covenant, or your breaches of it; and behold, he is establishing it, not only with you, but your seed after you, for an everlasting covenant. Methinks your hearts should overflow with gratitude and holy joy, w.hile you dwell on such reflections as these. This should add a relish to all the pleasjires you find in conversing with your children: This should quicken you to farther diligence in cultivating those graces, which you have the satisfaction to see already i implant ed : This should reconcile you to all the afflictions, with Avhich Providence may exercise, either you or them: This should sup port you in the views of a separation, either by your own death, or by theirs; since, you have so comfortable a hope, that if they are removed they will go to a heavenly Father, and that if they are left behind you, they Aviil be safe and happy under his care, till you meet in a better world, where you will be for ever to each other a mutual gloiy and joy. Vol. IIL F 66 On the Education of Children. But I cannot congratulate you' on such an occasion, without the danger of adding affliction to the afflicted parents, Avhose circumstances, alas! are far different from yours. I fear, my friends, that there are some amongst you^ Avho look round you, and look forwards, with far different prospects ; some Avho are, with bleeding hearts, borrowing the complaint, which Ave Avho are ministers of the gospel, so frequently breathe forth, We have laboured in vain, and spent our strength for naught. "Oh!" (may you perhaps add,) " that it Avere only in vain ! Those dear "children, which Ave early devoted to God in baptism, which " we endeavoured to educate in the knowledge and fear of the " Lord, the children of our hopes, the children of our prayers, "¦ are unfruitful under all our cultivation, or, it may be, visibly " turned' aside from the good ways in which they Avere trained " up; as if they had knoAvn them only to reject and affront " them : So that, Ave have reason to fear, that all we have already " done, as it is an aggravation of their guilt, will be a propor- " lion able aggravation of their ruin." It is indeed a very pitiable case. We owe you our compas sions, and we oAve you our prayers; but permit us to intermix our consolations and our admonitions. You have al least deliver ed your OAvn souls ; and as you participate in the sorrows of faith ful ministers, you may share in their comforts too; and say with them, Tiiough the objects of our compassionate care be not ga thered; yet shall vve be glorified, for our Avork is with the Lord, and our reward Avlth our God. Go on therefore in the midst of all your discouragements, and, in thi^; respect, be not weary in well doing. Take heed of such a despair, as would cut the sinews of future endeavours. If your child Avere labouring under any bodily distemper, you Avould be A'ery unAvilling that the phy- cians should quite give him over, and try no farther medicines: You would follow them, and say, " Can nothing more be done? Is there not the least glimmering of hope r" Alas ! my friends, a child giA'en up by a pious parent, is, to a belicAing eye, a much more melancholy sight, than a patient giA'en over by the physi cians. Excuse me then, if I folloAV you with the question, " Can nothing more be done ? Is there not the least glimmering " of hi.ipe ?" Who told you, that the sentence of condemnation On the Educatio?i of Children. 67 is sealed, while you are sure it is not executed. Is the danger extreme ? Let your efforts be so much the more zealous, your admonitions so much the more frequent and serious, your pray ers so much the more earnest and importunate. And on the whole, (to allude to the words of David, on a much loAver occa sion,) Who can tell, whether God will be gracious to you, that the child may live ? And the sad apprehensions which you now entertain, may only serve to increase the joy with which you shall then say. This my son was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost, and is found. II. I Avould address myself to Children ; To you the dear lambs of the flock, whom I look upon as no contemptible part of my charge. I have been speaking for you a great while, and now give me leave to speak to you; and pray do you endeavour, for a few minutes, to mind every Avord that I say. You see, it is your parents' duty to bring you up for God. The great God of heaven and earth has been pleased to give hiis express command, that you should be trained up in the way in which you should go, even in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It is the wonderful goodness of God to give such a charge; and methinks you should be affected with it, and should be enquiring what you should do in return. Now there are three things, which Twould ask of every one of you, in return for this gracious notice which the great God has taken of you children ; and I am sure, if you love your own souls, you Avill not deny me any of them. — Be Avilling to learn the things ofGod; — pray for them that teach you ; — and see to it, you do not learn them in vain. Listen diligently, that you may, understand and remember each of these. 1. Be willing to learn the things of God. The things of God are very delightful, and they are very use ful; and, whatever you may think of it, your life depends on your acquaintance with them. So Christ himself say.s. This is life eternal, that they may knoAV Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Therefore you, children, F2 68 On the Education oj Children^ should not think much ofthe labour of learning these things. Oh ! far from that, you should be every day upon your knees., begging God, that you may be taught to know him, and to knoAv Christ. God has done a great deal more for you, than he has for many others. You might have been born in a place, where you Avould never have seen a bible in all your IIa'cs ; where you AA'ould never have heard ofthe name of Christ, where, you might never have been instructed in the nature and duty of sin, nor have been told of the world beyond the grave ; and so would probably have fallen into hell, before you had known there was such a place. And the great God has ordained mat ters so, that you are born under the light of the gospel, and have such plain and excellent instructions, that you may knovc more of divine things in your infancy, than the wise men amongst the heathens did, when they Avere old and grey-headed, and had spent all their lives in study. And Avill you be so ungrateful, as not to be willing to learn, when such provision is made for your instruction? God forbid! Shall God give you his Avord, and your parents and ministers employ their time, and their pains, to teach you the meaning of it, and will you refuse to attend to it? That were foolish, and wicked indeed. I hope much better things of you. This is my first advice : Be willing to learn. 1 add, ^ 2. Pray for those that are to teach you. ' I would hope, you, little creatures, dare not live without prayer. I hope God, AA'ho sees in secret, sees many of you on your knees every morning and every evening, asking a blessing from him as your heavenly Father. Now let me intreat you, that at such times you would pray for those that instruct you in divine things; pray that God would bless them' for it, and pray that he would help them in it. In praying thus for us, you do indeed f)ray for yourselves. There is a gracious promise to the people of God : " And they shall be all taught of God:" Pray that it may be fulfilled. Pray, that God would teach us to teach you: else we should attempt it to very littie purpose. Pray for your parents, and pray for your ministers. Pray for your parents : That God would help them to instruct you in such a manner as they have now been diretited: That Oh the Education of Children. 69 they may do it plainly, so that you may be able to understand what they say; and seriously, that you may be brought to an holy awe of God; and tenderly, that you may be engaged to love God and his Avoid, and Christ and his ways; and pray that your parents may be stirred up to do it frequently, to give you line upon line, and precept upon precept, that you, may be put in mind, of what you are so ready to forget. And let me desire you, my dear charge, when you pray for your parents, to pray for your Minister too. I declare it again in the most public manner, it is my earnest desire that children would pray for me. And I verily believe, cA'ery faithful minister of Christ would join with me in such a request. We do not, we dare not, despise the prayers of one of these little ones. Far from that, I am persuaded it would greatly revive and encourage us, and aa'c should hope that God had spme singular mercy in store for us, and his people, if we were sure the children ofthe congregation Avere, every day, praying for a blessing on our labours. 3. Take heed that you do not learn in vain. The great truths which you are taught from the word of God, are not intended merely to fill your heads with notions, but to make your hearts and lives more holy. You know the way to your Father's house every step of it, but that would never carry you home, if you Avould not go in it. No more Avill it signify to knoAv the way to heavejn, .unless you walk in it. If you knoAv these things, says the LoTiD Jesus Christ himself, happy aie ye if ye do them. And I may add, that if ye do them not, it had been happier for you, if you had never known them. Dear children, consider it; it is but a little while, and you must die: And when those active bodies of yours are become cold, moul dering clay, the great God of heaven and earth will call your souls to his judgment-seat. As sure as you are now in his house, you will shortly, very shortly, be standing before his aAvful throne. Then he will examine, to Avhat purpose you have heard so many religious instructions, so many good lessons. Then he will examine, whether you haA'c feared him, and loved him, and seiA'cd him, and receiA'ed the LordJesus into your hearts, as your Saviour and your King ; Avhether you have chosen sin or holi- 70 On the Education of Children. ness for your way, earth or heaven for your portion. And ifit be found that you have lived without thought, and Avithout prayer, without any regard to the eye of God always upon you, and the word ofGod always before you, it will be a most lamentable case. You will have reason to wish, you had never heard of these things at all ; for he has said, The servant which knew his Lord's will and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. Even while I am speaking to you, death is coming on ; perhaps his scythe may cut you down, while you are but coming up as flowers. I speak to you thus plainly and earnestly, because I do not know but you may be in eternity before another Lord's day. Oh ! pray earnestly, that God Avould give you his grace to fit you for glory; and that all you learn may be so blessed, that you may be made wise to salvation by it. The Lord grant that it may ! And I have one thing to tell you for your encouragement, and then I have done Avith you for this time. How young soever you are, and how broken soever your prayers may be, the great and glorious Lord of angels and men, will be willing to hear what you say. You may be sure to be welcome to the throne of grace. The Lord Jesus Christ, when he was upon earth, was very angry Avith those who would have hindered little children from coming to him : He said. Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. And Christ is as compassionate now as ever he was. Go to him, and you may humbly hope he will, asit were, take you up in his arms, and bless j'ou. He has said it,^id I hope you will never forget it; I love them that love me, and they that seek me early shall find me. Oh ! that I were but as sure, that every child in this assembly would go and ask a blessing from Christ, as I am that our dear Lord is willing to bestow it! But to draw to a conclusion. III. I shall address myself to those young persons who are groAvn up to years of maturity, under the advantages of a religious education, and are not yet fixed in families of tiieir own. I hope, that many of you have been sensible of the value of those opportunities you have enjoyed^ and by Divine grace have On the Education- of Children. 71 been enabled to improve them well ; yet I must add, that I ' fear, there are others amongst you, who have unhappily neg lected and abused them. I must apply myself distinctly to each of you. 1. To those young persons, Avho have neglected and abused I the advantages of a religious education. I confess, there are hardly' any to whom 1 speak Avith so little pleasure, because I have seldom less reason to hope I shall suc ceed. What shall I say to you ? What can I sa}', that j'Ou have not often heard, and often despised ? One is almost tempted, in such a circumstance, to turn reasonings and expostulations into upbraidings ; and even to adopt those too passionate Avords of Moses, " Hear now, ye rebels, you that have grown up in the " knowledge, and yet the contempt of Divine things; you that " have disappointed the hopes, and slighted the admonition,s, " of your pious parents, and so have broken their spirits, and, it " maybe, their hearts too, and have brought doAvn their hoary " hairs with sorrow to the gr^ve. One way or other you have " perhaps silenced them. But is it a small thing to you, that " you have thus wearied men, and Avill you attempt to weary " your God also? Can you dare to hope, that 3'ou shall at last " carry those proud thoughtless heads triumphant over all the " terrors of his word ?" You imagine it a very happy circum stance that you have got loose from those mortifying lessons, and uneasy restraints, you were once under. But really, Avhen one seriously considers Avhitnw these liberties lead you, and Avhere they Avill probably end, a just resentment of your ingratitude is almost disarmed, and indignation is converted into pit}'. Alas ! sinners, the way of all transgressors is hard ; but yours is peculiarly so. You, whom I am now addressing, are in the morning of your days, and it is iiot to be supposed, that the impressions of a good education are yet entirely effaced. What future years may do I knoAV not; but hitherto, I persuade my self, you have frequently your reflections and your convictions: Convictions, which have force enough to torment you, though not to reform you ; to plant thorns in the paths of sin, though not to reduce you to those of duty. But if you feel nothing of this remorse and anxiety, such a dead calm is tiien more dread- 72 On the Education of Children. • ful than the fiercest storm and tumult of thought : A sad indica tion that your course in wickednesss has been exceeding swift ; indeed so SAvift, that it is probable it may not be long. Oh that it inight immediately be stopped by Divine grace, rather than by the vengeance you have so much reason to fear. At least be engaged to pause in it for a few moments, and lef reason and conscience be permitted to speak. How is it that you make yourselves, 1 will not say entirely, but tolerably easy? Is it by the disbelief of Christianity? Do you secretly suspect, that the gospel is but a cunningly devised fable ? Yet even that suspicion is not enough. Let me rather ask, " Are " you so confident it is so, that you will venture to stake even the " life of your souls upon its falshood ?" If you were come to such a confidence, yet it is amazing to me how, even on the principles of natural religion alone, persons in your circum stances can make themselves easy. Can any ofthe libertines of the preseiit age, that believe a God, imagine that he is altoge ther such a one as themselves. Can they flatter themselves so far as to hope, that they, in the ways of negligence, profaneness, and debaucheiy, are likely to meet with a more favourable treatment from him, than those pious parents whose principles they deride ; or that this loose and irregular course will end bet ter, than that life ofprayer and self-denial, of faith and love, of spirituality and heavenly-mindedness, which they discerned in them ? Few are so abandoned, even of common sense, as to think this. Bnt these are more distant concerns. I bless God, this kind of infidelity is not in fashion here. You assent to the gospel as true, and therefore must know, that God, who observes and records your conduct now, will bring you into judgment for it another day. And if you go on thus, how will you stand in that judgment? What will you plead ? On what will you repose the confidence of your souls, that will not proA'e a broken reed, which will go up into your hand, and pierce you deep, in proportion to the stress you lay upon it? While you behave like a generation of vipers, think not to say within yourselves. We have Abraham for our father. Think not to plead a relation to the religious parents, whose God and whose ways you have forsaken. Think not to On the Education of Children: 73 plead an early dedication to him in the baptismal covenant, which you have broken, despised, and in fact renounced. Think not to plead that external profession, which you have so shamefully contradicted, and even by weaiing it, dishonoured. You will see the weakness of such pleas as these, and will not dare to trifle wilh that awful tribunal, so far as to mention them there. And when you are yourselves thus silent and confounded, who will appear as an advocate in your favour? Your parents Avere often presenting their supplications and intercessions for you before the throne of grace, but there will be no room to present them before the throne of justice: Nor Avill they have any incli nation to do it. All the springs of natural fondness will be dried up; they will no longer regard you as their children, Avhen they see you in the accursed number of the enemies of their God. And when you are thus disowned by j'our parents and dis owned by God, whither -ft'ill you cause your shame and your terror to go ? You, who have had so many privileges, and so many opportunities, perhaps I, may add,'so many fond pre sumptuous hopes too, how will you bear to see multitudes coming from carnal and profane families, to share with your parents in the inheritance of glory from which ypu are excluded ? You, Avho were the children of the kingdom; Avhose remorse therefore must be the more cutting ; whose condemnation therefore must be the more weighty ! ObserA'e in how strong and lively a view our Lord has represented this awful thought, in words, whicli though immediarely addressed to the uiibelie\nng Jews, are remarkably applicable to you: There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, Avhen ye shall see Abraham, apd Isaac; and Jacob, (your pious ancestors) in the kingdom of God, and yon yourselves thrust out : And many shall come from the north, and the south, and the east, and the west, and shall sit down with them in the kingdom of God; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness. But through the Divine forbearance you are not yet shut out. There is still hope even for you, if you will now return to the God of your fathers, from whom, by these aggravated trans gressions, you have so deeply revolted. Let me .then once more 74 On the Education of Children. tenderly intreat you, and solemnly charge you, by the consola tions of the living, and by the memory of the pious dead, by your present comforts, by your future hopes, by the newly ap proaching solemnities of death and judgment, by the mercies of God, and by the blood of a Redeemer, that you consider, and shew yourselves men ; that you set yourselves, as it were, atten tively to read over the characters inscribed on your memories and understandings in the course of a religious education ; that you hearken to the voice of conscience repeating those admoni tions, and to the voice of the Blessed God, as speaking in his word to confirm them; and finally, that you apply to him in a most importunate manner, for those victorious influences of his Spirit, which are able to mollify and transform these hearts of stone, and to raise CA'en you, from so low a depth of degeneracy and danger, to the character and happiness of the genuine children of Abraham. God forbid, that I should sin against your souls, and my oAvn, in ceasing to pray that it may be so! And noAV, an shall conclude all, with an address to those young per sons, Avho have been, through grace, engaged to a becoming improvement ofthe religious education they have enjoyed. I have the pleasure of being Avell assured, that there are many such amongst you: Many who are noAv the joy of ministers and parents, and the hope of the churcli for succeeding- years. Let me intreat you my dear brethren and friends, that a'ou daily acknowledge the Divine goodness, in favouring you with such advantages ; and, what is still more valuable, in giving you a heart" to prize and to improve them. Think how different your circumstances might have been. Providence might have cast your lot in some distant age or country, Avhere the true God had been unknoAvn, where your early steps had been guided to the groves and temples of detes table idols, and you might possibly have been taught to conse crate lust or murder by the name of devotion. Or you might have been educated in popish darkness, where the scripture would have been to you as a sealed book, and you would have seen Christianity polluted with idolatrous rites, on some accounts more inexcusable than those of the heathen, and adulterated On the Education of Children. 75 with the most absurd and pernioious errors. There the mis taken piety of your parents might have proved a dangerous snare, whilst it had infused a blind, and perhaps a cruel zeal, and a proud furious opposition to all the methods of better in formation. Nay, even here, in a protestant country, is it not too evident, there are many families in which had you been born and edu cated, you had sate as in darkness and the shadow of death, though in the land of light and the valley of vision ? . Your infant- tongue had been formed to the language of hell, and exercised in curses and oaths rather than in prayer. You had early been taught to deride every appearance of serious godliness; and all the irregular propensities of nature had been strengthened by examples of wickedness, which might have been sufficient jto corrupt innocence itself. When you consider the Avide diffe rence between these circumstances and your own, surely Avhat- ever your portion of worldly possessions may be, you have rea son to lift up your heads to heaven with wonder and gratitude, and to say, The lines are fallen to us in pleasant places, yea^ we have a goodly heritage. Nor is this all : There are many ai-ound you, who have shared in such advantages as these, and have sinfully abused them, to the dishonor of God, to the grief of their parents, and to their OAvn danger, and perhaps their ruin. And Avhy are not you in that Avretched number, or who maketh thee to differ from them ? Why are not your hearts barred against the -entrance of a Redeemer, but because the Lord has opened them ? Why were not all the good instructions which have been given to you, like seed sown upon a rock; but because God gave the increase. Adore the riches of this distinguishing grace. And let me earnestly exhort you, that you be careful still far ther to improve it. Give me leave to say, that these fair openings of early seriousness, do naturally raise a very high expectation of eminent advances in religion. Let it be yom- humble and deli- gent care, that these expectations be answered: that your good ness may not be like the morning cloud, or the early dew, Avhich soon goeth away; but rather like the dawning light, which shines brighter and brighter till the perfect day. 76 On the Education of Children. Whilst Providence continues these holy parents, to whom you haA'e been so highly indebted, let it be your constant care, by all the most chearful returns of duty and gratitude, to express your regards to them, and your sense of so great an obligation. And I will add, let it be your care, to hand down to fiiture ages those important advantages you have received from them. One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh. It is highly probable that in a few years, numbers of you will be conducted into new relations ; and we please ourselves with the hope, that you will cany religion and happiness into rising families. Let not those hopes ,be disappointed. When God fixes you in houses of your own, let it be your first concern to erect there such domestic altars, as those at which you have worshipped with such holy 'pleasure, and sensible tokens of Divine acceptance. Let the sacred treasure of Divine know ledge, which has been deposited with you, be faithfully delivered doAvn to your descendants; that they, in their turn, may arise with the same pious zeal, to transmit it to another generation, that shall be born of them. And may Divine grace, that inexhaustible spring ofthe most valuable blessings, sweetly flow on to add efficacy to all, that real vital religion may be the glory and joy of every succeeding age ; till this earth, (Avhich is but a place of education for the children of God, during their minority,) shall pass away to make room for a far nobler scene and state of existence ; where pious parents and their religious offspring shall for ever enjoy the most delightful society, inhabiting the palace of our heavenly Father and surrounding the throne of our glorified Redeemer ! Amen, ( 77 ) SERMON V. (Beingthe flrst of a series of seven Sermons to Young Persons.) THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RISING GENERATION. DEDICATION. TO THE \ Young Persons belonging to the Dissenting Congregations at Hinckley, Harbornugh, and Kibworth in Leicestershire, and at Ashley, and Northampton. My dear Brethren and Friends ! AT length, after a long and unexpected delay, I offer to yflur perufal a few fermons which 1 promifed the public fome y«ars ago ; all which fome or other of yon heard, and in which you are all concerned. It is not material to tell you, on what account I have laid by some, which I had transcribed for your service, and which you probably expected to have seen with these. I have substituted in their room such, as I thought might, by the divine blessing, be most useful to yotj. I hope you will peruse them with candor ; and the rather, considering they were prepared for the press chiefly in some broken moments, while I was on journeys, or -in some fragments of time at home, often taken from my sleep, as the stated duties of my calling require my attendance, which will not allo-w of any long interruption. You would readily excuse what defects you may discover in ihem, if you knew that tender concern for your present and future happiness, by which every sermon, and every page, has been dictated. They have often been m.ingled with prayers and with tears ; and my heart is so full of affection to you, that it is with great difficulty, that I forbear inlarging, more than the pro per limits of such an address will admit. As'for you, my Leicestershire friends, amongst whom my ministry was opened, and the first years of it were delightfully spent, I cannot forget, and I hope you have not forgotten, that intimate and pleasing friendship, With which we were once almost daily conversing; tbe sv/eet counsel we have often taken together ( 78 ) in private, as well as the pleasure with which we have gone to the house of God in company. All these sermons, but the second and fifth of them, were first drawn up for your service, and preached to you ; and much of that tenderness for you, which gave birth to them, has been rising afresh in my mind, while I have been taking this review of them. I hope they were not then like water unprofitably spilt on the ground, and that the perusal of them may revive im pressions made by the first hearing. Intermediate years have introduced new scenes; and some of us who were then in the morning of life, are now risen up to the meridian of it. Providence has conducted many of you into new rela tions; and it is my pleasure to observe, in how honourable and useful a manner several of you are filling them up with their proper duties. While you are yourselves instances of the happy consequences, which attend a religixjHS education, I hope you will be singularly careful, that your descend ants may share in the like advantages; and I shall heartily rejoice, if these ser mons, or those I have formerly published, may be of any assistance to you in those pious cares. God has put an early period to the lives of some, who, when I was amongst yon, were the growing hopes of the respective congregations to which they belonged. Several of them hive died while these sermons were transcribing. May the thought quicken yo.u in the improvement of so uncer tain a life ; and may divine grace render some things, peculiarly intended for the use of those who are now beyond the reach of such an address, serviceable to others, into whose hands they may fall ! I greatly rejoice in the goodness of God to you, in setting over you such able and faithful shepherds, as those worthy ministers of Christ, under whose care you now are; and I heartily pray, that you and they may long be spared, as comforts to each other, and as blessings to the church. Though I am providen- tiallv separated from you, may I still hear that you walk worthy of the Lord; and may every advancing year, and revolving day of life, ripen us more for that happiness, which we hope ere long to share with each other, in the house of our heavenly father ! If any of you, who were once my care and my hope, have now forsaken the ways and the God of your fathers, and turned aside to the paths of licentiousness and folly, I now repeat the admonitions which I have formerly given you, that these things will, to you above all others, be bitterness in the end. And I intreat you, that if you have any little regard still remaining, for one to whom some of you have professed not a little, you would at least attentively peruse the sixth of these discourses, as containing refltections, which must, sooner or later, pierce your hearts, with penitential remorse, or everlasting despair. Oh, that divine grace might concur with it to prevent your ruin, and might give me to see you as wise, as religious, and as happy, as those excellent parents once wished you, whose eyes are now closed in the dust ; whose precepts and examples, charges and tears, you seem long since to have forgotten ! As for you my dear friends here at home, I have the pleasure of conversing so often with you, that it is the less necessary now to address you at large. Yet it is but justice to you thus publicly to declare, that, amidst all that goodness and inercy, which has followed me all my days, there is no providence which Imore gratefiiUy own, than that which brought me hither; nor does any thing contri bute more to- make my ministry here comfortable, than the spirit of feriousness which discovers itself in many young persons amongst us. Oh, that it were as univerfal, as in some it is amialjle ^nd exemplary ! Permit me to remind you, that, as your remarkable importunity was the consideration, which turned the scales for my coming hither, after they had long hovered in uncertainty, fo you are trader fome peculiar obligations to study the ease and comfort of my life, which you can never fo effectually secure, as by the holy regularity of your own. .Our aged friends are dropping away apace ; nay, the graves have swallowed jup many, very many, of your own age, who, but a few months ago, promised long ( 1^ ) and extensive usefulness here. It is you that are to comfort tne under these sor rows. I can solemnly say, that I had mucfi rather be numbered amongst them, than live to see the glory of practical religion lost in this society, while it is under my care. Remember, that, under God, you are its support ; and remember, that the high hopes you have given me, would make a disappointment sit so mucti the heavier upon my heart. But I will not conclude with any thing so uncomfortable, as the mention of a disappointment from you ; but rather with recommending you, and those to whom I have formerly stood in the like relation, to the care of Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, and to the influence of that gracious spirit, who can cause you to grow in knowledge and piety like the grass, and like willows by the water-courses. A generous friend* is intending some of you a present or that course of sermons, which I am now preaching on the power and grace of Christ, and the evidences of his glorious gospel ; and it much sweetens the labour of preparing them for the press, to reflect, that they are in part intended for your service. I hope you will not forget to pray for all that appear concerned for your spiritual edification, and eternal happiness, and more especially for Your most atfectioiiate and faithful friend and servant, P. DODDRIDGE, Norihampton, Decsmler 30, 17:i4. * Wm. Coward, Esq. PsALM XXII. 30, 3I-. A seed shall serve him, it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation: They shall come, and shall declare his righteous ness to a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. JLT is a Very beautiful saying ofan ancient Jewish writer,* which has its parallel amongst some ofthe finest of the heathen poets,-h that "¦ as of the green leaves on a thick tree, some fall, and others " grow ; soof the generations of flesh and blood, one cometh to " an end, and another is born." In this respect the resemblance is obvious ; but there is another, in which it will not always so evidently hold. We perceive not any remarkable difference be- * Ecdus.JsJv. i8. -t Homer. Iliad- z. ver. 146 — 149. p. ver. 463 — 467. Mus. apud. Clem. Alex. Strom. Lib. VI. 80 The Importance of the Rising Generation. tween the leaves of one year and of another : they which open at the return of the spring, are commonly as large and fair as those which the preceding winter had destroyed. But it has been matter of long lamentation, that the children of men are continually sinking into deeper and deeper degeneracy. Solo mon .lenies not that the former days were better than the pre sent, wl.i^n he cautions against too curious an inquiry into the re-d'^ons why such an alteration was permitted : and those who know littie else of the most celebtated writers of antiquity, can qiiote their complaints on this melancholy occa.sion. They can tell you, that Homer* observed, " that children are seldom bet- " ter, but -frequently worse, than their parents;" and they often reocat that lively arid comprehensive acknowledgment of Ho race :+ " our fathers, who fell short ofthe virtues of their ances- " tors, have produced us a generation worse than themselves; " and our children will be yet more degenerate than we." These complaints and forebodings have been borrowed by every age since they were published, and are to this day bor rowed by us, as what we imagine more applicable to ourselves than to those who wrote them, or to any who have already cited them. I will not say, there is universal cause for such an application ; but I am sure, the face of affairs in many famihes, ' and, may I not add, in many churches too, is abundantly suffi cient not only to excuse, but to vindicate it. In the midst of this mournful survey, the heart of every pious Israelite will tremble for the ark of the Lord, and he will be ready to say, perhaps with an excess of solicitude and of an guish, " \'\'^hat will the end of these things be ? Surely God " will utterly abandon those who so basely desert him in cori- " tempt of the clearest revelation of his gospel, and the most * riat/foi yao rot Vai^ss Ojji.1101 narfi TTiXoiiTai, Oi itXions xaxtovs, TTa'Jf 0; Je te itxTfos xfiious. Homer. Odys. B. 276, 277. -}¦ ^tas parentum pejor avis tulit Nos nequiores, mox datuvos Progeni'em viiiosiorem. Horat. Lib. III. Od. VI. v, 46, &c. The Importance of the Rising Generation. 81 " engaging or awakening calls of his providence. The very "¦ memory of religion will at length be lost; and when the Son " of Man cometh, he will not find faith on the earth." Now there seems to be something in the very sound of the text which may relieve our minds under these gloomy appre hensions. A seed shall serve him, it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation : they shall come, and declare his name to a third succession; a people who shall be born of them. Here is an evident promise or prediction, that the knowledge and the' fear of God should be propagated from one age and generation to another: and this must be an agreeable assurance, whatever the particular occasion were on which it was introduced. Were this psalm to be considered only as relating to the calamities of David, and the wonderful deliverance which God wrought out for him, the words before us might be improved for our own consolation on the justest principles of analogy ; for if a temporal salvation granted to him were to make so deep and so lasting an impression on distant nations, and on future ages, how reasonably inight the like effects be expected from that infinitely more im portant and extensive salvation, which is exhibited to us in the everlasting gospel ? But after all, the application of this passage of scripture, to the putposes for which I have alleged it, does not depend on so long a train of consequences; for if We attentively peruse this psalm, and diligently survey the distress and glory which are described in the several parts of it, we must be obliged to confess, that a greater than David is here. It contains a most lively and sub lime prophecy of the sufterings of the Messiah, and the exalta tion with which they were to be rewarded ;* and particularly mentions the calling of the gentiles into his church, and the propagation of his religion to future ages.-f- All the ends ofthe world shall remember and turn unto the Lord ; and all the kin dreds of the nations shall worship before thee ; all they who are fat upon the earth, i. e. (by a usual Hebraism) persons of emi nent rank and in plentiful circumstances,:^: shall eat and worship, * See particularly, ver. 7, 14, 16, 18, 27, & feq. -f Ver. 27—31. i.^ee Pfal. Ixxviii. 31. Ifa, x. 16. Pfal. xvii. 10. and compare Pfal. xiv. 12. Ixxii. Vol. m. G 82 The Importance of the Rising Generation, i. e. they shall pay their public homage to him, and enter them selves solemnly into his covenant, as the Jewish votaries did by eating ofthe sacrifices which were offered to him; and on the- other hand, those that go down to the dust, i. e. who are in the most indigent circumstances, shall bow before them,* even he that cannot keep alive his own soul,"f who is so poor that wants the necessaries of life; as ifit had been said, there shall be an universal submission to him, in whicli the greatest and meanest shall concur. And the text assures us, that his triumphs shall be as lasting, as extensive: a future seed shall serve him; they shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation ; i. e. being brought to the knowled,ge and the profession of the true religi on, they shall be owned by God as his people: and it shall be their pious care, to declare this glorious display of his righteous- ncssj to a people who shall be born ofthem, that he has done this; that it is the hand of God which has M'rought out this great salvation. And though there are not many generations menti oned here, yet other scriptures assure us, that the kingdom ofthe Messiah is to be of a perpetual duration, and consequently that 'such promises as these are to be taken in their utmost extent. In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace, so long as the moon endureth : his name shall endure for ever; 10, tl. Ifa. xl. 3, 5, 10, 13. Rev. xxi. 24. all which texts fpeak of the sub mission of princes and great men to Christ. * Compare Ifa. xxvi. 19. Neh. iii. 18. 1 Sara. ii. 8. t So the French translate this claufe, Mfimes celui qui ne pent garentir sa vie : and so several famous commentators explain it, particularly Rivetus; Famelici, qui non habent quo vitam sustineant. Thus alfo Buchanan paraphrases on the words, Flectet il!i poplifem Pauper sepulchri in limine Qui membra fessis artubus languentia Fugiente viti vix trahit. It is certain the phrase here translated, " keep alive the soul," is often used for the preservation of the animal life; Gen. xix. 19. 1 Kings xx. 31. Ezek. xiii. 19. And the "meat" which was purchased a,t so expensive a rate at the siegepf Jerusalem, is said to "relieve," or restote, the foul. Lam. i. ii. J Compare Rom. iii. 25, 26. The Importance of the Rising Generation. 83 his name shall be continued as long as the sun; and men shall be blessed in him. Upon the whole then, it appears, that the words of the text are a prophecy, that the kingdom of Christ shall be perpetual, and extend itself to the latest generations, as well as the remotest climates: and, through tbe Divine goodness we must acknow ledge, that this day is this scripture in part fulfilled among us. We dwell in a country, which, with regard to Judea, lay at the ends ofthe earth, and which was long over-run with barbarity and idolatry; yet we are now instructed in the knowledge ofthe God of Israel, and are this day assembled for his worship ; so that at the distance of more than two thousand years from the publica tion of this prediction, we are the living Avitnesscs of its truth ; being ourselves a seed who profess to serve the Lord, and ale- counted to him for a generation. I hope it is the concern of many of us, that the concluding- words may be fulfilled in those who come after us ; that his gos pel righteousness may so be declared to them, that they likewise might be engaged to serve the Lord not only in the external forms of the true religion, but with the affections ofthe heart, and the obedience of the life. That this concern may be more deep, more active, and more universal, it will be the business of my present discourse, to re present to you at large the importance ofthe rising generation. And' here I would aim, not merely at the demonstration of a speculative truth, which may leave your minds as cold and as irregular as it found them ; but I would labour, by the Divine assistance, to possess you with such a sense of the case, as may have 1 powerful influence on your temper and behaviour; that so our meditations on this excellent promise may, through tlie concurro'ice of God, be the means of its more complete accom plishment. I am now particularly concerned, that you, my younger brethren, may be impressed with what I say : 1 shall tliereibre address myself directly to you, and endeavour to shew how im portant and desirable it is, that you be early tinctured with a sense of religion, and heartily engaged in the service of God. Miiy the Spirit of God, in the mean time, so speak to vour ', Gs S4 The Importance of the Rising Generation. hearts, as tiiat life and energy might be added to those con victions which, 1 am confident, your reason will not be able to oppose ! Now I would intreat you, on this occasion, seriously to consi der the im})ortance of your character and behaviour, with regard both to yourselves and others. I. Nothing can be of greater importance, with regard to your selves, than your being early engaged in the service of God. It is a consideration, which equally concerns you, and others of a more advanced age, that religion is, generally speaking, the surest way we can take to be happy in this world, and, through the merits and righteousness of a Redeemer, the only way to glory in another; so that, as ihe Apostle expresses it, godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Its tendency to promote our present comfort and happiness, will abundantly appear from the influence it has on our external circumstances, and on the temper of our minds. As to the for mer of these, I might enlarge on its beneficial effects, with re gard to health and reputation, estate and friendship : and as to the latter, nothing is more obvious than that it tends to secure the tranquillity and the pleastire of the soul, as it either sup presses or moderates, those turbulent passions whicli throw it into anguish and confusion, while it gives abundant exercise to those which are most sweet and delightful. Such is the immediate blessedness of the man who feareth the Lord, and delighteth greatly in bis commandments. And whosoever reflects on the evidence with whicli each of these paVticulars is attended, must acknowledge, that the ways of wisdom are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. To complete the argument, it is to be considered, that these pleasant and peaceful paths lead np to the paradise of God ; for invariable truth and goodness has engaged, that to them who, by patient continuanec in well doing, seek for glory, honour, and immortality, he v. ill render eternal lil'e. Ou tiie other hand, if you go on in the neglect of God and' religion, it i.s veiy possible you may be undone for this world, as The Importance of the Rising Generation. 8J thousands have been, by debauchery and folly: or, under some restraints of common prudence, which may secure you from that, if you do not violently over-bear the voice of conscience, it v\ill often disquiet and torment you by its remonstrances and expos tulations ; till in a little time death Ayill remove you to the seats of horror, where the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. For God has solemnly declared, that he will ren der indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, to every soul of man that doeth evil; when the Lord Jesus is revealed' from heaven in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those that know not God, and obey not the gospel. Are not the youngest of you concerned in such declarations as these ? And if you are, let conscience say, whether j'ou are to be despised ? It evidently appears, the question is this : shalfyou spend your days upon earth like rational creatures, in the noblest enjoyment of God, and of yourselves, till you rise to the glories and pleasures of the heavenly world .'' .Or shall you live like idiots and like brutes, in the amusements of a vain imagination, and the indulgence of the meanest appetites, till you sink for ever under all the shame and remorse of a polluted guilty mind, and the almighty vengeance of an incensed God ? And can you . he so stupid as to imagine this question will bear a debate, or that any of the little interests of time and sense are to be re garded, while these things are ibrgotten? Surely I inaj' saj^ with the utmost propriety, as Moses to the children of Israel, I have this day been setting before j'ou life and death, a blessing and a curse, chuse which shall be j'our portion; but make the choice as those that remember, it is not a vain thing for you, because it is your life. "It is true," may you perhaps reply in your own minds, " these are solid arguments to prove, that religion is to be ut- " tended to, sooner or later ; but it will not appear from thcui, " that it is peculiarly the concern ofthe rising j^eneration.'' I answer, (as you have often heard me at large,) if it is to be re garded at all it should be regarded immediately; because all the futurity you presume upon is utterly precarious. The uncertainty ofhuman life, and our entire dependence on that sacred Spirit, who is perfectiy free in all his operations, concur to demonstrate, Gs 86 The Importance of the Rising Generation. beyond all possibility of contradiction, the madness of delay; and the ruin of thousands bear testimony to it. I might add, that there are many peculiar advantages of early piety, -which render it vastly preferable to a laf;e repentance, even supposing it were ds certain, as it is dubious: but 1 shall not enter into the enumeration of them now, since I intend them for the subject of a distinct discourse.* What I have already said may be suf ficient to convince you, if you allow yourselves to reflect, that your own present and future happiness is apparently concerned in the case before us. 1 add, II. That it is of great importance to the happiness of others, that you of the rising generation be early tinctured with a sense of religion, or, in the language of the text, be a seed who shall serve the Lord, And here I would shew at large, — that the happiness of all who converse with you may be considerably influenced by your character and behaviour; — that the comfort of your pious parents and ministers is peculiarly concerned in it; — and that the propagation of religion to them who are yet unborn, does, under God, most evidently depend upon you. 1. The happiness of all who converse vs'ith you will be consi derably influenced by your character and behaviour. They who have any sense of religion themselves will be ten derly concerned for your happiness. They will rejoice to see you going on in those ways which must certainly lead to it; and they will be heartily grieved to see you chusing your own misery, and rejecting the counsel of God against yourselves. And others of a humane and generous temper, though destitute of the princi ples of true piety, will be solicitous for the honour, the comfort, and the usefulness of your lives. But besides this pleasure or uneasiness, which v/ill redound to such persons, in consequence of these friendly and benevolent * Mr. Jennings's excellent sermon on this subject, amongst his other discourses to young people, has prevented the publication of the sermon here referred to. I hope my young friends will furnish themselves with those condescending and use ful pieces, if there be any of them that have not yet done it. The Importance of the Rising Generation. 87 sentiments, you ought to consider, that all who converse with you may find their happiness increased or diminished, by your regard to religion, or your neglect of it, as your behaviour to them will be influenced by it. If you be early delivered into the mould of the gospel, you will quickly learn that you were not born for yourselves. The mercies of God, and the example of a Redeemer, will teach you to exert yourselves to the utmost for the service of mankind, and to do good to all as you have opportunity. And in how many instances may your pious and charitable cares be effec tual for the benefit of your fellow-creatures ! In the series of life how many in the depths of poverty may be relieved by your libe- ra,lity! How many in perplexed and intricate circumstances may be guided aright by your prudent counsel ! How many weeping eyes may be dried, and how many mourning hearts revived, by your tender sympathy and friendly condolence ! And if there be already in your natural temper a tendency to wards such expressions of humanity, how happily may it be di rected and enlivened, when divine and evangelical motives are brought in to its assistance ! But farther, your christian charity will teach you to be, above all things, solicitous for the spiritual and eternal happiness of those about you. And who can say, how much you may pro mote it! How many more aged christians may be excited to shake off their indolence, and quicken their pace when they observe your ardency and zeal ! .And how happily might your piety tend to awaken, and reclaim those, who are going on in the paths of the destroyer : how amiable would the graces of Christianity appear, as exemplified in you, amidst all the insnar- ing allurements of childhood and youth ! And how affecting might it be to other young. people, to hear religion recommended to them, not only by their parents and ministers, but by their brethren and companions ! Thus useful might you be in your earliest years, and as you were advancing in age and experience, your usefulness might be dail}' increasing ! arid if God should spare you to the decline G4 88 The Importance of the Rising Generation. of life, you might bring forth much nobler fruits in old age, than you could have done, if your entrance on a religious life had been deferred to that unseasonable time. Thus may the whole period of your life be filled up with emi nent service. And I will add, that your beneficial influence may extend far beyond the circle of your personal converse: you may be blessings to your country, indeed to the whole world, by draw ing down the favor of God upon it, in part, as a crown of your piety, and an answer to your pra3-ers. But, On the contrary, if you neglect religion, you will deprive the world of all those benefits, which it may otherwise expect from you. If you are naturally covetous, you will probably indulge that unworthy temper, so as to withhold relief from those to whom it is most justly due: or if you be of a liberal disposition, your generosity will degenerate into prodigality ; or perhaps you will squander away so much of your estates in vanity and de bauchery, as to throw yourselves out of a capacity of assisting those, whom j'ou most sincerely pity, and would gladly relieve. And as to the eternal happiness of others, it is not to be imagined that you will have any regard to it. while you are negligent of your own. Nor is this the worst ; for, as hardly any are mere cyphers in life, it is much to be feared, that instead of blessings you may prove mischiefs to the world. The licentiousness, to which cor rupt nature will prompt you, may lead you by unthought of con sequences, to injure and defraud, as well as to grieve and tor ment, others. And where your behaviour is most friendly, it may be most pernicious. Instead of restoring and reclaiming tiie souls of your companions, you may pervert and destroy them by sinful discourses and impious examples. Thus you may draw down the vengeance of God on the places where you live, and provoke him to send some public calamity, as a punishment, for for that universal degeneracy which you have abetted. So that, (to close the melancholy scene) at the bar of God, and in the seats of torment, you may meet with multitudes of unhappy creatures, who will cry out on you, as the fiital cause of their ruin iu this word, and their condemnation in that. The Importance of the Rising Generation. 89 By such a variety of arguments does it appear, that the hap piness of those you converse with will be considerably influenced by your temper and conduct. And are you so utterly lost to all sentiments of honour and goodness, as to be unconcerned at such a consideration as this? Again, 2. The comfort and happiness of your religious parents does, in a great measure, depend on your seriousness and piety. What I have just been saying on the former heads, will evi dently prove the truth of this observation. Your pious parents have a generous concern for the happiness of others, and this will engage them earnestly to wish, that you may be blessings, and not curses, to the world about you. And their peculiar affection for you must tenderly interest them in a case, on which your happiness, both in time and eternity, depends. If they see you under the influences of early piety, unknown pleasure will arise in their minds: they will, rejoice in it, not merely as it will be a security to them of a respectful and grateful treatment from you ; but as it will, tlii-o\igh grace, secure to you, their dear offspring, the entertainments of a religious life, and the prospects of a glorious immortality. These reflections will give them inexpressible pleasure in a variety of circumstances. Their daily converse with you will be more agreeable to them than it could otherwise be, when they discern the lively impressions of religion upon your spirits, and perceive that you have a relish for those truths and promises of the gospel, which are their joy and song in the house of their pilgrimage. It will sometimes add a sweetness to the social exercises of devotion, to think that your souls are engrged with theirs, and regaled with the same sublime and transporting en tertainments. And when they have reason to apprehend that you are retired for the duties' of the closet, it will cliear their hearts to think, " Now is my child with his heavenly Father. " Now has he separated himself from those vain amusements, " which most of the same age pursue, that he may converse "¦ with God and his own soul, and be prepared for the business " and the pleasures of heaven. And I hope, God is smiling " upon him, and teaching him, by happy experience, that those " pious labours are not in vain." so The Importance qf the Rising Generation. With such consolations will their hearts be supported in all the occurrences, which Providence may allot, either to you, or them. If they meet with prosperity in their worldly affairs, and have a prospect of leaving you in plentiful circumstances, it will be a satisfaction to them to think, that they shall not con sign their estates to those who' will meanly hoard up the income of them, or throw it away in foolish and hurtful lusts ; but to persons who will consider themselves as the stewards of God,' and will endeavour to use what he has given them for the honor of their Lord, and the good of mankind. Or, if they give you but little, this thought will relieve them, that they commend you to the care of a guardian and a father, who is able abundantiy to supply your necessities, and who has engaged, by the promises of his covenant, that those who fear him shall want no good thing. They will have the pleasure to think, that, how low soever your outward condition may be, you will be rich in grace, and in the entertainments of religion now, and in the glories of the heavenly inheritance at last. When they are themselves sinking under the decays of nature, their vigour and chearful- ncss will be renewed in yours': or should yours be impaired by an afflictive providence, they will have the satisfaction of believing, that those afflictions proceed from a divine love, and shall' at length turn to your advantage. It will revive their hearts in their dying moments to think, that when they are sleeping in the dust, you will stand up in their places, and support the interest of God in the world, with a fidelity and zeal perhaps superior to theirs. Or if an afflictive stroke should take you away before them, they will not liiourn over your grave as those that have no hope. Faith will teach them to mingle praises v\ith tears, while it assures them, that though dead to them, you are living with God in glory; that you are preferred to an attendance on his throne above, where they have hope shortiy to meet you on the most advantageous terms. This is but a faint and imperfect description of the satisfaction which your parents would find in your cariy piety. And it fol lows froni hence, as a necessary consequence, that if they see you grow up in the neglect of religion, it will pierce their hearts ¦with proportionable sorrow. The Importance ofthe Rising Generation. gi It is possible, that you may arrive at such a daring degree of -wickedness, as to treat them with negligence and contempt, or perhaps to answer all their melting expostulations with insults ,and rage. Such ungrateful and rebellious monsters <^e have heard of; and would to God that every parent in this assembly could say, that he had only heard of them ! But should you preserve some sense of humanity and decency; nay, should you behave towards them in the most dutiful, and obliging manner, yet they must still mourn over 3'ou ; and even your tenderness and complaisance to them, would sometimes come in to add a more sensible anguish to their affliction. It would cut them to the heart to think, that such dear, and, in other respects, amiable children, were still the enemies of God, and the heirs of destruc tion. When they heard the vengeance of God denounced against sinners, and read the awful threatnings of his word, they would tremble to think, that those terrible thunders were levelled against you. How little could they rejoice in that health, or •plenty, which they saw you were abusing to your aggravated ruin! And how would they be terrified, when any distemper seized you, lest it should be the messenger to bear you away to eternal misery ! If they were themselves dying, how mourn fully must they take their leave of you, in an apprehension of seeing you no more till the day of accounts, and seeing you then in ignominy and horror at the left hand of the judge ! Or if they saw you removed by an early death, to what hopeless sorrows would they be abandoned ! With what unknown agonies would they adopt that pathetic lamentation of David, Oh my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom, would to God I had died for thee ! Oh Absolom my son, my son ! By such a variety of considerations does it appear, that the comfort and happiness ot your pious parents does very m^ch depend upon your temper, and behaviour. And the argument is confirmed by the repeated testimony ofthe wisest of men, un der the influences of the Divine Spirit. He tells us again and again, that a wise son maketh a glad father; that whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father; and that the father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child, shall have joy of him. On the other hand, he tells us, that a foolish f}Q The Importance of the Rising Generation. son is the heaviness of his mother. And though the tenderness of her sex may make the mother peculiarly sensible of the afflic tion, yet it is not confined to her ; for he tells us elsewhere, that a foolish son is a grief to his father, as W'ell as bitterness to her that bare him; vea, a foolish son is tiie calamity of his father. And once more, be tliat begetteth a fool, doth it to his sorrow ; and tiie fatiier of a fool has no joy; for the wickedness of his son impairs his relish for the other enjoyments of hfe. Such a multitude of passages to the same purposes seem in tended to teach us the importance, aswell as the certainty ofthe aro-ument. And it is more than hinted at in those remarkable words ; My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.* As if he had said, make a serious pause and diligently weigh the importance of that thought, that thy piety will be an in expressible joy to me, to tiiy father. And then, as if that were not enough, it is immediately added, yea, my reins also shall rejoice, (shall feel unutterable pleasure diffusing itself through all the secret recesses of my soul,) when thy lips speak right things, vhich may manifest an heart under the influence of prudence, and of religion. And let me intreat you, my friends, to reflect for a few mo- ¦ments on the weight of the argument, that you may judge whether it will not bear all the stress whicli Solomon lays upon it. The happiness of your parents is in question ; and can j-ou slight that ? Consider how much you owe to your patents, as they were the instruments of your being, and have been, under God, the principal support of it. Think of the tenderness with which they watched around your cradles, and of the many kind offices whicli they performed for you in your helpless infancy ; which parental tenderness made de lightful to them, when hardly any thing else could have made theni tolerable. Think how liberally they have long contri buted towards the supply of your wants; and in how many instances they have denied themselves, that they might gra tify you. Thing how they have rejoiced with you in your sorrows ; how they have been terrified at your real dangers ; ¦* Prov. xxiii. 15. See the like emphatical form of fpeaking, ver. 24, 25. The Importance of the Rising Generation. 95 and perhaps often disquieted v/itli those timorous apprehensions which fondness, rather than reason, has suggested to them. And under the impressions of such reflections, say, whether it rnay not reasonably be expected, that you should have a most aftec tionate regard to their repose and comfort, and think with hoi-- ror of becoming- their grief and their torment. I may add, that as the parents of some amongst you are de clining under the infirmities of age, and on that account the objects of a respectful compassion to all, they should be so espe cially to 3'OU who are their children ; for it may be, these infir mities have been hastened upon them by an excess of tender ness and concern for you. And will you add affliction to the afflicted, and bring down with sorrow to the grave those ve nerable lioaiy heads, which you have perhaps made grey before their time.'' Surely you must abhor the thought, or God and man must abhor you. But I would not entertain so harsh a suspicion; I charitably hope, that you are not only impressed with this consideration, but will likewise be somewhat concerned, when you hear, 3. That the comfort and happiness of faithful ministers Villi be greatly affected by the character of the rising gene ration. St. John assures the elect lady, that he rejoiced greatly ¦^vhen he found her children walking in the truth ; and a variety bf ai- guments concur to prove, that no pious minister can be indifi'e- rent in the case before Us. If wc have any thing of humanity and generosity in our tem pers, we must be concerned for your seriousness, on account of that influence whicli it has on the happiness of all about 3'Ou, and particularly on that of y^our christian' parents. Many of them are the ornaments and glory of our assemblies, and t'le most dear and intimate of our friends ; we are obliged thero- fore to take part with them in their sorrows and their joys, with relation to you their children. It must sensibly afiliet ns to see, that while their wisdom and their piely niiuht command the reverence and the love of all that know them, enemies should arise up against them out of their own houses, and even the children of their boweh should prove thoir tormentors. g4> The Importance of the Rising Generation. Those dear children, from whom they fondly promised them selves the delight and support of their dechning years. And when they come and tell us the tender story, when they freely open to us their sorrows and their fears on your ac count, and earnestly beg our prayers for you, that whatever they suffer, you may not be for ever undone, we are hardly able to stand it ; but nature, as well as religion, teaches us to echo back their sighs and to return their tears. Thus we are concerned for the rising generation, as we sym pathise with those whose happiness is apparently affected by it : but besides this, you may easily apprehend, that much of the comfort of our lives does immediately depend upon it. And this will be peculiarly obvious with regard to those of us who are in our younger years, and are entering on the work of God amongst you.* Should God spare us to future years, we must expect to survive many of our aged friends ; and when your parents are gone, whither must we look for the comfort of our remaining day.s, but to you their children? And must it not v/ound us to the heart, to see a generation of vipers rising- up, instead of those pious fiiends, with whom we have taken sweet coun sel together, and gone to the house of God in company? Can we easily bear to see the temples and altars of God for saken, or to see them attended only by wretched hj'pocrites who bear the form of godliness, while they are strangers and enemies to the power of it? Must we lose the pleasure, of addressing you in public, as christians, on the most comfon- able and joyful subjects of discourse; and be obliged continu ally to speak to you in thunders, as those who have no right to the consolations of the gospel ? Or must we never have the satisfaction of conversing with you in private, as our brethren in the Lord, and our companions in the way to heaven ? Well might it grieve us to be left alone in the midst of a de generate world ; especially when we reflect, that the cause of * This was the case of the author when this sermon was preached at Kibworth, May 18, 1724. The Importance of the Rising Generation. 95 God was sinking in the time of our administration, and seri ous religion was lost amongst us, whilst the cultivation of it was committed to our care. Shall we not be suspected of unfaith fulness to God, and to you, if it die in our hands? , That were dreadful indeed. May the divine grace preserve us from that guilt! And I trust, my brethren that it will preserve us; and, in dependence upon that, I plainly tell you, that while Gob continues us in a capacity of doing it, we will honestly warn you, we will seriously expostulate with you, we will earnestly pray for yon ; and if it be all in vain, we will appeal to an om niscient God, that your destruction is not chargeable upon us, but upon yourselves. But in the mean time, it would be dreadful to reflect, that while we are thus, endeavouring to deliver our own souls, we are in effect heaping aggravated damnation on yours ; while every/ attempt is resisted by you, and so brings you under a greater load of guilt. You may indeed be insensible of the load now, but we foresee the day when you will sink under it. And here is the accent of our sorrow; in such views as these we fear that when the ministers of former generations shall ap pear before their judge with a train of happy souls; which have been conducted to heaven by their means, it must be our melancholy part to stand out as witnesses against our hearers, that we have stretched out our hands all the day long to a disobedient and gainsaying people. Oh, how shall we be able to advance this dreadful testimony against the chil dren of our dearest friends, against those whom we tenderly loved, and whose salvation we would have purchased with any thing, but our own ! yet this is our prospect with regard to you ; and we may leave it to you to judge, whether it must not sadden our souls. Now pardon me, my friends, if I tell you, that we may rea sonably expect, that an argument of this nature should not be despised. I hope it is no breach of modesty to say, that we have not deserved so ill at your hands, as that our joy, or our distress, should be indifferent to you. In all tiie common affairs of life we would chearfully serve you to the utmost of our power, and therefore at least reasonably expect to stand on 96 The Importance of the Rising Generation. a level with the rest of your friends in like circumstances. And our character as ministers, if we be careful to answer it, gives us some peculiar claim to your regard. For you we give up many more splendid prospects in life, which, in other employ ments, we might possibly have'secured; for you we lay out our strength, in study, in prayer, and in preaching. We bear you upon our hearts in our public ministrations, ' and our private retirements ; (and God is witness with what sincerity.) Nor would we refuse those laborious services which, in human pro bability, might hasten upon us the infirmities of age, and the approach of death, if they might be the happy means of your conversion and salvation; And is this the rewerd of all our friendly care ? to weaken our hands, to grieve our souls, and to behave in such a manner, that the more tenderly we love you, the more deeply we must be afflicted by you! Many of you treat us with a great deal of humanity and decency ; with the appearances of affection and esteem. You are ready to serve us in the common offices of friendship, and would express your resentment if you saw us i-njured, in actions, or in words. We thankfully acknowledge your good ness in such instances as these; but permit us to ask you, why you will not be so kind and so grateful to us, as to take care of your own souls, when nothing could oblige us more than such a care, and nothing can afflict us more than the neglect of them ? Let me conclude this head with those pa- tiietic wor(,ls of the Apostie, If there be any bowels and mer cies, fulfil ye our joy. And let me intreat you to consider, once more, 4. That the propagation of religion to future generations does, under God, chiefly depend upon you. For this reason the pious Israelites are represented as resolv ing to declare the wonderful works of God unto their children, that the generation tO come might know them, even the chldren that should be born, that they might arise, and, in their turn, declare them unto their children, and so tiie intail might be carried on to the remotest ages. Now, my brethren, it is evident, that the propagation of religion to succeeding generations, does, humanly speaking, de- The Importance of the Rising Generation. 97" pend on you and others, who, with you, are entering upon life. If you are under the influences of serious godliness, you will carry them with you to the end of your days ; and when God calls you into families of your own, it will be your desire that you and your houses may serve him. Family-prayer, and family-instruction will be maintained; you will be teaching your children to know the Lord, and exhorting them to serve him, and praying for a blessing on those endeavours : and who knows what a remarkable blessing- may attend them ? Your children, under the impression of such an education, may be eminent for religion as you have been. They may be equally diligent in, the care of their posterity, and God may favour them with equal success ; and so there may be thousands of your re mote descendants, who never saw you, nor perhaps heard of your name, who yet, under God, may owe their rehgion and their happiness to you. The prospect of it may now afford you sensible pleasure ; and it is highly probable, that when they meet you in the regions of the invisible world, such an important ob hgation may engage them to treat you with peculiar respect and affection; as surely all other obligations will appear trifling, when compared with this. On the other hand, if you neglect religion yourselves, it can not be thought you will be much concerned to transmit it to others. You would hardly be at the pains to give them good nstructions ; supposing you much more capable of doing it than you can expect to be : or if you do attempt it, those instructions will be like to have little effect, when they are contradicted by the daily language of your example. Nay, it is possible you may arrive. at such a height of wickedness, as directly to oppose practical godliness, and breed up your children in the contempt of it ; which is often to be seen, even in this christian country. And what do you think will become of such children as these? If you have been so wicked, notwithstanding all the restraints of a serious education, what will they be, who miss of the advantages you enjoyed, and must be exposed to numberless temptations from which you were free r Shall these be a seed to serve the Lord ? Shall these be accounted to him for a generation ? It Vol. IIL H 98. The Importance of the Rising Generation. mijgit a^liaost as w«U fee expected, that a race of men shonU spruig up in a depart, «fhere mo human creature ever appeared h^foj-g them, a^ that true Christianity should be propagated in thfe world by the chiWicn of such an education. And hav« V014, after .aU, so. utter an indifference to theho- hour of that Redeemer, into whose religion you were bap tised, and whose name yOii b^ar, as that you eould be coo- tented it should be lost in the world ? Was it for this, that the Son of God descended frop heaven that he might pub lish the gospel-oovenant, and expired on the cross that he might establish it? Was it for this, that the pious labours of our ancestors have traiitsmited this religion to us through so' many succeeding ages ; and so many martyrs have sealed i* by their sufferiiigs, and their blood? Was it for this, that our sacred liberties have been so courageously asserted by ilie best of men, and almost miraculously defended by the baud of God ! For this, that the precious intail should be cut off by us, and this invaluable treasure, tiie charge and the gloiy of so many former genera.fcions, should perish in our haiH.d8? That the nanie of Christianity should, for the future, b&bstia the world ; or, which is altogether as, bad, that it should sinfc into an empty name, and a lifeless circle of unmeaning fcaras? ' Yetj humanly speaking, this must be the consequence, if yoxi, and others of the rising generation, will not heartily engage' in the interests of it. Such a variety of .aiguQlents concur to prove the great im portance of rite rising geneiation. They are so plain and so weighty, that 1 cannot but think, that you, my brethren, to whom I have particularly applied thera, are in your coDscienGfiS convinced, that tbey aie noi to be disputed. How. that corivjoticn should work, I have not time largely' to shew you ; but if it be seriously and deeply impressed ou. your minds, you. cannot Long be at a 'loss for propei- diffic- tions, among so many pious friends, and excellent books ; eape-" cially if you consult the scripture, and seek for the teachings of the Blessed Spirit. To these assistances I heartily recommend you, ,and omitting many other reflections v,'hich would natui The Importance of the Rising Generation. 99 rally arise, shall conclude my discourse with one which I shall immediately address to another part of my auditory. REFLECTION. How solicitous should we be in our endeavours for the ¦religious Improvement of the rising generation, since its cha racter appears of so great importance ! We have all our concern in the thought, but I would pe culiarly recommend it to those of you, who are parents and masters, or have the education of youth under any other ca pacities : imagine not, my friends, that it is an inconsiderable charge which is lodged in your hands. Providence has in trusted to you the hopes and the fears, the joys and the sor rows, of m^ny hearts, and of many families ; future genera tions will have reason to applaud or detest your memory, as your present duty is regarded or neglected ; and, which is in finitely more, the Father of the spirits of all flesh will require a strict account of those precious souls which he committed to your care. It is not for me, at this time, to direct you at large, as to the particulars of your duty with regard to them.* In the general you vyill easily apprehend that some methods are to be taken to inform their minds with divine knowledge, and to impress them with an affecting sense of what they know. And if you find the work attended with great difficulty, I hope it will engage you thankfully to accept of the assis tances of ministers, and other christian friend.s, and' earnestly to implore those communications of the SpirIt, which are absolutely necessary to make them effectual. And if GoD have any mercy in store for so sinful a nation as burs, we may humbly hope, that, in answer to our united ¦* Something of this kind I have attempted in the " Sermons on the Reli gions Education of Children;" though I have there been obliged to ex press some thoughts which occur here, though in different words, and in a different view. H2 100 The Importance of the Rising Generation; supplications, he will revive his work amongst us in the niidsf; of the years ; and, according to the tenor of his promises, will pour out his Spirit on our seed, and his blessing on our offspring- ; so that they may spring up before him as the grass, and as willows by the water-courses: and calling them selves by the name of Jacob, and subscribing with their hands unto the Lord, may be acknowledged by him as a genera tion of his people. Amen. '( 101 ) SERMON VL CHRIST formed in 'the SOUL, tie only Foundation of HOPE for ETERNITY. ^ '¦:!¦¦'>'- ¦ Gai,'. IV. 19. ]\Iy little Children^ of whom I travail in birth again, until Christ ,' '. . be formed in you. XT was the unhappy case of Agrippa, that thoiigh almost, he was Orily almost persuaded to be a christian ; and I fear, it is now the case of many, and particularly of many young persons, -who have enjoyed the advantages of a religious education. I believe itis difficult to find any amongst them, who have not been brought under some serious impressions betimes. With Regard to the internal operations ofthe Blessed Spirit, as well as external mCans, the morning of life is generally to them, in a peculiar sense, the day of their visitation ; and they often seem to know it, andjn some measure to improve it : but in too many instances, we find their goodness as the morning cloud, and as the early dew, which soon passeth away. The blossoms open fair and beautiful, and give a very agreeable prospect to the plentiful fruits of holiness in life, but too often, when storms of temptation and corruption arise, the goodly appearance is laid in ruins ; the blossoms do as it were, fall to the ground, and leave the tree blasted and naked : or at best only covered over with leaves of an external profession, -whichj however gieen and' H3 102 Christ formed in the Soul flourishing they may for the present be, will not at last secure it from being cut down and cast into the burning. Though they for a while had escaped the pollutions of the world through lust, they are afterwards entangled and subdued ; and the con sequence is, they prove a scandal to jeligion, and a discou- ragemttit to others, till, in the end, they bring aggravated destruction on themselves ; so that on the whole, as the Apos tle most justiy observes, it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than thus, after they have know'n it, to turn aside from the holy commandment, This may be in a great measure owing to the mutability? of human nature in general, and particularly to the levity and in-» constancy of youth, in conjunction with the force of those temptations of life which continually surround and press upon them. Yet I apprehend this is not all, but that it is, in part, to be charged on something defective, even in their best days, on their resting in something short of real rehgion, and a true saving change. Solomon had seen reason to say. There is a way that seemeth right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death : And I believe every considerate person will be ready to own, that in order to prevent so fatal a de lusion, and all the train of mischiefs which may follow upon it, great care should be taken in stating this important question; " What is the true and solid basis, on which we may securely " ground our eternal hopes?" It is a question of the highest importance, and the most universal concern, both to the aged and the young ; so that I trust I need not offer any apology for complying with the request of a pious and judicious frieiid, who recommended this subject to our consideration^, at this time and on this occasion. In prosecution of this design, Ihave made choice of these words of the Apostie, which I have now been reading, and which may, without offering any violence to them, be very fairly and naturally accommodated to the present purpose. It is plain from many passages in this epistie, that the great Apostie, who had planted the christian church among the Gala tians, had reason to fear, that many, who were by profession its members, were not sufficientiy established in their holy faith, The Foundation of Hope. lOS It is prohabfey that he himaelf had ati 'opportunity of making but a short stay amongst them ; iand partly thtoiigh their own aegligence and pi-ejudices, and partly through the artful at tempts of false teachers, in the absence of St. Paul, they ap pear to have fallen into a set of notions, and a conduct, vV-hich te&d&A, not only to impair the glory, but \q subvert the very foundation, of the gospel, and with it the foundation of their own eternal hopes. Of this the Apostle does, in a ver}' awfui manner, admonish them. He tells them, in the veiy begin ning of his epistle, that he marvelled that they were so soon 're- Sioved from him that called them> (and frcnm the pifinciples he had taught th^m) into another gospel. And afterwards he iiseth these very free and emphatical words : O foolish Gala- dans, who hath bewitched^ or enchanted you, that you should not obey the truth ? Are you so foolish f having begun in the Spirit, (having professed to embrace the gospel, and shewn the appearances of some comttion zeal for it,) can you now hope, to be mad* perfect by the flesh, or by the ritual atid carnal obser vances of the Mosaic institution ? Is it thus that you disgrace all you have done, and all you have borne lor Christ? Have you th^a syflfeted so many things in Vain ? On the whole, he tells them, he was ready tO apprehend that all the agreeable hopes, he had once entertained concerning them, would be buried ift everlasting disappointment, and that it would appear, h4 hftd bestowed on thfem labour in Vain. Thus did he stand in doubt of them ; afid that doubt pierced his heart with the most tender concern, and brought upon him, as it were a se cond time, those pangs of soul which he had felt on their ac- ce-BQt, when he saw them in all the ignorance "and wickedness of th«if gentile state. He \Vas hardly more solicitous that they might be turned from dumb idols to the living God, than he was how, that they might give convincing evidences that Christ was formed in thena, i. e. that they had Cordially received and digteied the gospel, .and thaf their hearts were delivered into the mold of it ; which it did not appear they were, while they ^-ere thus making void the grace of God, and the righteous ness of faith, by adhering tb the foolish and pernicious doc- H4 104 Christ formed in the Soul, trine of the necessity of seeking their justification, in part at least, by the observation of the Mosaic law. This seems to be the most natural sense of the words of the te:xt, where such a latitude of expression is used, as the Apostle elsewhere seems to study, on purpose to render his writings uni versally edifying'and useful to them, whose particular circum-, stances in life are widely different from those of the persons to whom they were originally addressed. As to the introductory words, "^my little children," we cannot imagine they refer to the age of those to whom the Apostie wrote. The evident design of them is, to express that kind of parental tenderness which he entertained for them, hke that which a mother hath for an infant with which she travails in birth. " My little, children, of whom I travail in birth again, till Christ be formed in you." It would be easy to multiply observations from the words. I might especially take occasion to shew, ^- that it is possible> those that once seemed very hopeful, and still maintain an external profession, may appear, after all, in such dangerous circumstances, that judicious ministers, and other christian friends, may be thrown into a great deal of perplexity and agony on their account; and that the great thing necessaiy to establish their safety, and the comfort of those concerned for them, is, that the Lord Jesus Christ be formed in them. That I may more particularly illustrate and improve the text, and take in what is most important in these remarks, I will, I. Consider several things, on which men are ready to build a false confidence, which will bring them into danger, and theji judicious friends into perplexity upon their account. II. I will endeavour to shew you, what is the only solid foundation of their own hopes, and the joys of others with re gard to them ; which is here expressed by Christ formed ia them. And then, III. I shall conclude with some more particular improvemeflli in proper inferences from the whole. The Foundation of Hope. 105 . These are plainly 'matters of universal importance ; but as I am now peculiarly ?iddressing myself to young persons, I shall en- deavom- to fix on those thoughts which may be most remarkably suitable to them : for I am mUch more concerned that my dis course may be useful, than that it may be critically regular and exact. I hope there are. many amongst you> who are experi mentally iacquainted with the ,vitals of Christianity, and have received from above an incorruptible seed. There are others, to whom I must say with the Apostle to these Galatians, I stand in doubt of you ; and to such, I hope, I can apply myself in the language of , the text. My little children, of whom I travail iri birth again, till Christ be foi-med in you. Pardon me, if in this instance I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. I would endeavour, with the sincerest and tenderest affection, and yvith such freedom as the importance of the case requires, to guard you against those sandy foundations, which will bury you and your hopes deep in. eternal ruins; and to direct you to the yoek of ages, on which they who build shall never be ashamed. I therefore intreat your serious attention, and would humbly ask, both myself and you, the teachings of that Blessed Spirit, l^hose peculiar office it is, in the most efiicaciaus manner, tci sheW us our danger and our remedy; to aid the labouring minds of ministers, and to cause them to see -with satisfaction the travail of their souls, while he gives to then' hearers a new birth and im mortal life, by forming Christ in thera, I. I am to caution you against several things on which young persons are peculiarly prone to build a false and preca rious confidence. And here let me particularly intreat you, as you love your souls, and value your eternal hopes, — ^that you trust not to the privileges of your birth, — ol the rectitudeof your speculations in matters of religion, — or the purity, and frequency of your forms of worship, — or the warmth of your passions, — or the morality of your conduct; for none of these apart, nor even all of them united, can, according to the tenor of the gospel, be sufficient for your security. and happiness* -j 106 Christ formed In the Soul, 1 . Trust not to the privileges of your bitth and education, as the fdundation of your eternal hopes. You are, many of you, the seed of God'.s servaflts, perhapg for several succeeding generations. You may be ready to plead, that you were born in his house, that you were early devoted to him in baptism, and have been brougbt up iri the most r^ular and conscientious manner; you have been surrounded with holy instructions and correspondent examples from your infancy ; and tepeated fervent praj^ers, both in the family and in seeret, have been sent up to heaven on your account. These are indeed sig nal advantages, and you may justly rejoice in them ; fiir in these respects you are the children of the kingdom : but rejoice with trembling, for our Lord hath told us, that it is more than a pos sible case, that tbe children ofthe kingdom may be cast out, and have their portion in outer dai'knCss. The peculiar regard sb^wft to the seed of Abraham may perhaps be abused by some of yot], as an encouragement to those presumptuous hopes. But remem ber, that Ishmael was the son of Abraham, and Esau of Isaac; and yet neither the one not the other, inherited the blessiflgcf his father. Remember that beautiful but dreadful parable, Which presents a wretched creature in hell, that could cry. Father Abraham, and yet in vain added, have mercy upon me, and send me one drop of water to cool my tongue. Once more, remem- ber those emphatical words of the Baptist, so fexpressly levelled against this arrogant presumption : Think not (says he) to say within yourselves, we have Abraham for our father : for I say imto youj that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham : as ifhe should have said, "The promises made " to those who are the children of Abraham, respect not merely '¦' them who are lineally descended from him, but those who are " the heirs of his piety and his faith ; for if God were to turn " these stones into men, and to form them by his grace to a holy " character and temper, such, though descended from no human " parents at all, would, in the sense ofthe promise, be children of " Abraham." And it were more reasonable to expect sueh a transmutation, than that God should acknowledge a generation of vipers as his people, because they were derived from holy an. The Foundation ef Hope, 107 <^stors. On the contrary, GoD direcdy assures us, that if the son of the most religious father forsake the way of virttte and holiness, and prove as the degenerate plant of a strange vine, in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. And surely herein the ways of the Lord are apparently equal ; for it is most evident, that a long descent from God's people is a reproach and condemnation, ra ther than an honour, to those vpho abandon that good old way in which their ancestors have trod, and as it were, cutoff that intail of piety which has been the care and tbe glory of preced ing generations. , g. Trust not to the regularity of your sentiments, in matters of religion, as the foundation of your eternal hopes. So various are the workings of men's hearts, and the devices of Satan, that, if I mistake not, there are some that place tbeir confidence in the strictness, and others in the latitude, of their religious opinions ;, but the one, and the other, tvill appear equally vain, when considered in the vievV now before us. Some may possibly persuade themselves^ that their condition is secure, because their sentiments are orthodox. They live per-- haps in the midst of the unbelieving and profane, and see daily contempt and derision thrown Upon the blessed gospel, or its most glorious peealiarities ; but through the influence of a good education, or from some other principle short of true piety, they l^ay nevertheless not only hold fast the faith once dehvered to the saints, but even contend earnestly for it: nay, they are, perhaps, learned in tbe controversies of the times; and can indeen pronounce concerning them in a very rational and accu rate manner. If this, my friends, he the case with any of you, I congratulate you on the happiness of a well-infm-med judgment, but must cau tion you against mistaking it for a sanctified heart. The mys tery of faith, as the Apostle himself assures us, is to be held with a good -conscience ; and in vain do you profess to retain the one, while you make shipwreck of the other. As , precious a treasure as the knowledge ofthe truth is, if we go no farther than mere speculation, it will be to you '^ but as a talent of gold to a 108 Christ formed in the Soul, " man sinking in the sea, which only serves to plunge him so *' much the deeper in ruin."* There are others who err in the contrary extreme. Orthodox notions are their banter, rather than their confidence. Tbey pride themselves in having broke the shackles in which others are confined, and in seeing through the mist in .which multitudes have been perplexed. They, are sensible, that many things ¦which divide the world, are merely controversies about words ; and are not much concerned about others in which there is a real difference, because they are well aware, that the fundamen tals of religion lie in a very littie room. They are confident of the innocency of error, and the safety of an honest mind under those mistakes which have been branded with the severest names; A wicked hfe is, in their esteem, the only dangerous heresy; and morality the only thing that is worth contending about ; charm ed with their own wisdom and happiness in this freedom of thought, they look down with pity on persons under the influ ence of a contracted education and narrow sentiments, and possibly mingle their pity with a great deal of scorn, not to say indignation. But they are indeed themselves the objects of much juster pity, if, whilst they glory in their freedom, they are the servants of cori-uption. It is certain, that the most generoiiS speculations will no more save men of unregenerate hearts, and unholy lives, ithan the most rigid and severe set of notions. Foi* notions and speculations are in their nature so far short of red goodness, that if there be nothing more than these, it matters but little what they are. Yet one cannot forbear observing'a peculiar and most absurd inconsistency in the conduct of those, ¦who think so highly of themselves, because they are possessed "of this one speculation, that speculation in general is a trifle, and morality is all ; as if the whole of morality consisted in bearing' this testimony in its favour. I wish Such a character were not al most as common as it is for men to be bigots in Catholicism, and uncharitable in pleading the cause of charity. If- this be the case with any of you, out of your own mouth must you be con^i * Dr. Bates's Works. The Foundation of Hope:, \ og demned ; and we may jdstly apply to you, in the midfet of your self-applauses, those awful words of our Lord ; If ye were, in this respect, blind, ye would comparatively have no sin ; whereas now y&u have no cloak, or excuse, for your sin. , 3. Trust not in the external forms of devotion, as the foun-. dation of your great hopes for eternity. You are, it may be, joined to a society, which not only wears the christian name, but separates itself from many other pro fessors, under the apprehension, at least, of a more pure and scriptural worship. You, perhaps, so much approve and esteena this worship, as to be diligent and constant in attendiag-on the public exercises of it, not only in its stated returns, but on occa- siqnal opportunities. You fill your places, here fiom time to time, not merely in obedience to the commands of your parents and governors, but by your own voluntary choice. And, it may be, to these you add the forms of family-devotion morning and evening, and, possibly, a few moments of daily retirement for reading and prayer. What can such religious persons have to fear ? Nay, rather, my brethren, what can you hope, if, while you draw near to God with your mouths and your lips, you re move your hearts far from him ? If while you come before him, as his people come, and present yourselves in the posture of humble worshippers, your heart be going after your covetous ness ? God hath for ever confounded such vain presumption, by declaring, that the prayer of the wicked is an abomination to him ; and that his shall certainly be so, that turns away his ear from hearing the law, i. e. that refuses obedience to it. The ser vant that knew his Lord's will, and did it not, became justly hable to be beaten with many stripes; and it is not to be wondered, if, in this sense, judgment begin at the house of God, and seize first on those who affront and profane his ordinances, by making- them to supersede the very things which they were originally appointed on purpose to promote. . 4. Trust not to the warmth of your passions in matters cif reli gion, as the foundation of your most important hopes. Some of you, to whom I now speak, have perhaps experienced very bitter agonies of conscience. You have been roused from no Christ formed in the Soul, the sle^ of carnal security, as by an earthquake, which has shook the very centre of your soul ; the flames of hell have seemed, as it were, to flash in your faces ; and all these mingled hon-ors have compelled you to cry out, " Woe is me, for I am undone ! " oh, what shall I do to be saved ?" And yet, to allude to the' story of Elijah, tlie Lord hath not been in the earthquake, or in the fire. . Consider to what purpose the inquiry after salvation hath been made, and with what resolution it hath been pursued ; otherwise you may be fatally deceived. The murderei's of Ste phen were cut to tbe heart by his preaching; and we are sure that, if the most deep and terrifying convictions could have se cured a man's salvation, the traitor Judas would have been safe, who undoubtedly felt the most violent convulsions of soul,; before he proceeded to the dreadful extremity, which sealed him up under everlasting despair. But you may have been impressed with the sweeter and the noble passions ; you have not only trembled at the tiiunder of the law, but rejoiced in the message of gospel-grace : the neVs of a Redeemer has been welcome to your souls, and the feet of thos^ messengers beautiful, that have come to publish peace in his name. You have, perhaps, been melted into tears of pleasure and tenderness, when you have heard the representation of his dying love ; and when the precious promises, established by it, have been unfolded, aud the prospects o'f etei-nal glory displayed,- your minds have been elevated and transported ; so that you have himg, almost with a trembling eagei-ness, on the lips of thi speaker. — I readily acknowledge, that such' as these are fre quentiy the workings of tlie Blessed Spirit of GoD, upon trie souls of his chosen people ; and when found ia a tlue connection with the great effects they are designed to produce, are highly to be esteemed and rejoiced in. But remember, 1 intreat y6«> that eveiy tear of tenderness, and evCry sally of joy, doth not arise fi-om so divine a spring. You might weep at a mournfijl scene in -a well-wrought tragedy, as you have done at the story of a Redeemer's sufferings; you might find yourselves trans ported with a fine poetical description of a Pagan elysiuin, or a Mahometan paradjse, just as you have been with the views of a heavenly Canaan, which gospel -ordinances have presented. The Foundation of Hope. 1 1 1 Mere self-love might be the foundation of such a joy in the tid ings of pardon and happiness, v/itbout the least degree of re newing and si^n.etifying grace ; tiss it probably was in tbo.se hecT,rers, represented by the stony ground, who immediately received the word witii joy, but iiad no root, and so endured but for a while. But, perhaps, -you will say, you are confident it is not merely self-love in yon, for you have often found your mind impressed with a grateful sense of tihe .Divim^ goodness; so that, when yoa own it before Go d in prayer, or converse with his saints on th.e copious and: d.efig-htful subject, your souls flow forth in love to your great benefactor, and yon look up to himju the most thankr-, fill acHnovvMgmients^of his favours. — Ifit be ^ gratitudje, that captivates the soul in a ¦yvilliug obedience, and engages, you to yield yourselves Hving sacrifices to God, then is Christ formed in your souls, and you are not the persons to whom I would give. the aLaa:tti : on the contrary, 1 would rather coufirm your hopes, and rejoice with you in them. — But if your gratitude does not ris.e to tkis ; if it rest only in some tender emotion of mind, or some .to-ansient, external expression of that emotion, I must faithr fully tell j'oii, that I fear it is onjy a nobler degree of that natu ral iins.tinct v/bioh causeth the ox to know his owner, and the ass bis master's crib." To find your spirit in this manner impressed does iiwjesd plainly prove that the day of your visitation is not. eiitii^ly past ; it proves you have not sinned yourselves into utter inBerisibihty of soul ; nay, it may posgibJy at length, tki-Qugh tbe communications of sanctifying gj-ase, le&d you on to real reli gion, and to eminent attainments in it : but at present it falls far shart. I have often told you, (and one can hardly repeat it too oftsji. Or insist too eainiestly upon it,) that there is a very wide dtiffat'e»c.e; .between: a good stale, and a good frame; and that rqUgiswi is- not sea.ted either in the undei-standin^ or in the passions, bjit principally in the will ; whjcli, in this disjointed staite of human nature, is far far from being always in a due h^rmoftiy. with either. So that, on .the whole, those illumina tions, or tliosel affections, on v/hich you are apt to lay so great a.stiess, are, ;p6rii^S, at .heat, hut the preparatory workings of tiifi Sjfmix:upon your -.minds,, which, if they are not improved 112 Christ formed in the Soul, ai-ight, may leave you more hard, and more miserable, than tiiey found you. < 5. Trust not to the morality of your behaviour, as the founda^ tian of your eternal hopes. . Morality is certainly a very excellent thing, and it were scan dalous indeed for any professing christian to pour contempt upon it. Wherever this is wanting, pretences to faith and chrisfian experience are not only vain, but insolent and detestable. He that committeth sin, is of the devil ; and only he that doth rigte^ ousness, is righteous: nor hath the grace of God ever savingly appeared to that man, through whatever uncommon scenes of bought he may have passed, who is not effectually taught by it to deny ungodliness and worldl}' lusts, and to live soberly, lighteously, and godly. But it will by no means follow from Aence, that wherever there is a sober and virtuous conduct, such a soul is passed from death to life. If the whole of the gospel be wrapt up. in the rule^ of morality, then is Christ dead in vain ; or, at least, it is in vain that the notices of his death are pubhshed to us. Beware, I intreat you, of so pernicious an error. I think myself obliged more earnestly to caution you against it, because, while the devil is attempting; on the one hand, to en gage some, under the specious pretences of an evangelicalspi- rit, to turn the gi-ace of God into wantonness, he feems -to be insnaring others, by extolling the vutue whicli he hates, in order to lead them into a neglect of Christ, and his righteousness, and all the peculiarities of the gospel-scheme of salvation ; so that it is difficult on the whole to say, which of these devices is most destructive to the souls of men. From my heart I rejoice to think, there are so many amongst yon^ my young friends, whose character in life is fair and unblemised. You escape the grosser pollutions of the world; you abhor brutal intemperance ; you scorn the mean artifices «f deceit, and renounce the hidden things of dishonesty ; you ho* Dour your parents and subordinate governors; you treat the ministers of Christ with respect and esteem; you are affa ble and courteous in your behaviour to all: and, on this account, we behold you and love you ; we hope, and conclude, you are not far _fi-om the kingdom of Jieaven. But, alas! if things restf The Foundation of Hope. ] 1 3 here, you will never enter into it. All these things had the young man in the gospel observed from his youth 5 and many of you have seen, in a very large and beautiful representation, how lovely a youth was then perishing in sin.* He lacked-one thing ; and the lack of that was the ruin of his soul, as it will be of yours, if you are destitute of it. I know, that they are especially in danger of being deceived here, who converse frequently with persons of an abandoned character; or who are themselves reformed from some gross irregularities, to which they were once addicted. Comparing themselves with others, or with themselves in a more licentious and corrupt state, they pronounce a favourable sentence, and conclude they are safe and happy : But let me intreat you, my friends, that you would rather compare your hearts and lives with that perfect law ofGod, which cannot be repealed; weigh yourselves in that balance, and see whether you are not found wanting there. Review even the upright conduct of those days of your reformation, and then say, whether there be such a re dundancy of merit in them, as will not only answer present de mands, but atone for your past offences too. You will soon be confounded on such a review, you will soon acknowledg-e, on an impartial examination^ that the bed is shorter than ar man can stretch himself upon, and the covering narrower than he can wrap himself in ; that neither you, nor any living, can be justified by the works of the law. I will conclude this head with observing, that the instance of the blessed Apostle St. Paul serves well to illustrate and confirm our discourse, m each of the particulars I have now mentioned — Had the privileges of birth and education been a sufficient secu rity, Paul had been secure before his conversion to Christianity; for he was circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, (which had not, like the rest, revolted from the house of David;) and by his mother's side, as well as his father's, a Hebrew ofthe Hebre^^. — If the exactest regu larity in religious notions, or the strictest formahty in the exter nals of worship, could have secured a man, Paul had been se- * Dr. Watts's Serm. Vol. I. Ser. V., VI. Vol. Ill, I ] 14 Christ formed in the Soul, cure; for he was, as touching the law, a Pharisee; he .lived according to the rigour of that sect, and, both with respect to doctrines and ceremonies, was exceedingly zealous of the tradi tions ofthe fathers. — Ifa transport of passion in the cause of GoD could have secured a man, Paul had been secure; for, con cerning zeal, or with regard to that, he persecuted the church, and wasted it beyond measure. — And, lastiy ; if morality of be haviour could have done it, Paul had been secure ; for, touch ing the righteousness which is by the law, he was blameless. In these things, he was once so yceak, and so wretched, as to place a great deal of confidence ; but when he wtis illuminated, and called by divine grace, he assures us, that what things were gain unto him before, those he counted loss for Christ, i. e. he most entirely renounced all dependence upon them. Yea doubtless, says he, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Which naturally leads iije to the second general, where II. I am to consider, what will be a solid foundation for hope and joy when all these precarious dependences fail. This is, with the utmost propriety, expressed in the text, by Christ formed in the soul; which is exactiy parallel to that phrase in Colossians, Christ in you, the hope of glory, whicli i-i there mentioned as an epitome of the gospel, the riches of the glory ofthe mystery preached among the Gentiles. When Paul could see that the Galatians Were brought to this, the paiigs of his labouring mind would be ended, and joy and confidence would succeed ; which is plainly intimated in the words of the : text. And when you, my dear charge, are brought to it, parents and ministers may rejoice over you, and you will have an everiasting spring of hope and joy, a solid foundation, on V, hich to build for eternity. Permit me, therefore, a littie more particulariy to explain it ro you ; and let me intreat*^'ou to turnjrour thoughts inward, that you may judge whetiier you hate been experimentally ac quainted with the temper and change which I shall now de scribe, as signified by this remarkable expression in the text, Christ formed in you. Thi Foundation of Hope. 115 N0W3 1 think, it implies ffe^s^ threie things : — That some ap prehensions of Cheist have taken hold of theheart; — that the man is brought to an explicit choice of him> and deliberately enters into covenant with him ; — and that, in consequence of both these, something of the temper and Spirit of Christ is, by divine grace wrought in his soul. I -will touch on fe'ach of these ; but my time will not allow me to manage them in so cbpib'us and particular a manner as they well deServe; 1. To have Christ formed in the soul supposes,- that some serious apprehensions of Christ have taken hold of the heart. it evidentiy implies, that the external revelation of hirii hatli not. only been admitted as a speculative truth, but attended to as a matter of the highest concern. Previous to the forming of Christ in the soul, there must be a conviction that we are natu rally without Christ, and that, in consequence of this, we are in a most unhappy condition. And this conviction must strike deep upon the heart ; for till the evil of sin be felt, what can make the news of a Saviour welcome ? since, as he himself has declared, the whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. The man in whose heart Christ is formed, has seen himself condemned by God's righteous law ; has seen himself equally unable to answer its demands, or to bear up under the executiori of its penalties. And feeling this to be no light mafter, but tbe very life of his soul, he has then been engaged, with the greatest seriousness and earnestness, to cry out. Woe is me, for I am un-> done! Oh, what shall I do to be saved? I before told you, there may be these convictions and awakenings, where Christ is never formed in the soul ; and I now add, that the degree of them may be various, according to the various tempers and cir cumstances of different persons: but it is most evident, that something of this kind must make way for fhe Redeemer's en trance, who comes to seek and to save that which tvas lost; to bind up the broken-hearted, and to give rest to the weary and. heavy-laden. And I the rather insist on this, because I am fully persuaded, that slight thoughts of sin, and of the misery of our natural estate by it, have been the principal cause of all the' infidelity of the present age, and are daily ruining a multitude of souls. I3 1 16 Christ formed in theSouli 2. The formation of Christ in the soul doth farther imply an cxphcit choice of him, and a deliberate entering into covenant with him. When such a soul hears of a Redeemer, and of the way of s ilvation by him, exhibited in scripture, it cordially approves tie scheme, as entirely worthy of its diVine author ; and though corrupt nature raises up a thousand proud thoughts, in a vain and ungrateful rebellion against it, yet they are, by Almighty grace, subdued and brought into captivity. The man really fees such a suitableness, and such an amiableness, in the Blessed Jesus, under the character in whicli the gospel reveals him, that he judges him to be the pearl of great price ; arid as God has laid him as the foundation-stone, he is, in that view, inconceivably precious to him. Far from contenting himself with applauding this plan, as regularly beautiful, and magnificent in general, the true believer is solicitous, that he may have his own share in this edificeof mercy ; and that, coming to Christ as aliving stone, he may himself be one of those, who shall, on him, be built up for an habitation of God through the Spirit. When he considers the Lord Jesus represented as standing at the door and knock ing, it is \vith pleasure that he hears his voice, and opens to him, and, as Zaccheus did, receives him joyfully. He regards him as a nail fastened in a sure place ; on whicli he can joyfully fix all /his eternal hopes, infinitely important as he sees them to be.! And while he thus anchors his soul on the righteousness, the atoiiement, and the intercession of a Redeemer, he hymbly bows to his authority, as his Lord and his God. It is his de sire to seat him on the throne in his heart, and as it were, to put into his hand the sceptre and the sword, that all the powers of nature may be governed, and all the corruptions of it destroyed by him. In a word, as he knows that Christ was given for a covenant fo the people, fee deliberately sets his seal to that co venant, thereby devoting himself to Christ, and, through him, to the father. Such are his views, his purposes, and his engage ments ; and by divine grace he is enabled to be faithful to them. Wiiich leads me to add, 3. When Christ is formed in any soul, something of the The Foundation of Hope. 117 temper and character of the Blessed Jesus is, by divine grace wrrought there. I might with Case multiply scriptures in proof of the absolute necessity of this'; but it is so obvious, thai you must yourselves know, how expressly it is required. You know, how plainly St. Paul has told us, that if any man have not the spirit of Chr!ist, he is none of his: and where the spirit resides Christ dwells ih the heart. The same mind, or temper, is in such an one, as was also in Christ Jesus ; and as he professeth to abide in him, it is his care so to walk, as Christ also walked. On whieli ac count the true christian is said to have put on Christ, in allu sion to the Hebrew phrase, of being cloathed with any temper or affection, that greatly prevails or governs in the soul,* It is a very pleasing, as well as useful employment, to trace the lineaments of the temper and conduct of Christ in his peo ple. Our Lord is in a peculiar sense the 'So>i of Gop ; biit his people are, through him, taken into the same relation : for they have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear, though perhaps they were once subjected to it, but they have received the spirit of adoption ; and because they are sons, God hath sent' forth the spirit of his Son into their hearts, crying' Abb'a, father^ By this spirit a filial temper is wrought in their souls, by ^^ hich their obedience to their heavenly Father is so animated, as to be most honourable and grateful to him, as Well as most easy and dehghtful to themselves. Under the influences of this spirit, the christian desires it may be his character now, as he' trusts it will be his happiness at last, to follow the Lamb whithersoever Le goeth; to follow that Jesus, who was holy, harmless, undefiled^ and separate from sinners. He is indeed deeply sensible, that it is impossible' for him, as his Lord did, to fulfil all righteousness'; and therefore, when he hath, done all, he' calls himself an unpro fitable servant. Yet he seeth so much of the internal beauties of holiness, so much lustre and glory in the image of God, as drawn on the soul of man, that it is the great co'ncerii of big heart, a id ^'''Thuswe read of being cloathed with righteousness, Job. xxix. 14. Pfal. cxxxii. 9. With humihty, 1 Pet. v. 5^ 'With zeal, Isa. lix 17. 'With cursing, Pfal. cix. 18. 'With shame, Pfal. cxxxii. 18. &c. 13 1 1 8 Christ formed in the Soul, labour of bis life to pursue it. Nor -would he piily abstain from grosser enormities, and practise those virtues which are most honourable amongst men., and attended with the greatest secular advantage ; but he would, in every respect, maintain a conscience void of offence, and perfect holiness in the fear pf God. He hath so affectionate a sense of the riches of the divine grace, displayed through a B-edbdmeji, in a^dopting so unworthy a creature as himself to the dignity and privileges of a son ©/ Gqd, that he oftep cries out, in raptures of holy gratitude and joy. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits to wards me ? Inspired vscith this noble principle, he searches his father's will impartially ; and ysrben he hath discovered it, he obeyeth it chearfully, and it is his meat and his drink to perform it. He loves the Lokd his Gqd above all, and loves hisfellowr creatures for his sake as weU as their own, and entertains the highest v£neration and affection for those who most heartily resemble his Fa.thc); and thpir Father, his God and their God? It is his prayer, £|,nd his eiideavour, that he may go about doiog good, and be useful to all as he hath opportunity ; that he pass through this world with a holy moderation and superiority of soul, to the things which are seen and are temporal '; thankfully owning every mercy as. proceeding frpm God's paternal love and care, and serenely submitting tfi ev^ry afHiction, as the cup which his Father puts into his hand. In a word, he deshes, that in all the varieties of life he may still be intent on the views of an everlasting inheritance; humbly looking and longing for thqt blessed hope, yet willing patiently to wait his Father's time,: having this constant expectation, and reviviiig assurance, that whether he liveth, he shall live unto the Lord, or whether be dieth, he shall die unto the Lord ; so that whether he live qx die> he shall be the Lord's. This is the christian; — this is the man in whom Christ, is formed ; or, rather, these arc some faint lineaments of his char racterr and I will venture to say, that he who cannot discern sometiiing in it, even as thu."? imperfectiy described, which is vastly superior to th^t morality and decency of behaviour, which arises merely frpm prudential views, or from the sweet ness and gentleness of a man's n^tmal temper, is sunk below the The Importance of the Rising Generation. 1 19 boasted religion of nature, and must take refuge in the wretched principles of Atheism, if he would pretend to form any thing of a consistent scheme. But now III. I mnst conclude with hinting at some reflections and inferences, which my time will not allow me to handle at large. 1. How important is it, that ministers should lead young persons into such views as these ! Our great and important business in life iato promote the eter nal happiness of Our hearers, and to lay a solid foundation of hope and joy in their souls. We have seen now what it i.s, and other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Here then let all our labours center. It is the good old ^^ay, in which our fathers in the ministi-y went, and in which they prospered. Let us follow their steps, and exert our most vig;orou& efforts here. Modern refinements may amuse us incur closets, bnt they will never feed the souls of our hearers, nor spread the triumphs of a gospel, which was the power of God to the salvation of thousands, before they were ever dreamt of. I hope, God. is my witness, that I am heartily concerned for the interest of virtue, (if by that be meant the advancement of practical rehgion ;) but I never expected to see it promoted by the most philosophical speculations concerning its nature, or the finest harangues on its innate beauties, when the name and peculiar doctrines of Christ are thrown off, as unfashionable incumbrances of a discourse. Experienced christians, who have tasted the bread of life, will not contentedly be put off with such chaff: and if we imagine that the younger part of our auditors may be trained up to a relish for it, we may, perhaps, succeed in the attempt: but I much fear, that success will be the calamity ofthe church, andthe destruction of souls.* 2. We may learn from hence, what are the most valuable proofs of parental affection. ¦*The author has taken a greater freedom on this head, as the discourse was delivered before feveral candidates for the ministry, for whom he had some pecu liar concern. 120 Christ formed in the Soul, Certainly, there is no reasoii to esteem, as such, that fond in dulgence which suffers ill habits to grow up in the young mind, and fears its present disturbance more than its future ruin : no, nor yet the more prudent care of providing plentiful and agree able accommodations, for the subsistence and delight of your infant offspring, as they advance to maturity and settlement in life. These things indeed are not to be neglected ; but wretched are the children, and I will add, the parents too, where this is the principal labour. Would you express a wise and religious ten derness, for which your children shall have reason to thank yoii in their dying moments, and to meet you with joy in the inter views of- the eternal world? do your utmost that Christ be formed in their souls; and let them plainly see, that you even travail in birth again, till this happy work be accomplished. But this leads me to add, 3. What need is there ofthe work of the Divine Spirit on the heart, in order to the laying this great foundation ? The language of the text, which speaks of Christ formed in us, naturally leads our thoughts to some agent, by whom the work is done ; and when you consider what kind of a work it is, I appeal to your own consciences, whether it is to be thought merely a human production? Were it only a name, a cere mony, a speculation, or a passion, it would not be worth a mo ment's dispute, whether you or we should have the glory of it. But as it is nothing less than the transformation of a corrupt and degenerate creature into the holy image ofthe Son of God, it were impiety for either to arrogate it to ourselves. Let us therefore on the whole learn our duty and our wisdom. Let the matter be brought to a serious and immediate review, and let us judge ourselves by the character described, as those that expect very shortly to be judged of the Lord. — If, on the examination, any of you have reason to conclude that you are strangers to it, remember that the invincible battery of the word of God demolishes all the towering hopes you may have raised on any other foundation. Let conscience then say, whether any amusement, or any business in life, be so iinportant, as to be attended to, even for one single day, in neglect of this great concern, on which all the happiness of an immortal soul is sus- The Foundation of Hope. 121 pended. If nothing be indeed found of greater moment, apply yourselves seriously to this, and omit no proper and rational method of securing it. Consider the ways by which Christ "uses to enter into a soul, and wait upon him in those ways. Reflect seriously on your present condition ; constantly attend the instructions of his word, and the other solemnities of his worship ; and chuse to converse intimately with those, in whom you have reason to think he is already formed, But in all remember, that the success depends upon a Divine co-opera tion, and therefore go frequently, into the presence of God by prayer; go into it this day, or if possible this hour, and importu nately intreat the regenerating and sanctifying influences of his Spirit, which, when you earnestly desire them, the gospel gives you such ample encouragement to expect. — -But if you have reason to hope, that you have already received them, learn to what the praise should be ascribed ; and let it animate you to pray, that through farther communications from the throne of grace, you may be made continually more and more like tp your Redeemer, till you ate prepared for that world, where you shall shine forth in his complete resemblance, and shall find jt your complete and eternal felicity. Aiaen, ( 122 ) SERMON VIL A DISSUASIVE FROM KEEPING BAD COMMNT. Prov. IV. 14, 15. Enter not into the Path of the Wicked, and go not in' the Way of evil Men: avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. Xf we hrve any regard to the judgment ofthe wisest of men, illuminated and directed by the influences of the Divine SpimT, we must certainly own, that ill company is a very dangerous snare, and that young persons should be frequently and ear- nestiy cautioned against it. The excellent collection of moral and religious precepts contained in this book of Proverbs, was especially intended to give subtilty or prudence to the simple, and to the young man knowledge and discretion. As the sacred author well knew, that he should plead the cause of wisdom and piety in vain, while the voice of dissolute companions was heard, and their conversation pursued, he begins his addresses to youth with repeated cautions pn this head : My son, says he, if sinners entice thee, consent thou nol. As he proceeds in his discourse, the address grows more lively and earnest ; and I am sure every attentive hearer will soon discover a peculiar energy in the words of the text. This faithful and compassionate counsellor did not content himself with dissuading his young reader from joining with notorious offenders in their crimes, but even from A Dti.ss.umvc from keeping bad Company. 123 going ia the way with themi, or with any otiier evil men ; nay, fromenteimg: upon it, or even appxoaching it, so much as to pass by it, if th^er^ were not a necessity of doing it. Enter not into the paths of sinners, and go not in the way of evil men : avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. As if he should have saidj " shum the; yery place where such wretches, assemble, f as you would if it were infeqted with the most malignant and *' dangerous disease : and if you have unwarily taken any steps " towards, it, stop short, and direct your course aaotliei' way." Such lessons did Solomon teach ; and such had he himself learnt from David his father. That pious, prince, in the very entrance of the book of Psalms, describes the good man as one that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful : and fee elsewhere speaks ofthe citizen of Zion, as one in whose eye a vile pexson,, far from being chosen as an intimate companion, is contemned, while he honours them that fear the, Loii,d. Thus he delineates the holy and happy inan ;. and he had a pleasing consci.ousn.e_ss, that this, character was his own : he therefore ap peals to. God as a witness to it, that he had not himself sat with vaia persons, and was detertmined thathe would not go in with dissemblers.: nay, that, he was so far from seeking and de- hgbtiog in their company, that he hated the congregation of evil-doers., and would not sit with, the wicked : he resolutely drove them away from him, as one who knew their society would.be extremely injurious to the purpose he had formed of devoting himself to a religious courses depart from me, j'e evilrdoei'S ; fox 1 will keep the commandments of my God. The sacred writers of the new testament recommend to us, th at we should. haA'C no felIow:ship. with, the unfruitful works of dark ness ; that we should not be unequally yoked in any kind of in- timaip. friendship with unbelievers ; and that if any do not obey the ¦ffocdj we should note such a one, and have no company witlvhim, that he maybe ashamed. Considering such passages, of scripture, as well as the reason of the thing, I think it proper at this time to pursue this sub ject at large. I well know, that I may succeed in this particular address and yet leave you strangers to a saving change, and far 1 24 A Dissuasi'vefrom keeping bad Company. from the kingdom of God ; but if I cannot prevail upon you to refrain from, and discard the company of sinners, I fear other admonitions will turn to very little account. In the further prosecution of the subject I will, I. Briefly tell you, what I intend by that bad company which I would caution you against, and how far I would urge you to avoid it. II. Offer some considerations to deter you from it; and then. III. Conclude with a few obvious inferences. I. I am briefly to shew you what I would now caution you against. And here surely, I need not be large in telling you what I mean by bad company. It is, in general, " the conversation of " those, who are apparently destitute of the fear of God ;" and so it takes in, not only persons of the most dissolute and aban doned characters, but those vain and worthless creatures who manifest a neglect of religion, though free from gross and scan dalous immoralities. So that what I have to say -will be appli cable to all sinful companions whatever ; but the more notorious their vices are, the more evident will be the force of each of these arguments, by which I shall now endeavour to fortify you against their society. Neither shall I use many words in telling you how far you. are to avoid such' company ; for to be sure you cannot imagine that I ara endeavouring to dissuade you from a necessary commerce with them in the common affairs of life, and the business of your calling; since then, as the Apostle expresses it, you must needs go out of the world, considering the state of reli gion and morality in it. Nor would I lead yon to a neglect of any offices of humanity and civility to them; for such a be haviour, instead of adorning the gospel, would greatly prejudice their minds against it. Least of all, would I hinder you from applying yourselves to them by serious admonitions, in order to convince them of their sin and danger, and to engage them to repentance and reformation. In these views the Blessed Jesus A Dissuasive from keeping bad Company/. ] 25 himself conyersed freely with persons of the most infamous cha racters, though he were perfectly holy, harmless, undefiled, and in that sense separate from sinners. The folly I would caution you against is, " chusing irreligious persons for ypur intimate " fifends, and delighting to spend your vacant hours in vain "conversation with them." My design does not require farther explanation; the great difficulty I apprehend is, what I shall meet with while I am attempting, II. To fortify you against the danger of such companions, and to engage you cautiously to avoid them. When I call this the -most difficult part of my work, it is not because I am at a loss for arguments, or apprehend those argu ments to be either weak or obscure. A variety of considerations immediately present themselves to my mind, so plain, and yet so important, that I am confident were the matter to be weighed in an ecjual balance, a few moments would be sufficient to pro duce a rational, con viction of what I am to prove. But Oh, who can answer for the effect of such a conviction ? When I con sider the unaccountable inchantment which there seems to be in such company^ as I am warning you against ; and reflect on the instances in which I have seen young persons of sense and edu cation, who once appeared to promise remarkably well, at length intangled, and some of them ruined by it ; I dare not presume on the success I might otherwise expect. Nevertheless, I know that the word of God is quick and'powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword ; and I know, that if it be guided by the hand of the Blessed Spirit, it will be effectual to divide you froni your most delightful carnal associates ; since it can separate tilings as near to each other, as the joints and the marrow, andean lay open the heart to so clear a view, as that it shall seem to have dis cerned even its thoughts and intentions. It is this encourages me to make the attempt, and I hope the difficulty and importance of the case will not only excuse my handling it at lerge, but will also engage all, who have any regard to the happiness of the rising generation, to lift up their hearts to God, that he may assist and succeed me in pleading this 125 A Dissuasive from keeping bad Company. weighty cause, in avhich the interests of time aud eternity are so apparently concerned. Give me leave then to bespeak the most serious attention of all that hear me, and especially of the younger part of my audienCe, while I urge on your consciences such considerations as these ¦ — Seriously reflect on the many unhappy consequences which will attend your going in the way of sinners ;^Think on those en tertainments and pleasures which you give up for the sake cf their society : and consider how little advantage you expect from thence, to counter-balance the pleasures you resign, and the evils you incur by it. 1 . Let me, intreat you seriously to reflect on the many unhappy consequences which will attend your entering into the path of the wiclced, and going in the way of evil men. You probably will by this means quickly wear out all seriotiS impressions; — you will be exposed to numberless temptations to sin and folly, — and thrown out of the way of amendment and reformation ; — and thus will be led into a great many temporal inconveniences, till at last you perish with your sinful compa nions, and have your eternal portion amongst them in hell. (1.) By this means you will be in the ready way to lose all sense of religion, and out-grow the impressions of a serioiis edu cation, if Providence have favoured yoa with it.j If your hearts are not harder than the nether mill-stone, some such impressions were surely made in your younger years; and I believe, few that have been trained up in religious families have entirely escaped them. If these are duly improved, they will end in conversion and glory ; but, if they are resisted, they lead to greater obstinacy in sin, and throw the soul still farther from th6 kingdom of God. Now what can be more evident than the ten dency of vain and carnal conversation to quench the Blessed Spirit of God, and hinder the mind from falling in with his preparatory work upon it. I am persuaded, that if they, who are under some prevailing sense of divine things, consider bow difficult they often find it to preserve those impressions on their spirits, in the company of some who appear on the whole to be serious people, even they will be afraid frequently to venture into the company of the A Dissuasive from Iteeping bad Company. 1 27 sensual and profane. As Mr. Bolton finely expresses it,* " throw " a blazing firebrand into snow or rain, and its brightness and " heat will quickly be extinguished ; so let the liveliest christian " plunge himself into carnal company, and he will soon find the " warmth of his zeal abated, and the tenderness of his conscience " prejudiced." Now, if it be so detrimental to those that have deliberately devoted themselves to the service of God, and have had some experience of the goodness of his ways, judge how much more dangerous it must be to him who has only some fee ble desires, and as yet undetermined purposes, in favour of it. Young people are extremely rash and credulous ; and when yoa see your favourite companions neglecting serious godliness, and, perhaps, deriding it, it is a thousand to one, that you will not have the courage to oppose them.: you will probably, at first, be silent ; and then, you will grow ashamed of your former ten derness ; till at last, seduced by the craftiness of them that lie in wait to deceive, you. may secretly censure religion, as an unne cessary and burthensome thing, if you are not trans"jiorted so far as openly to revile it, and join in tiie senseless and impious cry against those that appear to be influenced by it. Again, when you have been used to the pleasures of such company, and, perhaps, of that unbridled Inxui-y -wliich they may be ready to lead you into, you will, no doubt, lose your relish for all the entertainments of devotion. The hours you spend for the exercises of it in public, or in the- family, will grow tedious, and almost insupportable to you ; and you will rejoice when the dull work is over, that you may return to your beloved companions again. Thus will all regard to religion be gradually worn out of your mirjd; and this seems to be the argument sug gested by St. Paul, to dissuade the Corinthians from being un equally yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? or what communion hath light with darkness ? This alone would be a very consider able evil ; but it is far from being all you have to fear ; for, I add, ¦* " Directioiis for walking with God.'' 128 A Dissuasive from keeping bad Company. (2.) By frequenting ill company, you lay yourselves open to many temptations, and probably will be drawn into a great deal of guilt. You know, there is a strong force in example. " We are " all," says Mr. Locke, " a kind of Camelipns, that take a tinc- " ture from that which is near us."* So that, if you converse with wicked people, you will^brobably become like them your selves. It is an argument, which Solomon urges against forming any peculiar intimacy with those that are passionate ; and it is equally applicable to many other cases : Make no friendship -with an angry man ; and with a furious man thou shalt not go ; lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul. Alas, sinners, you are too apt to be led into guilt by your own corrupt hearts, even when yoii have the fairest advantages against it, amidst the wisest instructions, and the holiest exam ples ; how forcibly then will the temptation assault you, when you see others, and those your most intimate friends, yield to it without any appearance of remorse ? and when, it may be, you hear them pleading in favour ofthe compliance, and endeavour ing to persuade you to join them in the practice, as what they have themselves found delightful and advantageous ? It is no small evil for an immortal creature, who was sent into the world to serve God, and to secure a happy immortality, to live in vain, and to trifle away hour after hour in mere idleness and impertinence. Yet this is the least sin that bad company leads a man into. Unhappy as this is, would to God that it always rested here ! the world would at least be more peaceful,, and your damnation, sinners, would be less intolerable., But daily observation undeniably proves, that by evil examples, and wicked companions, people generally learn gluttony and drunk enness, swearing and uncleanness. It engages tbem in foolish quarrels, in which they blaspheme the name of God, and injure their neighbour; and it habituates them to such extravagant ways of living, as they are forced to support by secret dis honesty, and very often by open robbery. Thus they gradu« * Locke's Works, vol. iii. A Dissuasive from keeping had Company. ] 29 ally fall intOsthose scandalous enormities, which at first they could not have thought of without horror. This fatal e-ffect is plainly hinted at in Proverbs^ -where the wretch that abandoned himself to the society, of sinners, is represented as acknowledg ing, that he was almost in all evil, in the midst ofthe congrega tion and assembly, i. e. he was so hardened in his various crimes, as not to be ashamed to commit, or at least to avow them in the mqst public manner. (3.) By frequenting sinful company, you will throw your selves out of the way of repentance and reformation. I hefore observed, that you will by this means contract a dis relish for the exercises of devotion ; and this will probably be at tended with the neglect ^^ those ordinances, which God hath appointed as the great means of our conversion and edification. And when these are neglected, how can you expect that God shall pursue you with uncommon intferpositions of his grace ? That when his word is despised, and his house forsaken, he should seize you as it were by violence, amongst your dissolute cpmpanions, and convert you in ybur midnight revels ? Your pious friends may indeed have some opportunities in private of expostulating with you ; but it will require a great deal of resolution to attempt it ; and when they do, they must take ^t as a peculiar favour, if you give them a patient healing, and do not affront and revile them for their charitable endeavour of delivering your souls from the pit of destruction, and plucking you as brands outof everlasting burnings. But if we should allow, that their importunity, or amy other consideration, should sometims bring you within the hearing of an awakening, practical sermon, and some serious iicpression should be made upon your minds by it, it is very probable all these convictions \jjill wear off, as soon as you return to your -wicked companions again. One gay, licentious hour amongst them may undo the labour of many days and weeks, and pre sently teach you to laugh at yourselves for the former alarm, as if every fear had been vain, and every purpose of reformation needless. And thus your hearts, will be like tempered steel, which gathers strength from every blow.of the hammer, to make a more vigorous resistance to the next j and you wil| harden to Vol. IIL • K ISO A Pissumsivefrom keeping bad Cempmy-. all tbe most mollifying g^^hads pf Providence and of grace, till at length yoa prpvoke the Blessed 3f iPiT, so often resisted, en tirely tp witiidraw, and so ypu be sealed up under final impeni- tency. Thus the pppr fpojish creature I mentioned before, whe was so fond of the society of sinners, is represented as reflecting too late, that g.11 the wisest and kindest endeavours of bis frie»da for his rcfprmation, had bee^ utterly ineffect«al. How, says he, have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof ! I have pot obeyed the voice of m,y teijcbers, npr inehned my ear to tbfm that instructed me. Thus incorrigibly disobedient will you he, if you enter into the path of sinners, and gp pn in the way of evil men. In consequence of this, (4.) You will undoubtedly find yourselves exposed fo a great deal of present inconvenience and calamity, with regard tP yQUr temporal affairs. Now, methinks, this consideration should at leagt hftve ifs weight with you, whose guilt it is, and whos? ruin it top probably may be, tp look only at those things vvhich are seen, m^ &X9 temporal. I before observed, that by frequenting ill company* you will be under strong temptations to idlenes,?. And thu? JQU will in all probjibility, waste your substance, and shorten your days; and in the mean time lay a foundation fo}- maBydi5e.^§f which may give you an utter disrelish fpr aU the coRiforts and eateitainments of life, when you stand in the greatest ijeed gf them- I add, that it is not at all upfikely, that the foolish qtiaf- rels, into which it may lea4 you, may be attended M'ith cpgt @r ' pain, and perhaps with bpth. Aiid as for ypup reputation, which to a generous spirit is pne pf the dearest of all temporal enjey-> ments, I must plainly tell you, that if you determine to takg m care in the choice of your company, you must neces^firily givejj up. For if, almost by a miracle, you should be kept frPm runjBflg V^itb your sinful associates, into the same excess of riot and folly ; yet the very circumstance of taking pleasure in such sprt pf cojg-t panions will be enough to overthrow it, in the judgment of wiijt and considerate people. Such arguments as these does Solomon use, -\vhen cautioning his young re^^d^s against so dangerous an eutanglemeot. He pleads the many'temporal inconveniences and evils which attend ^ Dissuasive frQm keeping had Company. i31 it, and many of which J have just b«en mentioning. He ob serves, that it tends to impoverish them : he that follows after vain persons, shall have poverty enough : that however it may seem the cement of friendship, it often proves tbe occasion of enmity and contention ; for who hath woe? who hath sorrow ? who hath contentions? who hath babblings? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine with the partners of their midnight debauche ries. How much the health is impaired by it, is evidently sug gested, when he represents the poor creature as mourning at last, when his flesh aad his body are consumed ; and to add no more, he expressly tells us,' that sinners, by these kinds of confede racies, lay snares for their own blood, and lurk privily for their own lives; which he useth as an argument against complying with their proposals, when they seem most advantageous. And accordingly we sec, that most of those unhappy creatures, who are the victims of public justice, and fall by the hand of the ex ecutioner, declare with their dying breath, that, wicked com pany was the occasion of their ruin. (5.) If you chuse the society of sinners, you will probably perish with them, and have their company in hell^ as you have hadjt upon earth. The probability of this dreadful consequence is bnt too appa? rent from what I have said under the former heads of tliis dis course. If you lose those religious impressions which were early made, if you are drawn into a great deal of sin, aad thrown omt of the way of repentance and reformation, what can the end of these things be ? Or what can yoU reasonably expect, but that God should execute upon you all the fierce ness of his wrath ? And to cut off your vain, presumptuous , hopes, and awaken you to that sense of danger, which is so abf solutely necesswy for your deliverance, he has expressly threat-? ened it; and that not only in genei-al with respect to aS sin ners, but particularly to such as are fond of wicked company. And it is worth your while to observe, in what language he threatens it : A companion of fools shall be destroyed. S>o tb?* what Solomon says of one sort of sinful companions is justly K2 1 32 A Dissuasivefroni keeping bad Company. applicable to the rest. Their house is" the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. Now let me intreat you to dwell upon this thought, till you feel something of the weight and the terror of it. Be sometimes asking yourselves, " How can we dv/ell with the devouring fire ? *' How can we lie down in everlasting burnings?" How can you endure those torments yourselves ? And in what temper, ¦and with what reflections, will you meet the partners of your guilt and folly there ? And in what manner will you converse together? Alas, my friends, in those seats of horror and des pair, all that rendered your intercourse on earth .delightful, will be come to an eternal period. There will be no opportunities for you and them to gratify your sensual desires together : no delicious food,. no intoxicating liquors, no gay tales, no chear ful songs ; but instead of these, blackness of darkness for ever more ; weeping, and wailing, and gnashing Of teeth ; the Worm that never dies, and the fire that cannot be quenched. - Will it then be any relief to you, to look back on those days, which you shared in luxury, and in sin ? Will your friendship still continue ? And will yoU be endeavouring, by tender con dolences, and by obliging offices, to mollify and alleviate the miseries of each other ? Alas, sinners, hell is not the seat of friendship, but of everlasting enmity and rage. All the wretch ed inhabitants will live in perpetual discord, and mutual abhor rence.. And no doubt your keenest resentments will burn against those, who have been your partners in sin ; as your aggravated damnation will be in pait owing to them. And on the same principles, will their indig-nations rise against you. And thus you will lie for ever, continually exercismg all the enlarged capacities of your minds, to increase the torments of each other. And perhaps it is the only instance, in which your desires and your attempts will be effectual. Oh I sirs, when I think of the air end form of some wicked creatures, when transported with passion, when t observe how venomous their speeches, and extravagantly furious all their actions are, methinks I see tbe most lively emblem of the society below : but alas, how much more dreadful must it be, to stand exposed to the rage and re- A Dissuasive from keeping bad Company. 133 venge of a damned spirit ! yet this is like to be your lot ; and if it be, the most delightful of your companions in sin, will probably prove your fiercest tormentors. There is reason to apprehend, that these, and such ds these, will be the miserable consequences of wicked company with re-^ gard to yourselves. And I might now infer from hence, that your frequenting it must be very grievous and injuirous to others. I might plead against it at large, from the alarms and- sorrows to which your parents and ministers will be exposed by your pursuing it, and the mischievous influence it may have on the circumstances andcharacters of your own domestics, if ever you appear at the heads of families, as well as of others, with whom you, be concerned. Solomon urges one of these considerations, when he says, a companion of riotous men shameth his father. Here would be a large field of argument ; Tjut I wave it at present^ lest my discourse should swell beyond- due bounds, as well as to avoid the repetition of what I was lay-- jng before you on a. former occasion.* Nevertheless, I hope you are abundantly convinced, • by what hath been already said, that the pernicious aed dan gerous consequences are many and great: let me intreat you farther to ccftisider, ' 2, . How much nobler entertainment and pleasure you give up for a converse, which is like to prove so fatal to you. I would fain persuade you, if already intangled to burst these bands asunder, and to cast away these cords fi-om you, which will dthsrwise bind you as victims to eternal wrath. And to engage you to it, I would say, as the wise man doth, forsake the foolish, and live : it is not only necessary, to preserve your ¦hfe; but you may likewise be assured, it would most happily improve it, and bring you to another kind of life than what yoa have-yet known, in comparison of whitli your present way of life. is but a wild, distempered dream. The father of lies may, perhaps chas, persuaded your weak and unexperienced minds, 4hat there is no such thing as pleasure to be found out of this inchanted circle which he has drawn about you ; but did you ' ¦ '. ' ' * See Sprm. V. K3 134 A DigsuAsive froin keeping bad Company, know wherein trUe selfr-enjdyWent consists, I might have de clined all those awful arguments which I have so largely beeu urging upon your consciences. Oh! my friends, could I but this day be so happy, as to persuade you to break the chain, and to abandon th^se irSsnaring companions, not merely from prudential, but religious consideratiofis, I should presently lead you into a new world. Instead of being the associates of the idlci the intemperate, and the prophane, you would then con verse with those who are indeed the excellent of the earth, and would be able to say ^itn David, I am a companion of thran that fear thee, O Lord, and of them that keep thy precepts. And is that a contemptible thought ! What think you, if an angel were to descend from heaven to make his abode onear^^ or the Lord Jesus Christ himself were to appear again in the infirmities of human flesh ; with whom would tbat aUgel, or that Redeemer, chuse an intimate friendship, and as frequent converse ? Your own consciences tell you, that if he were ever found amongst you, it would only be, as a physician visits an hospital, to cure others, not to delight himself. And why should you esteem that society unworthy your nftgard, which, you are sure, the Lord Jesus Chrsst would prefer? Is it because you ima^ne it gloomy and melancholy :' but that imagination proceeds from ignorapce and mistake. Were you to be with them, whea they are discoursing together ofthe things of God, (as, through the divine goodness, many of us have been,) you might fo quently discern in their countenances, such marks of sweet sere* nity and composure, and sometimes of elevated hope, and sub lime, angelic joy, as would be an ocular demonstration of the pleasure, which a serious and regular mind may find in such converse. And to this you njight be admitted, if, by fotbfearifig to enter into the way of sinners, you discovered the marks of i teachable disposition. For, as Solomon declares, tAie ear that heareth the reploof of Ufe, i. e. that reproof which tends to pr«* serve life, and to make it happy, abideth among the wise; and, as he chuseth their company, he yiill readily be ad» piitted to it. I might add, that, on this supposition, you would also know fyhat it is tp be good cojnpanj to yOUfselves. Reflection, which A tyts^u&^iMff'om keeping bae^ Company. 13i is H6W your tofjtt^titi Would feeGome ycuv gleasute. The re^-iew 6f a well-ordered mind, of a prudent Attd rehgious conducti would delight yoa more, than the most agreeable proapectss, er harMOfikraS ftUsie ; and iMtead of holding your haj)plhe% a* you novi^ do, ifl a sgrVite defjeiideiiee on the presence, nay I may add. On thfe humour, ofothers, even of such as are least to be d^ertded upon^ you would have it treasured up iii your own Weast, and, like the good man described in scripture, would be satisfied from yourselves. Nay, Vfhich is still infinitely more, you might humbly hope> through the righteoilsness and grace of the ReiJeemek, that the BleBSed Gob, the eternal and inexhaustible Source of hap.* piness, would lift up the light of his countenance upon you, and bid you welCOHie into hia! gracious presence. This is an argu* mdnt Wliitib St. Paul Urg^s/ ift the view in which I now mentiori it, whefli dfesQadifig the Corinthians from forming any intimate alliance with sinners, he pleads,, that Gon hath said. Come out frdm amdag theffi, afld be ye separate, saith the Lorb, and toueh not the UMleafl thing ; and I m\\ receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. And G6d forbid, that you should' ever aMVS to sufeh a degree of impious madness, as to question whether the fa^ear afid friendship of the majesty of heaveti be prefei'able to the converse of a vain, sinful wonn. Oh, that he would grant yen the vi^t of Oiie hour, of one moment; and you WouM wa*{ nothing farther to teach you to say, Whotft have t ift heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire but tbee; hoHe that I desire in comparison with thee; hdW much less iii opj)osition to thee! Oiice more, if y©u are companions of the saints now, you a»ay enjtty the reviving- hope, that you- will shortly tpeet with them in the ^rfeseflee 6fX3o» above, and for ever converse together,- With the gw&test ardour of m^utBal affection, as well as the fto- iilesi* improvement, both in capaeilj'> temper, and circum- fetaAces. Nor vsfill you tfeere only meet your piofts friends, with whom on eartfa you took sweet coufiBel together, and perhaps wciii to the house of 6©b ia company; but you will few \36 A Dissuasive from keeping bad Company. many new acquaintances with the most excellent and glorious' of created beings; you will come to the innumerable company of angels, and to the spirits of just men made perfect ; nay, you will dwell for ever with God the judge of all, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant. But surely you cannot expect a favourable reception into that blessed world, or any. of the preparatory felicities I have been describing, if you resolutely adhere to foolish and wicked companions now. David would not have presumed to pray, as he doth. Gather not, my soul with sinnher.s, if he could not have said, as in the preceding words, I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in whh dissemblers ; I have hated the congregation of eyil-doars, and will not sit with the wicked. And if you think to reconcile such companions, with such enjoyments and hopes, you delude yourselves with inconsistent dreams, in direct opposition to the voice of reason, as well as of scripture. Give me leave, once more, to intreat you to consider, 3. How little advantage you can receive from such society, to counterrbalance the damage you sustain, and the happiness you forfeit for it. I am sure it ought to be something very grand and im» portant, for which you grieve your friends, and provoke God; for which you cut .yourselves off from the most valuable en^ joyments in this world and a better, and at length plunge yourselves into everlasting destruction. And now shew us, I intreat you, the worthy prize ; tell us What those friends are, whose company you purchase at sO dear a rate ; and, what important offices they can do for you, to make you amends for all you must lose, and for all you must suffer, on their account ? Poor wretches ! the most they can do, is to admi nister something that may gratify your appetite, or amuse your imagination, for a few transient moments. A, relishing meal, a chearful cup, a thoughtiess, noisy burst of laughter, are some of the best things they can procure for you. And are these so great? Surely, if it were reasonable in any case, it i^ peculiarly so in this, ,to say of laughter, it is mad ; and of mirth and luxury, what doth it? It is but a poor entertainment while it lasts, which Solomon elegantiy compares to the use.! A Dissuasive from keeping had Company. 1 37 less momein tary blaze of a few crackling thorns under a pot; and there is a mixture of uneasiness often attending it from a view to the consequences, which will often, force itself on the mind ; so that even in laughter the heart is sorrowful. But if the satisfaction it gave were ever so transporting, or ever so complete, yet still it would be very contemptible, because its duration is so short. Death is continually advancing to wards you, which will very shortly separate you from your chosen companions; and if the most beloved of them were waiting round yOur bed, they could by no means deliver you from the grave, or moderate the agonies which were bring ing you thither. Eyen before your trembling souls are dis lodged from your bodies, your relish for their, converse will be entirely spoiled ; so that you would think yourselves bar barously insulted by them, if, in the midst of your anguish and distress, they should offer you those entertainments which you once so fondly pursued together, and which were the ce ment of your precarious and shprt-li Ved friendship. Judge then, whether those things, are so highly valuable, which, in the near views of eternity, you would behold with horror, rather than with pleasure; and whether, your most , rational felicity in both worlds is to be sacrificed to such vanities as |hese. - ¦ I firmly belieVe, that, upon such . reflections as these, you must be compelled, even to your own condemnation, to con fess, that, 'as Solomon declares. He that follpweth vain per sons, is void of understanding,. And if you are convinced of it, then let me intreat you, my dear, unhappy friends, who are entangled in this fatal snare, that, in the strength of di vine grace, you ^would immediately attempt an escape.. It will indeed require resolution; but, remember, it will . amply reward it : and therefore determine upon it this day,, that you will go no, more to their- assemblies ofi vanity, ai^d of sin ; and when they would entice you, consent not to them ; but rather tell them plainly and seriously, that you know, and consi der, that ypur souls are at stake; and teW tiiem, you avoid their company new, , because , you dread it in hell. And who 138 A Dissuasitfi from keeping bud Company. knows, but such a serious and lively admorlition from those who were once their brethren in ini^uity^ may do more ta awaken them, than many addresses from the pulpit? Wha knows, but it may effectually reclaim them, and be a means of forming them to such characters, as may make their friehd" ship as safe and as honaarable, as ever it was dangeriaus and infamous ? At least, you will have delivered your own soul, and may comfortably hope, that your life will be given you for a prey. With this solemn charge, as in the iiaiiie and pre-" sence of God, I dismiss you fram this head, and proceed, III. T© those reflections and infereneeS/ witb whieh I shall conclude the discourse. 1. If so many evils and daBgers att^fid the pursuit of Wksked company bow careful should pargflts afid guardiaiis be, to \iiep young people out af the way df it ! You see, ftTSfli all I havf feeefi sayteg> hoffsr necessary thi* care is, if you desire they shdttld Be happy in this worlds or the next. It is a dreadful Charge that is braagh! agaiMf JBli, and a dreadful dtXWi is prottOarieed Upofl Mm ffe it; that his sons tftade themselves vile, afid that he resttaiitcil them not. And therefore, as you love your own soulsj Md thdse 6i yours, endea,vtiur, wiffe all pdssibl^ resolulidii, to avdid feeiflg culpalile ydsrsiltes oft this aceouai. And here I would ebSefve, that your care must begirt very early, aod that it must take a great compass. You should en* deavour betimes to lay in aa antidote agaiflst the future pot> son, by labouring t* the utmost to possess their infant-miuds with a sense of the divine presenee, a desire of pleasing G6]*)> aasd a drfiad of offending him. You should efldeavtiiif to inspire them vrith an abhofreilce of sin, and a love t& thd Ways and pedple of God. Eudeavour to find out suitable company for them, and to make your own company as de lightful to them as you can. Indulge them in sueh diver sions as duty ahd |^rudence will admit; for too rigorous a irestraint from these things, makes them eager to pursue A Dissutisive from keeping bad Company isg them, wherever they are to be found. And if you se begin to form an acquaintance with such as you think likely to insnare and corrupt them, first gently warn tbem of it, and endeavour, by the easiest method's, to draw them off: if those will not do, reason with them more largely on the bead ; lay before them the various dangers they will be exposed to, and shew them the instances of those who have been injured and ruined' by such company : instances, which, it is to be feared, you will always have near at hand : and if all this be not enough, interpose with the authority Gon has given yon ; absolutely forbid them the place and cDmpany> and let thettt Bee, by your after-conduct, that ydu are in good earnest in the prohibition. At the same time, endeav6«r to recommend re. ligion to them in the most amiable light, that they may be convinced it carries its entertainment aloflg with it, sd «hat there is no tieed of seeking pleasure in the paths of the de.^ stroyer. I know this is a matter of difficulty^ and requires a great deal of prudence and ftteadifle^s to cohduet it aright s but I am persuaded, if parents and masters Were careful ifl this respect, few wobld be ruined till they cansie to be at theit own disposal, and the destruction of multitudes would be en- tireiy prevented. May Gau grafCionsly gm ypu wisdom to know yipui- duty^ and fiitithfulness to pei-ferm it ! 2, If wicked company be so peraitions, as we have heard { thhti how eantioUs should we be in the choice of a cprnpaAioa for life> if yon are in such circumstauGes, as to have that choice ItMsfore yott. It is evident, that^ ag all bad ' company is dangsrbus, so the nearer it is to us, and the more frequent the oppdHUnitiefi fef conversing with it, the ^eater mischief will it pi-dbably do tk. "Hioae wbo are iu the conjugal telatit>n, should mskk it their great badness and care^ td assist and animate each other iti the wayS of GoD; atid such i* the prevalency df out smfnl nature, and so many the snares aud temptations of life, that, wilh all j[»ossible advantages, our progress will be too slow, and too frequently intetrupted. What then cm\d you fcxpect, if you had those, ftot only in your housesj but id i40 A- Dissuasive from keeping bad Company. your arms too, from whom you would hardly ever hear a serious word ; and who would perhaps be unwilling to give you the hearing, if you should attempt any such discourse:' nay, might possibly revile or banter you for it, and, by their impious language and wicked example, might greatly deaden religious sentiments in your own heart, and either prevent' or frustrate your endeavours for communicating them to those under your care ? When christians of one sex or the other, chuse such a companion for life, they seem to lie under, great difficulties, and will be in imminent danger, either, on the pne hand, of failing in a due affection and regard, or on the; other, of being perverted and ensnared by that very affection,. which both the duties of the relation, and the comfort of life, so evidently require. If any of you have taken this hazardous step, I have nothing to do but to advise you, to be daily looking np to Gon for that extraordinary prudence which your circmn.! stances require. But this is such a situation, that I cannot for-t bear praying, that, as for those of you who are yet single,. no considerations of beauty, wit, temper, or fortune, may - ever prevail upou you to bow your necks, tp so unequal a -yoke. , ,. . 3., How much reason have you to be thankful, if Gonha^ delivered youifrom the snares of wicked ..company, and givea you a i-ehsh for such as is good. > , i . . Think how easily you might haVe been entangled and undone. Think how many, in other respects, at least your equals in wisdom and capacity, are in this instance mak^ ing a foolish choice; and bless the ¦ Loeb, .who has given yoUcounsel. ¦ It- is his mercy that gives you serious and useful friends, and gives you a heart tO value them. B35 their converse you may gain many advantages directly oppor site to the evils I have, been describing. Be ; humbled, .that you have improved these .advantages no .better; and pray for the aids of Divine grace, that for the future;j they may be more diligently. , regarded. . And if Providence ever lead you : into the company of carnal sinners, which the mpst pious and resolute cannot wholly avoid, labour that, they A Dissuasive from keeping bad Company. 1 4 1 may be something the better for you, and you not the worse for them; and consider all the irregularities you ob serve in them> as farther motives of .thankfulness to , God, for making a difference betwixt them and you, and giv ing you company so much more amiable than theirs. Once more, 4. Let young persons of a regular character take great heed, that they do not, by insensible degrees, become dangerous com panions to each other. That social turn of mind which is natural to men, and especially to young persons, may perhaps lead you to form yourselves into little societies, particularly at this season of the year, to spend your evenings together. But let me intreat you to be cautious how you spend them. If your games and your cups take up your hours, till you intrench on the night, and, perhaps, the morning too, you will, to be sure,, quickly -corrupt each other, and soon degenerate into a club of rakes and debauchees. Farewell then to prayer, and every other religious exercise in secret. Farewell to all my pleasing hopes of yon, and to those hopes which your pious parents have en tertained. You will then become examples and instances of all thei evils I have so largely been describing. Plead not, that these things are lawful in themselves ; so are most of those, in a certain degree, which by their abuse prove the destruction of men's souls and bodies. If you meet, let it be for rational and christian conversation ; and let prayer and other devotions, have their frequent place amongst you. And if you say, or think, that a mixture bf these will spoil the cohipany, it is high time for you to stop your career, and call yourselves to an account ; for it seems, by such a thought that you are Ipvers of pleasure, much more than lovers of God. Some of these things appear to have a tincture of severity: but consider, whether, (in present circumstances,)* I * N. B. The substance of this sermon was first preached at Harborough, December 65, 1725 ; ,and afterwards at Northampton, on that day eight years. 142 A Dissuasive from keeping had Compmy, could have proved myself faithful ta you, and to Him in whose name I speak, if I had omitted the caution I b«ve BOW been giving you. I shall only add, that, had \ love^ you less tead®ily, I had perhaps warw^ you more coldly, of this dangerous and deadly snare. May Gan render the admonition as successful as I am sure it is seasonable au^ Becessary ! .( 143 ) SERMON VIIL RELIGIOUS YOUTH INVITE^ TO E4Ri.Y COMMUNIQN. IsAIAH XLIV. 3 — 5. Tor I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, ar^d floods upon the dry ground.: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed., end my blessing upon thine offspring ; and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by, the water-coursef : Q.ne shall saif, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself . by the name of Jacob ; and another shcill subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, arid surname himself by tlte name of Israel. V-/N the first hearing of these words, you will easily appre- hen?l, that they afford abundance of very proper matter for a discourse to young people ; but you may perhaps be surprised when I tell you, that I shall take occasion from them to ad dress religious youth, with a large invitation to an early atten dance on the table of the Lord, This is a surprise Vvhich I do not at all affect to give : for to press in a scripture to sei-ve a purpose foreign to its original design, and to turn a mere allusion into an argument, is, in its degree, to feaadieHhe word of God deceitfully, and is indeed an 144 Religious Youth invited injury to it, rather than an honoiir. So that I much fear, that Iy thus attempting to make every thing of the scripture, we shall at length come to make nothing of it: for those seem ingly distant extremes approach nearer to each other than some seem to be aware. But I hope, my friends, you have learnt to judge of the per tinency of scripture to any purpose in hand, not merely by the first sound ot the words, but by an attentive view of its sense and connection ; and when the words I have been reading are diligently examined, they may appear more suitable to my de sign than you at first apprehended. Though Gob had before been reproving Israel with great se verity, and setting their sins in order before them, he intimates purposes of grace and mercy, which he yet entertained toward them, unworthj' as they were. And, in order to prepare them for further favours, he promises, in the words of the text, to pour out upon them an abundant effusion of the Blessed Spirit. Now we well know, by a multitude of scriptures, which I must not particularly enumerate, that it was to be in th& latter day, i. e. the gospel times, that this glorious promise was most emi nently to be fulfilled. The blessed effects, which were to attend its accomplishment, are described in great variety and elegance of language. They are represented by the refreshment whicli water gives to him that is thirsty, and which plentiful floods of it afford to the dry ground, when scorched with the summer's heat. Accordingly it is said, that they, and their offspring too, should flourish in religion, like the grass when thus abundantly refreshed, or like willows by the water-courses, the verdure of whicli is so delight ful, and the growth so speedy, that no more proper emblem could have been chosen. Thus should the souls of the children flourish, through the divine blessing, on the instructions of pious parents, and other methods appointed by God for their religious improvement. And in the next words the prophet uses still greater p\tunness of speech, to let us know that their number should be considerable, and their resolutious for God firm aad determinate. One and another, this man and thfit, should come To early Communion, 145 and own his relation to GOd, should puhlicly enter himself into the engagements of his covenant, and put in an humble claim to the important blessings it was intended to convey.^ One shall shall say, I am the Lord's ; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another 'shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the hame of Israel. Some very celebrated translators and critics understand the Words, which we render, " Subscribe with his hand Unto the Lord," in a sense a little different from that which our English version has given them. They would rather render them, " Another shall write upon his hand, I am the Lord's ;"* and they suppose it refers to a custom which formerly prevailed in the East, of stamping the name of the general on the soldier,-|- or that of the master on the slave.J Aej this name was some times borne on the forehead, so at other times on the hand ; and it is certain that several scriptures, which may easily be re collected, are to be explained as alluding to this.|| Now from lierice it seems to have grown into a custom amongst some idolatrous nations, when solemnly devoting themselves to the service of any deity, to be initiated into it by i-eceiving some * The Hebrew is, rTlTVb XT' 3ni'' Hti, which the LXX. translate, ersfos ¦f Sicut Milites Imperatoris Nomen in Manii scriptum habebant. Grot. Manui suse inscribent Sacranlentum Jehova:, sicut Milites, &c. Bren. Vid, iEtius, lib. viii. cap. 12. Sigon, lib. i. tiap. 8. lib. ii. bap. 5. & Augustin. Epist. XX. if Servi etiam olim Stigma Manili inusttim ferebant, ex quo agnoscerentur. Mercator. See Hammond, on Rev. xiii. 15. I) Thus it is said, Rev. xiii. 16, if. Tbat all men, — bond and free, received tbe mark of the beast in their right-hand, or in their foreheads ; and that without it none might buy or sell. And, in,another place, we read ofan angel, tbat had the seal of the living God, — to seal his servants in their foreheads, (Rev. vii, 2, 3.) In allusion to this also our Lord promises, Rev. iii. 12. I will write upon him that overcometh, the name of my God, and my new narae. On this account christians are said to be sealed by the spirit unto the day of redemption . (Eph. Iv. 30.) as by his operations God owns them as his, and secures them to himself; and to this God seems to refer, in those condescending words, Isaiah xlix. 16. I have graven Zion on the palms of my hands. See also Ezek. ix. 4. " To this custom some think St.. Paul alludes, when he speaks of the marks of Christ, which he bare in his body. Gal. vi. 17.' Potter's Gr. Antiq. vol.ii. P=>g- 7- Vol. III. L 14-6 Religious Youth invited marks in their flesh, which might never wear out.* This inter pretation the original will certainly bear; and it here makes a very strong and beautiful sense, since every true christian has a sacred and an indelible character upon him, which shall never be erased. But if we retain our own version, it will come to nearly the sarae, and evidently refers to a practice which was some times used among the Jews, and which is indeed exceeding na tural, of obliging themselves to the service of God, by setting their hand to some written articles emphatically expressing such a resolution, Sb that you see it must imply, that they who were, by the influences of divine grace, brought to a serious sense of religion, should, in a public and solemn manner, express their subjection to God, and their readiness to enter into covenant with him ; and whatever rites should by him be appointed as the tokens of such a resolution, the text must intimate a chearful compliance with them. For it would be most unreasonable to imagine tbat any, of such a character, and in such circum stances, would prefer any form invented by themfelves, or dic tated merely by human prudence, to the express ordinance and institution of God. Now, forasmuch as it is evident, that, un der the christian dispensation, the Lord's supper is appointed to such purposes, the text must imply an attendance upon it; and when we see young christians presenting themselves at this holy solemnity, and joining themselves to God and his church in it, v.-e may properly say, they subscribe with their hand to the LoKD, and surname themselves by the name of Israel; just as we may say, in the old testament phrase, that incense is offered, and a pure offering, when holy souls are pouring out their prayers and supplications before the throne of grace, though odours and victims no longer accompany their devo tions. -* Quos Deo alicui consecrabant & inltiabant, hos Stigmatlbus inurebant. Pitisc. Lexic. in inscrip. And Lucian de Dej Syr. says, Certis Notis corapun- guntur omnes ; alii quidem in vola Manus, alii in Cervice, &c. The manner of doing it is described by Prudentius, mEp/ j-aipav Hymn. x. ver. 1075, &c. And many commentators suppose this rite to be referred to Lev. xix. 28. Ye shall not print any marks upon you. See Pool's Synops. in loc. & Spencer, de Leg. Hebr. lib. il. cap. 14.' To early Communion. 147 1 have surely said enough, and perhaps more than enough, to account for my chusing these words to introduce the discourse I have in view ; in which I am to press those young persons, whose hearts God has touched by his sanctifying grace, to subscribe, as it were, with their hand, by entering themselves early into christian communion, and eating and drinking with our Lord at his table. In order to which I shall, I. Propose some plain and important arguments, to engage such to an early attendance on this sacred institution. II. Answer some objections, which are most frequently urged to excuse the neglect of it: and, III. Conclude with hinting at some reflections and inferences, which seem naturally to present themselves. May divine grace render this attempt the means of leading many young persons into a conviction of their duty and inte rest, and of adding unto the church such as shall be saved ! I. I am to offer some plain and important arguments to en gage religious youth to an early attendance on the supper of the LoKD. And, before I enter on these, I must intreat you to remem ber, that it is to religious youth only, that I address the invita tion. I vvell know, my friends, that the sacred institution I am recommending, is a most awful and solemn thing. I know it was intended, not only as the commemoration of a Redeemer's dying love, but as a seal of our covenant engagements to God through hun ; so that to attend upon it without a sincere desire of receiving Christ Jesus the Lord, and devoting ourselves to him, is a profanation that renders us, in some degree, guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. I am very sensible that for any to approach it in so unworthy a manner, is not only in itself a sinful action, but may, in its consequences, prove a snare to their own souls, a stumbling to others, and a dishonour to the L 2 148 Religious Youth invited church. And therefore, far from encouraging such persons to come, I should think it a very necessary duty to labour to the utmost to dissuade them from it, and, if Providence gave me an opportunity^ to prevent their admittance. Bat I have frequently found,' and I believe it has been tbe experience of many of my brethren in the ministry, that young persons, not only of a very sober and regular conduct, but even those who have appeared most deeply impressed with the con cerns of theirsouls, and experimentally acquainted, so far as we can judge, wifh regenerating grace, have, in many instances, ' shewn a strange coldness to this blessed institution ; and we have known not a few who have grown old in the neglect of it. I apprehend therefore, that a regard to the authority and glory of my great master, to the comfort and improvement of your souls, and to the edification and joy of the church in genei-al, concur to require, that I offer you, my young friends, some pub lic admonitions on this head ; to which I now desire your very serious attention. And here permit me more largely to plead the weight of a dying Redeemer's command, as well as the honour, the pleasure, and the various advantages of an early compliance with it. 1. The ordinance to which I now invite you, is the known command and institution of a dying Redeemer. I need not enlarge on the proof of what is so apparent. You undoubtedly know, that Mattiiew and Mark, and Luke, agree in giving us the history of its institution. And St. Paul after wards received it by express revelation from Christ, and ac cordingly relates it in a very circumstantial and pathetic man ner; telling us, not only that Christ commanded that this should be done in remembrance of him, but also that, by an attendance upon it, our Lord's death is shewed forth till he come; plainly intimating thereby, (what the ends of the ordi nance do farther evince,) that it was to continue in the church to its remotest ages. So that, on the whole, you exceedingly mistake if you imagine this to be mere matter of choice, in any other sense, than as ail the duty of a rational creature is so. Our Lord has plainly determined the matter by his own sacred To early Communion, 14^ authority, leaving this ordinance in charge to all his followers. I say to all, for there ia no limitation as to the age of those that should attend it. It is a command to young and old, as well as to rich and poor ; and all, that are capable of understanding it, are obliged to comply with it, and thereby to do their homage to their exalted sovereign, and express their gratitude to their most generous friend. And can you in reason refuse your compli ance ? Methinks the name of the Son of God should carry along with it an authority too great to be despised, and the name of your Redefmer a constraining love top forcible to be withstood, especially the name of a dying Redeemer. Surely, my friends, if a dying parent, or brother, had given you a charge almost with his expiring breath, you could not Ughtiy have act ed contrary to it. How much greater regard dp you owe to what the blessed Jesus appointed (as the Apostle most pertinently observes) the same night in which he was betrayed ! Had it been some hard thing that he had then enjoined, and had the, reason of it been unknown, so that it had appeared as a mere arbitrary institution, the neglect of it had been foolish and ungrateful. Had it been a more painful rite than that of ini-, tiation amongst the Jews, more laborious than their frequent journies to Jerusalem, and more costly than the sacrifices they offered there, the precept of our dying Lord had carried in it an abundant answer to all that ease or interest could have pleaded against it: how much more, when the reason is so evident, and the observation, in all respects, so easy ! Judge, I pray you, whether it would be neglected. Judge, whether it be a decent thing, that when we are sitting down to break and eat bread,, and to pour forth and drink wine, that we may represent the breaking of Christ's body, and the pouring forth of his blood, and seal our covenant-engagements with him, more than one half of the professing christians should rise, and either leave the place, or withdraw to a distance from the holy table. What is this but to say, " We will now have nothing to do with the me- '^ m.orials of a crucified Saviour?" Will you, my friends, thus separate yourselves from us ? What if others were to learn of you, and to imitate your example ? Where would the or^U L 3 150' Religious Youth invited nance quickly be ? Nay, where would it already have been, had this temper prevailed ? Where, but in our bibles? For there it would still bave stood, to condemn our ungrateful disobedi ence, as it condemns yours. 2. An early attendance upon this ordinance will be truly ho nourable to you. I wish I could say, that tbe omission of it were, in the repute of the generality of professing christians, so dishonourable as it ought; but it is now grown so common, that much of the just infamy of it is worn off. Nevertheless, if, we will seriou^y con sider it, we must own, that where reason and duty require any practice, (which I have already proved to be the case here,) the more frequently it is neglected, the more honourable is a regard to it; as it argues a laudable fortitude of mind, to oppose a prevailing evil, by which multitudes are borne away. And who, that hath any sense of^enerosity and goodness, would not wish to signalize himself on such an occasion as this ? I appeal to your own hearts, my brethren, even when you have divested yourselves of every sentiment of ostentation and pride, (which I would not desire to press into the service of the sanctuary,) would it not afford you a rational and pious pleasure to reflect, that your fellow-christians might say, with regard to you, " These are persons who are happily distinguished from " most of their companions, by obedience to God and gratitude " to their Redeemer ; they dare stand up for the honor of his " institutions, and of his name, in the midst of all the languor, *' and all the impiety of a degenerate age. Fat from running "¦ with others to the same excess of riot, they do not only se- " cretly retire, that they may converse with God, and devote " themselves to him-, but they have the courage openly to appear " in so good a cause. Far from being ashamed of Christ, or of " his words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, they rea- ** dily expose themselves to all the glorious reproach of a deter- " mined adherence to him. Thus do they publicly declare, that '* their hearts are touched with a sense of his love, and inspired " with resolution for his service. And as they are thus planted "inthe house ofthe Lord, we hope they will flourish to old To early Communion. 151 " age there ; so that generations, which are yet unborn, shall be " refreshed by their shade, and nourished by their fruit." — Thus will you, like Jabez, be more honourable than all your brethren, if, like him, you call upon the name ofthe Lord, or, in the language of the text, subscribe with your hand unto him. 3. Let me plead the pleasure which this ordinance' affords, as a farther argument for an early attendance upon it. If your hearts have been touched by regenerating grace, you must surely know tbat communion with God through a Media tor is unutterably delightful ; and must own, that when you en joy it, your souls are satisfied, as with marrow and fatness. If this be the case, I am sure you would look with an holy scorn on any sensual gratification that could be brought into comparison with those sublime and sacred entertainments. Now, when you consider the Lord's supper as an ordinance of divine appoint ment, you have just reason to hope, that God will honor it with his gracious presence ; hay, when you consider tbe nature and design of the institution, you may probably expect some pecu liar sweetness and delight in it, beyond what you have hitherto known. I say not, that you can be absolutely secure of your finding it ; for it becomes the sovereignty of the ever Blessed God, not to confine himself invariably to any method of opera tion ; lest his agency should at length be disregarded in it, and the honour transferred to the instrument: but I speak of what may probably be found ; and I think I might here appeal to all considerate persons, wbo know any thing- of the workings of the human niind ; for I persuade myself they would be compelled to allow, that a regular attendance on such a solemnity has a di rect tendency to produce the most delightful sensations in a soul deeply impressed with the great principles of our christian faith. - Oh, my friends, what a scene is there opened, when, by thes_e lively memorials of his dying love, the Lord Jesus is evidently set forth as crucified among us! Surely the spectacle must be delightful, even to creatures who are themselves perfectly inno cent and holy ! Surely the angels, who probably are present in the churches while the solemnity is performed, must attend it 152 Religious Yeuth invited ¦with a. pleasing mixture of admiration and of joy! ''Thus," may they be ready to say to each other, " Thus was the great " design accomplished ! In such sufferings did the Son of "God expire 1 By such surprising steps of condescension and " of love, were apostate creatures recovered to their God ; thus " was the flaming vengeance of the Divine Majesty armed ! and " now he is graciously smiling upon them ; and these happy " souls are sitting, as around their father's board, and antici- " pating the entertainments of pur celestial world." But the guest, who is called to sit down at such a banquet, may well be supppsed tp feel some tender and transporting plea sure, beyond that of such an angelic spectator. " These," oh my soul, may the believer say, when the bread is broken, and the wine poured out, " these were the painful sufferings, which " the Blessed Redeemer endured for such a wretch as I am; " for he loved nie, ajid gave himself for mp : he was wounded " for my transgrpssipns, he was bruised for mine iniquities, " All these dreadful conflicts of nature did he pass through, to "¦ avert from me that weight of wrath, which would otheryrise " have overwhelmed me beyond all hope of deliverance. And " here are the emblems of his dying love and Ins living care. " Here are the precious seals of that everlasting covenant estabr " lished in his blood, which, as it is well prdered in all things, '.' and sure, is all my salvation, and all my dpsire. By these " tokens doth a faithful God assure me, that my sins are par- " doned, that I am admitted into bis family, and intitled to all " the invaluable blessings of his children. Delightful thought! " I have nothing now to do, but quietly to sit down, and wait " with a holy sense and tranquillity of soul for the intimations " of my Father's will, till he calls me to dwell in his house " above. Yet a littie while, oh, my soul, and thou shalt rise to " nobler enjoymept? than even these ; fpr the bread thou hast " now been eating, and the wine thou hast bpen drinking, are " pledges of a divine banquet above, in the visible and immedir " ate presence ofthe Ijlessed founder of this sacred feast. The "¦ security of the covenant, I have this day been.sealiqg, lyill " continue in full force when the bands of nature are dissolved : To early Communion. 153 " if I drink no more with my Saviour of this fruit of the vine " here, I shall drink it new with him in his father's kingdom ; ' " and therefore may encounter death in the triumphant accents " of good old Simeon, Now, Lord, lettest thou thy servant de- " part in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." Through the divine goodness, I hope we can say, we speak what we know ; and testify, not only what we have heard from the experience of others, but what we haije ourselves tasted and felt. Thus is God visiting and refreshing our souls, while we are attending at the blessed ordinance ; and why will you not come and share with us in the entertainments, so sincerely and so freely offered ? Is he not saying to you. Eat, oh, my friends ; and drink, yea, drink abundantly, oh my beloved ? Why then do you wrong your owi? souls, as well as affront his goodness, by neglecting the invitation ? Would you come thus early, yon might promise yourselves a peculiar welcome, and a pecu liar pleasure. Many painful reflections might by this means be prevented, and the evidence of your sincerity be more happily secured ; not to say, that while your spirits are brisk and active, you may feel the impression of those sacred passions, which are so suited to this occasion, with greater energy, and greater ten derness, than could be expected under the decays of nature, in the evening of life. I shall only add, that these sublime pleasures are not limited to the happy moments which you spend in an immediate at tendance on this feast of love; but they may be renewed, and perhaps sometimes increased, by reflection ? whereas that often brings a sting along with it, more than sufficient to balance all the sweetness to be found in irregular, sensual delights. 4. An early attendance on the Lord's supper would be very useful, as well as entertaining. It may probably be useful, both to yourselves, and others, 1 say, (1) It might be useful to yourselves in a variety of respects. I consider, that I am now speaking to them that look upon improvement in religion as their highest interest; and therefore shall only endeavour to shew you, what a tendency this ordi nance has to assist you in this ; and that is so evident, that I 154 Religious Youth invited need not dwell largely on particulars, which, when suggested in a few words, may furnish you with matter of ample meditation. I'shall but mention then the following hints. The preparatory exercises of devotion might be very awaken ing and edifying to you. The review of your conduct, which you would be taking on the approach of these solemn seasons; the prayers and praises you would then be addressing to God, and the meditations iri which your minds would be employed, -would rouse you out of that lethargy in which you might be rea dy to sink, and which the best of men find too frequentiy pre vailing. The views of a bleeding Redeemer, of a reconciled God, of a confirmed covenant, and of a world of approaching glory, which this ordinance so naturally exhibits, would strengthen, as well as delight, your souls ; and, by virtue of the refreshments received at these solemnities, you might be enabled to go on your way' rejoicing, and to make a sensible progress in your journey towards the heavenly Canaan. The remembrance of those solemn engagements, with which you would then be binding your souls unto the Lord, would be a ready answer in hours of future temptation. You would start back with horror at the thought of alienating your services from a God, to whom you had so seriously and publicly devoted tbem ; and of returning to those follies and sins, which you had in a peculiar manner covenanted against : for this would ap pear to be adding sacrilege and perjury to the guilt of all your other offences. I shall only add here, that, by entering thus eariy into the com munion of a church, you wih be brought under the more imme diate inspection ofthe pastor of it, and likewise of your christian brethren; whose faithful and tender admonitions may be of great assistance to your unexperienced youth,, and happily promote your progress both in the paths of prudence and of ho liness. Nay, the very thoughts of having drawn upon you the eyes of a society, and of others too, would engage you to some more than ordinary care, that you might not incur their censure, or disappoint the expectations which many have raised of you. To early Communion. 155 And, in confirmation of all this, I cannot but observ^, that many of the most eminent christians I have ever knowr, were found amongst those, who in their early day^ took this ciethod of giving themselves to God and his people. — I might farther shew you. ¦ (2.) That your compliance with the exhortation 1 an now- enforcing, might be useful to others, as well as to yoursekes. This is indeed, in part a consequence ofthe former; ''or, the more your own souls are advanced in knowledge and h)liness, the more capable, and the more ready will you be, to p-omote the interest of Christ in the world, and to do good to those thaf are round about you. But I would especially lead you o con sider, that your attendance itself, separate from these lemoter consequences of it, might probably be useful to others. Other young persons would, very probably, be awakened to a sense of their duty by your example ; and those who are more advanced in years may be ashamed out of theil- neglect, when they see those, who are so far below them in age, getting the start of them here. Nor have instances been wanting within the circle of our own acquaintance, where parents have been stirred up to a holy emulation, by the early zeal of their own children in this respect. It will be ajoy to all that wish libell to the cause of a Redeemer, to see that God is giving him jouth, like the drops of morning dew, and causing converts to flock to him, like doves unto their windows : but ministers will have a peculiar share in the pleasure, when they see of the travail of their soul, and find, that there are at least soihe instances, in which they do not labour in vain, and spend tiieir strength for nought. Especially shall those of us, who are entering on the work ofthe Lord'* rejoice to meet our younger brethren at this ordinance, as it will give us enciouragement to hope, that reli gion will not die in our hands, and be buried in the graves of our more aged friends; but will be supported and adorned by youj and transmitted to those that are yet unborn. The joy of our heart on this occasion may add vigour, as well as pleasure, to -''This Sermon was first preached April 14, 1725. 156 Religious Youth invited our lab)urs; and so, through the concurrence of almighty grace may h.ve a tendency to render them still more successful. Let me then intreat and conjure you, by the authority of the King ct" glory and of grace, and by a regard to the honour, the pleasur; and the usefulness, of your lives, that you no longer persist n the neglect of an ordinance so sacred and noble, so delight'ul and advantageous. I am persuaded, you must know and own, that the arguments I have irged are both evident and weighty; andyet I fear, you will fini something to oppose to them, which if it be not ex amined may prevent, or at least diminish their success. I pro ceed therefore, j II. 7o obviate some objections, which may be offered m ex cuse fo[ a longer delay. And [here T shall not raise difficulties merely to canvass them, but corlfine myself to such objections as I have heard some urge on this occasion ; and shall briefly suggest some hints, by way of answer to them. And if the enumeration of them be not so large, or the reply so full as you could wish, you know where you will be always welcome to propose your scruples as freely, and to state tbem as amply, as you please. 1 . The most obvious reply to the preceding address is, that " you fear you are not prepared for this ordinance, and there- " fore apprehend, that your attendance would prove dangerous, " rather than beneficial." To this I answer ; if the case be indeed thus, I have already told you, that you are not the persons to whom I have been ad dressing. Nevertheless, give me leave to remind you, that you ought not rashly to form such a conclusion against yourselves. I am sure the mjitter requires a very attentive examination ; and perhaps, on sucjh a review, you may find things are not so had as you imagine. You say, you are not prepared : but I hope you know, that there is a great deal of difference between the nature and im portance of an actual and habitual preparation. It is plain, that actual preparation consists in those extraordinary devo- - To early Communion. 157 tions, which, when opportunity permits, we should use in our approach to this sacrament ; and therefore supposes such an approach to be determined, and consequently there can be no room, in the present case, to object the want of them. But you fear, that you are not habitually prepared, i. e. that you are not persons of such a temper and character as Christ, the great Lord of the feast, has invited, and will welcome to it. To determine that, consider the purposes for which the ordi nance was appointed, and observe how far your present temper corresponds to them. It was appointed to commemorate the death of Christ, and, in this view, all are fit for it, who regard him as the great atoning sacrifice, and desire that their hearts may be affected, and their lives influenced, by a sense of his dying love. It is a pledge of our mutual affection to each other, even to all our brethren in the Lord ; and in this respect, all are prepared for it whose hearts are divested of all turbulent and unfriendly passions, and overflow with undissembled charity and diffusive benevolence. True, will you perhaps say ; but is it not also designed as a seal of the covenant of grace ? It certainly is ; and it must be a very criminal prafanation to attend it, while an alien from that covenant : your determination therefore must turn on the answer which conscience will make, as to your rea diness to enter yourselves into it. For ifthis be your prevailing desire, and ste'dfast. resolution, you have not only a right to the ordinance, though it be a seal ofthe covenant; but its being appointed by Christ, in this view, is an additional and very weighty argument for your immediate and frequent attendance upon it. And here the question is in short this ; " do you sin- " cerely desire to make an unreserved surrender of yourselves " to God, as your owner, ruler, and supreme felicity, with an " humble dependence on the mediation of his Son, and the " enhvening and sanctifying influences of his Spirit .'" If this be your prevailing desire, and sincere purpose, you may assure yourselves of the kindeft welcome, though your graces may be .attended with a great deal of imperfection and weakness. But if you are strangers to sueh a desire, I must allow the objection in its full force, and own that you have no business at the table of the Lord. 158 Rellgidus Youth invited Nevertheless I cannot. part with you so. Oh my friends, is there nothing mournful, and, I will add, is there nothing dread ful, in such a conclusion as this ? " I have no business at the " table of the Lord ; I have no part in this blessed repast, be- " cause I have no part in that Redeemer, whose -death is " commemorated there : and therefore I am shut out, by his "own appointment shut out! and is not that a sad intima- " tion with respect to what is yet to come ? When I enter upon "¦ the invisible and eternal state, as I this night may, will he ad- " mit me to live and reign with him in a world of glory, who " would not allow me so much as an approach to his table on " earth ? Oh my soul, it is too plain, thou must be separated " from his blissful presence, and driven to an eternal distance, " whehce thou wilt behold with despairing eyes those pious " souls, who have eaten and drank with him here, sitting down " with him in his kingdom." This will not seem alittle matter then : oh that it might now be duly regarded ! From all this it will appear, that if this objection from an un prepared temper be true, it ought not to be lightly passed over, but should rather be seriously considered, and the removal of it, through divine assistance, immediately attempted ; since, till you are prepared for this sacrament, you cannot be prepared for heaven ; and consequently are in circumstances of the ex- tiemest danger, and daily walk on the precipice of eternal pin. ^ But I would hope, many of you, on enquiry, find this is not your character and case. The unfitness you object will amount to no more than this ; that you find grace weak and languid in your souls, though you have reason to hope you are not wholly destitute pf it. And is this a just excuse for absenting yourselves from so confirming and edifying, as well as so delightful an or dinance ? It is just as reasonable, as if you were to plead,."! " am very faint, and therefore 1 will not take the most noble, " reviving cordial. I am very weak, and therefore I will refuse " the most nourishing and strengthening food." Thus much for the first objection. It is more than time that I proceed to those that remain. To early Communion. 159 2. Others fear, that " the society of christians, to which they " would join themselves, may be unwilling to admit them into " such a relation." Now I must own, that if this objection be made by persons who have been notorious on account of their immoralities, and who are but lately recovered to a sense of divine things, it will not admit of an immediate answer; nor can I invite such to this sacred ordinance, till they give evidence of the reality of a change in their heart, by an apparent reformation of life, and some steady and prevalent resolution in a religious course ; in the mean time, a regard to the honour of a christian society may oblige the church to be a little reserved towards such persons, and such a reserve is consistent with the greatest tenderness to wards them, and the most affectionate concern, that they ma^ not break the bruised reed, or quench the smoaking flax. But as for such young persons, or others, who have been pre served from such irregularities, whose conduct has been fair and honourable, and who have not only arrived at a competent know ledge of the great truths of Christianity, but have for some time been impressed wilh them, so that they have formed a determi nate resolution for the service of God, and, it may be, for some years made trial of his way ; far be it from us, my brethren, to say one word to discourage your approach. On the contrary, vve would rather invite it ; for we know it is most evidently rea sonable, that vvhen the Spirit appears to say, Come, the bride, i. e. the church, should echo back the call. We know, my friends, that we ai-e not the masters of this holy feast : we know, that it is not for us to set bounds of our own about this sacred table, and say, " Thus low must you bow to us, before you takp your seats there." This is a conduct, whieh we not only abhor, as inhumanity to you, but dread, as an insolent usurpation on the rights of our common Lord. If you have indeed tasted that the Lord is gracious, you will not sure be unwilling, with meek ness and modesty, to give some reason of the hope that is in you : and blessed be God, we have not so, learned Christ, as to make our own phrases, or forms, or any thing singular in our own experiences, or the custom of our own society, the starij- 160 Religious Youth invited o' dard by which we judge either of the faith or the piety of our brethren. 3. You may, perhaps, farther plead, that " you fear, lest, tf " you should enter into the church, yoU should dishonour it by " an unsuitable behaviour, which might bring a reproach on re- " ligion, and its blessed author." But give me leave to say, that this very fear argues such a ten derness, and such a humility of Soul, as may in a great measure answer itself. I hope you go forth in the strength of the Lord, as well as making mention of his righteousness alone : and yoa most know, that if a bare possibility of falling into sin were to exclude from this ordinance, the most confirmed christian upon earth could not dare to approach it. But while you see your own weakness, and maintain, on the one hand, such a jealousy over yourselves, and, on the other hand, such a zeal for the honour of religion, it is a certain evidence, that you are not left of God, and a most comfortable sign, that he will never forsake you. J4ay, I will add that I know none more likely to prove the orna ments of a society, than those who have such humble appreheB- sion, lest they should prove its reproach. 4. Others may be ready to excuse their absenting themselves fiom this ordinance, " because it is so commonly neglected by " professing christians." Now as for this, I bless God, it is fir from being a singular thing amongst us, to see the table ofthe Lord furnished with guests, and young christians taking their places there. I speak it with great pleasure and thankfulness. But suppose it were otherwise; what if the neglect of this institution were much more common, both amongst the aged and the youUg, than it is in most worshipping assembhes ; could you have the heart to draw an argument from thence? "¦' My dearest friend, my mostgra;- " cious benefactor, is generally neglected ; his dying command, " his dying love, is in a great measure forgotten ; and therefore " I will forget him, and I will neglect him." Say, christians, could a generous m.ind reconcile itself to such a thought ? Could a pious soul draw such a consequence as this I Methinks the argument lies quite the contrary way; "therefore, oh my com- To early Communion. I6l *'' passionate Savifour, will I attend with fhe greater solicitude, *'' that I may, if possible, shame others out of their neglect ; or " at least, may in part supply their lack of service, and bear my " own testimony against an ungrateful generation, who call " themselves thy disciples, and neglect this distinguishing "badge of their profession,, this gracious memorial of thy " dying love." , 5. Others may plead " the apprehensions of aggravated guilt *' and ruin, if, after sacramental engagements, they should apos- *' tatise from God." To this I answer, that I hope you, my friends, are not so un acquainted with, the nature of this ordinance, and the consti tution of the gospel, as to imagine that it consigns us over to certain damnation, if in any instance we afterwards deviate from the paths of our duty.; for, if it were so, who then could be saved ? But it is probable, your fears refer to total apostacy. If so, I readily own that, should this be tbe case, it would in a dreadful degree inflame your guilt, and aggravate your misery,, that you had not only known the way of righteousness, but, that you had eaten and drank in the presenee of the Lord. But have you any thoughts of drawing back from him, that you are thus cautious to avoid an instituted ordinance, merely be-, cause, in that case, it would aggravate your ruin ? So would every prayer you offer, and every sermon you hear ; but should that thought prevent your coming to the throne of grace, or' drive you from the house of God ? Nay, to strike home; I will add, that with regard to you, my friends, the caution conies too late. I speak of those, who have not only tasted ofthe good word of God, and of the powers of the world to come, but have made trial ofthe ways of wisdom and piety, and have had some experience in them ; and as for you, I must plainly and faithfully declare, that it is not for you, of all people in the world, to think of gentle flames, and tolera ble damnation. No, my brethren, that hope, wretched as it is, if you shall fall away, is unavoidably cut off from you; and all your schemes must be for nothing less than certain salvation, and exalted glory. And to your comfort let me tell you, that Vol. III. M 162 Religious Youth invited though it is §.l\yays th,e 4*^*^y pf him, that thinketh he standeth, to take heed jeft he f^ll ; yet you have all imaginable reason tp trust the promises ofan everlasting covenant,~and tp rely upon the great Redeemer, who hath -declared, that he will give unto his sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither sh^ll any pluck them out of his hand, or be able to separate them from his love. If then you fear the dreadful conse quences of apostacy, which would, indeed, be dreadful beypnd all your fears, keep near to him as the great shepherd ; and let those very fears rather engage you to an early and diligent at tendance on this, and every other appointed method of ap proach, than. drive you away from it. It is most reasonahle tp say, " Since there are so many professors, that draiy back even "to perdition, I will wait upon the Lord, that I may renewniy " strength, and so be enabled to endure to the end, that I U??y " receive tJie end pf ray faith in the salv^tipn of my spul." If your fears operate thus, they may be a ineans of preventing the evil, of which you are so apprehensive. On the whole, I hope, that when you weigh all I have been saying, and compare it with whatever can be objected against it, you will be convinced of your duty, and engaged to an im-r mediate compliance with it. I have enlarged so copiously oa these things, that, in the last plaqe, III. I can only mention two or three inferences, which vpill naturally arise from what I have been laying before you. From hence we might infer, that great care ought to be taken to instruct youth in the principles of religion ; that they may not be destitute of such an acquaintance with them, as is one necessary part of preparation for this ordinance, though far from being alone suflicient. We may also infer, that more aged christians ought carefijlly to cultivate serious impressions, which may be made on the minds of their children, servants, and others ofthe rising gene ration, that they may be engaged to an eariy comphance with their duty ; while, on the other hand, great care ought surely to be taken, that there be nothing rigorous and severe in thq terms of admission, which may bear hard upon that modesty To early Communionr 163 and tenderness of spirit, which is generally to be found in young christians, and most eminentiy in those of the most hopeful and amiable characters. As for those of a more advanced age, who have lived in the continual neglect of this great snd excellent institution, I hope they have long before this inferred the guilt and folly of their omission, which so evidently appears from all I have been say ing, and it is attended with many other aggravations, which my time will not now permit me to mention. I shall therefore conclude with observing, that those young persons, who, through grace, have been convinced of their duty in this instance, and brought to an early compliance with it, have abundant reason to reflect upon it with pleasure and thanks fulness. I think it is one of the most important blessings of my life, that there are many such in the church here ; many who, through the divine goodness, have lately been added to it. It would not be easy for me, my dear brethren and friends, to say how great pleasure your presence and societj' adds tp my sacra ment-days ; or what a delightful prospect it gives me, not only as to the comfort of my own more advanced age, but as to the support of religion here, when I am no longer amongst you. I, and our more aged friends, have reason to rejoice on this occa sion ; but surely you yourselves have much greater reason. Per mit me to remind you, that it will be a most proper expression of your thankfulness, to labour with the utmost care to engage other young persons, your brethren and companions, to come and share with you in this feast. I hope, your own experience of the pleasure and advantage which attends it, may be added to the other arguments I have been pleading. As for 3'our own conduct, let me most affectionately intreat, and most solemnly, charge you, not only by all other arguments, but by your sacra- mentsl vows ; by the eyes of God and of man, that are upon you ; by all onr expectations from you, and all your engage ments to us ; that as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so you would walk in him. And may Almighty grace strengthen and quicken you in your progress ; and crown that fair morning, ' which is opening upon us in so hopeful, in so delightful a man ner, with a long, a bright, and a prosperous day ! AMicf.-, IM 2 ( 164 ) SERMON IX. THE ORPHAN'S HOPE. P&ALM xxvii. Father and my Mother forsake me, therl the Lord will tuke me up.f When my X. HERE are few precepts of the gospel, which will appear tnone easy to a humane ^nd generous mind, than that, in which we are required to weep with them that weep. And surely there are few circumstances of private hfe, which will more readily command our mournful sympathy, than those of that afflicted family, to the poor remains of which you will naturally, on the first hearing of these words, direct your thoughts, and, perhaps, your eyes too. The circumstances, of a family, which God hath broken with breach upo'n breach ; of those distressed chil dren, whose father and mother have forsaken them, almost at once ; and who have since been visited with another stroke, which, if alone, had been very grievous, and when added to such a weight of former sorrows, is, I fear, almost insup portable. I believe all of you, who are acquainted with the case, sin cerely pity them, and wish their relief : but I am under some peculiar obligations to desire and attempt it; not only on ac count of my public character, but as I know the heart of an * This Sermon -was preached at Ashley, in Northamptonshire, March, 6, 1725, to some young persons, whofe father, mother, and sister, had all died of the small pox a few days before. The Orphan's Hope. \65 orphan, having myself been deprived of both my parents, at an age, in which it might reasonably be supposed a child should be most sensible of such a loss. I cannot recollect any scripture, -which was then more comfortable, as I think none could have been mote suitable to me, than this which is now before us;; and I the rather chuse toinsist upon it, as it will naturally lead me into some reflections, wbichl hope, by the divine blessing, may be of general use. " When my father and my mother' forsa:ke me, then the Lord will take me up." As for the psalm from whence these words are taken, we are told in the title, that it was composed by David, but are left to conjecture the particular occasion of it. Dr. Patrick refers it to the latter end of his time, and to the combat that he had -with the Philistines in his declining age; when we are told, that David waxed faint, and was- in great danger of being killed by a giant, if Abishai, the brother of Joab, had not sea sonably rescued him ; upon which it is added, that his subjects sware, he should no more go out to battle, lest he should quench the light of Israeli To these words David is supposed to allude, when. he says, the Lord is my light, and my salvation, whom shall I fear? — Mine enemies come upon me to eat up my flesh ; — and I had fainted, unless I had believed. But I am rather inclined to conjecture, tbat this psalm was composed by him in his younger years, when he was under- persecution from SauL There is not a line in it, which doth not agree to this suppo sition ; and there are several verses which cannot so well be accommodated to the other ;. especially the 12th,in which he re presents his dangers as arising from false witnesses. Now it is not easy to imagine, what mischief they could have done him amongst the Philistines who opposed him in a national, rather than a personal quarrel ; but he expressly declares elsewhere, that the lying words of some treacherous persons had ox^aspe- rated Saul against him ; and- complains of false tongties, in those psalmfe, which are, by their title, fixed to this period of his history. I might add, that the words of the text seem to fa^'our this supposition ; for David doth not here say, that his father and mother had ailready forsaken him, but only speaks of it as what might happen. Now, as we are elsewhere . told, that M 3 166 The Orphan's Hope. when David was but a lad, his father was an old man, it is very improbable, that both Jesse and his wife should have been living at the time of this Philistine war, when .David himself was grown and feeble. If this argument be of weight to fix the general occasion of the psalm, it is probable that this verse may lead us to the par ticular time of its composure. .We are told, that when David had taken shelter at Adullam, from the violence of Saul, and had raised a band of men for his defence, he conveyed his father and mother to the king of Moab, desiring that, tjilprovi-: dence had brought his affairs to a determination, that prince would shelter them from the fury of Saul, which might other* -wise have proved fatal to them, as it had just before done to the priests of the Lord. Perhaps this was the pious reflection of David, about the time his parents were to remove : when my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. As if he should have said, " Though fin host of uiy enemies be " encamping against me, and the nation be rising in arms tq oppose me; and though I be forced to dismiss my aged parents, at a time when I have the greatest occasion for their " prudent advice, and their tender consolations ; yet this is my " comfort, that God is with me. He will supply what I lose in " them ; he will take me up, and nourish me as his own child, " when their parental tenderness can afford me np farther suth " port." The words will naturally afford us these two plain remarks, which, with the improvement of them, will be the foundation jof the present discourse. I.' The dearest of our relatives, and the most valuable of our friends, may possibly forsake us. II. When good men are abandoned by their dearest friends, they may find more in God than they have lost in them.— When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LoB» will iake me up. I. The dearest of our relatives, and the most valuable of onr friends may possibly forsake us. . (( The Orphans Hope. 167 You see. David speaks of it, as at -least a supposable case, with regard to himself, that hof only his followers, his compa nions, and his brethfeii, but even his father and his mother inight forsake hira. All the intimacy of relation, all the en dearment pf affecfior^ could riot secure him from beirig deserted hy fhem. And this may be oiir own case ; — our friends may abandon lis through their own urikindriess, — or God mayre- inove them by the stroke of his providence. 1 . Our dearest friends may abandon us through their own un kindness. It is the remarkable saying of one, who had made many se rious reflections on this head * ; ''If you put so much confi- " dence in any friend, as riot to corisider, that it is possible he " may becoirie your eneriiy, you know man buthttie, and per- " haps may be taught to know him better to your coft." Change of circuriisfarices, contrariety of iriterest, our own mistakes, the iriisrepreseritatioris of others, and sometimes mere caprice, and inconstancy of temper, fender those indiflerent, and perhaps averse to each other, who were once uriifed in" the bonds of the irios't endearing friendship. Nay, if is' certain, tTiat sometimes an iriimoderate and iirigovefried foridriess on both sides, may riot ori'ly justly priovoke' God to disappoint our hopes from each otlier, but may prove, in its riatural consequence^^ an occasion 6f iriutual disgust, arid perhaps df separation. J"or, when the riiind labours under this disorder, it contracts a liind of sickly peevishness, which turns every triflirig rieglect into an offence, and every offence into a crime; sb that rri-eri find the extremes of iove and hatred more nearly cdnriected, than they could orice have believed. Sudden fear, will drive aVray some friends when we are in danger : and a iriuch meaner principle will lead others, who, in better days', have called theihselves our fiiends, to abandon, arid, perhaps to censure us, when, we are reduced to low circumstances, and so have the greatest riee'd of their assistance. ¦» Mr. Baxter. M 4 168 The Orphan's Hope. Such is the vanity of human friendship. And I will add, that neither, on the one hand, the sincerity of our afl'ection, nor the worth of our character, nor the urgency of our affairs ; nor, on the other hand, the former appearance of goodness in thera, nor the highest obligations of gratitude ; nor yet, the nearest ties of blood, or alliance, can secure us from disappointment in this tender article. David and Job under the Old Testament, and Paul, and even his blessed Master, under the New, though all such excellent persons, were forsaken, and in several respects injured by their friends ; nay, I may s"ay, as to most of them, by pious friends too. Such treatment therefore may we meet with from ours, even from those to whom we are related in the bonds of nature as well as affection. — What union can be more strict and endearing, than that of marriage ? Yet you know. Job complains, while he was in circumstances which, might have drawn tears from tbe eyes of a stranger, that his wife seemed to have forgot, not only tbe tenderness of her sex, and the inti macy of her relation, but even all sense of common humanity towards him : My breath, says he, is strange to my wife, though I intreated her for the children's sake of my own body. — From whom could we expect greater tenderness, than from parents to . their children, especially from mothers to their infant offspring ? Yet God expressly declares, what has indeed been seen in some amazing instances, that this may fail. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the child of her womb ? The little tender creature, that she has borne Jn her body, that she has been used to lay in her bo som ; the poor innocent, that never offended her, that has all his dependence upon her ; whom nature would therefore prompt her most resolutely to defend, most tenderly to cherish ; can she forget it ? Yea, they may forget, saith the Lord. This strange case may happen ; it may happen in repeated instan ces. — Thus may our dearest friends, and even our parents theriiselves, abandon us through their own unkindness. But be they ever so constant and affectionate, it is certain, 2. They may be taken away from us by the stroke of divine providence. The Orphan's Hope. 169 Whilst we are in the most delightful manner conversing with our friends, God may bring us into such circuiristances, that we shall see ourselves obliged in duty to quit the dearest of them, possibly even contrary to their judgment and advice, as -well as their importunate intreaties ; or they may see themselves obliged, on the same principles, to quit us ; so that we may seldom bave the opportunity of seeing each other, and enjoy ing the pleasure of mutual converse. But the severest trial is, when God sees fit to remove them by death. When that awful messenger gives the summons, we must part, though ever so desirous of continuing together. None can by any means deliver his brother from going down to the grave, nor give to God a ransom for him, though he should offer his own life under that view. Our. fathers, where are they ? And, I may add, where are many of our brethren of the same age, and once in the same stations of life with ourselves ? What multitudes of them are already removed by death ! Perhaps, more than are left behind. We have followed them to the grave, we have left them in the dust, and their places that knew them, know them no more. And if we are not quickly taken ourselves, we must expect, that our breaches will soon be multiplied upon us ; and that nothing will remain of those dear creatures, whom we now behold with tenderness, and with transport, but a mournful remembrance that we once enjoy ed them, and a despair of recovering them again, till wp meet in the eternal world. 1 will only add one very obvious .reflection upon this head, and then proceed to the next. May the dearest of our friends so soon forsake us ? Then how careful should we be, that we do not value them too highly, and love them too fondly ? We find in scripture, that the inconstancy, and the mortality of human nature, are each of them urged as an argument against trusting in man. Thus we are cautioned to take heed every one of his neighbour, and trust not in any brother ; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. . And elsewhere we are bid to cease from man. 170 The Orphan's Hope. ¦whose breath is in his nostrils ; for wherein is he to be account ed of? And how indeed can we reckon on any tiling as certain, which is suspended on so uncertain a life ? The words of Solo mon are applicable to friends, as well as to riches, when he says. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not ? for they make themselves wings, and flee away ; often swiftly and irre coverably, as an eagle towards heaven. To set them up as idols therefore, in the place of God, is the readiest way to provoke him to remove or imbitter them : and then our own iniquity, in this respect, will correct us. Our confident expectation from them will increase our perplexity and our shame, if they should forsake us through their own unkindness ; and our excessive fondness for them will add new, pangs to the agoriies of a last Separation. One way, or another, they will prove broken feeds, that will not only fail and sink under us, but will go into our hand, and pierce it with a wound, which will be deep and painful, in proportion to the stress with which we have leaned Upon them. On the whole, then, let us love our friends heartily, but let us love them cautiously, as changeable, and as mortal creatures: arid, from a conviction that it is possible they may forsake us, let us make it our greatest care to secure an interest in such consolations, as may be a support to us wheri they do. Which leads me to the second observation ; II. That when good men are abandoned by theit dearest friends, they may find more in God than they have lost iri them, So David, in the text, declares his assurance, that wheri his father and his mother forsook him, then the Lord would take him up ; i. e. would approve himself a friend and a father to him. And if we be christians indeed, we may promise our selves all that tenderness and care from him, which David, and other saints , of old, expected and found. He hath said to every one of us, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee ; aiid for our peculiar support under the loss of the dearest and mosf useful relatives, he has more particularly added it, the father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. The Orphan's Hop's. 1 7 1 When otir friends are dead, we are generally more sensible of their value than we were before ; but let the tenderest heart, under the immediate impression of this severe calamity, set it self to paint the character of a departed friend in all its most amiable colours ; let it reckon up all the advantages, which fondness could have taught it to hope for ; and I will answer for it, that all this, and a great deal more, is to be found in God. Let the dejected orphan, that is even now weeping over the dust of a parent, yea, of both its parents, say, what these parents, in the greatest supposable advantages of charac- |;er and circumstance, could have done for its support, and its consolation ; and the complaints of the most pathetic sorrow shall suggest thoughts which may serve, in a great measure, to answer themselves, and to engage the mind joyfully to acquiesce in the divine care, though deserted by the best of parents, ot ^ny other friends, however hopeful or useful. " Alas !" will a dutiful and affectionate child be ready to say, in such a circumstance, " do you ask what my parents were * f' They were my dearest, my kindest, my most valuable friends : 1' —Their counsels guided me ;— their care protected me ;— -their <' daily converse was thejoy of my life ; — their tender condolence ^' revived me under my sorrows ; — their liberal bounty supplied f my necessities. Is it to be inquired, what they were ? Say •' rather, vrhat were they not? And now they are gone; where f' must I seek such friends ? And how justly may I say, that my ^' dearest comforts and hopes lie buried with their precious re- f' mains ?" Let us more particularly survey each of these thoughts, and consider, with ho\v much greater advantage each of these par ticulars is to be found in the paternal care and favour of God. 1. Could your parents have advised you in difficulties and per plexities ? God is much more able to'doit. You will perhaps say, " Our poor giddy unpractised minds ^' have been hurried with a variety of schemes and projects, and ^' we have soon found ourselves bewildered and lost : but then '' it has been the greatest pleasure to us to apply to our parents, " from whose more advanced age, and riper experience, we " might well hope for considerable assistance. We were sure 172 The Orphan's Hope. " they would not upbraid our ignorance, or despise us for our " weakness ; but would give us their best advice, with endear- ^ ing tenderness, and a cordial concern for our welfare." , I al- ¦ low, my friends, that if tiiey were wise and good> (which we now suppose,) they were valuable counsellors indeed ; and that it was your duty, and your happiness, to use them as such whilp living, and as such to lament them now. they are here no more. Yet, were they ever so prudent, ypu must still acknowledge they ¦were fallible creatures. They could only form probable conjec-r tures concerning the future consequences of things ; and as those ¦ conjectures were always precarious, so, no doubt, they were sometimes erroneous ; and you were, perhaps, in some instan ces, misled by their mistaken apprehensions. But the only wise - God knows the end. from the beginning ; his views of the most distant futurities are not conjectural, but certain ; and his ¦wisdom is far more superior to that of the most sagacious and ¦ experienced mortal, than the wisdom of such a mortal can^ be superior to that of an infant. It is he that teaches man know ledge, in whatever degree he , possesses it. He instructed out parents, that they might instruct us ; and he has expressly prot mised his direction to all those that humbly seek it. The meek ¦will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way. You may therefore, according to his own instruction and com- - mand, cry unto him. My father, thou art the guide of my youth ; and you will find him such a guide, as can give wisdom to the simple, ' and to the young man knowledge anddiscre-T- tion. 2. Could your earthly parents have protected you from in juries ? God is much more able to do it. Nature has implanted, even in irrational animals,, such a re gard to the safely of their offspring, that many of the most weak and timorous of them become strangely courageous in their defence. The little bird, that will at other times fly from every. noise and every motion, will hover over her young, when they are assaulted with danger ; and, rather than she will foiv • sake them, will share in their ruin. It is easy to perceive the spirit of parents naturally rise on the least injury that is offered to their children, even sometimes when it is only accidental/ The Orphan's Hope. 173 arid undesigned ; and all the professed enemies of their chil dren they of course reckon to be their own. Nor do they- only watch over them in their infancy and childhood, to defend them from the many dangers which surround those tender days ; but in more advanced years, they are ready to use all their power, and their influence, to shelter them from the unworthy Usage which they might otherwise expect from an ill-natured world : and I own, it is a very melancholy thing for young people to lose such a guard, at a tinie when they are most ex posed. 1 < s But surely the defence of the Almighty must be a much juster and nobler confidence. It is amazing to observe, in how coridescending a manner he expresses his care for the protection of his people. In one place "he says, Hethat toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye ; and elsewhere. He shall cover thee with his' feathers, and under his wings shalt thou' trust ; i. e. he shall defend thee, as the bird shelters her little helpless brood, from the assault of any thing thiit woiild injure or de stroy them. And could we desire a better guard ? There are many seasons, when our earthly parents must of necessity be se parated from us ; and a thousand calamities might overtake and destroy us, even in their presence, while they stood by helpless and amazed :- but God is always with his children,' and as there is no danger of ours unseen by him, there can be none, from which he is not able to deliver us. When David was forsaken by his father and mother, and surrounded with a whole array of inhuman enemies, he speaks of this as his comfort. The Lord is my light, and my sailvation ; whom shall I fear ? The Lord is the strength of my. life ; of whom shall I be afraid? Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear ; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confi dent ; for in his help I shall be safe, though I stood single against united legions. ,.. ' 3. Did you hope for agreeable entertainment inthe company of your earthly parents ? You may expect far nobler pleasure in conversing with God. : I acknowledge there is something peculiarly delightful in tlie company of a wise, a pious, and an indulgent parent ; and f doubt not, but many of us can easily recollect it. Even in our 174 The Orphan's Hope. infant-days, when we were fondly prattling to them, we, per haps, often saw smiles of complacency sitting on their cheeks, and even tears of tenderness and pleasure rising in their eyes ; especially if, with the dawnings of reason, they discovered, in our minds, any eariy impressions of religion ; we can per haps recollect the condescending air with which they talked to us, and the kind caresses which they intermingled with the discourse. And as we grew up to a riper understanding, we were still more charmed with the company of such parents. We had not only the manly pleasure of rational converse, but there was a mixture of reverence and of gratitude in our hearts, which much increased the delight. We were assured of their candour towards their children, and their prejudice in favom*. of what we might say ; and that inspired us with spirit and cheer-s fulness. We were encouraged to attempt to please them, be cause we concluded we might easily do it ; and the sense we bad of the superiority on their parts, made every expression of their kindness so much the more sweet and obliging. The loss of such conversation is indeed to be greatly lament'^ ed ; and it w.ould argue a sti-ange mixtm-e of stupidity apd in* humanity to be unaffected with it. But still remember,. that though your parents are gone, you are not left entirely alone; for, not to mention other surviving friends, your heavenly father is with you, if it be your prevailing desire still to be with him. Though your father and your mother be removed, and you can no longer go to them, unless it be to mourn over thein grave, and to mingle your tears with their dust; yet you may go to God, and with pleasure pour out your soul before him. And what you find in him, may give a more transport ing exercise to those sweet affections which added a rehsh to the conversation of your earthly parents. The first imperfect accents of prayer and praise will be a pleasing offering to him. Great and glorious as he is, he will bow down an indulgent ear, through Jesus, your dear elder brother ; he will smile upon your souls, and allow you a holy freedom in all the en dearments of filial converse. Your earthly parents were not always at leisure, nor always in temper to receive your visits ; but wherever you are, and whatr The Orphan's Hope. 175 ever you are doing, God's gracious eye is always on his chil dren ; his indulgent ear is always open to their addresses. You may come and tell him how heartily you love him, how affec tionate a sense you have of his favours, how sincerely you are concerned for his interest in the world, and liow earnestly de sirous of taking eyery opportunity to advance it ; how well you are satisfied with his paternal care, and how cheerfully you can refer yourselves to his wise and gracious disposal. Our Lori> intimates, that we may use such a holy boldness with God, when he teaches us to say. Our father, which art in heaven ; and the Apostle farther expresses it, when he speaks of the spirit of adoption, as teaching us to cry, Abba, father. 4. Could your earthly parents have pitied your sorrows and complaints ? The like compassions may you expect from God, if you apply to him under the character of a father. It is natural for a child, when any thing grieves it, to go to its parentSj and complain to them ; and if they cannot redress the grievance, at least they will be ready to condole it. Now we are expressly told in the word of God, that, like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. And how much more valuable are the compassions of a God, than those of our earthly parents could possibly have been ! In many cases theirs was only a mourning pity, and all that they could often do for our relief, was to sit down and weep over us ; afflict themselves with us ; and to give us their company in distress ; but the compassions of an almighty God can redress the grieyarices which he commiserates. Be our afflictions ever so many, or ever so great ; in sickness and in paiii ; in the agonies of conscience, or the agonies of death ; when parents and other friends are but miserable comforters, he alone can support the soul ; can sooth it into serenity and peace ; and can eixa.lt it to the most triumphant joy. 5. Could your earthly parents have supplied your wants, and have made provision for your future subsistence ? God is infi nitely more able, and ready to do it for his children. In our years of infancy, though we had hardly any thing we could call our own, we make ourselves easy in this, that our parents would take care of us ; and sometimes the circum.stance5 175 The Orphan's Hope. of families are such, that their care is almost all that the chil dren have to depend upon. When this is the case none can wonder, that it is considered as a great aggravation of the loss, Butsurel}'^, wben God proclaims himself a father to the father less, he intends to suggest some encouragement to such helpless orphans as these ; and it becomes them. to take the comfort of it. Earthly parients may sometimes be so indigent that they can not, and sometimes so unkind that they will not, relieve their children, at least in such a proportion as their necessities re quire. But the most high God is the possessor of heaven and earth, and his goodness is as extensive as bis dominion ; we may therefore conclude, that he will not suffer the soul of the lighteous to famish. There is not one parent in ten thousand so Unnatural, as that he could stand by and see his child perish for hunger, while it was in the power of his hand to relieve him. Now our Lord hath taught us to argue thus : if ye, being evil, know hoiv to give good gifts unto your children, how much more sball your Heavenly Father give good things unto them that ask him ? God has the estates, and the hearts of all in his hands ; and therefore can, with the utmost ease, raise up friends to us in the most abandoned circumstances, who shall act the part of pa rents to us, and do more for us than they could have done. And it is farther to be remembered, that the bounties of God are far more excellent, than those of any mortal friend could possibly be. Their bounty, be it ever so great, cannot reach beyond the grave ; but it is our father's good pleasure to give us a kingdom, incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not not away : in the believing, though distant views of which, we are rich amidst the extremest poverty, and happy in the most miserable circumstances that can be consistent with such a hope. You see then, on the whole, how much more the good man may find in God, than he can possibly lose in the most valua ble earthly parents. It only remains that I conclude the discourse with a few re flections on this second observation. The Orphan's Hope. 177 1. Let us thankfully acknowledge the gracious provision which God has made to support his people under the loss of parents and friends. We should bless his name, that he does not leave us to sink under the burden ; or at best to collect some uncertain comfort from the precarious conclusions of our unassisted reason ; but that, through the blood and righteousness of his Son, he has given his plain and express promise for the encouragement of such inconsiderable and undeserving creatures. You, whose parents are living, ought to be thankful, that God hath provided such reviving cordials for you against the mournful time when they may be taken away. Arid we, who have lost our parents, and have found relief in our extremities, from such declarations as these, should recol lect it with pleasure, and often repeat our songs of grateful ac knowledgment. And I will farther add, we ought not only to rejoice and be thankl'ul on our own account, but also on account of those afflicted friends who may receive support from such strong con solations. We pity children that have lost their parents, and it is delightful to see other generous persons rising up to take care of the orphans, and in some respect to make up their loss. But how much more delightful it should be to us, to hear an Almighty God proclaiming himself as their great guardian, and saying, that when their father and their mother forsake them, he will graciously take them up. How should we rejoice, that when we set ourselves to comfort and encourage them, we cannot only advance our own conjectures, but can thus speak to them in the language of God himself. And indeed this re flection may be applied to all the other promises. We ought to rejoice, that our pious fiiends have an interest in them, and that God hath consulted their support and consolation, as well as our own. And surelj', when we are reflecting upon such a promise as this, our affectionate thoughts and praises should arise to him, in v.hoin all the promises of God are Yea and Amen. It is natural to say, " whence it is that thou, the holy Majesty of " heaven, wilt appear under such endearing and tender cha- VoL. III. N 178 The Orphan's Hope. " racters to sinful mortals ! that thou wilt speak of taking them " up ! of bestowing one gracious look upon them, and much " more of extending an arm of mercy to raise them from that " helpless condition in whicli they naturally lie, like abandoned " out-casts ; Whence is it that thou wilt take them into thy " family now, and into thy kingdom at last? "(for all this is inti- " mated in this expression). "Lord," may each of us say, " I humbly ascribe it to the riches of thy gospel grace. I " would declare it to the everlasting honour of Jesus thy son, " that it is through him we have received the adoption." 2. What an engagement should this be to young persons, to endeavour to secure an interest in God through Christ! You must own the consolations, whicli I have now been re presenting, to be far from being small ; and surely, when you consider how soon the best of your mortal friends may fail, you cannot but wish for an interest in them: bat you wish it in vain, unless you seek it in the gospel way ; Unless you deliberately and resolutely chuse God for your father in Christ, and devote yourselves to him in the bonds of an everlasting covenant. If you refuse this, you have reason to regard him under the character of an enemy ; and to fear, that when he removes your friends, it is in judg ment that he visits you with such a blow. Your hearts may justly meditate terror, if this be the case ; especially when your pious parents are taken away. You are then deprived of their prayers, their exhortations, their advices, and their examples; and to seem to be thrown farther out of the way of repentance and reformation. And let me add, that if Almighty Grace doth not prevent it, the trouble ivhich you now feel, in being . separated from such dear relations while you continue on earth, will be the smallest part of your unhappiness; for you must fi-nally be separated not only from all the most valuable persons you have. ever known here, but, which is infinitely more, from the presence of the blessed God himself; must fall unpitied victims of the divine justice, and be delivered over to dwell with your father the devil, whose works you have chosen to do.- And oh ! how unutterably dreadful is it to think, that in the' awful day, when this sentence. is to be pronounced and exe^- cuted -upon you, there will net be one friend to- plead in your Tlie Orphan's Hopd I79 favour ! That though your pious parents be then present, yet, in a most terrible sense, father and mother will then forsake you indeed ; and, instead of interposing their intreaties for yoil, will applaud the righteous vengeance that dooms you as obstinate rebels to eternal death ; to thoSe abodes of distinguished mise ry which are prepared for such as have broke through all the peculiar advantages which will then be found chargeable to your account. 3. Let what I have heed saying be considered by parents, eis an encouragement cheerfully to leaVe their religious children iri the hands of God, when providence shall see fit to make thei separation. When through the riches of gospel-grace, a christiain pa rent sees his own eternal concerns so safe in a Redeemer's hands, that he can say, with respect to them, I desire to de part; yet sometimes he feels reluctance mingling itself with the holy desire, when he considers that he must leave his dear chil dren behind him ; perhaps in a destitute, and always, if they be very I young, in a hazardous condition. And this thought presses with a peculiar weight on the minds of those who have lost the companion of their lives ; as, upon their decease, their children will become entirely orphans. But may it not revive you, to hear, that God will be their guardian, if they be willing to chuse him as such ? Surely you may be abundantly satisfied with his care. Alas ! what were you yourselves, with all your parental tenderness, but instruriients which God made use of for conveying some few of his favours to them ? And cannot he do that by others which he hath been doing by you ? Distrust not his power or his faithfulness ; but turn all your anxious care about future events, into a religious concern to do your duty to your children, and by all tbe most prudent and affec tionate methods of address, to lead them into the early know ledge of God in Christ ; that so, through the mercies of an everlasting covenant, they may stand intitled to the special protection of an heavenly father, who can never be separated from them; and who, as he is never unable, 'will never prove unwilling, to help them. Once more ; N 2 1 80 fhe Orphan's Hope. 4. Let distressed orphans have an immediate and frequent recourse to such supporting considerations as these; — Do not allow yourselves to suspect the truth of these exceed ing great and precious promises, which have now been set be fore you ; and, for your farther encouragement, consider in liow many instances they have been confirmed by experience. There are, my friends, I am sure there are, those amongst us this day, who can set their seal lo the truth of what has now- been spoken; and can say, in the language of the text, that whe« our father and our mother did both of them forsake us, then the Lord actually took us up, and proved a most gracious parent to us. He supplied the breaches that he had made, and by a train of providence, which we cannot but admire in the review, raised up other friends for us ; and, it may be, inspired almost with the tenderness of parents, persj)ns who were ever unknown to us, when the last of our parents was taken away. Nay, perhaps, some of us may say, that the death of a valuable parent, which we feared would be our ruin, has proved, in some of its then unthought of consequences, on the whole, a very great mercy to us, Let such reflections as these encourage you, my young friends, for whose admonition and consolation this discourse was peculiarly intended, to hope, that as your afflictions are the same, your consolations will also be the same. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Your father and mother are dead, but your heavenly Father can never die. I would willingly hope, that it has been your eady care to secure an interest in him j and I would solemnly charge it upon you, as you value your present peace, or your eternal happiness, that it be the great business of your life to keep close to him; and then you may assure yourselves with the most cheerful confidence, that he will never fail nor forsake you. If therefore your hearts are almost overwhelmed within you, in the melancholy circumstances into whicli his providence hw brought you, fiy into his presence, prostrate yourselves before him with humble importunity, and turn your teai-s of sorrow nto tears of dev otion. " Behold, Oh most compassionate Father," may you reason ably and confidently say, " behold thou hast plunged me even The Orphan's Hope. 1 '8 1 " into the depths of distress ; but blessed he thy name, thou " hast not left me to sink in them, without any support. 1 have " this day received some kind assurances from thy word, and I " now intreat thee to remember that word unto thy servant, upon . " which thou hast caused me to hope. My father and my " mother have forsaken me : Lord, wilt thou not take me up ? " Wilt thou indeed abandon me ? Wilt thou add affliction to " the affiicted ? The insupportable affliction of .seeing myself dc- " serted by thee, when I most evidently need thy succour ? " That be far from thee, Oh Lord ! and be the unworthy " suspicion far from me ! — I have lost my most prudent and "^ faithful counsellors, but I look unto thee, as the guide of my " youth. — I have lost those who were once my guardians and " my protectors; but I come to take shelter under the shadow '' of thy wings. Their eyes are closed, and their mouths are " sealed up in death : no longer can they look with compassion " on my sorrows ; no longer can their converse chear or delight " me. Oh I may thy compassionate eye regard me, and thy " comforts delight my soul ! Permit me, oh God ! an bumble " freedom in approaching to thee, and in pouring forth all my " heart in thy presence. — My parents are now returned naked " to their dust, and, should my wants be ever so pressing, are " now incapable of affording me any relief. May thy rich " bounty supply me, thy unwearied providence take care of " me ! But, above all, withhold not thy covenant blessings, and "¦ let me share in that eternal inheritance which thou hast pre- " pared for all thy children in Christ." If these be the daily breathings of your souls before him, you have abundant reason to hope, that he will return an answer of peace. In all your difficulties he will wisely direct you ; in all your sorrows he will compassionately relieve you ; in all your dangers he will powerfully protect you ; in all your wants he will bountifully supply you ; in a word, you will be conducted ."afely, and I hope, notwithstanding this gloomy prospect you will be conducted comfortably, through this mortal life, till you come at length to your father's house in peace. And when yon are arrived thither, and take a view of all the various occurrences of the way, you will see apparent reason to 182 The Orphans Hope. acknowledge, what is now so diflncult to believe, that the present awful dispensation was sent with a gracions design, and that; all the paths of your heavenly father have been niercy and truth to you, Amen. ( 183 ) SERMON X. THE REFLECTIONS of a PIOUS PARENT on the DEATH of a UICKED CHILD ^ con/idered and itnpro'ved. 2 Sam. xviii. 33. And the King was much moved, and went up to the Chamber over the Gate, and wept ; and as he went, thus he said ; 0 niy son Absalom, my Son, my Son Absalom ! would God I had ditd for thee, O Absalom, my Son, my Son ! x\.S the providence of God calls me this day particularly to address myself to young persons, so the words £ have been read ing suggest some very awful thoughts, whicli are well suited to such an occasion. And there is one circurastancej relating to this discourse which 1 cannot forbear mentioning to you, because I hope it may be a means of engaging a more than common attention to it, from the auditory to which I am now speaking.* It is this : The substance of the sermon, which I am now to deliver, was drawn up some time ago, at the desire of your late reverend and worthy pastor Mr. Jennings, and preached to a society of young persons then under his charge f. The text was chosen by him ; and his tender and obliging care to assist his pupils in their first labours, engaged him to draw the plan of * N. B. This fermon was preached at Kibworth in Leicestershire, towprds the beginning of the year 1725, about eighteen months after the death of the Rev. Mr. John Jennings, who had long been minister there, and was author of those excellent difcourfes on Preaching Christ, and 'E-xperimental' Preaching, which have met with fuch great acceptance at home and abroad, t i. e. At Hinckley, May 7, 1723- N 4 184 Reflections of aPious Earent the discourse, andfrto furnish me with several of the most im portant thoughts, which- 1 am now to offer. So that, I think, I may properly say, that though your eyes will no more see him-, nor your ears any more hear his persuasive voice which has so frequently, and so affectionately, addressed you from this place, yet this day by me, he being dead, yet speaks, speaks to you, young persons ; to many of whom I fear, he hath often spoken in vain. Let me, tberefore, solemnly charge you by your veneration for the memory of so excellent a friend, as well as by the authority of God, and the import ance of your eternal interests, that you give these things a dili gent hearing, a serious recollection, and a religious regard. And, indeed, if such a subject, introduced by such a circum stance, will not command them all, I can have very little hopes of impressing you, by what I may say in the course of my ordinary ministry amongst you. The words of the text are the pathetic lamentation of good old David, on the death of Absalom ; a favourite, but wicked son. His pious father had no doubt given him a religious edu cation ; and it is very probable, that, considering the remarkable beauty and gracefulness of his person, he was ready to hope, that he would be endowed with virtuous and holy dispositions of soul, the correspondent beauties of the mind. But these hopes were dreadfully disappointed ; for the darling, the beau tiful Absalom proved a murderer and a rebel ; he went in unto his father's concubines, in the sight of all Israel, and openly attempted to take away the life of hira, from whom his own was derived, and by whose indulgence it had been spared, even when forfeited to juftice. Yet nevertheless David had such pa ternal tenderness, as, under all these trying provocations, es-. pressly to order tbe generals of his army, to deal gently with ¦with the young man Absalom for his sake. But the righteous vengeance of God determined other\yise, and, notwithstanding all his father's fond precautions, brought him down to the grave with infamy and blood, fie was snatched away by a violent and very terrible death, in the prime of his days, and the very act of his sin ; and this vi'as the occasion of those moving words, on the Death of a Wicked Child. 185 O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would Gon I had died for tbee, O Absalom, my son, my son ! We may charitably, and I think very reasonably suppose, that they are not only the expressions of David's natural affec tion, on the death of a son whom he tenderly loved ; but that they arose from the views of that state on which he entered by death, which must certainly be very dreadful ; so dreadful, that David, whose eternal interests were secure by the promises of an everlasting covenant, would have been willing even by his own death to have delivered him from such complete and such hopeless ruin. It will be my business from these words, I. To consider the reflections which may naturally arise in the mind of a pious parent on the death of a wicked child. And, n. To draw some inferences from such a survey. Oh ! that all, and especially the degenerate children of religious parents, -would attend with a becoming seriousness I I. I am to consider the reflections which may naturally arise in the mind of a pious parent, on the death of a wicked chjl(^, I cannot pretend to enumerate them all, or to describe them in such pathetic language as a bleeding heart will speak itself on so sad an occasion ; but probably the chief of them may be such as these ; 1. A pious parent will reflect on such an occasion, that his expectations from his child have been sadly disappointed in the paft course of its life. Parents are apt to flatter- themselves with fond hopes from their infant offspring ; they look upon them as the blossoms of future delight an.d support. They comfort themselves under the other burdens of life, and the additional cares and labours, which a growing family brings upon them, by looking forward to.; future years,, and anticipating the pleasures hereafter to arise.. from the duty, gratitude, and usefulness of their children. 186 Reflections of a Pious Parent, " But, alas !" will the good man say, " Could I have seen " what this poor creature would have proved, instead of re- " joicing in his birth, I should have mourned over it as a " calamity to nie and my family. I promised myself other "things. My heart trembled for hira in the various dangers " of infancy and childhood. I congratulated myself on his " arrival at a more confirmed age. But when I looked that " this pleasant plant should have brought forth grapes, be- " hold, it brought forth wild grapes. Well did Solomon say, A " foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that " bare him. So, alas, have we found. Oh ! how often has our " authority been affronted, and our love slighted, for a mere " trifle .? Or when he was treating us better, what a thorn has it " been in our very hearts, to think that our child was in a state " of spiritual death, and on tbe borders of that eternal ruin, " into which we have reason to fear he is now fallen. So that " with regard to what is past, we bave cause to say. Blessed, in " comparison of us, are the barren, that never bare, and the " breasts that never gave suck." These thoughts will be aggra vated, when, in the next place, 2. The pious parent reflects with concern on the fruitless pains he has taken for the reformation and conversion of his child. " He that searches my heart," will the christian say, " is "¦ witness, that next to its concern for my own salvation, it " knows not a more affectionate wish than this, that Christ '' might be formed in the soul of ray children. That how little " soever of this world I could give thera, they might be the " children of God, and the heirs of glory. And with relation " to this unhappy creature, I was not entirely wanting in such " endeavours as lay in my power. What knowledge of the " things of God I tnyself had, 1 was willing to communicate to " him : 1 urged them seriously upon him ; I frequently remind- " ed him of them ; and, to supply the defects of ray personal " instructions, I put the book of God into his hands, and en- " gaged him in an early and constant attendance on public ordi- '' nances. When I saw him wandering in the paths of folly " and sin, I endeavoured to convince hiin of th.e fatal conse- on the Death of a Wicked Child. 167 ** quences of such courses, and in the most affectionate man- *' ner to dissuade him from them. 1 have again and again *' urged him to pray for himself; and I have frequently been " praying for him. I have desired that he might be remem- " bered in our worshipping assemblies ; I have borne him on " my heart before God in the family and the closet, and God '¦' alone knows with what overflowing tenderness. How ini- " portunately have I pleaded, and how unwilling have I been " to take any denial ! But, alas ! all my prayers and my tears " have been like water spilt on the ground ; and in all the endea- " vours I have been using for his conversion and salvation, 1 have '-^ been labouring in vain, and spending my time and my strength " for nought. Nay, as to him it has proved worse than in vain ; " for every instruction, and every correction, every reproof, " and every prayer, has aggravated his guilt, and increased his " misery ; so that on the whole, while I thought I was acting " the kindest and most affectionate part, I was only treasuring *' up for my child aggravated wrath and damnation." But this leads me to add, 3. That the pious parent, on such an occasion, cannot but deeply reflect on that state of everlasting ruin, into which he has reason to fear that his child is fallen. " Oh !" w'ill the afflicted christian say, how comparatively light " would my sorrows be', if, while I am looking on the breath- " less corpse, and mourning the disappointment of my hopes as " to the present life, I could by faith look forward to a worid of " glory, and see the branch of my family which is cut oft' " from earth, transplanted thither, and flourishing there : joy " would then mingle itself with my parental sorrows, and " praises with my tears. But, alas ! I have reason to appre- " hend, it was cut down, that it might be cast into the burnings. " On the former supposition I might have comforted myself " with the thought of raeeting my child again, of meeting " him on terms of infinite advantage, no more to be separated " from him. But now, alas ! I have not only lost my child for " a while,- but I have lost him for ever ; for the unhappy creg.- *' ture died a stranger to God and Christ, and therefore what 18S Reflections of a Pious Parent, " can I imagine, but that he has fallen into the hands of divine " vengeance ? Overwhelming thought ! while he lived, my "bowels yearned for him when he was under any affliction; " when I saw him struggling with illness and pain, I pitied him, " and I wept over hira. Oh, hovir can I bear to think, that he " is now tormented in that flarae, and that God is pouring " forth on hira the vials of his wrath ! Oh I that the blood " of the parent could redeem the soul of the child, how " willinglv, how gladly, would I part with it !— O ray son Ab- " salom, my son, my son Absalom ! Would to God 1 had died " for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son !" But once more, 4. The pious parent cannot but be much distressed in such a circumstance as this, at the thoughts of meeting his child at the tribunal of Christ. " It would be mournful," may the good man say, " to think " that I should see him no more ; yet, as the matter now stands, " even that would be some alleviation of my distress ; but the ." immutable decrees of God forbid it. I know, that when all " the dead, small and great, stand before his throne, I and " my child must appear together there ; and oh ! what adread- "¦ ful interview will it be ! when God committed his education " to my care, he did, as it were put his soul into my hands, and " at my bads will he require an account of it. And when he " comes to make the inquiry what will the issue be ? Will my " son accuse me .'' Or must 1 be a witness against him .? How " terrible an office ! to bear ray testimony for the condemna- " tion of one whom I tenderly loved, of one whose soul I would " have died to deliver ; I know I shall not dare to tnterpose in "his favour, and plead the cause of my Saviour's enemy; or " if I were so far transported by the fondness of a father, 1 " should plead in vain. Sooner, much sooner, would the " mountains be removed for me, or the earth carried out of its " place, than the sentence of 'Heaven, its final solemn sentence " would be repealed. And if it must not be repealed, how " shall 1 bear to hear it pronounced, to see it executed : to hear " my own child separated by an everlasting curse from the pre- " sence of the Lord ; to see the ministers of divine wrath. on the Death of a Wicked Child. \ 89 " hurrying away the helpless creature, and dragging hiin down " to unquenchable burnings ? Oh that, if no shelter must be " allowed him, God would hide me in the grave till this trc- " mendous scene of his indignation be overpast ; lest the an- "¦ guish of a parent mingle itself with the joys of a rising saint, " and, to me, overcast the triumphs of the day 1" Hardly can a good man refrain from such sentiments as these, though some bf them be dictated by passion, rather than by reason. After this survey of the reflections, which such a sad event might nattirally produce, I would proceed to draw some infe rences from it ; yet I cannot but delay them for a few moments, in compassion to the sorrows of those pious parents, if any such be amongst us, whose case this has been. Are there any of you, christians, that experimentally know the anguish of such thoughts as these ? Any of you that have thus been inourning over your dead children, when God has on a sudden called them to his bar, with all their follies and sins on their head, without giving you any probable hope, that his grace had first recalled them to himself, and washed their souls in the blood of a Redeemer ? It grieves me, my friends, to have been forced by a sense of duty, as I have now been, so largely to represent a scene which must call up your sorrows afresh. But permit me to remind you, that, even in this dreadful circumstance the consolations of God are not small. Your hopes in your children have been sadly blasted ; but yon have hopes in God, your heavenly father, which nothing can shake. You have reason to fear, their souls are lost ; but is it nothing to you to reflect, that your own are given you as a prey .'' And that, though your house be not so with God, as in this respect you could most affectionately wish it, yet he has niade with you an everlasting covenant, ordered in all thing.s, and sure. As to these unhap py creatures who are now lost, you have indeed laboured in vain, and spent your strength for nought ; but ftill your work is with the Lord, and your reward with your God ; and you, like the faithful minister, may hope, that you shall be unto God a sweet savour of Christ, not only in them that are saved, igO Reflections of a Pious Parent, but even in them that perish. And, as to the final interview^ which appears so grievous in the prospect, remember, that you are not to carry along with you the fond instincts of nature into a worid of perfection and glory. All your passions will then be refined; your wills so entirely resolved into the will of God^ and your souls so completely satisfied with his presence and his love, that no creature regards will be able to disturb their sacred serenity. You will look on the whole assembly of the enemies of Gon with so deep an apprehension of the malignity of their character, and of the wisdom and equity of that di vine sentence by which they fall, that you will not distinguish any of them from the rest, by the sentiments of a painful com- , passion. Nor will your concern for those of thera, who now lie nearest to your heart, prevent your concurrence in that song of triumph, so proper to the solemnities of that awful day : Great and marvellous are thy works. Lord God Almighty; just and true thy ways, thou king of saints. In the mean time, let the expectation of so happy an improvement in your temper moderate the excess of your present sorrows ; and when they are moderated aright, the remainder of them will be a sadness of the countenance, by which the heart may be made better. And now, II. I proceed to draw some inferences from the sad survey we have been taking, of the pious parent's reflections on the death of a wicked child. And hence we may may infer, 1. That wicked children are acting a very cruel and unnatural part, while they are exposing their pious parents to such reflec tions as these. 1 say it with a sorrowful heart, but so it is, that I fear there are several of you, my young friends, who live iu the neglect of your own souls, and whose consciences will presently charge it upon you. How soon that awful Being, whom you now for get, may cutoff the number of your months in the midst, and add you to the number of die dead, you know not ; but; this is certain, that if you die as you live, and your parents, ^iirvive on the Death of a Wicked Child. 191 the stroke, they will feel the weight of these terrible reflections ; and even now they cannot bat fear them. Doubtless, if they be present here their hearts are bleeding whilst I speak, and they are looking upon you with unknown anguish. And does not the thought grieve you, and does it not shame you ? Un grateful creatures ! are these your, returns for all their boun ty for all their tenderness ; to be a sword in their bowels, and to pierce their very hearts .' Alas, they did not expect such scenes as these, when you hung about them with your infant arms; when you answered their fond smiles, and lisped out the first broken accents of endearment. I wonder how you can bear the thought ! I wonder you are not ashamed to be conversing with them daily, and d4ily receiving new favours from them ; while you are behaving in such a manner that, the better they love you, the more they must be afflicted and terrified for you. Oh, that you would have compassion on them I or, if this will not move you, oh that you would have compassion on yourselves ! for your own interest is still more nearly concerned than theirs. Which leads me to add, 2. We may farther infer, that a dreadful counterpart to those reflections will be the portion of the ungodly child. Alas, sinners, if your pious parents weep thus for you, how bitterly will you weep for yourselves I for if these things be done in a green tree, what will be done in the dry ! if they, the children of God, perhaps even then under the smiles of their heavenly father, and in the near views of their own complete salvation, may utter their griefs in such melting accents, v, hat agonies will take hold of your hearts, when you are actually entered on those scenes of horror and despair, to which tl)e righteous vengeance of God has doomed you.' It is impossible fully to describe them ; yet something relating to them we nia-y certainly infer from what has been already said. Give me leave to offer it to your view, if peradventure, through the agency "of divine grace, to have lizard of these reflections may be the happy means of leading you to escape them. Your parents may reflect " on the disappointment of their " expectations from you ;" Biil; oh, how heavy will' 'the 192 Reflections qf a Pious Parent, disappointment of your own hopes and expectations then tit upon your souls ! how will you then bear it, sinners, when you see all your enjoyments, and all your prospects blasted in a moment, and irrecoverably lost. It is true, you are lifting up your souls unto vanity ; but these vanities are your. all. You pursue them with the utmost vigour and intensenesss of mind, and have a great many fond and chi merical schemes for years of pleasure and happiness yel to come. But if God cut you off in the prime of your life, and in the very flower of your hopes, in that day all your thoughts will perish. And how will you be confounded to see all the beauti ful and enchanted'scenes that now charm you to the neglect of God and religion, vanished like the shadowy glories of adream, and your souls left naked and destitute, upon an inhospitable shore, where, in all your indigence and distress, there will be no eye to pity you, no hand to relieve you ! And it will be so much the more dreadful, as you will go down to these melancholy regions with your appetites and your pas sions warm about you, and by frequent indulgence strengthen ed and inflamed ; so that, for want of their proper objects, they will prey upon your heart, and an insatiable thirst will continue, while you will not have one drop of satisfaction or comfort. Nay, 1 may add, that as, in these unripened days, you have had little experience of the vanities and disappointments of life, and have entertained a great many fond and extrava gant hopes of what you would never have found in it, your re gret, in being cut off from thera, -w^ill not be in proportion to what they really were, but to what your error and folly imagin ed them to have been. Your pious parents will reflect upon it with unutterable an guish, " that your souls are for ever lost :" But how much more sensibly will you yourselves feel it I They, in their present situ ation on earth, can bave but a little faint and imperfect notion of the horrors of the infernal prison ; for to those we may ac commodate the language of the Apostle on a very different oc casion, and say, that neither has eye seen them, nor ear heard them, nor has it enl^sred into the most terrified heart on: the Death hf d Wicked Child; ] 93 • fiilly 'to conceive them. But how i will the change affect you, when you are just entered on those realms of woe; when you look round about you, and think, this is ray last abode^ ray only remaining inheritance? Alas, how. will your hearts, be overwhelmed when you compare that place of torment with all the cheerful scenes of the world from whence you came ; where •you had been surrounded with so many delights ; where it had been your chief care to make provision for the flesh ; and where you had, perhaps, spent your days in mirth, till in a moment you went down to the grave! when, instead of the light of the sun, you see nothing but the flames of the divine indignation ; when, inftead of all that soothed and regaled •your senses, you feel the never-dying worm, and exchange the gay and agreeable companions that did, surround you, for the society of devils and damned spirits ! , I appeal to your consciences ; can your hearts endure, or your hands be strongs in such a circumstance as this ? You, that are so impatient of every little anxiety of life ; you, that can not bear the fatigues of duty, nqr the restraints of religion, how will you bear the agonies of damnation ? How will you live in those doleful regions, where joy and cheerfulness are everlasting strangers, and nothing remains but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth ? . Were this to be your case only for a thousand or a hundred years, how miserable would you be ! but oh, how much more miserable, when you think, that it is an everlasting destruction ! When your thoughts weary themselves in search of some dis tant point, where a glimmering of hope may break in upon .you, and you go onward, and onward, and onward still, and find nothing but blackness of darkness for ever \ when you feel yourselves plunged in a boundless ocean of distress, without a bottom, and without a shore ! " Must the smoak of my tor- " ments ascend up for ever and ever f jMust I lie in this infernal " prison, till I have paid the uttermost farthing- .' Surely then I " must bear indignation and wrath, tribtjj^ion ahd anguish, as " long as an immortal soul can sustain it, as. an eternal God ¦" can inflict it." Vol. HI. O 194 Reflections of a Pious Parent^ It is almost insupportable, to think that this shonld be the case of any of our fellow creatures. How much more insupport able must it then be, to feel that it is your own ! Again, your pious parents will laraeiit, " that all their kiad "¦ endeavours for your salvation were in vain :" But with what " aggravated sorrow and despair will you then reflect on those " endeavours, and on all the other religious advantages you en- *' joyed! " Alas !" will yon then be ready to say, " If there couM be " any thought of comfort in the midst of this dark gloom of " desolation and horror, it would'be to transfer the bkme of " my ruin upon another. Oh that I could say, there was some " powerful^ arbitrary being, by whose irresistible hand I was *' forcibly borne away, as by a mighty torrent, and swept into " this burning gulph I Oh that I could say, that 1 was wicked " and miserable by a fatal necessity ! But the^e is not a wretch, " amidst all the rage and blasphemy of such a dwelling as this, " who can dare to assert that to have been the case, how " much less then can I assert it I " When -I look up," may you justly say, " when I look up "' to yonder seats of unapproachable glory, from whence I am " now cast out, as an abominable branch, why was not my " portion there ? Wretch that I am, I was once numbered among " the children of the kingdom ; I was born in Emanuel's land; " I was educated in a religious family : and ob, my parents and " my ministers ! how diligently did they instruct me ! how aw- " fully did they admonish me ! how tenderly did they expose *' tulate with me ; I had indeed line upon line, and precept upon " precept ; and therefore I have now stroke upon stroke, and " wound upon wound. The blood of a Redeemer was once " offered rae as a healing balm, and I despised it ; and now it " is poured out as a burning corrosive on my bleeding soul. I " was once lifted up even to the gates of heaven, and now I am " cast down to the very centre of hell : I am now looking with " envy, and with rage, on the milder torments of Tyre and *' Sidon, of Sodom and Gomorrah." There, sinner, thou wilt perhaps curse the compassionate heart, which is now al most sinking under this necessary representation of thy danger, on the Death of a Wicked Child. I95 and those unavailing tears, which one or other of us may now be shedding in the distant views of thy rilin. Yet I must add once more, that as your pious parents will tremble " at the view of meeting you at the tribunal of God," so the thoughts of such an interview must be insupportably dreadful to you. If Satan now draw you from your allegiance to God, and harden your heart to final impenitency, being partakers of his sins, you will be partakers likewise of his plagues, and like him be reserved in chains of darkness to the judgment of the great day. And how will your haughty hearts brook it, when yoa are to be brought out to that judgment ? oh, how often will your anxious, foreboding thoughts anticipate the shame and horror of that dreadful day 1 "I must stand forth," will ' you then say, "I must stand " forth before my inexora^ble judge ; my sin and my folly must " be publicly proclaimed before the assembled world, and my* " parents too must be the witnesses of it. But oh, how shall I " be able to lift up my face before them, blackened with the '* marks of guilt and despair ! if I call, will there be any to " answer me ; or to which of the saints shall I then turn ^. Shall " I turn to my parents and intreat them, by all tiieir former " tenderness for the children of their own bowels, to plead " with the judge in my favour, if, perhaps, they may mitigate " the rigour of his wrath .' Alas, I know him, and myself, and " them too well, to expect any such attempt, or to ask any " such favour. Will they not rather stand up as swift witnesses " against me, and call for an increase of wrath on ray guilty " head ? Will not all their former tenderness be turned into " stern and awful severity .? Will they not upbraid me with their " instructions, their reproofs, their prayers, and their tears ; " and applaud the triumphs of die divine vengeance, in the " condemnation of so wicked, of so incorrigible a creature r" — t With these awful remonstrances I dismiss you, and conclude w.th a reflection of a more comfortable nature. 3. From this survey of the reflections of a pious parent on the death of a wicked child, we may certainly infer, that the O 2 196 Reflections of a Pious Parent, parents of religious children have abundant reason of thankful ness. They have reason of thankfulness, both as they are free from such melancholy reflections and apprehensions ; and as a foundation is laid of other views, as full of cheerfulness and joy, as these are of terror and distress. My brethren, I congratulate the happiness of those of you, who can say, through grace, that God has established his covenant with you, and with. your seed after you, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto you, and unto them. It is thejoy of my heart, to think how much it must be thejoy of yours, to see your children walking in the truth ; and to see them flourishing in the courts of your God, as well as growing like olive plants round your own tables ; to see that they have not only escaped the grosser corruptions, which are in the world through lust, but subscribe with their hand unto the Lord, and surname themselves by the name of Israel, his people. Witb what sweet tranquillity may you look forward to all the uncertainties of life and death, for yourselves and for your children, while you have such a joyful persua.'^ion, that you leave them in the hand of your father, and of their father, of your God, and of their God ! And give me leave, on so natural an occasion to address my self to you, my dear friends, from whom the great sovereign of life has been pleased to take away pious and promising children, by (what we are apt erroneously to call) an immature death. You are ready to say, with a peculiar accent, that you are the persons who have seen affliction. The images of those lovely creatures rise in your memory on such a hint as this, and croud into your minds afresh. You saw them growing up, and flou rishing under your care ; growing up, perhaps, to ripeness of years, and flourishing in some remarkable degrees of knowledge and of grace. And you fondly promised yourselves, from what you saw in them, that'they would not only have been the com fort and delight of your declining, broken age, but the support and honour of the church, when you were here no moi'e : and now all these pleasing prospects are vanished, all these im portant hopes are buried with their dear du.st. on the Death of a Wicked Child. 197- Nay, perhaps, God hath, in this respect, broken you with breach upon breach, has taken away one desireable branch, of your family after another, till all the branches are lopped off, and you stand, like the naked trunks of trees which were once diffusing a thick and extensive shade. Yes, I am aware, there are some of you, that know the peculiar agony, (to all but such as yourselves probably Unknown), of following your last child to the grave. I fear, 1 come too near you, and that some of your wounds are bleeding anew. Would the balm of sytn- pathetic tears administer any relief to thera, how easy would it be to pour it out in abundance ! but, in a case like yours, there is a much more efficacious and sovereign relief. I am speaking to christians. You sometimes plead the indi cations of Wisdom and piety, which ypu discerned in your chil dren as an aggravation of your sorrow for the loss of them ; and I acknowledge, in one view, they are indeed so : but in another view, how greatly do they extenuate it ! You saw them, it may be, when they were under a languish ing distemper, for some time, as it were, daily dying before your eyes : but did you not likewise see the divine rod and staft comforting them i It may be, sometimes to such a degree, that you regretted not so much, that fhey were going off the stage as that you were not accompanying them in the same way, and with the same spirit. You heard their expiring groans, but did you not also hear some songs of praise mingled with thera? perhaps, you heard thera strengthening their feeble voices, aud sumraoning up all their little remainder of spirits, to say, as from their very soul, ^ly flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.* And does the rjecollection afford you no pleasure ,' or does your plea sure terminate even here ? Your dear children are now dead to you ; but do you not be lieve, that they live to God, and live with him H What if they * Some, into whose hands these discourses will probably fall, know that these were not imaginary circumstances ; and cannot but remember, they have since attended the death of some of those young persons to whom this sermon was first preached. 03 198 Reflections of a Pious Parent, had been still continued on earth, answering all your schemes, and possessing all that you intended or desired for them ? How low had those services been, and how worthless those posses sions;, in comparison to the services which they now render, with the riches and glory which they now inherit ! Methinks it should be, and surely, chrisEians, it sometimes is, matter of rejoicing to you, to reflect, that the desolation of your houses is, in some degree, the prosperity and joy of that celestial society, to which you are more intimately allied, than to any thing here : to think, that your families should have been nurseries for heaven, and that God should have honoured you so far, as already to have taken some of your children to mi nister around the throne of his glory, and so to be the associ ates of angels in their highest honour and joy. And is it not most delightful to think of meeting them again ? Had they still survived, the thoughts of leaving them might have sharpened tbe pangs of dissolving nature, which now the remembrance of them may moderate. You had left them in an insnaring, calamitous world : perhaps, some of you had left them in circumstances of difficulty and distress. But now all those apprehensions are over ; and what could otherwise have been the stroke of painful separation, will now be the means of ending your separation and bringing you once for all, to the embraces of each other. And oh, with what mutual congra* tulations will tbe converse be renewed; with what delightful overflowings of parental complacency on the one side, and of filial gratitude on the other ! bow thankfully will they for ever acknowledge your pious cares and early instructions, to which pa-haps, under God, they ovve their first religious impressions, and, in some sense, even their present glories ! and in the great day of the Lord, with what unutterable transports of ho'jjpy ¦will you stand forth, and say at once, in the most literal and the most sublime sense. Here are We, and the children that our God hath graciously given us ! ' Surely, when you think of these things, your joys may abun dantly counterbalance your sorrows : and I appeal to your own hparts, even iti the midst of all this tender distress, whether on the Deaih of a Wicked Child. 1 99 such a circumstance as yours, supposing it ever so aggravated, be not much more tolerable, than that, which we have been de scribing ; of a pious parent bewailing the death of a wicked child, or even looking upon him in life and health under the tyranny of satan, and of sin, and in the probable way to ever lasting misery. And thus I have finished my meditations on this pathetic and important subject. Let me conclude with my most affectionate prayers tothe God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies, for all of you to whom the discourse has been addressed. May young ones be brought, by the blessed Spirit of God, to know, in this their day, the things that belong to their eternal peace : that they may apply'to Christ for life and salvation, and join themselves tothe Lord in an everlasting covenant! there all our applications to you center ; there may all your attendances on our ministrations issue ! May those, who have been effectually taught this lesson, who are the joy of parent? and ministers, and the hopes of the church, as to the rising age, be very deeply sensible of the distinguishing grace of God to them ! may they be spared to rise up in the stead of their parents ! and raay they labour with great success, to spread a spirit of seriousness amongst their companions, and to maintain it continually in their own souls I May the pious parents of pious children be suitably affected with the goodness of God to them and theirs ! and may the pa rents of others be stirred up, as they value the souls of their children, and their own comfort and repose, to renewthose attempts which have hitherto proved unsuccessful, and to exert the moft vigorous efforts, for plucking the unhappy creatures, as brands out of the burning. In a word, may divine grace so co-operate with all, that all of you, according to your different relations and characters, may have reason to bless God for those awful thoughts which I have now been laying before you ; that such cutting reflections, as I have so largely described, under the former heads, may never be known by one parent or one child in the assembly, O 4 200- Reflections of a Pious Parent, Sgc. otherwise than by description, by imagination, by reason and by faith I never may they be known by heart-rending, and over whelming e.xperience ! on the contrary, raay parents and chiU dren be mutually growing joys and coraforts to each other, ip life, and in death, at your apppararjce before the soleran tribu nal of Christ, and throughout all the ages of a glorioi(s et?r? nity! Amex, ( 201 ) SERMON X. YOUTH REMINDED of APPROACHING JUDGMENT. Eccles. xi. Q, Jtcjoice, 0 young Man, in thy Youth, and let thine Iieart cheer thee in the Days of thy Youth ; and walk in the Ways of thine Heart, and in the Sight of thine Eyes : But know thou, that for all these Things God will brirtg thee into Judgment. -lVXY dear young friends ! if it were possible for me, while I am speaking, to lay open my whole heart before you, in such a - manner as that you should be witnesses to every secret sentiment of it \v.ith regard to you, I should do it with a great deal of pleasure. You would see a tenderer concern for your present and everlasting welfare than words can express, and a pro portionable desire; of approving myself your faithful servant- for Jesus' sake. I know. not, how far you may have con sidered what I have largely laid before you, concerning the importance of the rising generation * ; but I am so thoroughly convinced of this importance, and so impressed with the con viction of it, that there is no part of my public work, to which I arise with a greater solicitude about the success, than I feel when I ara thus particularly applying myself to you; and there is no prayers which I offer to God with greater earnestness, |han that I may have thejoy to see you walking in the truth, a * Sermon I. 202 Youth reminded of seed to serve the Lord, which shall be accounted to him for a generation. This is what I wish, and pray, with regard to all of you. It is with inexpressible pleasure that I see so evidentiy, as to many, that my prayers are not in vain. Many of you are my joy now, and I trust, through divine grace, will be my crown, in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. But would to God, there were none of whom I had occasion to say, I stand in doubt of you ! would to Gon I could see that spirit of serious piety universally prevaiUng amongst you which, wherever it doth prevail in young ones, is such a token of good to themselves, to their friends, and to the church of Christ ! Where it is otherwise, I look upon you with compassion and sorrow ; but blessed be Gon, not with despair. I ara not with out hope, that God hath purposes of love and grace to serve on many of you ; especially those, who have been the hearers of so many good instructions, and so many prayers, as I have reason to believe many of you are ; and who can tell, but this is the day, and this the ordinance, in which these gracious pur poses are to take place ? I know that the first step to your safety is a sense of your danger. We live in a virorld so full of snares, that the righte ous scarcely are saved ; and yet I fear, some of you have very littie apprehension of this danger, very little concern about the whole annour of God, so necessary to preserve you from it. And therefore, not to give you any vain and groundless alarm, but to produce, if possible, that holy caution and solicitude of soul, which may be the happy means of your security and pre servation, I am now setting myself to discourse on some of the most awful words, which are any where in the whole book of God, addressed to persons of your age. I hope you will listen to them, and that God will make tbem as a kind of solemn trumpet, whereby those that are spiritually dead may be awaken ed, so awakened, as that the other trumpet to which they refer, and which will surely awaken your sleeping dust, may be heard not with sorrow, but with delight. Approathittg JMgmknt. g03 It is observable, that Solomon had a great regard to young people in his writings ; and it is an evidence of his wisdom that he had so, for youth is the age of discipline^. He therefore gives them line upon line, and precept upon precept. Some times he sooths, and sometimes he rebukes ; sometimes he be seeches them with paternal tenderness, and sometimes persuades them, as knowing the terrors of the Lord ; and saves them as with fear, plucking them out of the fire. And this 'ne doth in the words I have now been reading ; Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thine heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth ; and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes. But know thou, tliat for all these things, God will bring thee into judgment. Il will be my business — to explain, and-— to enforce the cau tion, and then — to conclude with some reflections upon it. May the plain, but awfnl things I am to deliver, be, as the Words of the wise are, like goads, lo pierce and rouse your minds, and like naik fastened in a sure place by the skilful mas ter of assemblies, which being given out from the one great shepherd, are succeeded by his grace, and improved to hi$ glory ! J, I am to explain the words I have been reading. And, in order to fix the sense of them, I shall only observe, that some understand them, as intimating Solomon's readiness to allow young people in the innocent pleasures and gaieties of life ; whilft others interpret the whole as a solemn and a lively warning of the great danger they were in,' of running into the most fatal excess. I shall in a few words give you my reasons, both why, I mention the former, and why I prefer the latter of these senses, 1. Some understand these words, as an intimation of Solo mon's readiness to indulge young people in all the innocent en-r tertainments of life. They paraphrase the words in a soft and easy manner as if ha had said, " Do not imagine. Oh young man, that I give thes " lessons of morality and piety in a gloomy humour, or with 204 Youth Reminded of " any rigorous and unkind design. Far from desiring to lay thee " under any unnecessary restraint, I rather exhort thee to re- " joice in the days of thy youth, those best days, in which the *' spirits are brisk and lively, and all the powers of nature in " their most vigorous state. Let thine heart then cheer thee : " \'\''ear an habitual smile upon thy countenance, and indulge " that gaiety which is so natural to the spring season of life ; so " natural, and indeed so decent. Walk in the ways of thine " heart, and in the sight of thine eyes. Seek out evei-y inno- " cent object of amuseraent : gratify thy genius, thy temper, " thy relish, in all the particularities of it ; provided only that "thou doft ftill reraeraber thy future account, acknowledging " God in thy ways, and guarding against every abuse of hia " goodness, every thing that would on the whole be offensive to " him, and detrimental to thyself." My brethren, I readily own, that there is nothing in this para-, phrase of the words which is unbecoming the piety and wisdom of the author, and that he has, in effect, said the same in several passages of this very book. There is hardly a sentiment, which he more frequently repeats than this. There is nothing, says he, in express words, again and again, there is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of his labour. It is good and comely for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun ; for it is his portion, and a heart to re joice in it is the gift of God. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart : let thy garments be always white, and thine head lack no ointment. And once more ; I recomraend rairth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat and drink, and to be merry. The sense of which, if we would find a sense worthy of the author, must, no doubt, be this, " tbat religion is far from for- " bidding a cheerful use of the enjoyments of life; and that " without such, a use they are given to the possessor in vain;" who indeed can otherwise hardly be called the possessor, but rather the steward and purveyor for the next heir, who may per haps be as profuse, as his predecessor was pernicious and insa tiable. Approaching Judgment. . ^05 And I hope you will not imagine, that in what I have farther to say, I intend any thing inconsistent with these observations and advices. To be devout, and to be melancholy, are two very different things ; and the greatest enemies of religion could not call it by a more invidious and, unjust name, than a walking mournfully before the Lord of Hosts. Instead therefore of dissuading you from a life of true pleasure, I would rather direct you to it, aud only urge you to despise that which is visionary and mean, and to secure that which is solid and noble ; in a word, to decline no delights which will not inter fere with others much more valuable, none which will not be mingled with regret, or followed by a lasting anguish, a thou sand times more than an equivalent for them. And so far as these precautions will admit, I will venture to say, even in this sense. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth. Nevertheless I am well persuaded this is not, and cannot be, the original sense of the words ; and therefore add, 2. They are rather to be understood, as an awful and lively caution to young persons, to be upon their guard against those gratifications whereby conscience might be wounded, and God dishonoured. Isuppb.se, with the general stream of coraraentators, that the words are an ironical way of expressing, in a more pointed and lively manner, the very contrary to what they seem literally to speak : like that speech of Elijah concerning Baal, when he said, Cry aloud, for he is a God ; or that of Micaiah to Ahab, Go up to Ramoth-Gilead, and prosper j_^ or that of our Lord to his disciples. Sleep on now, and take your rest : to which, I suppose, we may add that saying of God concerning. Adam after his fall, Behold the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. Thus do these words most strongly forbid what they seem to allow, and are as if he had said, " Thou poor " thoughtless creature, who in this giddy intoxication of youth, " art so madly bent upon sensual pleasure, take thy fill of it, " and withhold not thine heart fr^m any joy. Follow all the " most impetLiOus appetites of nature, and wantonly bound " over every restraint of reason and piety^ trample on the ad- 205 Y(mi'h Remindid of " monition of all thy teacher,?, shake off the fett^rl of a strict '* education, and burst the bonds ef religion, UM threj^d% of " flax when they are touched by the fiame. But think not, oh "sinner, that thou shalt always carryit off with that haughty "triumph; knoviT, that as thou hast thy day, God will also " have his : a day of ftrict account, and of ample reeonapence* "Know, tbat for all these things, Gqd will bring thee Jnt© "judgment; and if thou canst find out no expedient* to con- " ceal thee from an all-seeing eye, or to defend th^e from an, " oranipotent hand, a deluge of wrath will bear thee away to " everlasting destruction. Dearly ghalt thou then pay for every " present indulgence, and every sweet morsel shall then be " turned bitter, and be ag the gall of asps within thee." This, I say, appears to be the evident meaning of these words; And that for this plain reason ; that some of the phrases made use of, are such as are never taken in a good sense, and therefore cannot admit the former interpretation. Solomon doth indeed, as you have heard, exhort his readers to eat and drink, and enjoy the good of their labours ; but where can you find hira, or any other sacred writer, exhorting or allowing men to walk in the way of their heart, and in the sight of their eyes ? I am sure that phrase generally sigififies an in dulgence to the irregularities of appetite and passion, in the neglect of .reason and of scripture. Thus tlie Israelites are charged to wear fringes on their garments, that they might re- ijiember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them;. and might not -seek after their own heart, and their own eyes; that is, (as it follows,) that they might not go a whoring from God after those gay and luxurious idolatries, which regaled the senses, v.bile they debauched the soul. ' And thus the wicked Israelite, whom God would separate to evil out of all the tribes, is represented as vainly and arrogantly saying, I shall have peace tliongh I walk in the imagination of mine heart; that is, (as it follows,) to add drunkenness to thirst, or one riot to ano ther. And once more ; to judge after the sight of the eyes, i* a proverbial expression, > to signify partial and conupt judg ment. We have no reason therefore to imagine, that Solomon would vary the signification of a phrase already so expressly Approaching Judgment. 207 fixed in some of the sacred writings, which he was himself obliged not only to read, but to transcribe, as he undoubtedly did on his accession to the throne ; where he had also read it again and again, that the imagination of man's heart is only evil from his youth ; and he had himself elsewhere said, that fool ishness is so closely bound up in the heai't of a child, that not only -words of admonition but tbe rod of correction is necessary to driye it away. To these general remarks on the usual signifi cation of the phrases occuring here, we may also farther add, that the connexion of these words would lead us to understand them as an ironical rather than a serious concession, since they conclude with what seems a very awful menace. But know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judg ment : as if he should have said, " Assure thyself, thou must " answer for all." Which sense is farther illustrated by what follows in the last verse of this, and the first of the next chap ter, [which are very unhappily divided from each other, as several other passages are, which have indeed a very close and necessary connexion ;] Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, (i. e. the regret which would follow these sensual indulgences, if thou walk in tbe way of it), and put away evil from thy flesh, (i. e. those carnal pleasures which religion forbids, or those punishments they would certainly draw down upon thee); for childhood and youth ai-e vanity ; and remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth instead of sacrificing them to vanity and folly. You easily see there is a beautiful and lively opposition between the several parts of tli6 period on this inter pretation, which on the other must be much injured, if not en tirely destroyed. I would farther observe, that the judgment to which Solomon here refei-s, must undoubtedly be that of.xi future state ; since he had expressly asserted above, that here all things come alike to all; and no man knoweth either love or hatred, (i.e. the favour or displeasure of the Divine Being) by all that is before them ; that there is a wicked man to whom it happeneth ac- coi-ding to the event of the righteous : and, on the other hand, many a righteous man to whom it happeneth according to the event of the wicked, i. e. that yery bad men ofteri> prolong their 20B Youth Reminded of lives through a long series of prosperity while good men are cut off by an untimely stroke, or linger out their days in a painful succession of sorrows. This led him to conclude, Surely. God will judge the righteous and the wicked ; which in many of these cases could only be done in some invisible state, to which both should be reserved. And of this judgment he solemnly warns the young sinner, as a most powerful antidote against the baits of sensuality ; as an awful thought, which might fix the most roving eye, and be a means of reducing the most ungo* verned heart to the discipline of wisdom and piety^ As I conclude that this sense of the words is now sufficiently illustrated and established, I proceed, II. To enforce the admonition by such considerations, as are expressly suggested in the text, or may naturally. arise front it. I importunately beg your serious attention ; for I say not these things, either to grieve, or to shame you, but as my beloved brethren and children, I warn you. And here let me prevail upon you to consider, the depravation and corruption of your o\wn. hearts, the many delusive charnis which are continually offering themselves to your eyes : — Consider, that the blessed God is now tbe spectator of your conduct, thiit he will certainly bring you to an account for it, an account which will be in expressibly strict and awful. These are the arguments, which I shall more largely enforce; and if they make no deep impres- 'sion on your mind, there is the utmost reason to fear, that you will go on hardened in your evil ways, till you actually come to that tribunal which you now forget or despise. 1. Think of the depravation and corruption of your own hearts, to deter you from walking in the ways of them^ The heart of man is described by that God, who alone per fectly knows it, as deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. The imagination of it is, by him, said to be only evil, and that continually. It is a very sad truth, though per haps you have never seriously considered it, that a degenerate Approaching Judgment. SO9 and corrupted nature is conveyed down from one generation of men to another, so as still to leave room — for that e ,j>ostulation of Job, What is man thathe should be pure, and how can he be clean that is born of a woman! — for that conf'cs.9ion',of .D?tv;id, Behold, 1 was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my niother conceive me !¦ — for that declaration of the Apostle, whether in his own name, or that of another. In rae, that is, in my flesh,, there dwelleth no good thing.. If you know not the plague of your own heart, it is a plain argument tbat ypu. know little of God, or of yourselves ; and you had need be se riously reminded . of it, lest, with Solomon's fool, you should trust it, ^nd the blind lead the blind, till you fall into the pit of destruction. ^j Do yon not know the degeneracy and corruption of your own hearts ? I beseech you to review what has passed there : think of the advantages which you have enjoyed for knowing, and serving God ; of ail the mercies you have received, of all the instructions you .have heard, of all the convictions you have sometiine.s felt, and of all the. good resolutions you have- proba bly formed in consequence of them,. And then think, how little all this hath produced, how you have forgotten God, days and times without number, and started back from him like a deceit ful bqvv.; how you have been .delivered over in a foolish circle, from one vanity to another, r wearied with the pufsuit of trifles, and yet rising, after a little-respite, to putsue thera again. Think, my friends, how you have overborne the dictates of your own consciences, and grieved the H?)ly Spirit of God, whea he hath been pleading with you in the mpst importunate man ner, and saying unto you. Oh do not this abominable .thing that I hate. Yet you bave done it, and sacrificed the repose of your ownniinds, and the hopes of^; glory, to, mean, vile considera tions, which you would be ashained to hear mentiqried ^before an as^gmbly. And this not in one. instance, but, again and again. You have formed good purposes, and broken them ; and formed them again, and broken them again ; and run such a round of folly and sin, that I ara persuaded many of you could riot have suspected yourselves of such a conduct some time ago, nor have believed, if one had told you, that you Vol. III. .- ^ ^^ ¦ ~ 210 Youth Reminded of should act such a part. And must these treacherous hearts still be trusted, and will you still go on to walk in the ways of them ; when they have already led yon into so much sin, when they have already plunged you into so much distress i" 2. Think how many delusive charms are daily offering them selves to your eyes, that you may not heedlessly -walk in the sight of them. Remember, Sirs, I beseech you, that you are in a very dangerous situation, and walk among snares. The most mor tal poisons are often mingled with the sweetest dainties, and the most dangerous enemies of our souls accost us in the fairest forms. The fruit which undid our common mother, and brought death and a curse upon us all, was a fruit which appeared to be good for food, and which she saw to be pleasant to the eyes. It is an awakening saying of one of the most lively and pa thetic, as well as of the most pious writers which our age has produced*, "That the condition of man in his natural state " seems to be like' that of a person sick of a variety of diseases, " knowing neither his distemper nor cure, but unhappily in- " closed in a place where he could hear, or see, or taste, or " feel nothing, but what tended to inflame his disorder." Not that the world in its original constitution, and considered as the work of God, is by any means to be blamed. The whale system of it is such, as would lead a regular mind to wise jand pious reflections ; and its most pleasurable scenes would be the natural occasion of exciting correspondent gratitude and de votion to the great author of every good and perfect gift. But bur souls being Corrupted, those things become dangerous to US, which might otherwise have been innocent, and even bene ficial ; as some of the most wholesome and nourishing foods are fatal to a person inflamed with a raging fever. I am persuaded, that nothing is so like to make us truly wise, as observations on fact : let me therefore beseech you, my young friends, seriously to consider how many, within the com pass of your own knovvledge, have been rained by the blandish ments of the senses ; and, perhaps, some of them persons, in * Law, on Christian Perfection, page lu Approaching Judgmen f. qu other respects, of no contemptible characters. We may indeed tay of the world, that specious harlot. She hath cast down many wounded, atid many strong men have been slain by her. Do not, therefore, walk in the sight of your eyes, lest you also be like the bird, that, struck with some gay promising ap pearance, hasteneth eagerly to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. But endeavour to open the eye of the mind, and by faith to behold the great realities of the invisible worlds that you may govern your lives with a regard to them, and sp secure, not the deceitful forms, but the Substance^ of true happiness. 3. Let me seriously remind you,> that the blessed God is the spectator of all your conduct. This is strongly implied, though it be not expressed in the text: for all these things God will bring thee into judgment ; and you cannot surely imagine, that he is like earthly judge8> -who must have recourse to witnesses, to inform them of what they would otherwise be ignorant of. He is not, he cannot be* far from any one of us, seeing in him we live, and move> and have our being. Nor can we be concealed from his eye^ should we fly on the wings on the morning, and with tlie swiftness of light, to the uttermost ends of the earth : for his hand must lead lis thither, and his right hand support us there. Remem ber this, my friends, he sees you when you overlook him, sees himself neglected by yoia, and his laws violated, and his grace despised: And all for what? You have reason to blush and be confounded, when you think of that : for every vanity that offers itself to your pursuit, for trifles lighter than air, for which you would not violate the common rules of decency to a fellow-creature. As if it were to be taken for granted, tbat his favour is a thing of no consequence, or that nothing can forfeit it. Oh, Sirs-, he bears me while I am speaking to you ; and sees peirhaps, that sorae of you hardly give me an attentive hearing. He observes, how many admonitions are despised by you, how many convictioris ate oveiborncj how many, vows are broken, how many vain words are spoken to him, in those for malities which you call your devotions ; and, perhaps, with regard to some of you, I may add, how many bold words are "P 2 212 Youth Reminded of spoken against him, when those mouths are set against, the heavens, whose tongues have walked- through the earth. All those slights of religion, which (for want of understanding) you may be ready to call wit ; all that licentious contempt which you throw on his sacred word and ordinances, and fancy it is freedom of thought. You may go on, and presume upon it, .that your lips are your own ; but I must tell you, that the Lord hearkens and hears, and a book of remembrance is written, for you likewise ; — a book, which will another day be thrown open, and read to you with a voice of vengeance and terror; which leads me to urge you, 4. To think how certain the judgment of God is, and your ©wn personal appearance before him. You know, there is not any doctrine of the gospel more plain and evident than this. That every one of us raust give an ac count of himself to God ; and indeed it was a doctrine of the Jewish revelation, and even of the wiser heathens : but I would desire. you particularly. to observe, how strongly it is expressed in the words of the text. Know thou, that God will bring tbee into judgment ! Thee, O young man, thee, O child, whoever thou art that hearest me this day, to thee is the word of this admonition sent, God will bring thee into judgment. His trumpet will sound, his tribunal will beset; thou wilt be sum moned, and thou must obey. In vain will be every attempt to conceal thyself, or to excuse or dispute an immediate attend- -ance. He will bring thee : his, hand will be strong upon thee, infinitely too strong for thy feeble resistance. And therefore the assembly of the. whole worid before him is beautifully de- . scribed, by driving together a flock of sheep or of goats.- .Bear wirness, Oh sinner, and let thy conscience record it, I warn thee of this solemn, this dreadful day. I tell thee, that as surely as thou art now in the house of God, thou shalt then be standing before his bar. And how will you stand.? Look you to that. We are to give the warning, and knowing tbe terrors of tbe Lord, are to persuade raen. Hear now there fore this admonition for yourselves, and know it for your gfiod. . Consider this, ye that forget God, lest he tear you in Approaching Judgment. 213 pieces, and ther,e be none to deliver. And to Increase the weight andelficacy of the thought, reflect, once more, 5. How strict and awful this Judgment will be. For all these things God will bring thee into judgment ; which natu rally implies, that it will be particular and'final. . Every particular will be reviewed. All these things ; or, as^ it is yet more sfrongly expressed elsewhere, every work, and every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil* He hath sworn by himself that he will not forget any of thy works. Poor thoughtless creatures ! you sometimes conceal your irregularities from parents and masters, or others to whom you are accountable ; you disguise them in sb artful a manner or form such excuses for tbem as may impose upon men : and you value yourselves on the dexterity with which you do it. Bnt be not deceived, God cannot be thus mocked. For al^ these things, and a thousand times more than you can remem ber ; actions and words, and thoughts of vanity, .which passed with you unobserved in the crowd, or, if at all observed, were ' forgotten in a moraent; for all these, will he reprove ttiee, and set them in order before thine eyes, 1. e. He will marshal them in dreadful array, as a host of enemies armed for thy destrucr tion. Have you never seen a criminal at the bar, how he is confounded, when the force of evidence bears him down, and the sagacity of a judge detects the idle, foolish pleas, with which he flattered himself before his trial, and imagined be shonld easily come off with impunity .? Then did you see an emblem of yourselves, and your own state ; thus will you, if you go on in your sins, be entangled and silenced, andlishamed and condemned. All your crimes will be produced, in all their circumstances of aggravation. Nor will God forget this pre sent ' admonition- and expostulation, though you may forget it, or though you should i-emember*it only in" scorn, anti won der what occasion there is for all this earnestness and impor tunity. You may, if you please, make a jest of divine judg ment ; but you will find it dreadfully serious. ' Nothing so easy, as to despise it ; but, oh sinnei", nothing so hard, as to endure it : for 1 add, \ It will be a final doom, and your eternal state will be fixed by it. It is no light crime of which you will theu be convicted j 214 Youth Reminded of BO less than wilful, obstinate, incorrigible rebellion against the Majesty of heaven, against the God of your lives, and th« Father of all your mercies ; and it will be no light punishment to which you will be consigned, for following the way of yoof heart, and the sight of your eyes, in opposition to all the authority of his law, and all the methods of his recovering grace. Read over the sentence, as recorded from the lips of him by whom it is to be pronounced. There is but one for those on the left hand, and hearken to jt : depart from me, ye cursed :-• dinner, thou must be separated from Gon. But that perhaps you can bear ; it is but calling him by some bold narae ; it \% tut dressing him up in your imagination under some false odious character, and you may perhaps think it is best to be at a dig? tance from him. Wretched creature ! But thou must depart, as accursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. And canst thou reconcile thy mind to that ? To dwell forever iti darkness and horror, in such a scene, and with such associates! to have nothing to entertain the eye, nothing ta pheer the heart, nothing to divert painful refiection, nothing to allay the most cutting remorse ; to see every pleasurable oh? ject, for which you forgot God, and sold yourselves to de? struction, removed to an eternal distance ; to feel all the irregular passions of your own hearts let loose at once, like go many hungry vultures to prey insatiably upon themj snd hope, the last of supports under the laSt of evils, shut out for ever !— oh sirs, this is the result of the judgment of Gor, Lo, this is the portion of the wicked, and this the heritage ap pointed to him by God. It is a grief to a tender heart to think of it, to hear the very report. Oh what will it be to you to meet it and feel it, in all its force and all its terror ! can yout heart pndure, or can your bands be strong, in the day that Gon sh^ll deal with you ? Alas, my heart is pained fpr you, and my bowels yearn over you ! methinks I see all the haughtiness of your spirits broken, see you pale and trembling on the very brink of that pit, from -whence there is no redemption, and into which the flaming gword of divine justice is driving you. And can nothing bp Approaching Judgment. 215 done to savp yoii ? Alas, wloat should be done? Can any rescue you from the hand of Omnipotence ? Can any intercede for you with that then inexorable judge ? It cannot be. But he is not inexorable. He has not yet laid aside the character qf a Saviour, of a compassionate friend to perishing creatures. And I present these things to persuade you, if possible, in this your day, to know the things that belong to your peace, before they be for ever hid from your eyes. May divine grace effec tually do it; and teach you so to judge'yourselves, that yon may not then be condemned of the Loup ! and now, III. It only remains, that I conclude the discourse with some plain inferences from it. And here, 1. The young sinner has surely a great deal of reason to be thankful, that he hath not already been brought into judg ment. You have indeed the greatest cause to say, it is of the Lord's mercy, that you are not consumed, your breath is in your nos trils ; and perhaps you can recollect times and circumstances, in which it seemed just ready to take its flight, when you ap peared to be in the extremest danger, so that there was but a step between you and death. And what if that littie interval had been passed ! where had you then been ? how low had you then fallen ? Why it is most certain, as to some of you, that had you been thus cut off, the torrent had swept you away into eternal ruin. Even now, while we are worshipping God in his house, rejoicing in mercy and hope, your miserable spirits had been in the regions of the damned,, feeling more than mortal language can express, and fearing yet more, much more than you felt ; being, like the apostate angels, reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. Adora the divine patience and forbearance, that your case is so different ; for most happily different it is. I have the pleasure to testify to you this day, jn the midst of all these terrible things which ' faithfulness to your souls extorts from me, that the Lord waiteth that he may be gracious, and does, as it were raise himself tip that he may have mercy upoq 216 Youth Reminded of you : he rises from his throne to stretch out the goldeii sceptre to you, to open his compassionate arms to embrace you, if you approach him as bumble penitents. Jesus the judge will become your friend ; he v/ill receive you, he will shelter you and bless you ; if, with believing hearts you seek his mercy, after having so long dared his vengeance. This day do I testify, that he is ready to bestow upon you far radre valuable pleasures than those which he calls you to resign, and to give you much greater satisfaction in contradicting the corruptions of your heart, and controling the impulse of your senses than you ever have found, or could possibly find, in gratifying them. May you be per suaded to the wise and happy exchange ! then will the patience of God be salvation to you, wheri his goodness leads you to re pentance, ' 2. The young christian bath apparent reason to be thankful for that grace, which hath sanctified his heart, and turned away his eyes from beholding vanity. My brethren in the Lord ! permit me to remind you, that you were sometimes foolish and disobedient, serving divers lusts and pleasures : but there is now room for us to congratulate you, and say, blessed are your eyes, for they see : and your ears, for they hear. You now know your true interest; the fear of the Lord is implanted in your heart, and your eyes are directed heavenwards. You are experimentally acquainted with the pleasure which religion brings, and see that you have ex changed your tinsel for gold ; your shadows for the most valu-. able substance ; the momentary blaze and crackling of thorns, for the steady light, and influence, and glory of the sun, which ii shining more and more till tbe perfect day. Let me invite you to the most cheerful acknowledgments of the riches of divine grace to you. Bless God for the new nature he hath given you, for that heart of flesh into which the rock is transformed by a new-creating power ; for those new hopes which he hath opened upon you. Bless him, tbat you are now sheltered from the storms of divine wrath, and that, instead of looking forward ^;o the judgraent day, with the hor rors of a malefactor, who is then to be condemned and exe cuted, you are rather lifting up your heads to meet the prospect Approaching Judgment, 217 with triumph, as knowing that your corpplete salvation will then be manifested, and your redemption be perfected. 3. We may farther infer, from what we have now been hear ing, that the gospel of the blessed Jesus gives us very great advantages for reclaiming young persons from the snares of sensuality and- ruin. The text abundantiy intimates the importance of those con siderations, which are taken from the final judgment. Now it is certain, the gospel discovers this in the strongest light. There in is the wrath of God revealed against all ungodliness and un- righteemsness of men ; and some more awful views of judg ment are given, than even the language of the prophets, em phatical "as it is, can furnish out. In the gospel, we are not only l-old in general, ihatGoD willjudge the world in righteous ness, but particularly assured, tWat he will do it by that man whom he hath appointed, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who -for that purpose shall descend from heaven, in his own glory, and the glory of the father, and all the holy angels with him ; that the trumpet shall soiind, and the dead shall be raised ; that small and great shall stand before God ; while in the mean time the world is in flames around them, the sun being darkened, and the moon not giving her light, the stars falling, the hea vens passing away with, a great noise, the elements melting with fervent heat, the earth with all things in it being burnt up, and departing put of its place. And can any thing be more awakening and awful than all this pomp of horror, this confla gration and confusion of nature ? Yes, sii-s, there is one thing yet more awakening ; and it is that which the gospel expresslyr. pronounces, that,, m consequence of all, the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into life eternal. Eternity,, eternity, my brethren, is the declaration ofthe gospel. Nature might lead us to suspect it, th'e law might give some intimation of it, but the gospel alone asserts it; and not only asserts it, but describes it too. It lends to our faith that perspective by which we descry the paradise of God, and it lays heH open before us, so that destruction hath no covering. The christian preacher may .then say it, with an energy beyond what Solomon could conceive, merely on the 2 1 8 Youth Reminded of principles of the Jewish revelation. Rejoice, oh young man, in thy youth, &c. but know thou, that for all these things, God will bring thee intojudgment. Nor must I by any means omit that grand advantage which the gospel gives us in these addresses, by the discovery of the blessed Jesus under the character of a Saviour. It displays him as the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely ; as inviting, as waiting, as pleading, as weepirig over sinners, yea, as bleeding and dying for them ; as describing the terrors of judgment, that he may awaken tliem to flee from it, and may galiier them as a hen gathers her chickelis under its com passionate protecting wings. But is this a simile that we may use when speaking of him who is to appear under the character of " the worthy judge eternal ?" Yes, my friends, low as it may seem, it is a simile that he himself uses, and perhaps uses it in part ; it is so low, that the language itself may be a specimen of that condescension wljich it is intended to express. Such is that wonderful contrast of what is most awful, and most engaging, in the gospel ; and this gospel, sirs, do you daily hear, "^o you is the word of this salvation sent ; to you is the whole counsel of God declaied. May you never be left to reject it against yourselves, but may divine grace render it a, savour of life unto life ! once more ; 4. We may farther infer, that the serious thoughts of death must be \ery useful to young persons, since judgment is so nearly connected with it. It is appointed unto all men once to die, and after death the judgment ; and though the final solemnity of that judgment may be delayed to distant ages, the state of the soul is in a moment unalterably fixed : and, in this sense, as the tree falls, so it must lie, for there is no device, nor working in the grave. Now, as this is generally acknowledged, we may naturally conclude that those, wbo remember death, will not forget judg ment. Let rae,. therefore, my young friends, call down your thought to the grave ; and methinks, among so many monu ments of mortality, it should not be difficult to do it! Recollect, I beseech you, what of that kind you have seen the year past. How many bf you have attended the funerals Approaching Judgment. igl^ ^f youth like yourselves, of children much younger than yourselves! they have given up tbe ghost, and where are they i" What a change hath death made ! — where are theyf Why, perhaps what remains of them, within the walls of i\n% place, under the feet of some of you. Could your eye pene trate a hyi feet of earth, you would see them ; but oh, what spectacles of horror would you discover ! yet perhaps a year ago they were in the number of the most amiable objects of your sight. And such is your bloom, such is your vigour : And will you presume upon it, presume so far as to continue exposed to all the terrors of divine judgment, in a vain dependence that some years hence you shall consider and escape it ? Oh that you were wise, that you understood this, that yon would consider your latter end ! oh that you would be willing to converse with the dying, and with tbe dead ! you will, no doubt, soon have renewed opportunities of doing it. Some will probably be called away for lessons to the rest ; and before the year rolls round, you raay perhaps see some pious youth going with joy and triumph to glory, or sorae careless incor rigible creature dying in terror, or, which is yet more dreadful, jn a stupid insensibility of souk Reflect my brethren, on what 0f this kind yoii have seen ; . attend to what ypu may farther see : and remember that the house of mourning may prove a school of the most useful discipline, if the living will lay it to heart. But why do I mention the house of mourning? You are per haps going to that of feasting *. The leisure ofthe season in vites to it ; and custom hath established it into a law, to close the old year and begin the new with sorae peculiar vanities, in some more than ordinary forgetfulness of all the important purposes for which time and the opportunities of it are given. .^uch is our wisdom, such is our gratitude, such is our consist ence with the name we bear, and tbe profession we make ! You are perhaps some of you impressed with what you have heard ; but I am much afraid, there are those that within twelve days, or even twelve hours, will have lost the impression, * N. B. This sermon was preached at Northampton, Dec. 25, 1735- 220 • Youth Reminded of and be as unconcerned about this great judgment, as if God's own hand had sent thera a discharge from appearing at it. It is a discouraging case, and it makes us your ministers almost dread this season, cheerful as it is thought, as that in which former convictions will be worn off, and the heart of unthinking youth will be steeled against those tbat might otherwise be made: as the season, in which we do, as it were, see the infer nal lion bearing away the lambs of our flock, even before our faces. But we will at least cry out for their deliverance, we will lift up our voice like a trurapet ; and may hope, that some of you will take the warning, and hide the word of God in your heart. Sinners will no doubt be enticing you, to walk as tbey do in the way of the heart, and according to the sight of tbe eyes, but consent not to the solicitation, if you vrould not be destroyed with thera, in that day when they shall appear, as they have now been represented, unable to stand in tbe judgraent, and shall perish from this unhappy way which they have taken ; and that in a moraent, when the wrath of hira, whom they now despise, shall but begin to be kindled against thera : for it shall be kindled with such terrors, that they shall say to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of tbe larab ; for the great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand ? The Lord grant, that you may all find mercy of the Lord in that day! Amen. ( 231 ') SERMON XL Being the First of a Series of Ten Sermons on the Power and Grace of Christ, and on the Evidences of his Gospel,* The ABILITY of CHRfST to SAKE, to the UTTERMOST. DEDICATION. To the Young Persons of the Auditory and Society under my stated Ministerial Care, these ten Sermons, at first preached and published with a peculiar view to their edification, is now with the most cordial prayers for their temporal and eternal happi ness, inscribed by their Most aflTectionate friend, and faithful servant in the bonds of our common Lord, P. DODDRIDGE. PREFACE. Growing experience convinces rae, that I have no reason to fear, lest candid and judicious, Readers should be jiffended with me, for having given way to some warmth of devout affection, in the gteatest part of these Discourses, The subjects are of a nature not only to excuse, but to require it. And while I have any reverence for Scripture, or any knowledge of h uman nature, I shall never affect to speak of the glories of C h b i st, and the eternal interest of raen, as coldly as if I were reading a lecture of mathematics, or relating an experiment in natural philosophy. I hope I shall always remember, how unworthy the character of a man and a christian it is, to endeavour to transport mens' passions, while the understanding is left uninformed, or the judgment uncon vinced : but so far as is consistent- with a proper regard to these leading powers of our nature, I heartily pray, that I, and all other Gospel-Ministers, may so feel the energy of divine truths on our own souls, as to preaCh and write concerning them with au. * Preached at Northampton, 1741. ( ^22 ) holy fervency and ardour ; nor can I imagine, it would bode well to the fijfereSt of religion in general, to endeavour to lay all those passions asleep, which surely were implanted in oui" hearts by God, to subserve the religious, as well as civil life, and which after all will probably be employed to some very excellent, or very pernicious purposes. I would hope that these Sermons, and those on Regeneration, will be of some service to religious families, especially on the evenings of the Lord's day. We are happy in a great number of excetleht discourses suitable to tuch an occasion, and perhaps in none more suitable," than in the two volumes of sermons at Berry-street • of which I can with great chearfulness repeat what I said, when making my acknow. ledgments to the founder, immediately after their publication ; " that I cannot recol- " lect where I have seen a set of important thoughts on such various and weighty " subjects more judiciously selected, more accurately digested, more closely com- " pacted, more naturally expressed, or in so few -words more powerfuBy infofe^ " than I have generally found in those sermons ; on account of which, I doubt not " but the thanksgivings of nttiny are often abouirdlng to the gi." ' I esteem it my great felicity, to be engaged with those worthy authors in the same great design of assisting to form mens' minds to a scriptural religion and a christian temper : and though many provinces may appear much more splendid in the eyes Of the learned and the polite world, I trust ours will be at least as favourably remem bered in Ihe presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at hiscoming; and I would hive no standard of honour, Wisdom, and hkppiness, which will not stand the test of that important day. Northampton, June 9,- 1741. Heb. vii. 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the idtermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercessionfor them. Xi. VARIETY of trifles in life are daily breaking in upon jis, and hurrying us away into a forgetfulness of Gob, and ourselves. But how much soever we may be careful and cumbered, agitated and distracted, about many things, one thing is- needfal, viz, the approach of the soul to God, that it may see and enjoy his salvation. The most important question is that of the awakened and trembling jailor. What shall I do to be saved.? Andthe only pertinent answer to that question, is that which the apostle gave. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt! be saved. The. Ability qf Christ to save, S^c. 223 And. have these later days, these ages (as we are ready fondly to imagine them,) of greater refinement and reason, discovered any new method of salvation ? God forbid, there should ever be aiiy pretence to it ! when we see a person, like our Lord, appealing in an opposite cause, itith an equafpomp of mira cles,, with equal demonstration and power of the Spirit, we may pei'haps let go that anchor of our souls, which we now esteem as sure an^ stedfast ; but till then, we will, by divine grace, strenuously retain that gospel, which is recorded by those, who first preached it, with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven : and if an angel were to appear, in robes of the purest light, antf with all the charms of a celestial eloquence, to establish any other foundation, far from yielding to the evidence of such a single wonder, ift opposition to so many greater, we would hold that angel accursed ; as we might certainly conclude, that he wore a deceitful form, and was a messenger from the father of lies. If the gospel be indeed of divine original, and we are not following cunningly devised fables, it is most certaip that those doctrine*, trhich are pecuhar to it, are not only true, but infi nitely important. And shall we, who are stewards of the mys teries of GoD> decline insisting upon them, because they are such common topics, and because we must in effect be obliged to say the same things again and again ? As well might we de spise bread, because 'tis an old fashioned diet, on which our ancestors have fed for a long succession of ages, and on which the lowest of our species are subsisted. As reasonably, and much more safely, might the physician decline the use of all the most celebrated medicines, recommended by the experience of many hundred years, and pride himself in trying only such, as had hitherto been entirely unknown : Nay, he might much better do it ; for it is possible, that there may yet lie hid, amongst the secrets of Nature, some plant or drug of unknown virtues, some richer cordial, and more sovereign antidote, than has ever yet been discovered : but we are as sure, as we can be of any thing in the revelation we profess to bielieve, that there is salvation in no other, neither is there any other name uttder 224 The Ability of Christ. Heaven given among men, but that, of Jesus, whereby they can obtain righteousness and life. I hope therefore, it will not, (as I am sure, it should not,) be disagreeable to you to hear, that after the raany sacred hours -we have spent together in meditations on such subjects as thes^, I am again to resume the theme, and to discourse to you from, it for some succeeding Sabbaths. I do it at the desire of a friend *, who has recommended the subject to me with a pecu liar regaid to the rising generation, for whose use these dis courses are to be made yet more public. And I would hope, they will not be the less agreeable to my younger friends, or any of my other hearers, because they are equally the concern of all; and such a concern, as to be the very life of our souls, and (as I have largely shewn elsewhere 'j') the only foundation of our ejternal hopes. The holy Apostle Paul had (as he elsewhere very emphati cally expresses it,) a continual, most tender and zealous affec tion for his brethren of the Jewish nation, his kinsmen accord ing tp the flesh; and this epistle is a remarkable monument of it. It-was indeed directed to the believing Hebrews, and its most evident design is, to animate them to adhere resolutely to the Christian faith, . whatever dangers or difficulties might attend that resolution. But the mind of this excellent man was very capacious, and continually. filled with a variety of schemes for the,advancem^nt pf the gospel, the glory .of his Lord, and the s£ily,ation» of souls : and as he could not but know, that it was highly probable, that this, rather than any other of his epistles, ¦Wpuld fall into the hands of many as yet unconverted Jews, he not only conceals his name, against which he knew they were s,trongly prejudiced -..but, in a very wise and happy manner mafes use of such sentiments and such language here, as might be yery proper to awaken and convince the unconverted, a» ¦well as to assist the faith and the joy of them who had believed in CjiRisT, that tbey raight be justified by hira, and not by the * These sermons were first preached and publisjied at the desire of Willi!!™ Coward, Esq.- + See my Sermons to young people, No. II. to Save io the Utiei'niost. 225 works of the law. And if any have not made this remark, I Apprehend they have lost much of the strength and beauty of this excellent epistle. In pursuit Of these greiat and very harniotiioiis designs, the sacred writer insists largely on the dignity of the person^ and offices of our great Redeemer. He represents him, as far Superior to the most exalted angels, and therefore much more to the most excellent of the children of men ; superior to Moses, that, riiost honourable servant of the LokDj who was faithful in all his house ; superioir to Abrahamj the friend of God, and father of the faithful ; superior to Aaron the priest of the LoRDi and all the holy family descended from his loins. And it is on this branch of the argument that he is now insisting. He labours at largej by a dhain of reasoning which I have not time to trace, to sheW that our Lojjd was made after the order of Melchizidec, in many glorious ai-.d important cir cumstances, in which the priestliood of Melchizedec, was su perior to that of Aaron, and his sons : airtongst othe^- instances, this is one of the hlost fcdrifeiderablej that whereas in the family of Aaron there were successively many high priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death, this il lustrious persooj the Lorb Jesus Christ, because he con tinues ever, in imniortal life and glory, hath an unchangeable priesthood, or (as th^ Word * most exactly signifies,) a priest hood which doieis not pass from one successor to another. Now from hente the Apostle draws that important inference in the \vords of my text, " Wherefore he is able to save to the utter- " most," completely and perpetually to save, all, that in the reraotest ages and nations of the worldj desire to come unto God by him, (or to make use of his mediation, when they ap- pfoach the throne of God as hurable worshippers,) seeing h^ ever lives, to make a most prevalent intercession for them; of ¦r Jesus Christ hath wrought out for us !— iand how much are weaJl^on- cerned very seriously to enquire after it ! 1. How great is that salvation, which the. Lord Jesvs Chkist bath wrought out ! ,: We have been taking a survey of many, important branches of it ; and is it not most evidently worthy of tlie title diat ihe apostle gives it, when he stiles it, "^ So great salvation.'' So great indeed it is, that if we compare with it the most illustrious salvations which God wrought out for Israel of old, far from beihg eclipsed, it will rather be brightened by the comparison; and it wih appear how justly he might say, I, even I am the Lord, and besides me there is no Saviour ; none, that compared with me, deserves that important name. It was a great salvation, which God wrought out for Israel by Moses, when he broke the power of Egypt by repeated blows ; when he led the chosen tribes through the red i sea, and through the desart, guided by the pillar of cloud and fire, and, suppliediby. heavenly bread, and water streaming from the flinty rock. , But the salvation of Christ is ten thousand times more impprtajit. A pious Israelite under the rod of an Egyptian oppressor might have risen in holy contemplation and devotion, from the, briejf- kiln or the dungeon, to the presence of God as his Father, to a liberty of soul before, him, which wouldihaye rendered bis to Save to the Uttermdst. 237 servitude happier than Pharoah's Royalty : Or should the sword of tbe tyrant have taken away his life, he would have found the stroke a blessed release, to a state of compleat and eternal glory. But our souls, in this state of apostacy, were enslaved to Satan, and to sin ; we were incapable of spiritual pleasure ; -we were lost to all future hope till Jesus appeared, and seasonably came to break the iron yoke of our fatal bond age ; to conduct us by his spirit through all the perplexities and dangers of the wilderness ; and, in our way to the heavenly Canaan, to feed us with the true bread frora Heaven, and to give us that water of life, of which, if a raan drink he shall thirst no more. ¦ Have we not infinite reason to say. This deliverer is worthy of more glory than Moses ? — It was a great salvation, that was wrought by Aaron, when the plague was broke out against Israel ; when it was running through their "ranks, and laying tliem> in a moment, in the dust of death : and thatandnted priest of the Lord, by Divine instigation, took a censer in his hand, and placing himself between the dead and the living, put a stop to the spreading destruction, and made an acceptable atonement for the sins of the people. But how much more prevalent is the atonement of Jesus, our great High Priest, who arose, and stood in the breach, to turn away the wrath of GoD from us ; the incense of whose intei'cession, not only lilce Aaron's, procures the reprieve of a mortal life, but the favour of God and eternal happiness .'—But neither Aaron nor Moses, compleated the purposes of the Divine favour, to Israel his people ; and it was in some respect a greater salvation than either of these, that Joshua effected, when he led them through Jordan, to the Land of Promise; when he vanquished the kings of Canaan, and their armies ; when he stopped the sun in its career, to give them light to pursue their conquest ; till at last he divided the whole country to them, for an inheritance, even the land flowing wilh milk and honey,! But this was only a type of the true Joshua, who having himself conquered our enemies alone, and trod den them down like grapes in the wine-press, causes us to share in the fruit of tiis victory by assigning us a settlement in a 238 The Ability of Christ betteu) country, that is, a Heavenly — Were I to speak of the succeeding salvations under their Judges, and their Kings, 1 should, by mentioning a succession of deliverances, inti mate tbe comparative imperfection -of each. In the land of their inheritance Israel sinned against the Lord : and .they were chastened there, and oppressed by one enemy after another; till, at length, the whole nation of them were dis possessed of it, and fell by the sword, or were carried into captivity. But it is the glory of Jesus, our great deliverer, to perfect his work ; coducting his people to a world of ever lasting securit}', from which they can never be expelled, and in which they shall never be molested. — Let then the. rod of Moses, and the censer of Aaron, and the sword of Joshua, and the scepter of David, bow to the superior glories of the cross of Christ, and be laid down in hurable reverence at the footstool of his throne. And let our souls adore Jescs the Almighty Saviour, and be daily raore solicitous to secure an interest in that salvation, which he has introduced. Which leads me to add, 2. How important is it, that we all seriously enquire after this ipighty Saviour ! You have all frequently heard of him. Let conscience say, .whether you have diligently enquired into the credentials he brings, into the offer he makes, into 3-our own concern in such proposals as these ? I fear, many of you are conscious to yourselves, that you have neglected this great salvation. Un happy creatures, how will you escape, if you persist in such a neglect! Yet still, my friends, after all that is past, here will (if God continue our lives a few sabbaths longer,) be another oppor tunity of reviewing these things at large. I am more fully to lay before you, tbe proof tbat Christ is able to save to the uttermost, the efficacy of his intercession for this blessed purpose, and the character of those who may expect this salvation from him. Let me bespeak the serious attention ¦of all, and particularly of the younger part of my audi tors. Let passion, and business, and every worldly vanity be to Saveto the Uttermost. 239 silent; and let every one that hath an ear, hear what the .Spirit is still saying, to the churches, what it is the very life of sinners -to know, the duty of every faithful minister often ; to repeat, and the wisdom -of the most est,i^blished saints often . to recollect. .- ( 240 ) SERMON XL The PROOFS of CHRIST'S ABILITY to SAVE. HeS. vii. 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that conte unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercessionfof them. X HOUGH the nature of man be sadly degenerated, and we are alienated from the hfe of God through the igporance that is in us ; yet there are some remainders ofhuman and social affec tion, which seem so wrought into the constitution of our souly as to be as inseparable from us as our being. From hence the' mind feels itself delighted with the survey of benevolent actions/ no less necessarily, than the eye with the finest prospect, or the ear with the most harmonious music. Nor can it be merely a regard to our own interest, which adds a relish to such ac^s counts ; for we delight to hear them, though the scene be laid in the most distant age, or country. Nay, fictions of this kind have a secret charm, which it is not easy to resist ; and th^ pleasure is real, where we know the occasion of it to be only imaginary. But sure it raay be said with the utraost propriety, that as eye hath not seen, nor ear by credible report heard, so neither bath it entered into the heart of raan to conceive any other display of benevolence and goodness, even comparable to that The Proofs of Christ' s' Ability to save. 241 which the gospel presents. All the celebrated exploits of real,- or fictitious heroes are not worth the mention, when compared with those of the great Captain of our Salvation. Were we to contemplate it merely in idea, and to set aside all the evidences of it, and all the remembrance of our ovvn concern in it; yet even then how delightful would tbe contemplation be ! Behold the Son of God, a person to whora the mightiest potentate on. earth, the most exalted angel in Heaven, is but as a worm, divesting"' himself of celestial glory, putting on the form of a wretched mortal, and submitting to death in the most horrible shape I For what ? to free soine single nation from civil bond age ? to humble some proud tyrant of the earth ? to restore an oppressed people to liberty and peace ? or to form uncultivated savages to discipline, artsj and social life ? These are great things for a, man to do ; these may render a prince immortal : but the Lord of Glory descends for nobler purposes ; to con quer and destroy the tyrant of hell, to rescue from his cruel ser vitude an innumerable multitude of all nations, and people,, and kindreds, and tongues ; to form their groveling and degenerate minds to the most useful knowledge, to the noblest sentiments, and the most exalted pleasures ; to bring them to the glorio'us liberty, and inestimable privileges of the children of Goi) ; and, finally, to fix them for ever in a state of honour and hap piness, >fi-om whence they might look dovyn with superior' con tempt on whatever earth can afford, most grateful to our'senses, most amusing to our imaginations, most transporting to our passions. I have already told you, that all this^ and much more than this, is comprehended in the phrase of Christ's being able to save to the uttermost. But is all this only a pleasing dream, an agreeable arauseraent of thought ? Is it only what our fancy- may paint, and our hearts raight wish ^. Is it a conjecture built on dark probabilities, or precarious reports ? No; through the Divine goodness we can say, that the proofs of this salvation are as convincing, as its design is amiable, and its blessings important. We pi-oceed therefore. Secondly, to prove the truth we have explained ; or to shew you how evident it is, that the Lord Jesus Christ is able Vol. hi. R 242 Tne Proofs of Christ's Ability to save. thus to save to the uttermost, and to corapleat the salvation of gvery believer, in every succeeding age of the church and -world. This is an evangelical mystery, which the deepest reach of huraan reason would not have been able to discover ; and which, when discovered, in this corrupt state, it is too unwilling to re ceive. Should I take the proof in its utmost extent, it would |)e necessary to divide it into two grand branches ; first, to shew that the gospel-revelation is true ; and then, — that admitr ing its truth, the alraighty power of Christ to save follows, by a most easy and necessary consequence. The former of these is so extensive a subject, that I shall chuse to handle it apart * : — and to insist at present on tbe lat ter. I hope it will not be thought an unreasonable thing, when addressing to an auditory of professed Christians, now to take it for granted that the gospel is divine. Allowing it to be so, it will indeed be an easy thing to prove the ability of Christ to save. And did I aim at nothing but abstract argument, the proof might be unanswerably dispatched in a ver}' few words; for as the whole tenor of the gospel supposes it, so a multitude of scriptures directly assert it ; and indeed the very words ofthe text may alone serve raost firmly to establisli it. But, my brethren, I cannot be contented with your cold and lifeless assent, to so vital, and so important a doctrine. I would prove it, not merely to your understandings, but your consciences. To affect these, various topics of argument are suggested in the word of truth. I will now endeavour to trace them. Oh that they might be attended with such demonstration of the Spirit, that every trembling awakened sinner may be encouraged to venture his soul on this alraighty Saviour; and that every christian may be quickened to a more delightful acquiescence in him, and being strong in faith may give more abundant glory to God through Christ ! I would argue then, that our Lord Jesus Christ will evi dently appear thus able to save, if we consider, — that he was commissioned by the Father for this great work ; — that he ap- * Serm, viii, ix, x. The Proofs of Christ's Ability to savd. S42 pears in his person and character emineiitly fitted forit;— that he has been approved by the Father, as having compleatly answered this glorious design ;— that, in consequence of all, he has made such overtures and promises, as iraply a full power of accomplishing it ;— -and thaty as a convincing specimen of this power, he has already begun, and harried on tbe salvation of A inultitude of souls> whose experience confirms .this comfortsible truthi , If these particulars be duly considered in their connection with each Other, I am persuaded nothing more will be neces sary, to prove, that Christ is able to save to the -uttermost ; nor could we so much as wish for clearer Cvidende of it, though it be the great basis of our eternal hopes : yet, because it is so, I hope you will pardon nff indulging, to what niight otherwise seem a redundancy of proof. 1. The LdRD Jesus Christ was " appointed by God to tli^e " Work of a Saviour," and therefore is able to perform it to the uttermost. We are sure, that the witness of God is according to truth ; ahd this is bis testimony, that he hath given to us eternal life ; tind this life is in his Son. As soon as ever the first intimations of grace and mercy were given to sinful creatures, their eyes were directed to him, as the great seed of the woman, wbo was to bruise the serpent's head. In succeeding ages, he, is spoken of as God's servant, in whom he delighted; as his elect, in whom his soul was well pleased ; and that particularly, while he considered him as the person, who should be given for a covenant to the people, and for a light to the gentiles. And, to shew how great a stress was to be laid upoa him, he is sometimes represented as made, by tbe immediate interpo sition of God, the head stone of the corner, though he had been rejected by those whose office and profession it ,was to build up the charch. Nay, he is elsewhere described as the foundation stone, which God himself had laid in Sion, elect, and precious ; a sure and tried stone, so that he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. When he was coming into the world, the name of Jesus was given him, on purpose to shew, that he was to save his people from their sins : At his en- R2 244 The Proofs of Christ's Ability to save. trance on his public ministry, he was declared by a voice from Heaven to be God's beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased ; and through the whole course of it, he was sealed by the Spirit in an extraordinary manner, as the person who was to feed hungry souls with the meat which endureth to everlasting life. Now surely, jf we were capable of going no farther than this, we might rest here with great satisfaction. The wisdom of God cannot err. He is the sovereign judge of the fitness of ends, and of means ; and where his judgment is declared, we may acquiesce in it without farther debate. Since he ap pears to have fixed Christ as a nail in a sure place, we need not fear to hang upon hira even the vast weight of our eternal interest. And we raight cheerfully have done it, even though God had concealed from us raany of those glories of his .Berson, which he has in sorae measure discovered in scripture. Nevertheless, so far as they are there revealed, it is our happi ness to know, and our wisdom attentively to consider them; which reminds me of adding, 2. That, so far as we are capable of judging, " the Lord " Jesus Christ appears in his person and character, perfectly " fit to accomplish the vvork to which he is thus divinely ap- " pointed," and to save his people even to the utterraost. For the illustration of this great argument, it will be proper for us humbly to view .him, in his glorious appearance under the title of the great Emanuel, God with us in our nature; and to regard him as God manifested in human flesh. Forthe mysterious union of the divine and huraan natures in the p'ersoa of our blessed -Redeemer, is that which renders him the se cure confidence of our souls, an anchor both sure and sted fast. , Even in the huraan nature of our Lord Jesus Christ, there is that which appears admirably suited to the blessed design of our redemption. The apostle tells us, that forasmuch as the children, whom he undertook to conduct to glory, are par takers of flesh v-and blood, he also took himself part of the same. He was. indeed bone of our bone, and flesh of our fiesh ; and thus became capable of yielding that obedience to The Proofs of Christ's Ability to save. 245 his Father's law, and making that atonement to his justice, which had otherwise been impossible. It was necessary that he should have somewhat to offer : He therefore assumed a mortal body, that he might offer it as a sacrifice to God of a sweet smelling savour. And that it might be so, it was absolutely requisite, that he should be an immaculate lamb. He was therefore such a vic tim, and such an high priest, as became us, being perfectly holy, harmless/' undefiled, and separate from sinners. Nor was he only free from every degree of stain and pollution, but by hisown voluntary consent was made under a law, to which he was by no necessity of nature 'subject ; that he might bring in a corapleat and everlasting righteousness, by the knowledge of which (having borne their sins) he might justify many. Again, as he wasperfectly fit for this great ofiice with respect to the holiness and purity of his character;" so he was likewise- compleatly furnished for it by the most plentiful effusions of the Holy Spirit, which was given to him without measure, and •poured out upon him as the oil of gladness, with whicli he was anointed above any of those, who by Divine Grace were ap pointed to be the humble partners of his glories* It not only descended on him, and resided in hira ; but from hira it streamed forth, as water from a fountain. He was appointed to baptize his people with the Holy Ghost and with fire, with a spirit of wisdom, of zeal, and of hohness, as well as with that miracu lous energy which wrought in so powerful a raanner in the first of his servants, whom he sent forth to publish his gospel in the world. But is this all that we can say of our Redeemer's fitness to answer the glorious character under which he appeared, and to effect the important work he undertook ? that he was an excel lent and holy man, and furnished with an uncoramon degree^, both of the miraculous gifts, and the sanctifying graces of the Spirit ?, No, christians, we are very thankful, ;tfiat we have not so learned Christ. We have been taught to adOre him, as over all, Gon blessed forever: as the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person, as Jehovah our. righteousness ; who being in the form of Go p, thought it not R 3 245 The Proofs of Christ's Ability to save. robbei-y to be equal with God , and took upon himself no higher character, than what he had a right to claim, when he spake of himself, in his appearances to the saints under the Old Testament, as the living and true God, as a person properly divine. Here, my brethren, here is the most glorious evidence of his being able to save to the uttermost. We should dread the curse pronounced on the man that maketh flesh his arm, should we repose all the trust and confidence of our souls on created power and goodness, wisdom and fidelity, appearing in a human; or we may add, even in an angelic form. But how cheerfully may we trust the merit of his atonement, and the efficacy of his grace, when we consider him as that glorious and wonderful person, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily ? Permit me on this occasion to resume some of the heads -of my former discourse, and briefly to shew how they are illus trated by this important thought. Well may our souls magnify the Lord, and our spirits rejoice in God our Saviour ; for surely in his name, we may couragi- ously set up our banners, against the various legions of syrronnd- ing enemies. Let conscience marshal our sins in order before US, as a mighty array, in the most dreadful array ; let it charge MS home with the exceeding sinfulness of each ; and with tbat dreadful eloquence, which is peculiar to itself, aggravate each as a kind.of infinite evil : there cannot be a malignity in any of them, or in all, greater than the efficacy of that sacred blood, which was poured forth to expiate them. Had it been merely the blood of a whole hecatomb of bulls or of goats, of inno cent men, or even of holy angels, should they for such a pur pose have become incarnate ; we might still perhaps have been ready to object. Where is the proportion between the offence on one hand, and the satisfaction on the other .' But we see it here, when we consider that the church of God is redeemed with his own blood. In that blood, we behold the honours of the Divine Law most gloriously displayed, and the rights of his government so strenuously asserted, that we can easily believe) that neither vidll be injured, by pardoning the most aggravate(( offences with a view to such an atonement. The Proofs of Christ's Ability to save. 247 Let Satan appear in every form of artifice, or of rage, pos sessed, as he is, of such formidable remainders of angelic knowledge, or angelic strength. We know, that by Christ were all things created, whether visible or invisible, not excepting thrones and dominions, principalities and powers. So that all the knowledge, and all the force, which this prince of hell could ever boast, even in his primasval state, when a shining cherub in the regions of glory, was only a feeble reflection of the glories of his great original; His hand formed this crooked serpent; and how easily can his hand crush him, and enable even the weakest of his servants, to trample him under, their feet ? Storms of passion are sometimes rising, and the floods of cor rupt nature are often beating fiercely on the soul ; but he that stills the foaming, and the roaring of the sea, can comraand this tempest into a calm. He that created us at first, can create us anew, can deliver us from every evil work, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom. Though difficulties, and dangers, and death itself lie in the way to our compleat salvation, a Divine Power can arm Js against all. While the Spirit of the Lord is with us, though destitute of all other might, vast mountains shall spread them selves into a plain before us. Destruction itself shall hear his voice, and Nature shall a second tirae rise out of its chaos> to wear a brighter face of order, and of beauty. For God brings down to the grave, and raises again. And since Christ is the Son of God by a generation which none can fully declare, by a union which none can fully coraprehend ; we may easily be lieve, that those who sleep in the dust shall come forth at his call, and that nothing shall be wanting to the everlasting security, and compleat happiness of those, whom he will condescend to -own as his people. You will not blame me, that I have insisted thus copiously on the argument taken from the divinity of our Redeemer's per son, to prove the extent of his power to save ; coiisidering the stress he- himself lays upon if, in those memorable words,— I givfe UtWO ray sheep 'eternal life, and they shall neyer perish, neither -shall any Jvl'tick' tbem out of rny hangi : my Father^ who 248 The Proofs of Christ's Ability to save. gave them me, is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them out ',f my Father's hand. I and my Father are one ; his omnipotence is therefore raine ; and in that my sheep are se cure. 3. " The LordJesus Christ has done all tbat we can ima- " gine necessary, in order to effect, and secure our salvation ;" and therefore we may conclude that he is able to save to the uttermost. You have heard something of the glories ofthe Redeemer's person ; and I trust you are not entirely strangers to the riches of his grace. I hope I may say with the apostle. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ ; that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be made rich. You know that he emptied himr self of that original glory, which he wore in the Heavenly world, and took upon him the form of a servant, being found in fashion as a man. You know, that he submitted to the.inr conveniences and sorrows of a mortal life, and at last, to the' agonies of an accursed death, to atone the injured justice of God, to purchase forfeited happiness for his people, to procure for them the sanctifying influences of the Spirit, and to furnish out those endearing considerations, whereby the hearts are constrained to holy obedience, more effectually than by all the terrors of the Lord ; constrained, perhaps I may say, more powerfully, as well as more sweetly, than by any arguments drawn merely from a view to tbeir own interest, and tbe prosr pects of a future reward : for love is strong as death, and in some remarkable instances has proved much strongeir. I might add, that having finished his embassy on earth, and closed th^ scene of his labours and sufferings, he at length returned into Heaven, there to appear in the presepce of God for u?; toprer sent before him the blood which he shed on the cross, and in virtue of it to make continual intercession for us; using all-his interest in the court of Heaven, in favour of his unworthy serr vants on earth. But this would lead me into another branch of ray subject, which I must reserve to a future discourse. , ; And I content myself for the present, with, observing, that, tlio.ugh.^e couldnot by the light of unassisted reason have known aU thes^ The Pvopfs of Christ's Ability to save. . S49 things to be necessary, yet now tbey are discovered to us, we find them to be very fit and reasonable; and cannot imagine that any thing more is requisite, compleatly to accoraplish the work of a Savior. But, blessed be God, we have a still surer foundation for our confidence here ; for if any should urge (what- is indeed true,) that we are not competent judges of the rights of God the supreme governor, we may with great plear sure answer, 4. " That th^ Father halh declared his full approbation of " what Christ has done, under the character of a Saviour," and thereby given us the raost glorious proof, that he is indeed able to save to the uttermost. His power to save, as mediator, is evidently founded on the efficacy of that atonement which he presented to the Father forthe sins of his people. We wonder not if his disciples were under some alarm, while he hung on the cross, and appeared to an eye of sense incapable of delivering himself; while they heard his insulting enemies cry out. He saved others, himself he cafanot save. We wonder not, that while his sacred body slept in the dust of death, the faith of his servants was weak, and their fears strong ; so that they said with a trembling unr- certainty,. We trusted, this had been he that should have saved Israel. But God raised Christ from the dead ; and with him he raised ourhopej and our confidence. Thus he declared him to be the Son of God with power; and shewed that the de mands of hisjustice were satisfied, since otherwise his prisoner could not have been released. Nay, in order to declare it in the most convincing manner, God appointed, that his Son's resur rection should be attended with circumstances of peculiar honour; an angel, descending. from Heaveii to roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre ; and two angels being ..employed to wait there, to give his dejected, followers the first welcorae notices of this -great event. Nor must I by any means omit the mention of that very il lustrious and important circumstance, his ascension into Hea ven, in the presence of his apostles ; a clotid as a triumphant chariot receiving hiw out of their sight ; and angels at the papie , tinae descending tp assure them, that, he whp was then 250 The Proofs of Christ's Ability to save. rising to mansions of glory, should another day appear con-* spicuous to every eye, when he should return under the charac- ter of universal judge. His being admitted to sit down at the right hand of the Ma jesty on high, and sending down, upon his intercession there, the miraculous endowments of the Spirit, on the apostles at the day of Pentecost, are incontestable and everlasting evidences of the Divine acceptance, and therefore of his saving power. And surely we cannot entertain a doubt of it, ^vhen we con- . sider, that he is gone into Heaven, angels, and authorities, and powers, being made subject to him ; and is there consti tuted, by the designation of the Father, head over all things to the church. 5. " I inight farther argue the ability of Christ to save, " from the gracious promises of salvation which he has made " either in his own person, or by those who had a commission " from him." You know those important and encouraging passages so well, that it will not be needful for me largely to insist upon them. You know how plainly they express an extent of grace, reach ing even to the most enormous sinners ; and therefore, how clearly they imply a correspondent extent of power. He in vited all that labour and are heavy laden to come to him ; and promised on their application lo him, that he would give them rest. He proclaimed, in a nuraerous asserably, on atday of public festivity, that every thirsty soul should be most cordially welcome to come unto him and drink ; and assures his hearers elsewhere, that he will by no means cast out any who should come. The apostle Peter declares, that by hira all that believe are justified from all things, from which they- could not be justi fied by the law of Moses, and consequently not by the law of Innocence, which left no room for repentance. And St. Paul had his, authority to assure us, not only that Chbist came into the world to save sinners, of whom hiraself was chief; but he adds, that it was for this very cause that he obtained mercy, that in him first, (or rather, in him as the chief,) ChrIst might shew forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to such as should hereafter believe. — Now let me intreat you to consider what I The Proofs of Christ's Ability to save. 251 Jiave already said, of the dignity of his person, the glory of his kingdom, and the sanctity of his character ; and then 'say, whether infidelity itself can suggest so unworthy a thought as this, that Jesus, the Son of God, the Lord of Glory, the faithful and true witness, should ever mock and delude wretched mortals, by the offers of a salvation, which nevertheless he knows he is not able to bestow ? That be far from thee, O gracious Lord ! and be that base and absurd suspicion as far frora us I But to add no more on this head, 6. " We may very surely and corafortably argue, from the " instances, in which the saving power of Christ hath already f been displayed," that he is able to save to the utterraost. There is nothing, that strikes the mind of a wise raan, like fact. Experiraents do sometimes strengthen our assent to those propositions, which have been demonstrated to us, even in methods of mathematical proof; at least they impress the mind with a peculiar kind of conviction, which nothing else is capable of giving. Now, blessed be God, there is a cloud of witnesses to attest this sacred truth, that Christ has begun, Und carried on the salvation of a multitude of souls. Let us look back to the history of former ages, and see how many, who were once sunk into the lowest degeneracy, bave been renewed to a divine life by the gospel of Christ. What multitudes, who were once the reproach of our nature, have been washed and sanctified and justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit communicated from him. • Re flect on the former, and the latter conquests of Divine grace ; and you will see that even the chief of sinners have not been beyond its reach. And I persuade myself, the subject will appear to be farther confirmed by the experience of sorae whti hear me this day. Arf there not raany of you, my friends, who find a most happy alteration in yourselves, when corapared with what you once were?. Are there not many, whose eyes once spiritually blind liflve been opened, and their deaf ears unstopped ? May I not say to you, my brethren, as Paul to the Ephesians, You hath i^ quicliened who were dead in trespasses and sins I For that it .252 The Proofs of Christ's Ability to Save. was indeed his work, that it was wrought by his gospel, and b^ his Spirit, you are as sure, as that it has been wrought at all. Nav, to advance yet farther in this argument, let faith unveil the eye of the soul, and help it to look forward to a world in visible to sense. View it in tbe light thrown upon it by scrip ture, of whose Divine authority 5'ou are so abundantly assured; and what a delightful spectacle will open itself there ! What shining forms of ho.iness, and of joy! what an innumerable triumphant multitude of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and: tongues I How loud do their praises sound! With what unutterable rapture do their souls overflow, too big to be ex pressed even in the language of Heaven ! Now if it be asked, as it once was. Who are these, that are cloathed in white robes ? and from whence do they come ? the answer may be given as there. They are come out of great tribulation : They were once the inhabitants of earth, heirs to the infirmities and sorrows of this mortal state ; and tbe most excellent of them, even they who sacrificed their lives, in tbe defence of the truth ^aled it with their blood, even they have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb. They owe it to his atonement and righteousness, that they are now holy, and glorious creatures ; and each of them will be an everlasting monument of his power, as well as of bis grace. And surely when we view them in the joys and glories of the intermediate state, we may well assure ourselves, that he who has thus saved them thus far, is able to save them to the utterraost : and we can no more doubt, whether he can raise tbeir bodies from the tomb, than we could bave doubted, whether he could untie the linen bands in which Lazarus was held, when we had seen him loosing the bands of death, and animating his corps after it had begun to putrify. Nothing more can be requisite to prove the truth. I per suade myself, you are convinced, that Christ is able to save to the uttermost; and, I hope, you feel your hearts im pressed, as well as your judgments satisfied. But I cannot dis miss the subject, till I have added a few reflections upon it. Now I shall omit some, which.might jnaturally arise froiri what I have already said, because they will occur afterwards The Proofs of Christ's Ability to save. 253 ityith greater advantage; and shall content myself with sug gesting these two, which I recommend to your farther considera tion. How great is the danger of those, that reject and affront this Almighty Saviour ! — And how groundless are the fears of those, that have ventured their souls upon him ! 1. How great' is the danger and misery of those, that reject ahd aflfront siich an Almighty Saviour ! If he is able to save, he is able to destroy ; to break his ene mies with a rod of iron, and to dash them in pieces like a pot-: tel-'s vessel. Alas, sinners, though your treatment of Christ, be so odious, as to move the astonishment, as well as the indig nation, of all that view hira and you, in a just, that is in a scripture light ; yet my heart is both grieved, and terrified for you, when I think, what the end of your opposition to him will be. Unhappy creatures ! What will you do, when he rises up .'' and when he judges, what will you answer him ? When he proceeds to execute his sentence, how will you escape, or resist, orendureit ? Were it merely the indignation of a raan like your selves, you raight either oppose it, or bear it. But, alas, how insupportable will be the vengeance of an Alraighty arra ! If it could alone bring salvation, it will alone be able to bring ca lamity and ruin. Yet were auxiliary force necessary, all the legions of Heaven would appear armed against you, under the command of Jesus their Lord. If you do indeed believe your bibles, I wonder that you do not tremble, when you road, or hear, of that dreadful day, in which you are to be so inti mately concerned ; when it it is expressly said, that the roost insolent of his enemies shall flee before hiin in wild and helpless consternation ; when the Kings of the earth, and the great men and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty raen, as well as others of meaner ranks, shall hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, and shall say to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us, from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from tbe wrath of the lamb : for the great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand ? What a dreadful emphasis is there in these words I How plainly do they intimate, that they would prefer the crush of a mountain to the more insupportable 254 The Proofs of Christ's Ability, to save. weight of his wrath; and that they will have more hopd-of moving rocks by their intreaties, than of prevailing on their therf inflexible Judge ? And will your hearts endure, or your hands be strong, when the Heavens sball depart as a scroll, and moun tains aud islands shall be removed ?— Were the least of the servants of Christ this day addressing himself to an assembly of the greatest princes and potentates on earth, he might be bold to say in the narae of this King of Glorj', Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the^artht serve the Lord with humble fear, and rejoice in your own dig nity, or in the offers of his grace, with trerabling : Kiss the Son of God, in token of your ready submission to his govern ment, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way in a moment, when his wrath is kindled against you. And this faithful and necessary warning would I now address to j^ou, adding as the' Psalmist doth. Blessed are all they, that put their trust in him j which leads us to the other reflection, 2. How unreasonable are the fears of those, that have ven^^ tured their souls upon Christ ! Too frequently does the humble christian, in the view of all bis difficulties, his dangers, and his enemies, secretly borrow the words of David in bis melancholy frame, and say, I shall one day perish by their hand : but as the anointing oil of Gon was upon him, he preserved him in all, and made him victorious over, all : and it was an emblem of the victory of the christiany under the conduct of Christ, and the anointings of his spirit. It !3 very dishonourable to Christ, as well as very uncomfort able to ourselves, to be continually terrified and alarmed, while •nnder the care of sucb a helper, who declares himself the Lord •nighty to save ; and the devil gains a great advantage against the soul, by throwing it into such panic terrors : the succours of reason are then betrayed, and the nobler relief of faith in some measure intercepted. And therefore let the particulars I have been now illustrating be often recollected, and frequently plead them with your own hearts. " Oh my soul, is there any thing "so peculiar in thy case, that he who has saved so many " millions, cannot save thee ? Has Satan acquired arty hew " power, since Jesus conquered him on the cross ? or can I The Proofs of Christ's Ability to save. 255 ,«: " imagine, that hell shallnow begin to triumph over Heaven, " and the Alraighty Shepherd be at length repulsed by these in- " fernal wolves, so as to stand by a helpless spectator, while " they are destroying his sheep ? How blasphemous and how " detestable a thought ! My -soul, thou art in the hands of " Christ ; and by a new act of faith, I do this moraent cora- " mit thee to him, as able to save to the uttermost, those that " come unto God by him." Nor is that additional encourage- nient light and inconsiderable, which may be derived from the concluding words, Seeing he ever liveth to make intercession 4br them. But this great argument will be handled at large in the following discourse. ( 256 ) SERMON XIIL CHSISTs SAVING POPTER argued from hit INTERCESSION. Heb. VII. 25» Wherefore he is able also to save them to theuttermost, that come unto God by hirn, seeing he ever liveth to make intercessionfor them ' -t\S> we have already endeavoured both to open and to confirm this great truth, that Christ is able to save to the uttermost, we are now Thirdly, to consider the particular argument which the apostle suggests in proof of it, in the words of the text, which is drawn from his ever living to make intercession for his people. • In handling this, it will be evidently proper, first, to state the doctrine of Christ's intercession; and tlien, to consider, how it tends to demonstrate the extent of his saving power. What little time may remain', when these are dispatched, will be em ployed as usual in a few reflections. I. I shall endeavour to state the scripture doctrine of Christ's intercession. Now the substance of this doctrine appears to me to be this. Christ's intercession for his peoplCj is his pleading for them in Christ's SavihgPower argued froin his Intercession. 257 Hfeaven;— ^under the character of their great High Priest ; — which he always does virtually, by appearing before God, in that body in which he buffered < — and which he alivayS intends to present before him in this view; — ih favour of each of his people-; ¦ — and this intercession, whether it ever be; or be not, vocal, — is always conducted in & manner becoming the dignity 'oi our exalted Redeemer,— and is abundantly effectiial for the secu rity, acceptance, and final happiness of all his servants. . Permit rae a _httlte^more distinctly to open each of - these pa i;- ticulars ; arid the rather aS sorae of thera must be acknowledsed to have their difficulties; and as it is fit vve should settle some rational and digested notions of a doctrine, of such daily use and such great irirportance. 1. "The word,* which is herfe made use of to express " Christ's intercession, -#oes properly signify pleading." '• It is evident from the use of it in other Grefek: writers, and especially, those of the New Testament, that it imports "an " earnest address to one person on account of another :" and according to the particle with which it is joined^ it.may express the action of a friend, or of an enemy ; as a person may in Our own language be said to plead for, or against another. Thus on the one hand, Elijah is said to liave.made intercession to God against Israel; and the Jfews to have dealt, or (as the original word is;) to have interceded with Festus, that Paul might be*put to death. On the other hand, Paul exhorts Timothy, that intercessions bfe inade for all men; and^ejse- where speaks of, the Spirit's helping our infirmities in prayer, and so in effect making intercession for us, i. e. as he renders our prayers, both as to the matter, and raanner of them, agree able to the will of God. In this sense also, in the same chap ter, as well as in the text, it is said, that Christ being risen maketh intercession for us, i. e. he pleads our cause with the Father. And St. John likewise encourages us with this thought; if any man sin, (as there is not a just man upon earth, ^iho does not,) we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous ; who is the propitiation for our sins, by Vol. III. S 25 S Christ's Saving Pozver argued that expiatory Sacrifice, on which he pleads ; in sweet harmoity with those memorable words of Isaiah, He poured out his soul unto death, and in consequence of tbat, he made intercession for the transgressors: to which words, it is probable, that Philo may refer, when speaking of the logos, or word, he says among many other surprising things, " He is an intercessor for " mortal manwith the iraraortal God*." You see then, thaf Christ's intercession signifies bis pleading the cause of hii •people with his Father ; and therefore must import a part of his work as mediator ; and in its fullest extent comprehends hit office, both as an advocate in the court, and a priest in the temple. But I add, 2. That in this connection, " it is evidently spoken of as a " branch of his priestly office," typified by the ministration of Aaron and his sons, in the Jewish tabernacle. This, as I formerly shewed you f , the context very plainly proves: under the law there were many priests, &c. butthi* man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priest hood ; wherefore he is able also to save, &c. and then it immedi ately follows. For such an High Priest became us. And a very few verses after, the apostle observes, tbat the sura of what he had here spoken was this^ we have such an High Priest who is set on the right hand of the throne ofthe Majesty in the Heavens. So that seeing Christ's intercession in our text is so evidently a sacerdotal or Priestly act, we may, no doubt, be assisted in our conceptions of it, by considering that of theJewisb priests, to whicb it is compared. Now you know, it was their office to present their prayers to God in the name of the people, both in their daily, and their yearly ministration. In their daily ministra tion, tbey went into the holy place, toburn incense before theLoKD' on the golden altar; and this incense is often referred to in scrip ture, as an emblem of the acceptable prayers of pious worship*- pers. And it is observable, that at the very time when the priest was thus employed, the people stood praying widiout ; -* Ix/lu /Ajy IT' rs.^rVJs au nf^ rot xfSa^lov Pllilo Jud, pag. 379. + See Serm. i. p. 6, 7. from his intercession. 259 and tio doubt, it was a part of his duty to concur in the devo tions, which in their name he presented before Gop.. But this intercession was most solemnly made once a year, i. e. on the great day of atonement, when the High Priest entered into the most holy place, with the blood of the victims, the incense at the same time fuming, with a grateful odour, before the mercy- seat. This was the grand act of intercession ; by attending to which, we may be more particularly informed of the natufe of that, which Christ as our High Priest is making in our favour : and we particularly learn, S, That " the appearance of Christ above, in that body in " which he suffered on earth, is virtually a continual interces- " sion with the Father." We are told, that the High Priest carried the blood of the burnt-oflering, and of the sin-offering, into the most holy place, and sprinkled it before the Lord there j and by this ac tion he is said to make the atonement, the other sacrifical cir cumstances being only preparatory to this. And thus our Lord Jesus Christ has taken into Heaven the human body, in which he bare our sins on the accursed tree ; and appeai-ing thus in the Divine presence, he does thereby present his own blood before tbe mercy-seat : as the apostle .expresseth jt, in a most evident allusion to the preceding passage in the Mosaic institution, Not with the blood of goats and calves, which were the sacrifices appointed on the day of expiation, but by his own blood, he hath entered into the holy place, having obtain ed eternal redemption for us : and by this one -nffering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified ; so that nothing far ther should be requisite, for the compleat expiation of their guilt. And it is accordingly declared, that after he had offered one sacrifice for sin, he for ever sat down at the right hand of God, Now this appearance of Christ in Heaven, whicli is ex pressed by bis standing in the midst of the throne, as a lamb that had been slain, "may properly be called a virtual interces sion. There's a language in that circumstance, more forcible than in any words we can imagine. This is happily illustrated S2 ~ ¦ IS 260 Christ's Saving Poxvef argued by the pious Mr. Flavel *, by the. story of Arayntas and iEschf-' his, as iElian relates it. .^schylus was condemned to death by the Athenians, and was just going to be led to execution. H brother Arayntas had signalized himself in the service of his country ; and on the day of a most illustrious victory, in a great measure obtained by his means, had lost his hand. He came into the court just as his brother was condemned, and without saying any thing, drew the stump of his arm from under his garment, and held it up in their sight ; and tbe his torian tells us, " that when the judges saw this mark of his " sufferings, they remembered what he had done, and discharged " his brother, though he had forfeited his life f-" Thus " does Christ, our dear elder brother silently, but powerfully plead for our forfeited lives : and such is the happy conse quence. His Father looks on the marks of his sufferings, and reraerabers what he has done; and in this sense his blood is continually speaking better things than the blood of Abel. We have an advocate with the Father, who is also the propi tiation for our sins. 4. " Our Lord always intends, that his appearance before " his Father in Heaven should be interpreted as a plea for his " people." He does not only perform an action, which may be so un derstood ; but it is his habitual and constant desire and inten tion, that it raay be considered in that view. He entered into Heaven, not merely that he raight in his glorious human nature be honomed with exalted dignity, ancj be delighted with that fulness of joy whicli is in the presence of God there; but tbat as their fore-runner, he might prepare a place for them. Still he remembers, that he is made head over all things to his church, which is his body, and which with con stant tenderness he nourisheth and cherisheth. This is the lan guage of his compassionate heart : 'f Behold me. Oh my hea- " venly Father, behold rae in a form thus different from that, in » Flavel's Fount, of Life. + ./Elian. Var, Hist. v. 19. tiJoj oi S;xas-a(T8 a»Sf ©-, to ysoA^, vOT/iVwSlWv tmt cpym uvru, 19 apriKaii tov Aia-)Qi\oy. from his Intercession. 201 " which I originally was. Behold rae, now dwelling in human " flesh ; and remember wherefore this flesh was assumed ; and " remember how it was once treated. When thou saidst, Sa- " orifice and offering I will not; — I said, Lo, I come; I de- " lighted then to do thy will; and I still dehght to recollect that " I did it. "Thou wast a witness to that awful scene ; nor canst " thou forget this blood, that was once offered to thee on the " cross, to assert the honours of thy law, and to appease the " terrors of thy wrath. Thou didst once own it, as an bffering " of a sweefsraelling savour ; and wilt thou not still own it I I " have performed ray part of the covenant ; and I cheerfully " put in my claim to the performance of thy part, in favour of " those for whom I descended and died. Father, I will, that ^' those whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am ; and " that nothing be wanting to begin, to carry on, and to compleat ¦" the salvation of every one of thera." Thus does our Lord even now own his people in the presence of his Father, and of his holy angels ; and in the ad-rainistration of his mediato rial kingdom, h? does all things for the .elects sake, for whom Jie once endured alj, 5. This gracious intention and carp of Cijrist respects, not only his church in general, but " eyery particular believei", jn " all the variety of his personal circumstances." When the Jewish High Priest stood before the Lord, bp bor-e on his heart the names of the twelve tribes of Israel : but Christ our great High Priest bears on his heart, not only the nanies ©f the various nations, and tribep, and families of hjs people, but the narae of every individual person amongst them, even of all the children of God who are scattered abroad. So that "he is as mindful of mp," may every humble believer say, "and each of ray concerns, as if I were the only happy cfear " ture under his care," Thiis, as the good shepherd, he is said to know all his sheep by their nanses; and is described as acr commodating himself with proper care to thp necessities of each as seeking that which was lost, and bringing again that which was driven away, and binding up that which was broken, and strengthning that which was sick; as gathering the lambs in his' bosom, and gently leading those that are with young. His^ 262 Christ's Saving Power argued eye is still upon each of them, and bis heart is tenderly affected toward each. And while as a mediator, he presents the prayers of each unto the Father, he intermingles his own intercession, not only that an answer of peace may be returned to them, but that other necessary blessings maybe given in, and that they may be preserved from dangers by them unseen : as in the daj'^ of his flesh, he foresaw the trials of Peter and his brethren, and prayed for them that their faith might not fail, when they were under no apprehensions for themselves. 6. " The scripture does not expressly determine,, whethpt " there be, or be not some verbal address of Christ to the •' Father, in favour of his people." Some very eminent divines have indeed positively concluded, that there is none *. But I cannot think that so certain, as they have supposed it It is true, we know but very little of the Hea venly world, of the methods of converse, or worship there. We know not in what accents its blessed inhabitants address their songs of praise to God, or cry to each other, saying. Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almigh-ty. But this we assuredly know, that our Redeemer is gone into Heaven in his hiiman body, though now, in ah admirable and inconceivable manner, refined ^nd beautified, invigorated and adorned. And we know, that since his entrance into his glory, he has not only appeared in" a visible form to some of his servants on earth, hnt spoken to them with an audible voice. And must we say, that he still dwells in everlasting silence above ; or that, if he speaks, it is only in the language of authority to his celestial subjects ? Is it absolutely certain, tbat his sacred voice is never employed in any of the triumphant songs of Heaven ; or that it is never addressed to his Father in the language of prayer ? On earth, he importunately asked those blessings for his people, which he knew that his father had, by the covenant of Re demption, expressly stipulated to bestow : and when he was re turning to the regions of glory, he said, I will pray the father, and he shall give you another comforter. Now can we say, -* The greatDr. Owen expressly asserts, he intercedeth notorally in Heaven at all. Owen on tha^Spiiit, . p, 445. So Scot's Christian Life, Vol. 3. p. 763- and many others. from h is In ter cession. 263 there is any thing in a vocal, more than in a mental prayer, unworthy the character of the Son of God, and the Lord of all? We cannot indeed imagine, that our Lord is always thus emploj'ed. We know he has other business in tbe world of' glory, with which a continued address to the Father would be inconsistent. But how are we confident, that nothing of this kind passed, when he first ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high ; or that such an intercession has never since been repeated \ I would stand at the remotest distance from a bold intrusion into these unseen things ; but I must presume so far as to say, that I see no absurdity in granting, that some scripture passages we have just referred to, may be taken in a more literal sense, than many have allowed. Nor can I ima^- gine, that the supposed silence of the High Priest, when he entered into the most holy place, can have much weight in the present q;uestion:* for not now to urge, how possible it isi that he might then use some words of prayer, though no fbrnj be prescribed for this, or any other peculiar service of the day ; it is certain that he was then alone in the Divine presence ; whereas Jesus, the High Priest of our profession, is surround ed with an innumerable company of angels, and with the spi rits of just men made perfect. But after all, I will assert nothing positively here ; and to prevent the mistake of what I have already said, I think it proper to add, - 7. That in whatever manner this intercession may be carried on, we may depend upon it, that it is " always congruous. to " that dignity and authority, jn which our Lord appears in " the world above." When our Redeemer was on earth in the daj's of his hu miliation, he poured out strong cryings and tears, when ad dressing his father ; he fell on his knees, and sometimes pro strated himself on his face : but now, sorrow and abasement are no more. He is described, as isitting at the right hand of God ; and to raise the idea, is represented by the prophet, as a priest on his throne. And the language of his intercession is princely * Christ the Mediator, p. afii, Q.6,4r Christ' s'.Savmg'P omer- argued tp.o ; ." Father I will that -those whom thou hast giveccme, bq with rae where I am.'L ; i : i.. ; . And I must farther add, that. his addresses to the Father, in favour of his people, are also " perfectly . consistent with his "administration of tlie affairs' of his mediatorial kingdom.'- All power is givien to him both in Heaven and on earth ; and God hath highly exalted hira, and given hira a narae above every name, having said unto hira, ,Sit thou at my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. He is, as it were, the grand almoner of Heaven, by whom the Divine bounties are dispensed. In his hand are the .ways, the hopes, the lives of all; and even, the keys of death, and of the unseen world. We are not therefore to think of any intercession inconsistent with this,, if we would make opr scheme agreeable to scripture or scripture consistent with .itgelf. I add once more, 8. The intercession of our blessed Redeemer " is always f' effectual, for the vindication, thp acceptance, and the final " happiness of his people.'.' He is, as the apostle stiles him, God's dear son. And if on earth he could confidently say. Father, I know that thou hearest rae always; we may then wpU assure ourselves, that; he cannot fail of success, when pleading in the court of Heaven; especial when asking those things, which he has purchased for his people by hisown blood, and which his Heavenly Father, by promise, stands engaged to bestowi By, this intercession " the characters of his seryants are vjijdi- cated.." Observe how the apostle tjiuajphs in the pafropage of such .an advocate, even under the humblest sense of his own imperfections, and while joyfully ready to renounce every ap pearance of confidence in himself. \^^ho, says he, shall lay any thing to ihe charge of God's Elect ? It is God that jusfi- fieth : who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, wlip also maketh intercession, for us. Though Satan jtand at our righthand to accuse us, though that malignant spirit aggravate every miscarriage, -apd detract from every service, and, add, as in the case of Job, artifice to .rage, and falshood to malice ; Jesus stands at the right hand of God, to vindicate, our character from eyery misrepresentation, from his Intercession. U6S and to plead his own righteousness and blood, in answer to those charges which cannot be denied. Again, The intercession of Christ prevails " for the acceptance. of " our ptrsons and services," We must indeed humbly own, that we are such sinful creatures, that we pollute whatever we touch ; and there is so much sin adhering to the best of our duties, that they need forgiveness, rather than merit reward. But the angel before the throne offers the prayers of the saints with much incense, which gives them a grateful savour; and they are made acceptable in the beloved. In a ,wpr4, this intercession is effectual " to procure for us *,' all necessary blessings ;" which Christ, in consequence of it, is commissioned to bestow upon us. Thus he now keeps us from falling ; and he jvill ere long present us before the Father with exceeding joy. The prayer he oflfered on earth, as the modfel of that which he ig presenting above, shall be compleatly ^inswered with respect to all his people : we shall be one, in the Father, and in him ; and shall all be made perfect in one, b-eing with hira where he is. And the eternal happiness of every be liever shall shew the value the Father sets on the blood of the Son, and on that intercession which is founded in it. We have thus taken a brief survey of what the scripture inforras us, concerning the intercession of Christ, I am IL To consider, how this intercession which he ever lives to make, " is a proof fif our Lord's beipg able to save to the So you see the apostle affirms ; and so it will appear to be, if we consider the foundation, the extent, and the perpetuity of -jt... 1. The intercession of Christ, " being founded on his *' atonement, is a proof of the efficacy of that," and conse quently of his ability to save. , You have seen it expressly asserted in scripture, that it is by his own bjood that he is entered into the most holy place. He pleads with, and upon that ; urging before the Father, virtually at least, the merit of his sacrifice on the cross,- as the great argument to bestow gospel-blessings on those, for whom he 266 Chris fs Se^kg-Pomer argued hath thus purchased themi So that you evidently see, that were not the atonement of Christ satisfactory, his intercession would be vain. And can you imagine, that God would ever have permitted a p(erson to enter Heaven, and to take up his stated residence there under the character of an intercessor, whose plea he had disallowed? It were most absurd to suppose. it. The satisfaction of Christ therefore apjiears to be- com plete, and consequently his person Divine, and therefore his saving power almighty, from his ever living to make interces sion. And this the apostle seems -plainly to intimate in those memorable words : Who being the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power ; having, in consequence of these Divine perfections, by himself, that is, by the sacrifice of himself purged or expiated our sins, sate down at the right hand of the Majesty on high ; which he could never have done under this public character, had his nature 'been less glorious, and so his atonement less compleat. > ' 2. The actual exercise of this intercession, " in such an ex* " tent, does farther imply Divine perfections," and by conse« quence a fulness of saving power, I have before observed, that there is the greatest reason to be lieve, the intercession of Christ is not merely his appearance before GoD, in the body in which he suffered; but that it is attended with a constant and ardent intention, that his death may be effectual to the purposes designed, not only for his people in general, but for each of them in particular : aud I en deavoured to shew you, that it implied a care, correspondent to their various circumstances, that grace might be accommo dated to every time of need. Now this plainly implies a know ledge extending itself even to omniscience ; a knowledge of the hearts, as well as the conditions of his people ; a knowledge of those unutterable breathings, in which often the most valuable part of prayer consists, and of those secret assaults and strugglings, which are often the most painful scenes throngh which the christian passes. Yet such a knowledge must the great intercessor have, not only of one particular person, but of each and of all the children of God that are scattered from his Intercession. q67 abroad in the most distant nations of the earth, and all at the same moment of lime. Surely vve must say, such knowledge is too wonderful for us ; it is high, we cannot attain unto it : especially when vve consider it, as joined with the administra tion of that universal kingdom, over which he is exalted, la this view, the humble soul must fall' prostrate before him in the towliest homage, and cry out, " My Lord and my God ! Thou " art indeed able to save to the uttermost: nothing can exceed " the penetration of thy wisdom, or the extent of thy power," 3, "The perpetuity of Chkisit's" intercession is a farther ar- " gumentof his ability always to save." In this view the apostle introduces the thought : He is able to save to the uttermost,— seeing he ever lives to make interces sion. It is an encouragement to our believing application unto hira, as the Lord mighty to save, when we consider, that n the prosecution of so amazing an employ, he fainteth not, neither is weary. Had it been the appointment of the Father, that be sliould have re i red from the office of an intercessor, after he had attended to it for some few days or years, we must by faith bave looked to a past, as the old testament saints did to a future transaction : But surely our comfort could not have risen so high, as it now does, when we reflect, " Even at this " moraent is Christ appearing in Heaven for rae : he is there " as the refuge of hts people throughout all generations : and " I have all imaginable security of his saving power, because " his one offering has so fully compleated the work, that he " needs not come down to earth again, by dying to renew *f the sacrifi^ce that he presented here. No ; the efficacy of it is " everlasting, as his intercession upon it is perpetual." This seems plainly the apostle's meaning, by what he adds just after the text ; — Such an High Priest became us, — who needeth not, as those High Priests rarider the law, daily to offer; — having done once for all, when he offered, up himself. lit. It! only remains, that I conclude with a few obvious, but important reflectjofis, J, How admirable and how amiable, does the blessed Jesus appear, wfaep considered as the grea^ intercessor of his people ! 268 Christ's Saving Poxver argued How admirable is he in this view! What an honour is done him in the Heavenly world! How dear to the F;^ther does he appear to be ; when God will not accept the services of the greatest and best of mankind, unless presented by him ; and for his sake will graciously regard the meanest and vilest sinner I And how great does this intercessor appear in himself? " Blessed " Jesus," raay the christian say^ " Who is like unto thee ? who " canst at once sustain so many different relations, and canst " fill them all with their proper offices, of duty to thy Father and " of love to thy people I who canst thus bear, without incum- " bering thyself, without interfiering with each other, the priestly " censer, and the royal sceptre ! How wise are thy counsels ! " How extensive thy views ! Hoiv capacious thy thoughts ; and " yet at the sarae time, how compassionate thy gracious heart ! "That amidst all the exaltations of Heaven, all the splendors " of thy Father'sright hand, thou shouldest still thus graciously " remember thine humble followers ! That thine eye should, be " always watchful over them, thine ear be always open to their "; prayers, thy mouth be ever ready to plead for* them,! and ". thine arm to save them I As ifit were Mot love enough to " descend and die, unless thou didst for ever live and reign for " thera, and even glory in being made head over all for thy " church!" " But especially," may the christian say, " when I think of " thee, blessed Jesus, not only as tbe intercessor of thy peo- " pie in general, but as my intercessor; when 1 think, that " thou hast espoused my character, and my cause, vile and " obnoxious as it is ; and that thou art recommending ray poor " broken services, which I daily blush to present before thee; " and art using thine interest and thine authority in the world " above, to compleat ray salvation, which thou hast begun; " What shall thy poor servant say unto thee? All these asto^ " iiishing and kind regaids to rae, who am unworthy to wash " the feet of the least of thy followers ! Shall not the wonders f of such condescending grace engage my gratitude to alteter- " nity ? My praises now are so exceeding -feeble, and so low, I " am almost ashamed to offer them.: Oh when shall those from his Intercession. q69 " nobler praises begin, which I hope ere long to offer in that " world of perfectionj to which thy gracious intercession is " bringing me ?" - ' ' n ¦ 2, With what holy joy may the christian reflect dti his inte rest in such an intercessor ! , Methinks we should often be entering into this pleasurable thought. The Lord Jesus is pleading fot us above, and he ever lives to make intercession there. We had pious friends, who were once bearing us on their hearts before Gonin prayer; but they are now . sleeping in the dust : our dear religious pa rents, our holy ministers, our goides and companions in the ways of God ! We have ^ no warrant to expect any farther assistance frOm their prayers. In this sense, Abraham is igno- -rant of us, and Israel does not, and cannot acknowledge us; but Christ is an ever-living intercessor, without whose inter position theirs had beenvain, and in comparison with whom we have none on earth, or in Heaven to desire. Let papists com mit jthemselves to the pairortage of angels and saints, and by a voluntary aiid offensive humility; intreat them to intercede with God, or to intercede with Christ in their favour : As Christ has by one offering perfected for ever them that are sanctified ; so by one continual intercession, in, which he; needs and admits -no associate, he for ever secures them. : ' 3. With what holy boldness may the christian draw near to God, in dependance on such an intercessor ! We have daily iinportant errands to the throne of grace ; and perhaps hardly any thing would more promote the success of them, than to lift up a cheerful and believing eye, as ex pecting to receive something from God's hand. A ^conseious- ness of our own numberless imperfections and defects may indeed discourage us ; a sense of our guilt might even fright us away. But. when we see Jesus standing before the throne, in such a posture, in such a character, surely' we may venture near; and when most awed, and most dismayed, may encourage ourselves ¦in, hiin. This is an inference which the apostle draws, and which he repeats' again and agalii : Seeing we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the Heavens, Jesus the S'oN-of God ; let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may 270 Christ's Saving Power argued obtain mercy, and find grace to help in every time of need ; for surely, neither mercy to pardon, Tior grace to strengthen, will now be withheld. Haying therefore boldness, (as he else where espresses it,) to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by that new and living way which be hath consecrated for us,— let us draw near : and oh that we may ever do it with a true heart, since there is so blessed a foundation Idid for a full assurance of faith ! 4. What reason is there to adbre tJie t)ivin^ wisdom and goodness, in appointing go excellent a w^y, at once to promote our humility, and our confidenoe ! You have seen, how justly it may" establish oar faith, to con sider, that though we are unworthy for whom any thing should be done, yet Christ is worthy r and I aiaj' add, that in ap pointing him to be our intercessor, Gon hath declared his own favourable regard to us, and we may comfortably conclude^ that the Father himself loveth us, Yel this love is manifested, as in a very gracious way. This token of Divine displeasure against sin is yet upon us, that we are not allowed to draw near to him in our own name, or to expect the least favour for our own sake ; but he still keeps tis at humble distance, nor will he permit us to see his face, unless our elder brother be with ns. And ^s he treated Elipfaaz and his companions, saying. My wrath is kindled against you ; take now an offering, and go to my servant Job, and he shall pray for yoti, and him will I ac cept ; lest I deal with you after your folly : Thus God refuses to look on the best of our offerings, if they do not pass through a more acceptable hand. How awful a reflection, and how wise a provision, to promote that humility, which so well becomes pardoned rebels, before the holy injured Majesty of Heaven! This is, as he expresses it by Ezekiel, Tbat we may remember our way, and be confounded, and never open our mouths any more, because of our shame, even when he is pacified towards us for all that we have done. Lastly, How powerfully should this comfortable doctrine operate on our minds, to promote our love to this great inter cessor, and our zeal for his honour and glory ! from his Intercession. '271 " Blessed Lord," should- each of us say, " dost thou remem- *' ber such a worthless -worm amidst all thine honour and joy " above, and shall not I remember tiVee, the King of Glory ? " Where should iny heart be but with.thee? On wht^t should I " set my aflcctions^ but on those thi^igs wliich are above, where " thou-sittest. at. tlie right hanrf of Go©? My righteouSnes.s, " and ray strength, mine -adyiiGate, and my guardian! Shall " I be unmindful of thee ? While thou art pleading my " cause in Heaven, shall I -not be-jjoyfuUy willing to plead " thy sacred and honourable cause- on- earth ?/Rather, much " rather, may I forget the powers of reason, and lose the " faculty of -speech, than neglect to use thera for thee: ra- " ther may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, than " it should be ashamed, or iafraid^ to vindicate thy gospel, " though they added cruelty atid terror to their impieties. So " mayest thou confess me before thy Father and the holy *' angels, in the last solemn day, as I determine that I will " confess thee now, though this crooked and perverse genera- " tion should grow still more degenerate than it is." Christians, if we have not such sentiments and resolutions m these, I fear we have no title to any of the comforts of Christ's intercession, atid shall have no share in its invaluable blessings. ( 272 ) SERMON XiV. Comihg to GOD iy CHRIST, the Character of those that shall be saved. Heb. vii. 25. ; ' wherefore he is able also to save them io the uttermost, thai come . unto God by hinii seeing he ever liveth to make intercessionfor • theni w, HEN the Psalniist had beeitt celebrating the Majesty of GoDi as the almighty Creator and Possessor of all, he breaks out into this most natural, and important enquiry, who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord ? and who shall stand in his holy place ? And methinks^ Christians, when we have been hearing of the boundless power of Christ to save, and of the prevalency of that intercession which he ever lives to make, we should imraediately cry out, " Who are the happy souls, in " whose rescue this almighty arm shall be employed, and whose " cause this gracious intercessor will undertake always to " plead ;" The text answers the question in a very edifying and satisfactory manner, though in few words; they are such as come unto God by him. , You know that from this scripture I have already considered, I. What we are to understand by Christ's being able to save to the utterniost. Coming to G-od by Christ. 273 ll. What evidences we have, that he is really so. II [, I have considered the particular argument for it, which the apostle here draws, from his ever living to make inter cession. It only remains, that I now dpen IV, The character of the persons, who are encouraged to expect a share in this salvation; they are such as come unto God by him. Now before I proceed to the more particular discussion of these words, you raust give me leave to observe, that they seem in their primary and strictest sense to signify " an ap- " proach to God in the soleranitie's of religious worship, in the " narae of Christ as the great intercessor." As when the Jewish people were honoured with the abode of the Shekinah, the visible token of the Divine presence, they did in their highest religious solemnities approach to that, sur rounding with their sacrifices, and their prayers, the tabernacle or temple, where it held its residence; hence it seems to have come to pass, that the phrases of coming to God, coming into his presence, a,nd drawing near to hira, were often used to exr press the acts of Divine' worship. And as the priests were ad mitted to come nearer to the ark, on which this visible glory usually rested, than others even of that, holy nation ; they are with peculiar propriety spoken of, as drawing near to God. We may also add, that forasmuch as once a year the high priest went into the Holy of Holies, in the name of the whole con gregation, with the blood of victims offered to expiate their sins ; they might properly, at that solemn season, be said to come unto God by him. And the connection of these words, as I have largely shewn, does most evidently imply an allusion to these Jewish rites, and a regard to Christ as the great high priest of our profession. But it would be very imprudent, and unsafe, to leave the matter thus generally explained. Salvation is here promised, to all that come unto God by Christ ; as it elsewhere is, to all Vol. III. T 274 Coming to God by Christ, that call on the, name ofthe Lord. Yet most certain it is, from the whole tenor of scripture, that there are multitudes who call on bis narae, and transmit their petitions to God in a pjo- fessed dependance on his mediation and intercession, whose persons and services God will reject with abhorrence; who sball see salvation only from afar, and never be permitted to taste of it. And tberefore it is manifest, that, to make the scripture consistent with itself, these phrases, when connected in such a raanner, must be taken in a much larger extent, as comprehending all that, by which the acceptable worshipper, and the true believer, is distinguished from tbe hypocritical pro fessor, who draws near to God only to dishonour him, and to bring on himself aggravated guilt and condemnation. And by consequence, coming to God, as the phrase is here used, raust signify in the general, " applying ourselves with the " greatest seriousness to our important business with him ;" as such expressions often signify, when they are put for the whole of religion : and coming through Christ raust imply, " such " humble and faithful regards to him as the great mediator, " such a cordial acceptance of him, such a chearful depen- " dance upon him," as is so often in the New Testament ex pressed by that faith in him, to which the promises of eternal salvation are made, and to which they are limited. But since it is a matter of so great moraent, and a matter in whicb it is to be feared so many are deceiving their ownsouls, give me leave to descend into sorae particulars of explication. And let rae intreat your dihgent attention, and beseech you, as you dread the ruin of the hypocrites in Sion, that you enter seriously into your own hearts, and j udge yourselves, as persons that expect shortly to be judged of the Lord. Oh that through the sanctifying, the quickening, and the witnessing influences of the Holy Spirit, we raight see the characters which are now to be drawn, more and more evidently agreeing to ourselves! The believer you see is here described, — as coming to Got),— and as coming to hira through Christ. I. The believer is described, " as one that comes to God." the Character of those that shall be saved. Q75 This evidently iraplies, — a firm persuasion of his being and attributes,-^a deep conviction that it is our highest interest to secure his favour, — a readiness to renounce whatever can come in competition with it, — a chearful and resolute subjection to his service, — and a care to keep up a continual correspondence with him, and to live as in a state of nearness to him. 1. Coming to God evidently implies, " a firm belief of his " being and perfections." This the apostle asserts in express words, which carry their own evidence along with them; he that cometh unto God, must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek hira. And indeed the latter is as necessary as the former ; for merely to believe a first cause of almighty power and consummate skill, as sorae pretend to do, without any sense of his providence, government, and goodness, is, with regard to all the purposes of practical religion, as vain and as pernicious as atheism itself. But you will remember, that a good man does not rest in such a cold assent to the truth of these doctrines, like that he gives to propositions which he studies only for amusement. No, but they descend into the mind with a due energy, and he realizeth them to himself with the utmost seriousness. " Oh my soul," does he often say, " it is not a precarious conclusion, or a mere " probable hypothesis, that there is a God, and such a God " as I profess to believe ; but it is a most certain and evident " truth. I do not more clearly see the meridian sun by his own " rays, nor more surely know, that I myself think and exist; " than I see God by his works, and know him as the original " author of my beings and of these thinking powers which are " now enquiring after hira. There is, there is an eternal and " iramutable Jehovah. He reigns on an exalted throne above, " and the highest potentate of that shining v,'orld is infinitely " more inferior to him, than superior to the meanest insect on " earth. God is there, and he is here; he surrpunds all his " creatures with his immensity, and preserves them all by his " influence. In him I live and move, and have my being; on " hira angels and worms are equally dependant ; nor is there a " motion in the material, or a thought in the intellectual T 2 276 Coming to God by Christy " world, to which he is not most intimately conscious. Behold "him, oh my soul, with reverence and love ; for he is a most " awful being, in whom unsearchable wisdora, and almighty " power, are joined with unerring justice, unspotted holiness, " and invariable truth; but reniember, he is also the most " amiable. There is a beauty in all these perfections ; and it is " softened and sweetened by the overflowings. of goodness and " mercy ; those rich and gentle strearas, which not only water " Paradise, but visit these regions of guilt and darkness." Such views as these are familiar to the mind of the believer: and this firm and affectionate persuasion ©f the being and at tributes of God, is the foundation, both of natural and re vealed religion ; and the root frora whence all the branches of moral virtue, and evangelical faith and holiness, must spring. 2. Coming to God must also iraply, " an earnest desire of a " share in the Divine favour, as our highest interest and hap- " piness."And methinks this is a necessary consequence of the forpier We are indeed too apt to lift up our soul unto vanity, and to grow fond of these empty shadows : but it is because God is forgotten ; as we admire the stars, because the sun is absent. But surely when the mind is thus possessed with a sense of God, it will feel a kind of indignation, that any other object should have ever been, corapared with hira, though it were only to be postponed, as inconceivably less valuable. Much more will it be displeased, and ashamed to think, that it has ever preferred these to God. "Alas," will such a soul say, " whither have I " wandered ? Into what wilderness am I come ? I look round " about me on the creatures, and I see no shelter nor refresh- " ment. They are like broken cisterns, or deceitful brooks, " whose waters fail me when I need thera most. What then, " O Lord, da I wait for r my hope is in thee ; for thou art the "fountain of living waters: all-suflicient for ray happiness, " and only sufficient for it. If I were a poor abandoned out- ".cast, if I had not a friend or helper on earth, if I knew not "where I should look for my next lodging, or ray next ineal; " if at the same time ray body were worn out with pin ng ill- " ness, and every nie'raber of it the seat of pain , yet if I could the Character of those that shall be saved. ^77 " but look up, and see thy face through this cloud, if I could " but callthee my Father and my God, I were happy still; f' and might pity the most prosperous monarch on earth, that " was a stranger to thee, and thy love. There are many that " say. Who will shew us any good ? Oh that thy spirit may " teach them truer wisdom ! But as for me, I will still say, " Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon rae. " Whom have I in Heaven but thee ? and there is none upon " earth that I-desire besides thee." In consequence of this, 3. Coming to Gon iraplies, " a readiness to forsake every " thing which can stand in opposition to him." My brethren, what I have been describing, is, in a good man, not merely a conviction of the understanding, but a sen timent of the heart. He would abhor the hypocrisy, the im piety, and the folly, of owning the incoraparable excellence of the Divine Being, and yet practically chusing something else before him. " Lord," does be sometimes say, " I have often *' done it ; and for ever blessed be thy name, that thou didst " not finally chuse those my delusions. It grieves me to think, " how I injured thee, and dishonoured and wronged my own " soul, when other Lords had dominion over me : and they " would detain me in their ignoble servitude ; but in answer to " all their unreasonable claims, I make mention of thy name. " Thou requires! that I should give thee my very heart, and " should be ready to leave all and follow thee; Lord, I would " cheerfully consent, and hope, that through grace I can say, , '' None of these things move rae, neither should I, in such a " cause, count my life dear unto me." 4. Coming to God does faither import, "a williug subjection to his service," " Lord," does the christian say, " I would come to thee " not to sit down under thy shadow, indolent and unactive. " My faculties were made for employraent; and it is ray joy to " think, that they shall be eraployed for thee. 1 love thee with " all ray heart, and with all ray soul ; and therefore by the aids " of thy grace, I will serve thee with all my might," and with " all ray strength. I would gladly yield myself to thee, as f' aiiye f^-orp the dead, and use my members as instruments of T 3 27^ Coming to God by Christ " righteousness. Thy promises are my delight, as I trust they " are ray portion ; but. Lord, they are not the only part of thy " word that 1 love ; for I delight myself in thy statutes, and " love thy commandments above gold, yea, above fine gold. " I account thy Service, mine honour, and my happiness ; I " desire always to keep the eye of ray soul directed towards "^ thee, to wait the intimations of thy gracious pleasure ; and " if I am distinguished from others by any advantages of na- " ture, or of circumstances, I would chiefly rejoice in them, " as they are capable of being improved for thee.'' 5. Coming unto God does also imply, " the keeping up a " constant correspondence with hira." I before observed, that this phrase, in the present connexion, seeras particularly to refer to our approaching hira in the so- leranities of religious worship: and when it is spoken of as a part of the christian's character, it plainly intiraates a frequent and constant care in these duties. Thus good men under the old law are described, as a generation of tbem tbat seek God. " Lord" does every child of God often' think and say, " it is " indeed good for me to draw near unto thee. What is my " great final hope, but to dwell in a state of everlasting near- " ness ? in the mean time, tbe nearer I am to thee, the more " of Heaven is brought down to earth ; the more I enjoy of " thee, the raore do I enjoy myself, ' and relish ray being. I " make my visits to thy Throne, not merel}' to pay a homage " which thou requirest, but to seek an entertainment which " I prefer to any other. Far from looking upon it as a disa- " greeable condition, with which ray expectations from thee " are clogged, I count the opportunities of such converse, and " ray inclinations towards it, in the number of my greatest obli- " gallons to thy goodness." Should God say to the christian, " I will for the future dispense with thine attendance ; thou " shalt retain thine interest in rae, though thou should'st call " upon me no raore ; and shalt meet me as thy Friend at " death, though thou forgettest rae in life;" the good man would not be able to bear such a dismission. He would rather say, " Lord, ifl were to live only on these terms, it were " much belter for me to die. I should with Moses, in another the character of those that shall be saved. 279 " case, pray thee to kill rae out of hand, rather than leave me " here under such a burthen as life would seem, ifit raight not " be sweetened by communion with thee, in the closet, in the " Family, and in public ordinances." These, ray Brethren, are iraportant parts of the christian's character, yet they are far frora being the whole of it. With this teraper he comes to God; but how should he be encou raged to such an approach, if the great Redeemer were forgot ? We add therefore, II. That all, to whoni salvation is promised in the Gospel, " make their approach to God through Christ," or, as the text expresses it, they come unto God by him. You will no doubt be willing, that I should open this inlpor- tant article prettj-^ largely ; and I shall do it under the follow ing particulars. Coming to God by Christ implies, — a deep sense of our need of a Mediator, in order to our comfortable intercourse with God ;^ — a persuasion of the power of Christ,-— and a confidence in his grace ;^a cordial approbation ofthe Method in which he bestows salvation ;— and a constant care to maintain proper regards to Christ, in the whole course of our walking with God. This is that evangelical faith, to which the promises of ^gospel-salvation are appropriated, by the text before us, and the whole tenor of scripture, 1. Coming to God by Christ imphes, " a deep sense of " our need of a mediator, in order to a comfortable intercourse " with God." Christianity is the religion of sinners ; and it will never be really welcome to a soul, that is not sensible of the evil, and malignity of sin. The natural pride of our hearts would first lead us to forget God, and not to seek after him at all : but if conscience be in any measure awakened to see (what it is strange every rational creature should not always see,) our dependance on him, and our need of an interest in his favour, pride finds a second refuge, in a fond conceit of bringing something of our '. own to recommend us to it. And if at length raen are sensible, they have nothing of this kind, which tliey can call their own^ 280 Coming to God by Christ they are ready fo think of casting themselves imraediately on the mercies of an offended God, rather than of multiplying their obligations, and their dependances, by coming to him through a mediator^. If we must own ourselves sinners, we are prone to extenuate our guilt; and if we cannot look upon it as an indifferent, would at least represent it, as an excusable thing, which is worthy of compassion, rather than of indignation. How difficult is it to view it in a true light ! to see what insolence and baseness it carries in it, and what danger and ruin it exposes us to ! But divine grace makes way for the gospel into our hearts, by displaying the justice and the holiness of God, as equally essential to his nature, with his wisdom and goodness : and then, when we consider ourselves as appearing in his presence, convicted of ten thousand aggravated offences, we cry out from a deep and inward sense, *' Who is able to stand before this " holy Lord God ? wherewith shall I come before the Lord, " and bow myself before the high God? surely I need some " perfectly righteous Mediator, high in his favor, to introduce " me to hira, and to render ray access safe and comfortable, *' by appearing as a days-raan betwixt us, to lay his hand upon " us both." 2. Coming to God by Christ farther implies, " a full per- " suasion of his saving power.'' We have been endeavouring to prove it at large ; and the conviction of it enters deep into the believing soul. He assents to this most concerning truth with full satisfaction, though there be something in the foundation of it whicb feeble reason cahnqt fully comprehend. Important as he sees his everlast ing concerns to be, he can courageously venture them here ; he can cry out, " Lord, I believe," though a mixture of un belief may cost him many a tear. " Lord," does he often say, " I am sure, that if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. " Though Jew and Gentile may reject thee, I humbly own " thee, as the head stone of the corner. Oh ! that I were but " as sure pi an interest in thee, as I raight be of finding my ?' security and my happiness in it." 3. It farther implies, " a cheerful confidence in the grace of Christ", as vvell as a persuasion of his saving power. the character of those that sliall be saved. 281 Without this he would appear the object of terror, rather than of hope ; or in the mildest view, but as a spring shut up, and a fountain sealed, to a traveller languishing, and dying with thirst. But faith teaches the christian firmly to rely on that kind and gracious invitation. If any roan thirst let him come unto me and drink. " Yes," says the believer, " it is " indeed so. The compassions of his heart are proportionable f to the power of his hand ; and I will cast ray soul upon thera". " Blessed Jesus, I would throw myself at thy feet, though it f were a supposable case, that I raight perish there, and but " an uncertain peradventure> that thou raightest pity and save " rae ; for if thou shouldest not, I could but die ; and I had " rather die an humble penitent, than an obstinate rebel : but f forgive that unworthy thought, — that thou shouldst leave " an humble penitent to die before thee ! Neither thy grace, *' nor thy truth, will permit it. Hira thai 'cometh to thee, thou " wilt in no wise cast out : and though I am a poor, weak, " worthless creature, thou earnest not to call the righteous, but " sinners to repentance; pnd thou callest thera in so com- " passionate a manner, as to engage that thou wilt not break " the bruised reed, nor quench the smoaking flax. Let Christ " be true, whoever is a Tiar." Thus do his doubts gradually disperse; thus dops he rise to ajoy and peace in believing.. But jt is always to be remembeied, 4. Tbat coming to Gop by Christ includes, " a cordial " approbation, and acceptance of the raethods of. his saving " grace." This is of the highest importance, if we would not deceive ourselves to our eternal rui"n. Men may dress up an idol in their own minds, and call it by the name of Christ ; and they may be as fond of it, as Pagans are of the works of their own hands : but can this save tbem, if it be found that the true Christ, as exhibited in the gospel, has been overlooked and rejected by them ? a true believer impartially enquires after tb© way, in which salvation is proposed in the word of God ; and when he has discovered it, he entirely approves it, as a faith ful saying, worthy of God to appoint, and most fit for him to ^82 Coming to God by Christ accept. More particularly he views it, and acquiesces in it, as the way of faith, and the way of holiness. Each of these views of it will deserve our farther attention. The good man heartily desires to receive the gospel-salvation, ^' in the way of faith, or humble believing," It is thus the word of God always exhibits it ; the just shall live by faith ; nor shall any flesh glory in his presence. And so entirely is every high thought reduced to the obedience of this blessed principle, in the heart of him that comes to God by Christ, that he is willing to do, what to so corrupt a nature as ours seeras most expensive, to buy wine and milk without money and without price ; willing to part with the very dearest of his idols, to renounce all dependance on himself, as to what is past, or what is yet to come ; to trust no more in his own righteousness, or his own strength ; and to say with the most joyful consent of soul, in the Lord have I both righteousness and strength, " Blessed Jesus, it is hard to my proud heart to " say it ; but it is therefore so much the more reasonable and " necessary : for this cursed dependance on self has spoiled the " best of my duties, and would betray me to guilt and ruin in " many future instances, shouldst thou forsake me. How im- " perfect and sinful are my best days, and my holiest hours ! " bow feeble and raost ineffectual my most vigorous and solemn >" resolutions, against so much inward corruption, and so many " outward eneraies and temptations ! Lord, I am distressed, but " I hope thou hast undertaken for me, I hope, I may look " on thee as ray great surety and covenant-head, who didst, " before tbe foundation of the world, engage to satisfy for my " breaches of thy father's law, to work out for rae a perfect " righteousness, and by thy always victorious power and grace, " to conduct me to Glory, in the midst of all opposition, " Eternal life is the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our " Lord ; from his hand would I most thankfully receive this " crown, and at his feet would I humbly lay it !" On the other hand. It is to be remembered. That as Christ saves his people " in " the way of holiness," the true believer most cordially falls in with this part of the scheme. the chatacier of those that shall be saved. 283 Indeed he could not otherwise be a believer in the Gospel sense of the word ; for saving faith is a principle of holy obe dience ; and a faith without -Works is expressly declared to. be dead, as the body is dead, wheii without the spirit. The chris tian well knows, that it was the great design of his Lord's ap pearance and sufferings in the fiesh, that he might bring us to God, that he might save his people from their sins, and purify thera to himself, as a pecuhar people, zealous of good works. And how reasonable is this part ofthe scheme 1 " Could I," says he, " have desired, that it should have been otherwise ? that " the Holy Jesus should have been the minister of sin ? " that he, whose great business it was to honour the law of God, " should have dissolved our obligations to it, and have given " a license to bis followers to continue the servants of corrup- " tion, even while they call him their Lord ? or could I ask " it, or even so much as wish it, that he should distinguish " me frotn 'others, by a dispensation of that kind ? unreason- " able and detestable thought ! Lord, I desire not, I under- " stand not a salvation, of whicli holiness shall not be an essen- " tial part. And though I well know, that many precepts of thy " gospel are sublime, and difficult ; and that they may be " justly represented, by cutting off a right hand, and pluck- " ing out a right eye ; yet through thy grace I can say, I es- " teem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right, and " hate every false way. Blessed Jesus, thou art most welcome " to my soul, as made of God unto me, sanctification, aswell " as righteousness and redemption. Give me thy spirit to lead " me, and I will follow with pleasure; draw me, and I will run " after tbee in the way which thou thyself hast traced ; for " thou who knowest all things, knowest that it is the desire of " toy soul, to be conformed to thee in holiness now, as well as " in glory hereafter." I shall only add, 5. Coming to God by Christ does farther express, " a con- " tinual care to maintain proper regards to him, in the whole " course of our walking with God. He is not considered, only as a Mediator to introduce us at first into the divine presence, and so to settle a correspondence, to be carried on g/terwaids without any farther use of him; but 284 Coming to God by Christ as that blessed and important person, through whom we have continually access by one, spirit unto the Father. " Lord does the Christian often say, not merely as a language learned from others, but as expressive of what he feels in his own soul, " thou " art indeed ray life. How should the branches grow, but by " sap derived frora the root? How should the Members act but " by influences communicated frora the head ? Teach me by " thy grace to say with thine holy Apostle, I live, yet not I, " but Christ hveth in rae ; and the life which I now live in " the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved " me, and gave hiraself for me. And may I ever be found in " the number of those, who, regarding thee, as the living " stone, are by a union witb thee, as lively stones, builded up " together for an habitation of God through the Spirit ! Thus " let me pass through the wilderness of life, leaning on thee as " the beloved of my soul ; and when I have finished mypil- " grimage, raay I lay down ray weary head, in thy gentle " faithful bosom, dying as I have lived, in the exercise of faith " and commending my spirit into thine hands !" — ^I'his is the character of those, who come unto God by Christ; and in these respects may they say, with tbe beloved disciple, " Truly " our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus " Christ." I shall not enter on a laboured argument to prove, that these particulars are comprehended in the words which the text uses, to describe those who are interested in the gospel salvation. It is a formality, which raay well be spared, to those who consider the natural import of the phrase, and the general tenor of the word of God ; and the scriptures which 1 have introduced under each head, will easily furnish out matter of proof, to those who are capable of judging of a more abstruse kind of argument than I here think it proper to enter upon. I should rather clyise to dilate on the practical improvements, which inight naturally arise from this branch of ray discourse; and address myself to you in such exhortations as these; — Let us adore the divine goodness, that such a salvation is offered to us, in so reasonable, so easy, and so gracious a way : — Let us exainine by the hints which have now b^en proposed, wh^'^ the character of those that shall be saved. 285 their we are in the number of those who are interested in it — Let those who are convinced that they are not, be persuaded to reflect on their present circumstances : Let those who are alarmed with a sense of their present danger, be persuaded in the strength of divine grace, to come unto God through Christ : — ' Let those who are sincerely desirous to do it, be encouraged to pursue so wise and necessary a purpose : — And let those who have been enabled to comply with the exhortatioh, be excited to peculiar thankfulness, and established in a cheerful hope of that salvation, which they are taught to expect. But that I may not be under a necessity of dispatching these iinportant heads in a few hasty words, or of swelling this discourse to an immoderate bulk, I chuse to refer them to another opportunity, when I shall conclude what I have to offer from the text ; nor would it have employed us so long, had it not cofttained a va riety of very weighty and instructive matter. In the mean time, may the hints I have now been giving you, be so recollected and considered, as to prepare your hearts for what is farther to be spoken I ( 285 ) SERMON XV. An Exhortation to SINNERS to come unto GOD hy CHRIST. Heb. vix. 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercessionfor them. Al lT length, my friends, I am entering on tbe last discourse, which I intend from these words. Our meditations upon them had been drawn to a close much sooner, had not raany funeral- discourses interrupted tbem ; and you know, there were also others of that kind, which did not interrupt them, being preached on week-days. But it is surely most fit, that those awful providences, which for awhile diverted our thoughts from this subject, should now awaken our more diligent and lively attention to it. It is not for mortal creatures to trifle with these important truths of Christianity, on which the life of their souls does so evidently depend : No, nor to rest in speculative views of them, while heart application is neglected. The dying, and the dead, look upon these things in another inan-i ner ; and we shall shortly be numbered amongst them : The Lord awaken us now so to hear the conclusion of the whole matter, as we shall then wish we had heard it ! I have already "endeavoured. Sinners to come unto God by Christ. 287 I. To shew you, what we are to understand by Christ's being able to save to the uttermost. II. To prove that he is so. III. To open the doctrine of his intercession, and to con sider what an argunjent it is of his saving power. And then, IV. I have considered the character of those, who shall be interested in this salvation, as described in the text by their coming to God by him. Under each of the three former heads I have given you several reflections ; and I am now to conclude with others, which more immediately arise from the fourth, especially when taken in connection with the foregoing. May each of you know your own concern in them ; and may the blessed Spirit of God apply them to your souls with divine efficacy and success ! Suffer, I beseech you, this word of exhortation to address you in these six particulars. \ 1. " Let us adore the divine Goodness that such a salvation " is offered us, in so reasonable, so easy, and so gracious a " way." Such a salvation in any method might have -been joyfully welcome to us ; and how much more in this ? Lpt us call in our roving thoughts, and settle them for awhile in this one point. Let us stand still and see the salvation of God. Surely when we con.sider our natural condition, in the view in which the gospel represents it ; when we heaV the law of God thundering out its curses against us : when we see his justice lifting up its sword to smite us, hell gaping to devour us, and its malicious fiends eyeing us as their sure prey, and impatient to begin our torment ; in such a view it must have appeared a great favour, had God heard the cry of our anguish and despair, so far as to permit the rocks to fall upon us, and the mountains to cover us, though they had crushed us into atoms, and he had, at the same tirae, extinguished the thinking part of our nature, and reduced it to its original nothing^jOh how gladly would millions ggS An ei-h'orf ation to Sinners that 'were onde the rich; the great, 'the learned, the victorious of th^ earth, meet such a fate as this ; and perhaps be mord thankful for the destruction of their beings, than they ever were for any of its enjoyments ? but we hear of being saved,— of being saved to the uttermost ; — hear of it, not merely as a favor cbnfei-red on others, but as an offer proposed to us ; as a scheme, not merl?ly deliberated = upbn, or intended, but in a great mea» sure already effected ; and our eyes are directed to the regions of compleat and eternal glory, d.s an abode purchased and pre pared for Such worthless and guilty creatures as we. " Bles* " sed God I did our appointed way to it lie, not only through '" a wilderness of thorns, but through a sea of fire, how gladly " might we accept the proposals ? if the scheme had been to " raise us to this heavenly paradise, after the severest course of " penance on earth ; or even after we had tasted of the cup " of thy wrath in hell, and suffered all but despair of those " doleful regions, for a long succession of years, or of ages ; " surely we must then have received the news of such a distant " deliverance on our knees, and have mingled thy praises with " those groans and tears, which such intermediate discipline " had extorted from us. And dost thou now offer us a com^ " pleat pardon, in so easy a way, as only to say, wash and be " clean, as only to call us to come unto thee by Christ ?"-^ Surely christians, instead of complaining of this as a hardship, we have reason to own it as a great additional favour.— Whither indeed should we go but unto God ? and where should we dwell safe and happy, but under the shadow of his wings ! and how could we have presumed, or indeed how could we have borne, to have come to hira, otherwise than by Christ ? — It is true indeed, that if we would enter into a treaty with this Prince of Peace, we must give up our sins : But what are these, but the tyrants of the mind, whose reign is our servitude, whose death is our deliverance? — And what though we must give up otirown righteousness too, as to any dependance upon it for our justifi cation before God ; is there a soul among us, that would dare to stand, or fall, according to the perfection of that ? And is there an experientied christian, that doth not know, there is a secret unutterable pleasure in submitting tothe righteousness To come unto God by Christ. 289 cf Got) ; and in a wise and rational transport of soul, in recei ving the rich grace given us in Christ, to make us compleat in him ; far beyond the vain joy of that distempered dream, which represented us to our own imaginationj as rich and hon ourable, righteous and happy, in the midst of poverty and shame, guilt and misery ? surely if we should hold onr peace, when such a salvation is proposed to us in such a method as this, it might almost be expected, that the very stones would cry out, to upbraid our ingratitude. 2. " Let us seriouslv examine, whether we have come to " God by Christ, and so are interested in this great salva- " tion." To each of you, my friends, that hear rae this day, is the word of this salvation sent; and that you have received the offers of it, will, on the whole, be raatter of everlastingjoy, or of eyerlasting- sorrow. The word of God assures us, tbat there are coraparatively few, that receive saving benefit by it, " raany are called, but few are chosen." And does it not alarm you ? methinks, if there were only a few out of considerable numbers, that miss'd it, each of lis should be ready to tremble for hiraself: if we knew, that but one soul in all this assembly should finall}' lose it, we raight each of us cry out with great solicitude of spirit, if in any de gree unassured with regard to ourselves. Lord, is it 1 ? And how much more now ? Are there any of you that must say, " I do " not certainly know, whether this salvation will be mine or " not ?" how can you bear the uncertainty ? Let rae charge it on your consciences that you enter into the enquiry. Have yon corae unto God by Christ ? I ask not so rauch, whether you believe the existence of God, and the truth of Christianity ? This is a faith which you may carry down with you to the habi tation of devils, who themselves also believe and tremble ! — I ask not so rauch. Whether you have ever felt sorae desires after an interestin God through Christ? in this respect, as well as in others, there is a desire of the slothful that kills him, while it serves only to increase his present disquietude, and his after- punishment. — But I ask, what is on tbe whole your choice ? what are your cares, your hopes, and your joys? do they center in God ? do they arise from communion with him through Vol. IIL ' U 290 An exhortation to Sinners Christ ? do you experimentally know what it is to come to his throne, to submit your revolted souls to his government with delight ? to wait the signal of his will, as the rule of your actions ! to enjoy, or at least earnestly desire, the visits of his grace, the effusions of his love on j'our hearts ? is prayer your pleasm'e, or is it your burden ? do you regard the word of God as an invaluable treasury, or is it to you as a sealed book? you have a thousand traces ofthe sublimest devotion and piety there : can you relish them ? can you find any considerable resem blance between yourselves, and those holy souls, whose charac ters are there recorded and approved ? you call yourselves christi ans: but do you know Christ, and do you love him, and do yon fcordially approve of the methods of his saving grace ? Do-yojj know whatj it is, to corne and lay down your guilty souls, as un> der the effusions of his blood ? to strip yourselves of all the pride of nature, that your nakedness may be clothed with his glorious righteousness ? to bow to his sceptre as his obedient subjectif, and rejoice that you have suoh a governor? And do yoa feel the necessity of a daily application to hira, as your great covenanf- head, on whose influence you live, and by whose spirit you must perpetually be acted, to the purposes of a divine life ?— These, these are the decisive questions ; and let me intreat you to hear what conscience has to reply to them. And permit me once more to ask you, If you are yet uncer tain, as to this important article, how it is that this uncertainty sits upon your mind ? are you easy under it? do you carelessly defer the enquiry from one day to another ; or purposely de cline it, because you are afraid of some consequences which may disturb you ? or do you renew your examinations again and again, searching for those scriptures, and waiting for those pai-ts of our public discourses, which may pierce deepest, and try your souls to the utmost ; still above all begging, that Go» would search them ; and renewing your bumble intreaties, ^ that you may know the very worst .of your state, and he'at length brought unto him thro' Christ, though it were by the most painful way, that any of his servants have ever trode I As to some of you, ptrhaps, the case may require farther dis- fcussioiv; -but I believe there are others, to whom it would be To come unto God by^Christ. 291 no long labour, i feasTi even while I am yet speaking, oon science must -witness against some of you, that you are uttei* strangers to such a temper, and that you never came unto Goo by Christ. And therefore, 3. " Let those who are conscious to themselves, that they " have never come unto God by Christ, be engaged seri- " ously to reflect on the danger of their present condition." 1 know the corruption of our hearts strongly inclines us, to think as favourably as possible of ourselves, and eagerly to grasp the feeblest reed, which may give some present, though most precarious, stipport to our hope : and I know, Satan would favour the delusion to the utmost, because he is aware, there h but a short time in which he need labour to do it ; so that if he can amuse yoti a few days, yon are his prey for ever. It is our business, as ministers of tbe gospel, to counter-work thes.e deceivers. Oh that God would teach us to do it effectually ! Sinner, thou art convinced in thy conscience, that thou art a stranger to the teraper and character ^described ; tliat thou.art the man, who hast sat, perhaps many years, under the sound of the gaspel> and to this vei-y day hast never come unto God by Christ. And dost thou hope for salvation by him, while this is the case ? it is a most arrogant and pernicious hope. I solemnly declare unto thee this day, thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter.— Dost thou hope ? On what fbmidation is it ? shew me one promise in the whole book of God, that speaks pardon and peade to an impenitent unbelieving sinner. Wilt thou say, Christ is able to s^^ve to tbe uttermost ? He is indeed so ; andyet it is no contradiction to declare, that as things now stand, he cannot save thee:, for he cannot deny himself; be tannot overthrow tbe whole tenor o^bis gospel, and make him self the minister of sin. You know he h,as expressly said, if ye believe not that I am he, ye sball die in your sins; nav, he that believeth not, shall be damned. You know, he has tore told, thathe will another day publicly say, as for those ene* mies/ who would not tbat I should reign over th«m, brino- them forth, and slay them before me : and that so much more dreadful condemnation awaits thera, than fell on the trans gressors of Moses's law, though th.ey died without mercv, that U2 29^ Al*i exhortation to Sinners it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for such. And will your hopes still, stai)4* while all this dreadful artillery is planted directly against them?, shall tbe earth be forsaken for thee, and the rock be removed, out of its place ? rocks should much sooner be removed, and all the earth left desolate, than the whole constitution ofthegos- pel shall be overthrown, lest thou shouldst perish. You, would npt take poison, in hopes that God would work amiraclpvto preserve your life. Yet you raight more reasonably, expect this, than the other ; because it would not so directly contraidict any ofthe perfections of God, or any of his declarations. The matter is brought to a very short issue; and it requires no pene tration, or labour of thought, to see it. If the gospel be. not true, there is no foundation for expeciing this salvation at^l; but if it be, you are cut off from any hope of it, while you cont tinue thus : and you are, even whilst I speak, on tbe very bor-t ders of hell. ; And now, disarmed as you are of all these unavailing hopes, sit down and enter deeply into your present circumstances; " The son of God became incarnate, and lived and, died to " procure salvation for such guilty worms as I : and I have "¦ heard of this salvation ; but I bave no share in it. To this " very hour, the wrath of God abideth on me. A storm of ven- " geance is rising around me, and I am excluded the only ark "' in whicb I could be safe. Excluded by what ? why, to va^kp " it so much the more grievous, by my own folly." If we were to take upon us absolutely to pronounce concerning any of you, that you were excluded from tbe offers of gospel grace, you would no doubt resent it highly; as you reasonably might. Much more, were it in the power of a fellow mortal to. deprive you of all share in this great salvation, might you cry out of it as a most hellish cruelty. You would not for the world do this wrong to another, ifit were in your power. What, murdefan iraraortal soul ? you would tremble at the thought. But you tremble nbt at the thing. It is what you are doing, while yon are rejecting thegospeh And will you never have compassion on your own poor bleeding souls, 'till the last incurable wound is given? yet a little, a very little while, O sinners, andyou To come unto God by Christ.'' 293 •y^ni lifi up your despairing eyes in the iiiidst of your torments, and behold this salvatioin from afar. A-nd alas, in how different a view would it then appear, even to the most indolent, and most presumptuous of you all ? and how will it rend your very souls to think, " itwasbffered to me, and 1 would not accept it? and what a doleful echo will there be amongst you, when you, and ten thousand more miserable creatures, are crying out " There was an Almighty Saviour provided for sinners, and }'et " we are lost for ever ; and are sunk so much lower than " others, because we heard of him, and despised him." 4. " Let such sinners, as are awakened to a sense of their " danger, be invited and persuaded, in the strength of divine " gracCi to come unto God by Christ." ' All the awful and terrifying things we say, are dictated by the sincerest and tenderest love to your souls ; and nothing can be farther from our intention'/ than to come to torment you before the time. Did we know, that your day of grace was past:, we would spare these unwelcome pains ; and would rather permit you to sleep on; and take your rest. But„ these are m^p- riients of hope, sinhers, though you ra ake thera raoraents of extreme danger; and though there be no hope for you, whil^ you continue to reject Christ, yet if you accept him, you have nothing to fear; but this very day, if you this day entertain him, shall salvation come to youf, house, Behold, now is the ,accepted tiine; behold, now is, the day of salvation ; and after so long a tirae, it is yet called to-day.- Once raore, and as to sbiiae of you, it may be for the last time, is the proclamation agaSn made amongst you, ChRist is able to save tothe utterraost tbem that come unto God by hira ; and those that come, he will in no wise cast out. And do you not hear the proclanja- tiofl with pleasure ? and will you not, obey it, as worthy qf dll^ hcceptation ? , ¦ • What if the scene were changed, and the proposals were addressed to those wretched creatures Who are now in hell? What if God should send, an embassador to them, and give him authority to address them to- such purpose as this ? " ,De^- " pairing creatures, 1, am now come amongst yOu,'not as ame^- i"- senger of . vengeance; but of peace, God has at length Us 291 An 'exhortation to Sinners "looked on 5-oin- misei;ies with a compassionate ey6; and there "is a raypf raercy, darting through this gloom, from the ." Throne of Grace, and from the Sun of righteousness. The " proposals you so long heard with indifference, and which y'ou " have so much longer remembered in the bitterness of your " souls, are once more renewed. If j'ou cry unto him, eve'a " out of these depths, he will hoar you ; if you will submit " your souls to his government and his grace, he will save ydu; " and I am commissioned in his name to assure you, that tio't " only shall these gates of hell be thrown open for your release, " but those of heaven shall be opened likewise, for your admit-; " tance." Sinners, let your own conscience? say, how you imagine at least, that such a proposal would be received by condetianed spirits. Do you not tbink, that, (as one forcibly expresses rt) they would even leap in their chains? do you not think, the marks of horror and despair, would immediately vanish frora their faces ; that their eyes would sparkle with hope'and joy; and that they would begin the work of praise even with- their flaming tongues ? but are not you yoiirselves in the same con-- deinnation, though the sentence be not executed ? why then do you now despise those livers of mei-cy, the sniallest drop of .which ypu will hereafter desire in vain ? Alas, -what we have here described, is merfely'an imitginary scene. Millions of ages shall roll aw'aj*^ in a sad succession, and no such proposals be made tb the inhabitants of hell; nor to you, sinners, if you come into that place of torment. But they are now made in good earnest ; and therefore, to day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Oh force us not another day, for the deliverance of ouir owtt souls, to bear a dreadful testimony tp the condemnation of your's ; but hearken to these embassies of peace, and let us intreat and pertU&ife you to be reconciled. This is still the message, the in^^itaftiofi, the charge, evpn the same that you heard fVorh the bl3gitini«g; come unto Gop by CiftRisT.* Behold a gi-acious Gob,' stretcill- ing out his arms to receive you: behold a compassionate Re deemer, yet waiting to introduce ypu to his favotirable prCsemci: and all the faithful subjects of his klng^ia, here and ; abev*, To come unto God by Ckrjst. £95 are. longing to see it erected in your souls. The thought even of .bur owji salvation, would be still 'tweeter to us,.' if we h^ a pfobai>le' hope of sharing it with ybu. And shall earth and heaven expect and desire it in vain ? and Will ybu, as it were, grieve both ; that hell may rejoice in ybur ruin, and that devils may insult over you, and tipbraid you, as having with your own hands thrust away that sailvatipn, ofwhich all their m9,^i.ce and rage might ih vain have attempted to deprive you ? you will then, alas, find no place for repehtance, though like Esau you seek it, carefully with tears. . ,- • Alas, my friends, what more shall I say ? could t find out anymore weighty arguments, any more plain, serious, and affectiiig forms of address, I would go on, tliou^ the dis course should swell beyond its due bounds; though my own strength" were impaired by the earnestness of it ; and though d vain wretched unbelieving world should deride that earnestness as enthusiasm and Hiadness. Nay, who that knows the imptti't- ance of immortal souls, would not goon io plead in such a eali^fe though minutes and hours were to be struck off from his lif^, for every wprd that he utters in il, ciiuld even such an expen sive service be secure of success? but that depend^ upon God, and to him we would loc^c for it. In the meatl time, I dismiss you with this one word : whether you wi'llliear, ot whether you will forbear, he in whose name l speak, is wittfess, that the eiA- bassy is delivered ; and such words as these will remain recoitled in the book of his remembrance, and' will sbofter or later be brought to yom' s. . &. " Let such asaredesirous of coming to God' by Chris'?, ;" .tjake encouragement from, the deplarpftion ih the text." We are not altogether ignorant of the devices of Satan : we ktfew, by frequent observation and experience, how Soon he Tcan turn the syren's ,so,ng into the roaring of a lion ; -sVhat efforts henia^, to,drive thp,awaken'd soul ii?to the. agofaie^ of d^spaif , tmi to- persuade , hij» that he has thrown "hilsself beyorid tSie rfeaeh of mercy. But, ifhe l)e.practisiti§^nch Ci-uel artifices oh any soul in this assembly, , I do, inthe nam^ of oiir LbiiD ^nd Master, chai^ the lie on the I'atlber of falshoo'ds. Yoti htive perhaps a great ijiany things to plead against y^urseWs ; such 296 'An. exhortation, ta, Sinmrs -as, the, number, the enormity, -and'jsggtavation: of your-sins : you, will sav, they have been committed against the clearest light, I against the tenderest love, - against, repeated- admoni- ,ti()n5, most serious resolutions, raost solemn covenant-engage- .mcnts : but all these, pleas, and a thousand more, are answered in one woiid. He is able to save to the uttermost, them that come jinto Gop by him. Is it still raatter of doubt ? turn aside then, and more attentively view the trophies of his grace and power, erected in his word, erected on purpose for our encouragement, on whom the ends of the world are come. ,, Behold Paul in his unconverted state, a blaspheraer, and a persecutor, and injurious. He appears to have divested him self, not only of that gentleness of manners, which, might rea sonably have been expected frora a man of so liberal an edu cation, but even of the sentiments of common humanity ; furiously breathing, out threatening and slaughter against the saints, without the least regard to innocence of life,, or to ten derness of age or sex. Yet at the appearance of an Almighty S4V10VR, this furious barbarian was melted and subdued: in the full career ofj his, blind and cruel r.age, he falls down, ,ftt the feet of that Jesus whom he persecuted, and cries out the v,ery next moment, with tbe lowlie.st submission. Lord, wh<>t wilt thou have rae to do? by the power of Christ, the fi;end was Iransforraed into an angel ; he preached .the faiths. whiih just before he endeavoured to destroy; an.d quickly learnt suchjan- guage as this: neither bonds nor imprisonnients nioyeme,; nor do I count ray life dear unto me, so that I may finish ray course with joy, and the ministry whicb 1 have .received of the>LpKD JesuSj to testify the gospel, of the p race of God. The Corinthians were debauched and abandoned to, a proverb, tbe sc§,ndal of their-cquntry, and the reproach of their nature. For when the Apostle had been reckoning up a catalogue of the most infiimous sinners ; sucb, as fornicators, and jdjijlateis, and adulterers, and effeminate, and abusers of theraselueg: with mankind, and thieves, and, covetous, and drunkards, andievi- lers, , anjl extortioners ; he adds surprising words, (and , oh ^vhat . surprising grace do, they imply !^ " such were some of you;" such, that one would almost have expected,, that hghtDJngjftom To' mmi u^n to Q od by Christ. 297 heaven should have blastec^ them, or that the earth should have opened thera a passage into hell : but instead of this, says the apostle to these very men, ye are washed; ye are sanctified, ye ate justified, in the name of our. Lord Jesus, and by the spi rit of our God. The blessed Jesus did not upbraid them with their former crimes, but poured forth his spirit upon them in so abundant a degree, that their faith was every where cele brated, and they came behind in no gilt. If We can yet imagine any crime more notorious, than some of those, which are charged on the Corinthian converts in their natural state, it must surely be that, which the siin could not behold without horror, nor the earth sustain without trembling ; the .murder of our Lord Jesus Christ, that innocent, that holy, that divine Person, with all the circumstances of -the most inhuman cruelty. They had known his exemplary convei-sation, they had heard his heavenly discourses, they had seen his di vine, miracles ; yet in spite of all these, the outrageous Jews seize him as a pest of hufnan society, drag him before an hea then tribunal, extort a sentence of- condemnation against him, and at length, after a thousand indignities and barbarities, nail him to the cross by the hands of the Romans. Yet would he shew, that even these rebels were not beyond the- reach of his power, and grace : for r,p sooner was the dispensation of the Spirit opened, 'but .three thousand of them wei-e converted in one day; they gladly received, the word, and were baptized in to ken of -it ; and notwithstanding all -thfe efforts, -which the subtilty or fury of their enemies could use to draw them away from it, they continued stedfast in the doctrine and fellowship of the apostles, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers : and they are now in heaven, rejoicing in the presence of that Jesus ^hom they murdered, and ascribing- their eternal saivatioh to that blood, which they themselves shed. ' il, And now, methinks, I am at a loss t<> imagine, What tinbe-r iief -can find to object against such- instances-and exampfes as these, especially when backed with so many encourfrgrngpro- • miSe-s. Can you ' say worse of yourselves, than thaf you hi-e the chief of ' sinnejs ? PsurwiU-teUyon; that he was so ; arid that 4'or this cause; he ehftained mercy, chat inbim;^ as' chief,' Jesus 298 A'nexhorfation ta Sinnerx Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to those that should hereafter believe. And all the other examples are nodoubtrecorded for the very same purpose, that you through comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Therefore when your hearts are overwhelmed within you, look unto the rock which is higher thai: you. Look unto Jesus, and you will be lightlied ; and your faces will not be ashamed. When Satan is plying you with his fiery darts, wield them off by the shield of Jaith, and at it were, hurl them back into the face of the tempter. Let all his endeavours to deter you from it, engage you to ad here so much the more stedfastly to your resolution, of throw ing yourselves at the feet of Christ : and let no one fear, that he should be the first sinner that ever perished there ; for it can not be, unless Almighty Power be weakened, and infinite com passions be exhausted . 6. Let those who have been enabled " to come unto God by " Christ, be thankful, and coure^eous, in the views of the " promised salvation." My brethren, let me urge you to abound in the blessed work of praise, for which none on earth have so much reason as you. It is matter of thankfulness, only to hear of this .saJyar tion; how much more then, to have it brought home to our house, to our heart, so as to be able through grace to say, " this salvation is mine ?" oh remember, it was the same grace which first sent, that has rendered it effectual. Reflect, I in treat you, Sirs, on your own hearts : had you not once your prejudice against the gospel, as well as others ? how unwilling were you to understand the raethod of salvation it taught ? and when you did understand it, how mudh more unwilling were you to submit to it ? yet now, those very parts of the scheme, which were ^nce your peculiar aversion, are become your pecu har joy. Adore the work of divine grace, and take encouragement from it. Remember tbe connection, which there is, between coming toGonby Christ, and being saved by him to the uttermost. Your deliverance from the curse of the law, frora the tyranny of Sa tan, and from the power of sin, is but tbe beginning of this sal vation : but it will at length be accomplished ; and you should To comtunto Godhy Chtist. 299 triumph inthe expectation of it. " Various enemies surround jne," may the chiistian say, " and they sometimes seem ready to swallow me up : the world besets me with innumer able snares; Satan is daily seeking by his crafty wiles to get advantage over me ; the flesh is fevter ready to betray me ; and d^ath is threatening to destroy me with its sting : but yet in all these things 1 am more than a conquerer, through him that hath loVed rae. Vain world, I shall quickly leave thee ! wily infei-hal serpent, the God of Peace shall shortly bruise thee un der my feet! corrupt deceitful flesh, I shall be happily delivered from thee"! and death, thou king of terrors, I am assured, that thdu shalt be swallowed up in victory ! though thou mayst kill me, yet thou canst not hurt rae ; for I know, that my Redeemer liveth ;'and because he liveth, I shall live also." These are sentiments and views, worthy our character, as christians, wor thy of those who are the saved ofthe Lord. Let us take for our helmet this hope of salvation, and it will guard our head in every danger of life and death ; till at length we exchange that helmet for the celestial crown, which the Lord shall give us in that day, when in the compleatest sense he shall save all liis people to the uttermost, and tbejr ehdl appear with him in the brightest glories of this great aftd perfect salvation. ( 300 ') SERMON XV. The TENDERNESS of CHRIST to the LAMBS of his FLOCK. Isa. XL. 11. He shall feed his flock like a Shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gentlj/ lead those that are with young. xT .is well known that there are three most illustrious ofHces> under which our Redeemer: is often spoken of in scripture j those of the Prophet, the Priest, and the King of his church. And there are several other characters,, either coincident with those, or subservient to them, which are frequently mentioned, and are worthy of our regard ; amongst which, that of a Shep herd is peculiarly remarkable, as often occurring in the Word of God, and affording abundant matter, both for the instruc tion, and the consolation of his people. I shall not now enumerate all the passages, in which onr Lord is described under this character, both in the Old Testa ment, and the New. It may be sufficient here to remind you, that he was plainly foretold by Ezekiel^ as that one Shepherd, whom God would set over his people to feed them, even hisser- vant David, (i. e. the Messiah, David's Son ;) he, says the prophet, shall feed thera, and he shall be their shepherd. And Christ accordingly ^speaks of himself, as the good shepherd ; and is spoken of by one and another of the apostles, as the great The tenderness of Christ. 501 shepherd of the sheep, and the chief shepherd. ¦ So that on the whole, if the words of the text had a raore immediate refer ence to the Father, they might with great propriety be applied to Christ, by whom the Father exercises his pastoral care of his people. The chapter is opened with very reviving words ;, comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God : and, to assure them that these consolations addressed to them were indeed glad ti dings of great joy, and worthy to be introduced in a very pompous manner, mentionis made of a very remarkable her ald sent before, whose voice was to cry in the wilderness, pre pare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a high-way for our God ; i. e. let every obstruction be imraedi ately removed : a scripture so expressly applied to John the Baptist, as the forerunner of Christ, that it may be sufficient to fix. the sense, of the context, with those who, have, any re gard to the authority of the new Testament, in explaining- the Old. To confirm the faith of Israel in this important message, a solemn proclaniation is made, ver. 6. the voice, (that is the voice of God, speaking to me in this vision,) said unto me/ cry; tbat is, raise thy voice as loud as possible : and I said, What shall I cry ? the following words are evidently the answer, which God returns to this question of the prophet ; q. d. " pro- " claim this awful and seasonable truth, all flesh is grass, and ". all thegoodliness thereof is as the flower of the field, which is " yet raore frail and short lived than the grass itself: the grass " withereth, and the flower fadeth; but the word of our God " shall stand for ever : q. d. Were it only the promise of a man, " you might indeed doubt of its accoraplishraent ; were it only, " .the word of the mightiest prince on earth, it might give you " but a trembling and precarious hope : man is a dying crea- " ture, and all the most chearful hopes, which are built on, " him, raay quickly perish ; but the word of our God, even " that word (as it is explained by the apostle Peter,) which by " the gospel is preached unto you, shall stand for ever, as the " firm basis of your hope and confidence, and shall be cer- " tainly accomplished in the final redemption and salvation " of hJs people." SOS The tenderness of Christ The heavenly voice still continues to speab to tbe prophcty who was honoured with this happy message, and chajges kam to deliver it with the greatest chearfulness and zeal. " Oh thou " that bringest good tidings to Zion," (for so I think tbe words should be rendered, as they are by sorae, and partiejilarly in the margin of your Bibles,) " get tliee up into the high " mountain, some place of eminence from whence thon mayest " be universally heard : Ob tbou » that bringest good tiding* ta " Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength ; lift it up ; and be " not afraid, lest the event should not answer the promise ; but " say unto the Cities of Judah, behold your God ; for the Lord " God will come with a strong hand; i. e. the kingdom " of the Messiah shall be ereeted with a glorious display ofthe " Divine power; and his arm shall rule for him, as in farmer " instances of most formidable opposition, hisown right banil, " and his holy ai-m, have gotten him the victory: his kingdom *' shall be administered with tbe txactest equity and wisdom j " for his reward is with him, to render to every raan accords " ing to his doings ; and his work is before him ; i, e^ hs- has " the compleatest view of it, and keeps his eye always fixed " upon il." Yet, (as it is added in the words ofthe text,) the authority of a Prince, and the dignity of a God, shall be attempered by the gentleness of a most compassionate shepherd : he shall feed his flock like a shepherd ; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry tbem in bis bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. You have already heard of that strong hand, with which Jesus our Lord is come, and of that victorious energy, with which his arra shall rule for him. His name has been pro claimed araongstyou, as the Lord of hosts, tbe Lo:ft.D strong and mighty, able to save to the uttermost. Let us now con' sider him in this amiable character, in which our text describes him ; for this renders those views of his almighty power dahgbt- ful, which our guilt would otherwise render dreadful to us. Christians, I would hope it is your desire, whenever you at tend on the institutions of his gospel, to see Jesus. I may now say to you, (in the words of- I'ilate, on a very different To the' Lambs of his flock. 303 occasion,) behold the Man. He appears not indeed in his royal robes, or his priestly vestments; but he wears the habit of con descension a&d" love ; and is not the less amiable, though he may not seem equally majestic, while he bears the pastoral rod, instead of the royal scepter, and feeds his flock like a diepherd, gathering up the feeble lambs in his arms, and bearing tbem ia his bosom, and gently leading those that are with young. You will naturally observe, — that the text declares Christ's general care of his people, — and bespeaks his peculiar gracious regard to those, whose circumstances require a peculiar ten derness, , 1, We may observe " his general care of all bis people." He shall feed hip flock like a shepherd :-.r-they may each of them therefore say with David, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want : he maketh me to lie down in green pastures ; he leadeth me beside the still waters : he restoreth my soul ; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. The cUureh is his fold ; and ordinances are his pastures ; and his sheep shall be nourished by them, till they grow up tp that blessed worldi where, in a much nobler sense than here, all the children of God that were scattered abroad shall be gathered together in. one, and shall appear as one sheep-fold under the great shepherd and bishop of souls *, We have abundaut rear son to admire his condescension and love, in the view of these things, and to congratulate the happiness of his people, as un der such pastoral care. But I will not enlarge on this generail view, or on these reflections upon it ; that I may leave room to insist on what I chiefly proposed in the choice of these words ; that is, 2.," Christ's peculiar concern for those, whose circum- " stances require a peculiar tenderness." This is expressed in those words ; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young, i. e. he will consider their weakness ^nd infirmity, and conduct tbem as they are able to bear i^: • Compare John x. i6. with t Pet. ii- 25, 304 The tenderness of Christ which is also implied in that nearly parallel text, in wliich we are told. He shall seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and bind up that which was bro-' ken, and strengthen tbat which was sick. This is the general import of the words; bnt for the fuller explication and imp rove ment of them, give me leave, I. To enumerate the cases and cir6nmstances of some chris tians, who may properly be considered as the lambs of the fl6ck, or as those who are with young, II. To consider what may be intimated concerning the Re-' deemer's tenderness to them, as it is expressed by his gather ing them in his arms, and carrying tbem ih his bOsom, and gently leading them. III. I will endeavour to shew, what abundant reason theref is to depend npon it, that the great Shepherd will deal in a very tender manner with such. And then, IV. I will endeavour to direct it to the proper improvement of the whole. Maybe who hath said, comfort ye my people, enable mettf do it in the most effectual manner ! may he give rae the tongue of the learned, to speak a word in season to them that are weary, and to appoint to the weeping and trembling soul beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness ! I. I am to mention the case of some chriuians, whomaypro-i perly be considered, as represented by the lambs of the flock; or by sheep that are with young. Now in the general, you know, these expressions may sig' nify all, who are young and tender. You know, a young lamb is a very feeble creature, and when deserted by its dam, if not assisted by the shepherd, is in danger of perishing, and of bieathing out its innocent life, almost as soon as it has received it : and, as Jacob observes., the sheep that are with young, or that have lately yeaned, are not capable of such fatigues as the other cattle; but if over-driven so much as one dav, their ten* To ihe Lambs of his flock, 305 derness is such, that they would- die. And.therefote when our Lord was 'fepoken of under the character of a shepherd, it was very just, as well as very elegant, to use such* figures as thesCj to represent all these of his people who stood in need of peculiar compassion and care; Now you may easily appre hend those are to be considered as included here, - who are of a tender age, ^or but of little standing in rehgion, or whose spirits are naturally 'feeble, or whose circumstances are distressful and calamitous, on- aeeount of ahy pfeculiar afflic tion, either of body, or of mindi 1. It is evident, that, " they who arfe of a tender age," may with peculiar propriety be called the lambs of the flock. They resemble lambs,, in respect of their youth ; and in some degree likewise, on account of that innocence and simplicity, for which our Lord singled thenr out, Vo recommend them to the imitation of all his followers, and even of his apostles, as suring them that tbey must become like little children, if they would hope to enter into the kingdom of heaVen. YoU) Chil dren, will therefore endeavour to mind what I say this day ; for I ara to speak to you ; to speak to you about the kindness and care of Christ towards you ^ I assure you, 1 speak of it with pleasure : and surely you should hear it with pleasure : andyour little hearts should leap for joy, to think that a Minis ter should be sent to address hiraself to you, as the Lambs of Christ's flock. Oh that every orie of you may indeed be so ! you will hear, what a kind shepherd you have, and how graciously he will lay you in his bosom. 2. " They who are of late-standing in religion," may also be called the lambs of Christ's fiock. Though perhaps they are raore advanced in age, than many others, they are but young in grace, and in christian experi ence ; they are in the lowest forra in Christ's school, and per haps have much of the infirmity and weakness of, children. They have also sorae peculiar difficulties to struggle with, from within, and often from without, which may render them more sensible of those infirmities.. Such are therefore called babes in CHRtsT ; while christians pf greater growth and experience^ are called strong men. Vol. IIL X $05 The tenderness of Christ 3, The language of the text may also with peculiar propriety ¦fee applied to those, " whose spirits are naturally very feeble ^' and timorous," The constitutions of different persons are most apparently various ; and the infirmities, which attend some, render them the objects of peculiar compassion. To them perhaps " the grasshopper is a burden ;" and what by others would hardly be felt at all, quite overloads and depresses them. While some of their fellow-christians are as bold as the lion, these, like the fealrful lamb, start and tremble almost at the shaking of a leaf. This excessive tenderness of mind, which shews itself often on very small occasions, is much more visible where their eternal interests seem to be concerned. The importance of those in terests appears so great, that they are even terrified with the view. A sadness of soul, which often seizes them, disposes them to apprehend and suspect the worst of themselves. And hence it may so happen, that an incapacity to attend long to the exercises of devotion, arising from a natural weakness of nerves and spirits, shall appear to them as a black mark of a soul spiritually dead, and be thought a sufficient ground for apply ing to themselves all those awful things, which the hypocrites in Zion have so much reason to be afraid of. Or when they view the difficulties of the christian life, they are rea y to sink under the prospect, and to conclude, that they shall lose that little good they have attained, and shall surely and speedily fall by the hands of such formidable enemies. It is very proba ble, tbat the hearts of many who hear me, know in this res pect, their own bitterness and burden : but let thera remember, it is known also by the compassionate shepherd of Israel : and shall be graciously remembered, and considered by him. 4. The gracious promise in the text may be considered, as referring to " those, whose circurastances are peculiarly dis- " tressful, on account of afflictions, whether of body, or of " mind." Who is there among you this day, that feareth the LoRDr and obeyeth the voice of his servant ; and yet walketh in dark ness, and hath no light? He is now called to trust in the name ofthe Lord, and to stay himself upon his God. What chris- To the Lambs of his flock. 307 tians are there, whose days are spent in grief, and perhaps their years in si,ghing ; so that, when their disappointraents or mala dies, their temptations or desertions, press hard upon them, they are scarce able to rise under the burden, and to believe that they shall be any longer supported ? but on the contrary are ready to cry out, hath the Lord forgotten to be gracious ? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies ?— ^to them does this compassionate Saviour appear, to lift up the hands that hang- down, and to strengthen the feeble knees : to sweeten their Sorrows, and Silence their fears, to confirm their hopes, and awaken their joys. Letthe young and the unexperienced, the timorous, aud the afflicted, whose dqsires are towards him, and their hearts waiting upon hira, let thera all hear it with pleasure: if they can be safe in the arms of ChriSt, if they can be easy in bis bosom, if they can be chearful under his gentlest conduct, they may disniiss their anxieties; for to them, and to such as they arCj does he particularly speak in these gracious words of the text, assuring thein, that he will gather them as the larabs in his arms, that he will carry them in his bosom, and that he will gently lead thera> as ewes v^hich are great with young. Which brings rae, II. Tb consider ^hat niay be intimated concerning the Re deemer's tenderhess to them, as expressed by theSe pastoral phrases. All the expressions do evidently speak a most affectionate. bare; and they do more particularly intiraate, — that he will be ready to receive,— protect, — and comfort them, — and that he will moderate their trials in proportion to their strength. The three former of these areimplied, in gathering thera in his arras, and laying them in his bosom ; and the last, in his gently leading those that are with young: 1. The text evidently declares, " the readiness of the blessed " Jesus to receive the weakest soul, that applies to him." He will gather them in his arms ; i. e. at least his arms shall be Open to them. For though the Lord be high, he hath res pect unto the lowly; and he will not despise the humblest creature, that thinks himself most beneath bis regards.— Chil- X2 30B The tenderness of Christ dren, thoughthey can do so little for his service, though they hardly know how to breathe out a prayer before him, or what blessings they should ask at his hands ; yet they shall be welcome to him. He understands tbeir poor broken language, and he hears it with pleasure. — When the soul is but just set ting out in religion, and seems, in a spiritual sense, as helpless as a new-born infant ; wben there is little knowledge, and little experience, and perhaps a very strong struggle between nature and grace ; he will not despise the day of small things. When the christian is ready to say the hardest things against himself, when a sense of former follies, and of present defects, lays him even in tbe dust at tbe foot of a Redeemer, this gracious Shepherd will raise the drooping creature : and when he is ready to say, Lord> I ara, as I deserve to be, cast out of thy sight ; He will gather hira araong the lambs in his arras, he will open them wide to receive and embrace him. — Trembling souls, hear it to your comfort : in all your weakness, under all your guilt, in the midst of your fears, in the midst of your sor rows you may corae unto Jesus with a holy boldness, and as sure yourselves, that he will not cast you out, that he will in no wise, i. e. by no means, on no consideration whatsoever, doit. But, 2. The phrase farther iraplies, " that he will provide for " their safety." And therefore it is added, that he will not only gather them in bis arras, but carry thera in his bosora ; which expresses both the tenderness, and the continuance of his care for this purpose. You know, wben the poor trembling lamb is lodged, not only in the arms, but in the bosom of the shepherd, while it remains there, it is so secure, that the wild beast, or the robber, raust conquer the shepherd, before be can hurt the lamb. So when the feeble and fearful christian hears the lions of hell, as it were roaring around him, and sees them just ready to devour him, he raay fly to this sanctuary, and d^fjr them all ; for everiasting arms shall be underneath him, and shall compass him round for his defence and safety. I give unto ray sheep eternal life, (says Christ, in the most resolute and determinate manner,) and they shall never perish, neither To the Lambs of his flock. 369 shall any pluck thera out of ray , hand. " Reviving words !" may the believing soul say ; " for tbey assure me, that if I " am in that hand, to which I have been so frequently and so " solemnly committing my eternal all, nothing can destroy " me, that is notable to oppose, and even to conquer Christ, " — that Almighty Saviour, — whom, when he was on earth in " feeble raortal clay, all the hosts of hell, with their united " raalice and rage, assaulted in vain, and were subdued and " triumphed over by that very death, which they so eagerly " laboured to accomplish ; f jr on his cross he spoiled principa- " lities and powers, and made a shew of them openly." It raay properly be added here, that as the larab cannot be destroyed, so neither can it be seduced, when in the shepherd's arras. The foolish creature, while at a distance from him, may wander it knows not whither, and lose itself in some barren wilderness, where it cannot subsist, and frora whence it cannot return. And thus far the humble believer will own the parallel too just, — will own that he has again and again gone astray like a lost sheep ; '• yet Lord," may he add, " I adore thy " faithful care in reducing me to thy fold again, and am en- " couraged this day to hope, thou wilt not suffer me to perish " by my wanderings. Thine eye, and thy hand, are ray secu- " rity, against the prevalency of inward corruptions, as well as " outward teraptations ; and I trust, that neither the one, nor " the other, shall be able finally to separate me from thy love, " or to deprive me of the blessings, which are connected with " it." • 3. The promise in the text farther implies, " that Christ " will consult the comfort of his people," as well as their safety. He will carry the larabs in his bosora, when they are so weak as not to be able to walk, like the rest of the flock. Or rather, here may be a beautiful allusion to a circumstance, which must often occur in the place where Isaiah wrote ; when a new-fal len lamb was exposed to the chillness of the morning or even ing air, in a manner whicli might have been dangerous to its health or its life, that the shepherd, when he saw it lying in this weak and hd'lpless condition, should take it up in hisbosom> 310' The tenderness of Christ and fold about it -part of bis long garment, which most peo-r pie wore in those eastern countries ; and there the little help less creature would lie, not only safe, but warm and easy, till it was revived and strengthened. So pleasantly, and delight fully, is the poor trembhng soul lodged in the bosom of Chri:.t. It is made to rejoice in his love, as well as his power, ar.d to own him as the chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely. You know, the christian is described, as rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and as glorying in him. The weary mariner does not rejoice so much, when the danger and fatigues of his voyage are over, and he sees hiraself safe at home, and meetsi the kindest of his long absent friends there ; as the burdened soul rejoices, when by faith he is led to a Redeemer, and is received with the assurances of bis love and grace. Nor would he exchange that soft compassionate bosom, for the choicest and.sweeteet breasts of worldly consolation, of which the sin^ ner may suck, but can never be satisfied from them. 4. The promise in the text must further intimate, " that " Christ will accommodate the trials ofthe weak christian to " his strength," and will lay no more upon him, than he shall be able to bear. Therefore it is said, he will gently lead those that are wilh young; as the shepherd is careful, in such a circumstance, not to over-drive the cattle, lest both young and old be destroyed. God, says the apostle, is faithful, who will no suffer you to be tried above what ye are able; but will with ihe trial make a way for your escape, that ye may be able to bear it. In this instance, is the tenderness of Christ remarkable, and his' wisdom too. — As a father will not crush his child by a heavy bur den, but lets him bear what is proportionable to his years and strength ; till at last, by insensible degrees, he grows capable of carrying with ease and pleasure, what would before have overwhelmed him, thus does Christ deal with the feeble chris tian. He calls him out toeasier duties, to less formidable com bats, to lighter afflictions first ; he stays his rough wind in the day of the east wind ; and trains him up to pass, with fortitude and chearfulness, through those more trying scenes, which he would before have trembled to behold in a distant prospect. To the Lambs of his flock. 311 All these comfortable and important particulars seem natu rally contained in the words of the text. You easily appre hend, that many of them, as apphed to the great Shepherd of souls,, might have been confirmed by reasonings and scriptures which I have here omitted : but I was cautious not too far to anti cipate what is to be offered under the third general, where I am to shew, " how much reason there istoexpect, that theblessed Jesus " will exercise this gentle aud affectionate care, towards the fee*- " ble of the fiock." The subject is too copious to be discus sed, or entered upon, in these few remaining moments. Let me therefore at present conclude with reminding you, that all is proved by the authority of the text ; and I hope, the truth of it has been sealed, by the experience of many that hear rae this day. May it be sealed by the experience of us all ! and all. will then say, as surely some of us can, that when we have heard the most that can be said of the Grace of a Redeemer, and^. when the boldest or the softest figures are used to illustrate it, the half has not been told us. How rauch raore shall we sa)"^ it, when we corae to that fold above ? to which raay his mercy con duct us, in such ways as liis wisdom shall chuse 1 and supported by his arms, and cherished in his bosom, we shall pursue them with pleasure. Amen, ( 312 ) SERMON XV, PROOFS of CHRIST'S TENDERNESS, and the Improvement v/e should make of if. Isa. XL. 11. jFfe shall feed his flock like a Shepherd; he shall gather the lamh with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. XT should certainly be our care, when we are handling such figurative scriptures as these, that we do not offer violence to them, and force them, by a multitude of fanciful acconnmo- dafions, to speak what it was by no means pertinent to the design of the sac ed writer to have said. Yeton the other hand, it appears to rae but a grateful return to the divine condescend sion in using such language, to dwell on the images, with which God is sometimes pleased to clothe his addresses to us; that we may use them to such purposes, as seem to have heen intended by them. Especially is such a care as this reasonable, -when the figure is not expressed in a single word, but diversified and adorned with such a variety of expression and imagery, as we find in the Text. In sucb a case, it is fit, that the beauties of every part should be traced : and there is this evident advan tage in it, that it may not only make way for the easier entrance of important truths into the mind ; but may give room to present the raost familiar.and accustomed thoughts, in spch a diversity of dress, at different tihies, as may make them more pleasing to the mind, than they might probably be, if repeated in the plainest Proofs of Christus tenderness, SIS language, so often as the importance ofthem requires they should be insisttd upon. Perhaps it is for this reason, among others, that such a variety of metaphorical and allegorical language is used, both in the old and new Testament, in describing the offices and characters ofthe great Redeemer, And for this reason also it is, that when such passages have occurred, as the subject of our public meditations, 1 have thought it more proper to dwell pretty largely on the various clauses ofthe text, than hnmedi- ately to fix on some common place in divinity, which might easily have been introduced, and to treat it in a systematical form. I bless Gon, that the attention with which such dis courses hav^ generally been heard, and the good effects with which they have often been attended, have encouraged me to pursue this method myself, and to i-ecommend il to others; though some may reckon ita part of a solid and rational taste, to think very meanly of it. With these views I have entered on the subjuct, in the fol lowing method. Having proved, that the words refer to the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, I have, I. Enumerated the cases of various sorts of persons, whom we may suppcse to be represented by the lambs of the fiock, or by those that are with young, they being such as requhe pecu liar tenderness. And here I have mentioned,^those who are of a tender age,— or of a short standing in religion ; — those, whose spirits are naturally feeble ;-^and those, whose circumstances are pe culiarly calamitous, on account of any heavy affliction, either pf body or mind, whether arising from providential dispensa tions, or from the hidings of God's face, or from the as.sault of spiritual enemies. So that christians in such circumstances as these, will I hope, consider themselves, peculiarly interested in the comfortable things, which are now farther to be laid before them. And may the blessed Spirit apply the consolation to each of their souls ( Sl4 Proofs of Christ's tenderness^ II. I have also considered the Redeemer's tenderness to such, as expressed by gathering thera with his arm, laying them in his bosom, and gently leading them. And here I observed, that these gracious and affectionate words might be intended to express, — his readiness to receive,— to protect, — and to comfort them ; — and his care to moderate their exercises and burdens in proportion to their strength. These are very important particulars, and raost evidently suited to the necessities and desires of the feeble christian. I hope therefore you will attend with pleasure, while I now proceed, ' In. To shew, what abundant reason there is to believe, that the great Shepherd will deal in this tender manner; that he will thus gather the lambs with bis arm, and carry tbem in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. As the lamb sometimes fears the Shepherd, and is ready to flee from him, when he comes towards it with the kindest de signs: so it is also evident from experience, that the comfort ofthe christian is often much impaired, for want of that con fidence in the care and tenderness of a Redeemer, which is so reasonable, as well as so delightful, that one would wonder it should after all be so very deficient, even in the minds of those, who are no strangers to his word, and who have them selves tasted of his grace. Permit me therefore at present to argue it, — from the general character under which he appears,—. frora the representations both of the prophets and apostles,— from his own declarations, as recorded by the e'vangelists, — and from the experience of those, who have committed them selves to him. 1. We may argue this grace and tenderness of Christ, " frora the general character under whicli he appears, as the " Redeemer and Saviour of his people". Is not this a character full of gentleness and goodness ? is it not instead of ten thousand arguments to prove, that if he pitied us in that low estate, in which he at first found us, his mercy towards us will endure for ever ? view our blessed Re deemer, in the abasement of his abode among men : view him in the agonies, in which he finished the last scene of his And the improvement xve should make of it. 31^ sorrows and sufferings ; and then say, what but love brought him from Heaven, and kept him on earth ? what but love stretched him on thp cross, and laid him in the grave ? and can any expression of tenderness be too great to be expected after such amazing effects of it have already been experienced? surely, as he hiraself argues, greater love hath no raan than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends; but, as the apostle justly observes, his love is commended towards us, it is set off by this iraportant circumstance, in that, while we were yel sinners, Christ died for us: and how chearfully may we depend upon it, that if when we were enemies, we were reconciled by his death, we shall now by his life obtain coripleat salvation; and bis living care will accomplish, what hi . dying loye has begun ? all the blessed consequences I have already mentioned, and a long train of others, follow on this happy principle. He has graciously assumed the character and title of a Shepherd ; and surely that name implies all the particulars, which we have now been representing to you. His word, you know, sets a mark of infamy upon those shep herds, that have not strengthened the diseased, nor healed the sick, nor bound up that which was broken, nor brought again that which was driven away, nor sought that which was lost; but who have ruled \vith force or cruelty. Surely the good Shepherd will not be like these: surely, ifhe will feed his flock like such a Shepherd, he cannot fail of gathering the lambs witb bis arm, and carrying them in his bosom, and of being very tender ofthe lives of those, for whom his own hfe Was given, 2. We may argue the tenderness and grace of the Re deemer, " from those testimonies, which are borne to it in the prophetic writings." This is mentioned as a remarkable part of his character, when considered not only in his pastoral offlce, but also in his royal dig nity. To him do those words of Zechariah refer. Rejoice greatly, .0 daughter of Zion ; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem ; for behold thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation, lowly, and riding, not as otherprinces, perhaps on a managed horse, or in ,a splendid triumphal chariot ; but according to the simplicity of 3 1 6 Proofs of Christ's tenderness, more ancient days, when princes appeared amongst their subjects, as fathers amongst -their children; so shall he come, riding on an ass, even upon a colt, the foie of an ass. Thus too Isaiah introduces God as speaking of hira, in tho.se remarkable words, (which are so applied to him by the evangelist Matthew, as the former are,) behold ray servant whora I uphold, raine elect in whom ray soul is delighted : — he shall not cry, nor, lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets : a bruised reed shall he not break, and sraoking flax shall he not quench, till he shall bring forth judgraent into truth or victory ; i. e. till he perfect his gracious design of making righteousness and truth victorious over all opposition. Therefore is he spoken of, as a mostproperperson to accomplish the most compassion ate purposes ofthe divine goodness; and is represented as rejoicing in the thought of his bearing such a commission, in those gracious words, (which were the foundation of his first public discourse, and which he solemnly applied to himself in the synagogue of Nazareth ;) The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord bath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,- to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison, to. them that are bound ; to appoint unto them tbat mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. So exactly does our Lord answer tbe lovely character of a righteous and peaceful sovereign, drawn by David in thoselast words ofhis, (which many suppose ultiraately to refer to the Messiah,) He shall be as the light of the raorning, when the sun riseth, even as a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out ofthe earth, by clear shining after rain. And again, be shall judge the poor ofthe people, and save the children of the needy : and his people shall be so refreshed by his tender care, that He shall come down like rain upon the new mown grass, and like showers that water the earth : he shall deliver the needy, when be crieth ; the poor also, and him that hath no helper: he shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy : he shall redeem their souls from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight. Many And the improvement xoe should make of it. 317 parallel expressions might be added to these ; but the fol lowing heads are too copious to allow of a farther enlargement upon this, 3, I might largely argue the tenderness ahd grace of Christ, " from his conduct on earth in the days of his flesh." The time would fail me, should I attempt to enumerate half the particular circumstances of it, that tend to illustrate this part of his character : I must only select a few, which are the most remarkable. And judge you, whether all that is foretold of him in the text, and in the other prophetical passages I have been referring you to, was not amply and sweetly accom plished in thera. It is said. He will gather the larabs in bis bosom ; i. e. (as I have been telling you above,) the young and the weak shall be welcome to him : and did not our Lord sufficiently shew that they were so, when the little children were brought unto hira ? the disciples indeed forbad thera? as thinking it was be neath the dignity of so great a prophet, as their Master was, to trouble himself about them. But, observe it, children, (for I believe it was in part recorded for your sakes,) Jesus was greatly displeased with his disciples, that they should think he had no tenderness for such little creatures as you ; and he said. Suffer little children to corae unto rae, and forbid them not ; for of such is the Kingdom of God : and he took thera up in his arras, and laid his hands upon thera, and blessed them. Do you not here see the text most beautifully illustrated, and fulfilled ? do you not here see the great Shepherd, gathering the lambs in bis arms, and laying them in his bosom.'' — and does he not invite others also to that soft and pleasant repose, in those compassionate words, which surely none of you are such strangers in Israel as not to know ? Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest: 'And him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out. — Did he not also express a very gracious regard to such, when he so peculiarly recommends the care of thera to Peter, just when he was leaving the world, taking that peculiarly af fecting opportunity of assuring him, not only that it was his will that they should be regarded, but also that an affectionate 318 Pi'oofs of Christ's tenderness^ care of them was the raost acceptable instance, which Peter,- and (by a parity of reason) his other ministers^ could give of their love to him? lovestthou me? if tbou dost, feed m^ lambs, and feed my sheep. — Can we then imagine, thathe him.self wiil fail in his care of any of them ? especially when we consider the instances of his tenderness, to some who were notof his fold/ as well as to many who were ; — to one, in whom though he saw only some feeble traces and images of goodness, yet it is said, that Jesus beholding him, loved him ;— and to multitudes^ over whom he wept,- because they obstinately refused to be gathered in, and knew not the things belonging to their peace; Again, The text tells us. He shall gently lead those that are with Joung ; i. e. he shall accommodate his conduct to the weak ness and infirmities of his people : and did not our Lord ex press this tenderness, when he taught his folk)wers, as they were dble to bear it ; and was careful not to discourage them at tirst, by any unnecessary severities, lest it should be like putting new wine into old bottles, which might be easily broke by the fermentation of it? — and did not also this compas sionate Shepherd appear ready to bind up the broken, and to heal the sick, when he so graciously excused the weakness of his disciples, though tliey fell asleep at a time, wben one would have thought the agonies of their Lord should have turned them all into wakeful attention, and affectionate sym pathy ? Yet instead of severe reproaches, we find this kind apology in the mouth of their neglected injured Mastetj The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.-^To add no raore on this head, it is well worth our observation, that when Peter hadsrf shamefully denied hun, and all the rest of the apostles had for saken hira, even when he might most reasonably have expected their kindest assistance, he does not after his resuriectiotf express any keen and passionate resentments, bfit on the con trary, all is mildness and sweetness. At his first appearance to' Mary Magdalen, he says to her. Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, andtoniyGoi' and your God. And a few moments after, when appearing to' the otiier women on their return from the sepulchre, Go tell And the improvement xoe should make of it. 319 my brethren, says he, that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. He does not say, " go and tell those " cowardly perfidious creatures, that God has not abandoned " me, though they so meanly did it." He does not say, " go " tell that perjured Traitor, who even in my very sight and " hearing disowned me and abjured me :" but, " go tell my " brethren." And lest Peter should think himself excluded from the message, as peculiarly unworthy of so kind a name, the angel, no doubt by our Lord's particular direction, names that poor penitent expressly, and says. Go tell his disciples and Peter, that be is risen ; as if it had been said, " let that humble " mourner know, that his dear Master is risen, and in the " midst of his triumphs graciously remembers him, and sends " him these glad tidings thus early, as a token that all is for- " given." Gracious Shepherd! who would not love thee? who would not immediately cease his wanderings, to seek a retreat in thy compassionate bosom ? 4. The compassion of our Redeemer is still farther illus trated, " by those representations of it, which are made by the " apostles, in what they have written since his ascension into " glory." You well know, they were under the direction of the Spirit of Jesus, and had the mind of Christ in so perfect a raanner, that what they say is in effect spoken by Christ hiraself. Now there are many passages in their writings, which loudly speak, and tenderly illustrate, the compassion ofhis heart. The apostles sometimes expressly assert it ; and sometimes they write, as taking it for granted, as a thing known, allowed, and indeed felt by every christian. — It is frequently asserted by the author ofthe epistle to the Hebrews, in very expressive langrtage. We are assured, that we have not an high Priest, who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but wbo was himself in all points tempted like as we are. And more than that, we are assured, thathe submitted to the abase ments of an incarnate state, on purpose that his sufferings might teach him a due sympathy : It behoved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and a faithful high-priest, in things pertaining unto God ; — 320 Proofs of Christ's tenderness, for in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted : as the Jewish high-priests - being themselves compassed with infiraities, could have com passion on the ignorant, and such as were out of the way.-^ln other places, the corapassion of Christ is referred to, as uni versally known, and so great as to serve for a proverbial ex pression of the greatest kindness. Thus, when conjug;:l affec tion is recoraraended frora the consideration of both being one fiesh, the apostle adds, no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church : plainly intimating, that a man cannot have a more tender care of the members of his own body, than Christ has of his church and people. And elsewhere the apostle conjures chris tians, by the bowels of Christ, by the meekness and gentle ness of Christ; and pleads, if there be any consolation in Christ. We can hardly conceive any assertions so expressive, as such oblique insinuations and appeals as these. Yet 1 cannot omit that engaging illustration of this com passionate care of the great Shepherd, which is to be found in those e[)istles which he sent to the churches in Asia, by the hand of John, after he was received to the glories ofhis exalted state. By these it appears, how distinctly he attended to'the concerns of each of those churches, and therefore, no doubt, of each parti cular soul which constituted them ; how diligently he observed, who were flourishing, and who were declining; that he mightad- dress them with encouragements, or admonitions, suited to their respective circumstances. It plainly appears, that notwith standing all their peculiar ad vantages 'and obligations, there were many feeble and distempered souls among thera, and some that were called out to very laborious services, and hazardous trials. Let me intreat you to observe, how the blessed Jesus lifts up the hands which were hanging down, and strengthens the feehle knees. He saw, that the churcli of Ephesus had left its first love; — that the church of Sardis had a name to live but was dead ; yet that there was a little handful amongst them who had not defiled their garments ;— that the church of Phi ladelphia had but a httle strength; — and that of Laodicea was neither cold nor hot: yet a gracious Redeemer dees not im- And the improvement xve should make of it. 32 1 mediately disown thera ; but on the other hand, kindly admon ishes thera of; the danger there was, lest growing apostacy and degeneracy should provoke hira to remove their candlestick out of Its place, — to cast them out as loathsome, — or to wound them with the sword of his mouth, i. e. his word; — and on the other hand, he encourages them to greater fidelity and zeal, by a promise of eating of the fruit of the tree of life, — of being clo thed in white raiment, — of being confessed before the Father and his holy angels, — and of sitting down with him on his vic torious throne. — And as for his faiihful Srayrneans, he not only highly applauds their former conduct, but animates them against the terrors of imprisonment and other tribulation, by assuring them, he would give thera a crown of life. — And_ he fails not to tell the Philadelphlans, that since, weak as they Were, they had kept his word, he also would keep thera from the approaching hour of temptation, until at length he made them pillars in the house of God above, and gave thera a new name in his holy city.. You will please to take a more parti cular view of these Epistles at your leisure ; and you will see, in how aimable a manner the good Shepherd appears in them, laying the lambs in his bosora, and gently leading those that are with young, 5. I might farther argue this grace and tenderness of our Lord Jesus, " from the experience of those, who have, been " thus gathered, and cherished, and conducted by hiin." This being fact, ought certainly to have its weight ; and how little Soever it raay be regarded by those who are strangers to it, yet to the happy soul, who has found and felt this care, and with the most delightful relish tasted that the Lord is gracious, it will be instead of ten thousand arguments. How 'many, when ready to sink under their sorrows and their fears, have looked unto him, and been lightened, have found their fears dispersed, and their hopes established, their strength renewed, and their joys inkindled ? the effect is real, evident, and fre quent: and if we enquire into the immediate cause, we shall of ten find it to be the promises of his word, uttered by Christ himself, or recorded bv such as had their instructions and au- VoL. IIL " Y 32^ Proofs of Christ's tenderness thority from him. But if it be demanded, whence rt is, that the promises do at some times impress the mind so much more powerfully thati at others, though as distinctly remembered, and as firmly believed ? I will venture to say, how enthusiastical soever some may imagine it, that the most natural reasons seems to me to be this : the blessed Spirit of Go», whose office it is to shew to believers the things ofCHftiST, does sometimes dis play the promises before their eyes, with unconiraon sweetness and energy, at the same time sealing to the soul its own inter est in them ; and from hence arises so sublime and so holy ajoy and strength, that the christian observing its nature and ten dency, cannot doubt its original. And I evidently see, and new instances of it are daily arising, that such secret communicati ons from above are the raost effectual support of raany good men, nnder the greatest inward discouragements, and the most pain ful conflicts with their spiritual enemies? Now these supports being derived from the blessed' Spirit, are to be considered as proceeding frora CirftlsT; since it is raofst evident from the whole tenor of scripture, that Christ is the great head, from whom believers derive the influences of this Spirit, which are therefore called the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. So that every new instance of such refreshments and consolations as these, is an additional experimental proof of the tenderness and grace of a Redeemer. Nor is there any just objection against it, arising from the many instances, in which he has permitted excellent persons to goon, for a considerable time, in the bitterness of their souls, without any sensible manifestations of his care and ftivour. We are to judge nothing before the time; and surely the fidelity and kindness of the blessed Jesus is sufficiently approved, if, tho* in the most secret and imperceptible manner, he supports his people in the midst of their greatest difficulties, so as to prevent their being separated from hira, rill he safely conducts them to the heavenly worid, and there shews them the reasons of all their sorrows, and comforts them infinitely more than in pro portion to them all. And that he does so, appears evident to me, not only from the promises and declarations of his word, And the improvement we should make bfit. 3§3 which have been referred to under the formet head; but lilso frora tbe observation of factS; as far as it is possible for a train of particillar observations, to confirm such a genferal asser- tien. I must here take the liberty to' say,' (because I think it my duty on this occasion publifcly to testify it,) that though for my age I have had a considerable- opportunity of making my re marks on various cases of persons under spiritual distress, jet,- excepting a very few instances of evident distraction,- which none can reasonably imagine to have affected their eternal state; I cannot recollect any single instance, in which the humble soul has Seemed to be finally deserted by the great Shepherd. Many who have been under strong convictioris and agonies Of mind; have indeed forgot their resolutions, taken up often in an appa rent dependance on themselves, and have returned ivith the dog to his vomit, and with the sow that was w&shed to her wallowing in the mire; Many, who haive talked loudly of their extraordinary cbnimunications from above; and dfespised other* wbo have b^en less confident, have quickly appeared self de ceiving hypocrites, and have been left by foiil miscarriages to bring a scandal on themselves, and on religion too; But I can» not lemember, that I ever met with a single person, who ap peared, as one of the lambs of Christ's flock, humble under a sense of sin, and cordially disposed to put himself under thfe care of Christ as the great Shepherd, who after seekfrig and waiting on him, has been either driven away by tei'ror, or finally seduced into soul-ruining errors or crimes, even by the most artful deceivers. Many of them have perhaps for a cotisidJ erable time gone on weeping and trembling ; but they have kept their hold even to the last, and died with much more conifoft than they lived. Others have, for a long course of after-life,- found their consolations as great, as ever their sorrows had been: and after all their fears, many are to this day going On ina steady calm, as knowing vfhom they have believed; while others, who f doubt not are equally safe, are saying, if we pe*' lish, we will perish at his feet: but so far as I can recollect, I have never myself seen an v of such a character, who have fallen Ya 324 Proofs of Christ's tenderness Bto a final apostacy, or died in such circumstances, as to leave room to fear that their souls were lost ; and I have heard of few cases, which bear such an appearance. Let all, these re marks and arguments be attentively considered ; and then say, whether the grace and tenderness of a Redeemer be not as clearly proved, and as firmly established, as even the lambs of bis flock could reasonably desire. And now, IV. Let me conclude the discourse, with hinting at the pur poses to which it may be improved. And surely the survey we have been taking of the tenderness of Christ as a Shepherd, may naturally lead us to some such reflections as these. 1. " How amiable does our blessed Redeemer appear, ** when we contemplate him under such a character !" Such sentiments of humanity are wrought into our very na tures, that we cannot but love any person, especially one of distinction, wh& condescends to the weak and the help less, and tenderly accommodates himself to their necessi ties and distresses. You honour, and you love, a man of genius and learning and eminence in life, who will lay aside -other more splendid employraents, that he may instinct chil dren, or by kind and affectionate converse, even with the poor est creature that applies to him, may ease the burdens ofthe sorrowful spirit. If a minister of such a character has been re markable for his readiness lo such services, and for his diligent and successful application to them, though it be plainly the peculiar duty ofhis office to abound in them, he is justly respect- ted while he hves, and his name and memory are dear and pre cious to survivors: yet this is only the condescension of one worm to another. How much more reason have we, to rever ence and love the compassionate Jesus, the Prince of Glory, who has so long borne, and so tenderiy and faithfully executed this kind office, and bears and executes it to this day ! how many diseased souls has he healed, how many weak hands has he strengthened, how many weeping eyes has he dried, how many trerabling hearts has he supported and revived ! Let our love and our praises ascend to this great common bene- And the improvement xve should make of it. 32^ factor, for the share which others have had in his goodness,— But must the reflection stop here ? are not we ourselves in the number of those obliged creatures ? and shall not we feel, and own the obligation ? — We should surely be a burden to onr- selves, if we had no sense of the kindness of those, who sup ported us in our feeble infancy ; who then bore us in their arms, and cherished us in their bosoms ; who watched over our slip pery steps, and added the more iraportant care of forming our opening minds to knowledge and virtue. And when we have felt the burden of more advanced days pressing hard upon us, and heaviness in our hearts has made thera stoop ; if some cordial sympathizing friend has gladdened them with good and comfortable words, how kindly have we taken it, and how thankfully have we acknowledged it ? but, oh blessed Jesus, what were the guides of our infancy, or what the companions and comforters of our more advanced years in comparison of what thou hast been to us 1 " Whatever I now am," may the soul say, " if I ara thine, I was once a helpless larab in thy *' flock ; and how rauch ara I indebted to that pastoral care of ''" thine, of which I have now been hearing? liadst thou not " pursued rae in ray wanderings, I had been utterly lost : hadst " thou not guarded rae in thine arms, I had long since been de- '' voured : hadst thou not cherished me in thy bosom, my very " heart had been broken. And to this very day, what were I " without thy care and favour !" Thus let us look back to former days, and the years of more ancient times ; and as Gop reminds his people, how he took thera by their arms, and taught them to go, as he mentions with an agreeable reflection, " the kind^ " ness of their youth, and the love of their espousals," let us this day gratefully commemorate his kindness to us in our youth, and when our souls were first espoused to him. 2. " How ready should we be, to imitate this amiabl,e cha- " racter of our Kedeemeu : and after his example, to shew a ^' tender regard to the feeble of the flock I"' We who are Ministers, should especially do it, if we would approve our fidelity to the great Shepherd, and finally stand accepted in his sight. Observe, I intreat you, my younger breihjcen, (for my relation to some of you, not only allows, but Y3 325 Proofs qf Christ's tenderness requires me, to speak with peculiar freedom to you,) observe il^ how awful a manner the gj-teat God declares his displeasurft Against those shepherds, who had neglected the care which I pow recommend. Behold, I am against those shepherds, saith the Lord ; (i. e, as appears from tbe preceding verses, those shepherds, who had not strengthened the diseased, nor healed the sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought again that what was driven away ;) and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease froni feeding the flock. Did God so severely censure the Jewish shepherds for their neglect^ and will be not disown and condemn us, if under all the greatei: engagements of such a dispensation as the Gospel, and such an example as we have now been surveying, our flocks be neglected, or rather his flock committed to our care ? If you feaj-GoD, or love the LordJesus Christ, feed his sheep, — feed hi^ larabs. Instruct children ; though it be a difficult work, and fiiay gfeem to ignorant and thoughtless people a mean vvork : yet do it, and you will probably find the comfort of it, even if they die young, as they perhaps may ; and much more, if you see these tender plants growing up as cedars in Lebanon, and be coming pillars in the house of our GoD.r— Tenderly comfort tnourning souls. JiCt them have free access to you at propel tirnes ; hear their story patiently, though it be a very melan choly one ; and though you have heard it over andover again, fit)in other-s in the same circumstances, if not from themselves. Watpb their tempers, observe the turn of their minds, and of their discourse^ -; and endeavour to lay hold of some word b-f their ownj that you may,, if possible, graft conifort upoi^ St. Mourn with them, while they mourn ; and when your heai-t is impressed with their sorrowfijl case, go with them to the Throne of Grace, and spread it largely and particularly before the Lord, which you cannot so conveniently do in any other t:ircumstance. — 1 know, there are a thousand gaities of life, and .amusements of literature, which make young persons especially averse to such work as this. But remember, you ale Ministers <^i Christ ; and surely the disciple is not above his-master, nor the servant aboVe his Lord. You would think very ill ofthe shepherd, that Was so charmed with the music of hi§ pipe, a* to And the improvement xoe should mdkt of it 32/ forget his lambs, wliep they should be fed and tended. And I will venture to 5a,y, that as the case I now recommend is very necessary iu prder to the success of yo^ir ministry, so it may be a means of improving both your gifts and graces, anjl of form.- jog you to a spit-itjial and expei-imental strain of preaching; wMch is a rauch more valuably part of a minister's furniture, than classical or mathematical learning, or the critical study pf the scripture itself; though all these are desirable in their places, beaf^uRe all may be useful towards making thp man p^f G,on perfect. I would also from hence tiake occasion, to address ah exhor tation to you, wbo are heads of families. To your more iramcT •diate and constant care the larabs of the flock are committed. Feed them diligently and affectionately. Without your con- CiJrren.ce, vv.e cannot promise oursel-vps much from our more pub- lie attempts. Attend thcrefoi-e to the religions concei-ns of your cbildr,en and servants ; .and do it with a gentleness suited to their age and circunjstances. Frighten them not with a rigo? rous and austere severity ; but, as St.' JPaul expresses it vvitb re gard to himself, be gentle among thera, even as a nurse che*' risheth her children. In ^lw?rt, let us all hear one another's hHj;dens, and so fulfil the law of Christ,; and let us candidly receive one another, as we hope that CujPJSJ with all our infir- m-ities hath received us, 3. •" W;hat abundant .encouragement is here forthe feeblest " soul, to commit itself to Ch«i-st !" Let me now, on that encouragement, particularly address the exhortation to thpse, whose circumstances rendei" it peculjiirly their concert!. Let me address it to you, my yopnger friends, even to the c/u./dre^ that hear me tliisday. We speak of ihe gentleness and goodness of Chpist, onpuipose tp invite yoH to him. Goto him by faith and prayer, and say^ " Blessed Jesus, I come *' to thee a poor weak tender creature; but it was in regard " to such , weakness, that -thoii hast b-en pleased to speak so " graciously,; I be^ievo wb;tt I have heard, and I mean to " venture my sopl itpon it. I flee to thee, as the helpless lamb '^ tp its shephgitd, when hjyigr-y- that heiinay feed it, when pur- Y-4 328 Proofs of Christ's tenderness " sued by wild beasts that he raay defend it. Lord, open thine " arms, and thy bosom to me, though I am so inconsiderable a " creature. Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou or-, *' dainest praise. Fill my heart with thy love, and my mouth " with thy praise; and lead me on, till I corae to praise " thee among the Angels in Heaven, and to serve thee as they " do."Let me address the exhortation also, to the tempted and sor rowful soul. Oh thdu afflicted, thou who art tossed with the tempest, and not comforted ! look unto Jesus. Let thy cout flicts and dangers drive thee to him; though Satan would there by attem'",t to drive thee frora him. Accustom not thyself, to think of Christ as dreadful and severe. Terrify not thyself with the thought ofthe iron rod of vengeance, whilst thou feel- est thyself disposed to submit to the golden sceptre of his grace,; to the pastoral rod by which he guides his sheep. And >vhen thou findestthy doubts arising, flee to the representations and assurances ofhis word, so largely insisted on above; and pray, that the influences of his Spirit may strengthen thy faith in them. Nor let me neglect so proper an occasion, of addressing my self to aged christians. You, my friends, though not the Iambs ofthe flock, are, on some account, the feeble of it. Though I hope, and believe, that many of you are strong in grace ; yef the outer man is decaying, and sensible comfort often decays with-it. Yet be, not discouraged; but remember your shep herd. You have not only heard of h's grace, but you have long experienced it. Be chearful in it, and remember, that a^, all your experiences will not secure you otherwise than as in the bosom of Christ, so all your infirmities and trials cannot en danger you while you are there. He has led you on gently and safely through the wilderhess; a few steps more will finish your journey, and bring you to the ever-blissful pastures of Canaan. Once more, let me address the exhortation to those, who have gone astray from this blessed Shepherd, and invite them to return to him. May I not appeal to your ovvn consciences to witness, that it was never better with you, than yfhen yoq; And the improvement xve should make of it. 319 kept nearest to him ; and that while at a distance from him, you are exposed to want, and danger, and bitter regret ? has not your heart melted within you, while 1 have been speaking ? and have you not been ready to say, " Oh that I were once raore " lodged in those gracious arms, in that compassionate bo- " som !" And what hinders it ? does he Bot assure you, that he will yet be willing to receive ypu ? nay, that he will rejoice ovfer you, on sorae accounts even more, than over those who never wandered. Return then, in the strength of divine grace, to the duties you have neglected, to the ordinances you have forsaken ; and may your souls find refreshments in them, that with firmer purpose of heart you may for the future cleave unto the Lord. And now. Lastly, " What a delightful idea does it give us of the mu- 'f taal endearments, whicb shall pass between Christ and his " people, when they are brought to the world of glory ?" There .they shall be no longer exposed to necessities and alarms ; but all the purposes of his love shall be compleated, iq their everlasiing security and joy. And surely the gracious Reoeemer raust be inconceivably delighted, when he there sees of the travail of his soul. When he has with a gentle and gracious hand conducted his sheep through the dark valley of death, with what joy will he open to tliem those better pastures ! with what congratulations will he receive them to a state of in separable nearness to him, and administer to them an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of their Lord and Savi our! therefore it is beautifully represented in the book of the Revelations, as the business and joy of Christ, even on the Throne ofhis Glory, to lead on his saints to the various scenes pf divine pleasure and enjoyment, which are provided for them there : the Lar;ib which is in the midst of the Throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto fountains of living waters. And, oh gracious Redeemer, what will the joy of thy flock then be, when thus fed and conducted by thee ! if it be so delightful at this huniblt' distance, to believe ourselves the ob jects of thy care and favour, and to taste of these little streams which t\iOVi art causing to flow in upon us here in the wilderpess, what will tjiat river of life be \ if it be now the joy of our hearts. 33"} Proofs of Christ's tenderness, awhile to forget our pares and our fears, when we are perhaps at thy table, and to lean our weai-y heads for a iew momenss on thy dear breast ; what will it be, for ever to dwell in .thine em- trace, and to say once for all, return unto thy rest, oh my soul, forthe Lord hath dealt bountifnlly with thee! bountifully in deed ! when ihey who were brought out with weeping, and led erhaps also 'they who were at first enn ployed as his messengers 'tothe world',! should be endowed with a power of working mi racles jUioth tp awaken mens attention, and to prove a divine missiph;, -and the consequent truth of their doctrines; some of which might jperbaps not be capable of any other kind of proof; or if they werei it is -certain that 'no method of arguing is so short, SP plain, and so forcible,' and on the whole, so well ¦^S^lted to the conviction, and probably the reformation of roan- kind,, as a course of evident, repeated, and uncontrouled Andthe New Testament proved to be genuine. 339 miracles. And such a method of proof is especially adapted to the populace, who are incomparably the greater part of man kind, and for whose benefit, we may assure ourselves, a Reve lation would chiefly be designed. — I*biight add, it was no way improbable, though not in itself certain, that such a dispensa tion should open gradually on the world; and that themost illustrious messenger of God to men should be ushered in by some predictions, which should raise a great expectation of his appearance, and have an evident accomplishment in him. As for the propagation of a religion so introduced, it seems no way improbable, that having been thus established in its first age, it should be transmitted to future generations by cre dible testimony, as other important facts are. It is certajn, that affairs of the utmost moment, which are transacted amongst men, depend on testimony : on this voyages are un dertaken, settlements made, and controversies decided; con troversies, on which not only the estates, but the lives, of -men depend. And though it must be owned, that such an historical evidence is not equally convincing with miracles which are wrought before our own eyes; yet it is certain, it may rise to such a degree as to exclude all reasonable doubt. And I know not why we should expect, that the evidence of a revelation should be such, as universally to" compel the immediate assent of all to whom it is offered. Tp me it seems much more likely that it should be so adjusted, as to be a kind of touch-stone to the tempers and characters of men ; capable indeed of giving ample satisfaction to the diligent and candid enquirer, yet at tended with some circumstances, from whence the captious and perverse might take occasion to cavil and object. Such might we suppose, the evidence of a revelation would _be; and such iti is, maintained, tbat of Christianity is. The teachers of it say, and undertake to prove, that it was thus .introduced, thus established, , anti thus transmitted ; and we trust, that this js a strong presumption in its favour: especially as we .can add, 4. " That thCj main doctrines contained in the gospel are, of "such a nature, as we najght in general suppose^ those of a " diyine revelation wauld be, rational, practicalj, and sub-* « lime." Z2 340 The evidences of Christianity briefly stated, One would imagine, that in a revelation of a religion from God, the great principles of natural religion should be clearly as serted, and strongly maintained : such I mean, as the exis tence the unity, the perfect-on, and the providence of God; the essential and imrautable difference between moral good and evil ; the obligation we are under to the various branches of virtue, whether bumah, social, or divine ; the value and immortahty of the soul ; and the rewards and punishraents of a future state. One would easily conclude, that all these par ticulars must be contained in it ; and that upon tbe whole, it should appear calculated, to form mens minds to a pro per temper, rather than to amuse them with curious specula tions. It might indeed be farther supposed, and probably concluded, that such a revelation would contain some things, which could not have been learnt from the highest improvements of^natural light : and considering the infinite and unfathom able nature ofthe blessed God, it would be more than proba ble, that many things might be hinted at, and referred to, which our feeble faculties should not be able fully to compre hend. Yet we should expect, to find these introduced in a practical view, as directing us to duties before unknown, or suggesting powerful motives tO make us resolute and constant in the discharge of the rest*. As for ceremonial and positive institutions, we should imagine, at least in the most perfect state of the revelation, that they should be but few, and those few plainly subservient to the great purposes of practical religion. I shall only add, that forasmuch as pride appears to be the most reigning corruption of the human mind, and the source of numberless irregularities ; it is exceeding probable, that a divine revelation should be calculated, to hurable the fallen creature, and bring it to a sense of its guilt and weakness; and the more evidently that tendency appears, other things « Particularly pn what terms, and to what degree, pardon and happiness Blight be expected by sinful creatures. And the Nexo Testament proved to be genuine. 34 1 being equal, th^- greater reason there is to believe, that the original of such a scheme is from above. ^ Your own thoughts have undoubtedly prevented me in the application of these characters to the christian revelation. The justice of that application I must not now illustrate at large. But I must beg leave to advance one remai/fe, which will con clude what I have to say on this general: which is, that as the christian system is undoubtedly worthy of God, so cpnsider- ing the manner in which it is said to have been introduced, (separate frora the evidence of these facts, which is afterwards to be considered,) it is extreraely difficult to imagine, from whom else it could have proceeded. I will readily allow, that neither the, reasonablcfness of its doctrines, nor the purity of its raorals, will alone prove its divine original; since it is possible, the reason ofone man may discover that, which the reason of another, approves, as being, in itself considered, either true in theory, or useful in practice. But this is not all ; for in the present case it is evident, that the first teachers of Christianity professed, that they, were taught it by divine revelation, and that they were impowered by Gqd with miraculous endowments for the confirmation of it. Now if it were not indeed so as they professed, how can we account for so strange a phaenomenon, as such a doctrine introduced with such pretences ? If it were not frpm God, whence was it ? from good, or from evil angels or men ? wicked creatures, as our Lord strongly intimates, would never contrive and propa gate so excellent a scheme; nor can we imagine, that holy angels, or righteous men would thus be found false witnesses of God, or have attempted to support the cause of religion and truth, by such impious and notorious falshoods, as their pretensions must have been, if they were falshoods at all. And thus much for the first branch of the argument:^ If 3'ou cousider the christian scheme only in theory, it appears highly probable ; since a revelation was so much needed^ might so reasonably be expected, and if it were ever given, would, so far as we can judge, be thus introduced, and be in the main attended with such internal characters. And though we have not as yet expressly proved, that the gpspel W'ls.introdi^ced in Z 3 ' ' ^ ' ¦ ¦ " 342 The evidences of Christianity briefly stated, such a manner, as the defenders of it assert ; yet it would be strangely unaccountable, that so admirable a system of truth and duty should be advanced by the prince of darkness, and the children of wickedness ; as it must have been, if the persons first employed in the propagation of it were not endowed with power from on high. To embrace the gospel is so safe, and on the whole, so com fortable a thing, that I think a wise man would deliberately and resolutely venture his all upon it, though nothing more could be offered for its confirmation. But, blessed be God, we have a great deal more to offer in this important cause ; and can add, with still greater confidence, that it is not only in theory thus probable, but. Secondly, " That it is in fact certain, that Christianity is " indeed a divine revelation." Here I confess the chief stress is to be laid ; and therefore I shall insist more largely on this branch ofthe argument, and en deavour, by the divine assistance, to prove the certainty of this great fact. You will naturally apprehend, that I speak only of what is commonly called a moral, certainty* : but I need speak of no more ;. for in many cases, such kind of evidence gives the mind ,a^ ample and as rational a satisfaction, as it may find even in some supposed, mathematical demonstration ; since there it is possible, at least in a long deduction of particulai-s, forthe most sagacious of mankind to fall into a mistal^e. Now in order to settle this grand point as clearly as lean, I think it may be proper to prove, I, That the books of the New Testament, as they are now in your hands, niay be depended upon as written by the first preachers and publishers of Christianity, And, . II, That from hence it will certainly follow, that what they assert is true, and that the religion they teach, brings along - * -Which, though it amount not to strict demonstration, is such kind of evidence as suits past matters of fact, and ii sufficient to make a candid and ra tional enquirer easy in his assent. And the Nexo Testtlment proved to be ^Unume. 343 with it such evidences of a divine authority, as may most justly recommend it to oUr acceptance. Each of these heads might furnish otlt matter for mafay vo lumes; but it is my business to hint at the most obvious and important thoughts, by whicli they may briefly be illustrated and confirmed. I, I ara to prove to yoU, " that the books of the New Tes- " tament, now in your hands, were written by the first preachers " and publishers of Christianity," You see I confine the present proof, to the New Testamenti Not that I think the authority of the Old to be suspected, or the use of it by any means to be despised. God forbid ! it is an invaluable treasure, which demands our daily delightful and thankful perusal, and is capable of being defended in a man ner which I am persuaded its subtilest enemies will nevei' be able to answer. But the nature of my present argument, and the limits of my time, oblige me at present to wave the proof of it ; any farther than as it is implied in, and dependent upoij, what I have more imraediately in view. In theprocessof the discourse, though I shall studiously avoid any vain ostentation of learning, yetitwillbe absolutely necessary to assert some things, which cannot certainly be known^ without some little acquaintance with ancient writers. You cannot, most of you, -be supposed to have formed such an acquaintance ; but I take it for granted you will readily believe^ that I will not "lie for God, nor talk deceitfully for him," I shall say nothing of this kind, but what I know to be contained in those writings 5 and you may assure yourselves^ that no man of com mon sense, whatever his moral or religious character were, would venture in such an age as this, publicly to cite passages, as from authors in every ones hands, which he cannot prove to be contained in them. Having premised these things, I go on to the argument; and shall advance in it by the following degrees. I shall prove, — • tbat Christianity is an ancient religion ; — tbat there was such a person as Jesus of Nazareth, Crucified at Jerusalem abput Z4 344 The evidences of Christianity briefly stated, seventeen-hundred years ago ; — that the first preachers of hi's religion wrote books, which went by the name of those, that now make up the volume of our New Testament ; — that they are preserved in the original to the present times ; — and that the translation of them, which you have, is in the main such, as may hie depended upon as faithful. And then I shall have clearly made out what 1 proposed in this first part. 1. It is certain, " that Christianity is not a new religion, but " tbat it was maintained by great multitudes, quickly after " the tirae in which Jesus is said to have appeared." That there was, considerably more than sixteen hundred years ago, abody ofmen, whowentby the name of Christians, isalmost as evident, as that a race of men was then existing in the world ; nor do I know, that any have ever been wild and confident enough to dispute it. If any sliould for argument-sake question it, they might quickly be convinced by a considerable number of Christian Writers, who lived in the sarae, or the next age*, and raention it as a thing notoriously certain, that Christianity was then of sorae standing in the world ; some ofthem giving directions and exhortations to their brethren, and others form ing apologies to their enemies, for which there could not other wise have been the least foundation. We might have acqui esced in their testimony, had it been alone ; but it is confirmed by that of Jews and Heathens, who, by their early invectives against the Christians, do most evidently prove, that there was such a body of men in the world. — ^The most considerable Roman Historians, who lived in ibis age, and wrote of it, are Tacitus and Suetonius, who both published their writings above sixteen hundred years ago ; and they are always, and very justly ap pealed to, as pregnant witnesses upon this occasion. — For Ta citus assures us, '" that in Nero's days", who begun his reign about twenty years after the death of Christ, " there was * Such as Clemens Romanus, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenius, Tatian, Athenagoras, and Theophilus Antiochenus, who all -wrote before the year 200, and some in the first century : not to urge Barnabas and Hermas ; nor to.mention any of those cited by Eusebius, whose books are all lost, except some -fragments, preserved chiefly by that excellent Writer. And the 'Nexv testament proved to be genuine. 345 " a vast raultitude of Christians, not Only in Judaea, but at *' Rc^rae too ; against whom Nero raised a persecution, attended *' with such circurastances of ignorainy and cruelty, as moved " the compassion even of their enemies;" ofwhich number the Historian evidently was*. Nay, he plainly intiraates, this was not the first attempt which had been made to crush them ; tho' this attempt was so early as we have heard. — His contemporary Suetonius, in his more concise manner attests the sainet And Pliny, the intimate friend and correspondent of both, being em ployed in Trajan's tirae to persecute the christians, writes an ac count of them to tbat Emperor, which, though coraraonly known, must be raentioned, as it is so highly important. After having spoken very favourably of their moral character, he adds, " that many of both sexes, and of every age and rank, were " infected with this superstition ;" as he thinks fit to express it , " that it was got into the villages, as will as the cities ; and that " till he begun to put the laws in execution against them, the " temples ofthe heathen deities were almost deserted, andhard- " ly any could be found who would buy victims for thcm^." — It might be added, that Marcus Antoninus^, whovvrote a few -* NeroquEsitissimis pcenis affecit, quos, per Flagifia invisos, vulgus Chris- tianqs appellabat. — Repressa in praesens exitiabilis Superstitio, rursus erumpebat, non modo per Judseam, originem ejus maii, sed per urbem etiam, &c — Multi- tudo ingens — Odio humani generis convifti sunt ; & pereuntibus addita Ludir bria,— unde Miseratio oriebatur, &c. Tacit. Annal. Lib. xv. c. 44. ¦f- Afflicti suppliciis Chritiani, Genus hominum superstitionis HOv'se ac male- fici. Sueton. Ner. cap. xvi, :}: Multi omnis .lEtatis, omnis Ordinis, utriusque Sexus etiam vocantur in pe- rlculum. Neque Civitates tantum, sed Vicos etiam, atque Agros, supersti tionis istius Contagio pervagata est; — prope jam desolata Templa, — & sacra so. lennia diu intermissa : victimas, quaram adhuc rariffimus emptor inviebatur- Plin. Epist. Lib. x. Epist. 97. § EroijA.®^ anoXv^'rinoii ra o-w/xar®', ft.yi aoira •4-l^^IV vxpxra.^iv, , us oi X«i<-'avM. Marc. Antonin. Lib. xi. ^ 3. — [See also this Emperor's Constitution to the Community of Asia, (as inserted by Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical His tory, Lib. iv, cap. 13.) in which he raentio.':s their persecuting the Christians S45 The evidences of Christianity briefly stated, years after Pliny, mentions the Christians, " as examples of a " resolute and obstinate contempt of death •" and it is generally supposed, they arethe Galileans, whom Epictetus speaks of*y " as those whom practice had taught to despise the rage of their " armed enemies."f I shall dismiss this head with observing, that it tends' greatly to the cqnfirm ation of Christianity, that each of these celebra-' ted and ancient writers, at the same time that they attest the existence of such a body of men professing it, inform us of those extrerae persecutions which they 'underwent, in the very infancy of their religion ! a fact farther apparent from the apo-* logics addressed to their persecutors, which, whatever imper-' fections raay attend the raanner in which sorae of them are writ, appear to me some of the most valuable remains of antiquity, (the Sacred Records only excepted,) especially all those of Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Minutius Foelix. This funda mental point is then abundantly made out ; that there were vast numbers ofmen, very quickly after the time when Jesus is said to have appeared on earth, who professed his religion, and chose to endure the greatest extremities, rather than they would aban don it. From hence it will be easy to shew. tQ death ; and speats of these Persecutions as having continued a considerable time. N. B. This -was inserted in Melito's Apology for the Christians, which he wrote in that Emperor's Reign, so that there cannot be the least dotibt of its being genuine. * Tvo ixmicti fi£» ^vtxrxi tis arw ^ixre9nvai ^^®. rxvrx, -(SofinpofSS scil, ¦n {j.a.ya.i^oi.s') r,«i uTTO eSbs oi TaXiXaioi. Arrian. Epictet. Lib. iv. cap. 7' pag. 400. -^ This would be the proper place to raention the passage said to be in Philo Judaeus, (who- was contemporary with the Apostles,) relating tothe Christians in his days, and the methods taken by an embassy from Jerusalem to prevent tlie progress of their Religion : but though I verily believe the fact to have ken true, I omit it, for reasons which the reader will find in a note under head %• of the next Sermon Some other passages of Ancient Writers, which might be very pertinent here, I reserve to mention under some following heads, and par-- ticularly where I shall speak of the Miraculous Propagation of the Gospel. And the nexv Testament proved to be genuine. 347 2. " That there was certainly such a person as Jesus ofNa- " zareth, who was crucified at Jerusalem, when Pontius Pilate " was the Roman governor there." It can never be imagined, that multitudes of people should take their name from Christ, and sacrifice their lives for their adherence to him, even in the same age inwhichhe is said to have lived, if they had not been well assured, there was such a person. Now several of the Authors I have mentioned plainly assert, that the christians vveie denominated frora Christ; nay, Tacitus expressly adds, " thathe was put to death under Pontius Pilate, who was procurator of Judaea, in the reign of Tiberius*." And it is well known, that the primitive Christian Apologists often appeal tothe acts of Pilatef, or the memoirs ofhis govern ment, (which he, according to the custom of other procura^ tors, transmitted to Rome,) as containing an account of these transactions : and as the appeal was made to those, who had the command of public records, we may assure ourselves such testimonies were then extant. But it is a fact, which our ene- ipies never denied; they owned it, they even gloried in it. The Jews therefore in sorae of tbeir earliest writings since those times, call Jesus by the ignominious narae of " the Man who was " hanged, or crucified," and his followers, " the servants of the " crucified person^." And Lucian rallies them for deserting the pompous tr.iin of the Heathen Deities, to worship one whom he impiously calls "a crucified Impostor§." [Spartian also as- * Auctor nominis ejus Christus, qui Tibcrio imperitante per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum supplicio afFectus erat. Tacit, ubi supra. ¦f- Vid. Justin. Mart. Apolog. Oper. pag. 76. & Tertul. Apol. cap, xxi. % Buxtorf. Lexic. Talmud, in Voce '17/1 § Tov 0£ o!v;3-KoXo7rio-;*fvo» EXEvov /TotpiTtii) avTuv 'jT^otTx.moKTi , Lucian. de Morte Peregrin!, Oper. Tom. II. pag. 568. [t might here introduce a great Diany other remarkable particulars from this writer, which relate to " the for- " titude of the Christians in bearing suiferings, their entire submission tO the " authority of Jesus, their unparallel'd charity to each other, the prophets and " messengers of their churches, andthe great progress of their religion.'' All these things are siemioned in the Pseudomantis, and the Death of Peregrinus, 348 The evidences of Christianity briefly stated suresus, that the -Emperor Alexander Severus entertained such high thoughts of ChUist, " that he would have admitted hint " into the nuraber of his deities, and have built a temple to him, " had not his Pagan subjects opposed it*." And Porphyry, though an inveterate enemy to Christianity, not only allowed there was such a person, but honoured him " as a most wise and " pious man, approved bytheGoDS, and taken up to Heaven " for his distinguished virtues."f] I might add a great deal more on this headl ; but it already appears as certain as ancient his tory can make it, and incoraparably raore certain than most of the facts which it has transmitted to us, that there was at tlie time commonly supposed such a person as Christ, who profes sed himself a divine Teacher, and who gathered many disciples, by whom his religion was very soon afterwards published in the world. 3 It is also certain, " that the first publishers of this religion "'wrote books, which contained an account of the life and doc- " trine of Jesus their Master, and which went by the name of " those that now make up our New Testament." It ivEts in the nature of things exceeding probable, that what they had seen and heard,, they would declare and publish to'the world in writing ; considering, how common books were in the age and countries in which they taught; and of how great im portance an acquaintance with the history and, doctrine of Christ was, to the purposes which they so strenuously pursued- But we have much more than such a presumptive evidence. The greatest adversaries to Christianity must grant, that we have Books of great antiquity, written, some fourteen, others which are undoubtedly Lucian's : not to mention those very memorable psssagei in the Philopatris, which is of a much later date. But a particular detail of these things would swell this note to a very improper bulk.] * Spartian. de vita Seveti, cap. xxix & xliii. -t Euseb. Demonstr. Evang. Lib. iii. pag. 134. % 1 say nothing of the celebrated passage in Josephus, (Antiq. Lib. Jivili. cap. 4.) because it has been disputed ; though I know no considerable objection Andthe Nexv Testament proved to be genuine. 349 fifteen, and some sixteen hundred years ago*; in which, men tion is made of the life of Christ, as writtisn by many, and es pecially by four of his disciples, who by way of eminence are called the evangelists. Great pains have indeed been taken to prove, that some spurious pieces were published under the naraes of tbe apostles, containing the history of these things : but surely this must iraply, that it was a thing known and al lowed, that the apostles did write some narrations of this kind ; as counterfeit c6in iraplies sorae true money, whichit is designed to represent. And I -am sure, he must be very little acquainted with the ancient ecclesiastical writers, who does not know, that the primitive Christians made a very great diflerence between those wrirings, which we call tbe Canonical Books of the New Testament, . and others : which plainly shews, that they did not judge of wrirings, merely by tbe names of their pretended au thors, but enquired with an accuracy becoming the importance of those pretences. The result of this enquiry was, that the four Gospels, the Acts, thirteen Epistles of Paul, one of Peter, and one of John, were received upon such evidence, that Euse bius, a most accurate and early critic in these things, could not Jearn tbat they had ever been disputed -f-; and afterwards the remaining Books of the New Testament, Hebrews, James, the second of Peter, the second and third of John, Jude, and tlie Revelations were admitted as genuine, and added to the lest ; though sorae jcircumstances attending them rendered their au thority for a while dubious. On the whole it is plain, the prhni- tive Christians were so satisfied in the authority of these Sacred against it, but its being so honourable to Christianity, that one would hardly imagine a Jew could write it, -* Such as Tatian, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Origin, Eu febius, and many others : see Jones of the Canon, part iv. Introduct. Justin Martyr's controversy with Trypho, and Origen's with Celsus, prove that Jews and Heathens allowed, not only that there were s-uch- books, but that they con tained the Religion of Christians. t. Euseb. fcclcs, llist. Lib. vi. cap. s^ 350 The evidences of Christianity briefly stated Books, that they speak of them, not only as credible and au thentic, but as equal to the Oracles ofthe Old Testament, as di. vinely inspired, as the words ofthe Spirit, as the law and organ of God, and as the rule of faith which cannot be contradicted without great guilt : with raany other expressions of the like kind, which often occur in their discourses. To which I may add, that in sorae of their councils, the New Testament was placed on a Throne, to signify their concern, that all their con troversies and actions might be determined and regulated by it. On the whole then, you see, that the primitive Church did receive certain pieces, which bore the same titles with the New Testament. Now I think it is evident, they were as capable of judging whether a book was written by Matthew, John, or Paul, as an ancient Roman could be of determining whether Horace, Tully, or Livy wrote those which go under their names. And I am sure, the interest of the former was so much more concerned in the Writings of the Apostles, than that of the latter in the compositions of the Poets, Orators, or even their Historians; that tber^ is reason to believe, they would take much greater care to inform themselves fully in the merits of the cause, and to avoid being imposed upon by artifice and fic tion. Let me now shew, 4- " That the books of the New Testament have been pre- " served in the main uncorrupted, to the present time, in the " original language in which they were written." This is a raatter of vast importance, and blessed be God, it is attended witb proportionable evidence; an evidence, in which the hand of providence has indeed been remarkably seen ; for I am confident, that there is no other book in the world, which may so certainly, and so easily, be proved to, be authentic. And here, I will not argue merely from ;the piety of the pri mitive Christians, and the heroic resolution with which they chose to endure the greatest extremities, rather than t-hey would deliver up their Bibles, (though that be a, considerat ion of some evident weight ;) but shall intreat you to- consider the utter im possibility of corrupting them. From the first ages, they were received, and read in the churches, as a part of their public And the Nexv Testament proved to be genuine 351 worship, just as Moses and the Prophets were in the Jewish Synagogues ; they were presently spread far and wide, as the boundaries of the church were increased ; they were early trans lated into other languages, of which translations some remaiu to this day. Now when this was the case, how could they pos sibly be adulterated ? Is ita thing to be supposed, or imagined, that thousands and millions of people should have come toge ther from distant countries ; and that with all their diversities of language, and customs, and I may g,dd, of sentiments too, they should have agreed on corrupting a Book, which they all acknowledged to be the rule of their faith, and their manners, and the great charter by which they held tbeir eternal hopes. It were madness to believe it: especially when we consider what numbers of heretics appeared in the very infancy of the church, who all pretended to build their notions on scripture, and most of them appealed to it as the final judge of contrpver- sies : now it is certain, that these different parties of professing christians were a perpetual guard upon each other, and rendered it impossible for one party, to practise grossly on theSacred Books, without the discovery, and the clamour of the rest. Nor must I omit to remind you, that in every age, from tbe Apostles time to our own, there have been nunsberless' quo tations made from the Books of the New Testament ; and a multitude of commentaries in various languages, and some of very ancient date, have been written upon them'; so that if the Books themselves were lost, I believe they might in a great mea sure, if not enrirely, be recovered from the writings of others. And one might venture to say, that if all thfe quotations, which have ever been m'ade'frbm all the ancient Writings' now remain ing in Europe, were to be amassed together, the bulk of .them would be by no means comparable, to that ofthe quOtarions ta ken -from the New Testament alone. ;$o'that a man might with a much better face dispute, whether the writings ascribed to Homer, Demosthenes, Vij-jgil, or<^aesar, be in the main such as they left them ; thaq he could questign it concerning those of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, ^and Paul, whe ther they are in the main so. f sayj, in the main;, because we readjly alloV, that the hand 352 The evidences qf Christianity briefly stated of a printer, or of a transcriber, might chance in some places to insert one letter or word for another ; and the various read ings of this, as well as of all other ancient books,- prove, that this has sometimes been the case. Nevertheless those various readings are generally of so little importance, that he wha can urge them as .an objection against the assertion we are now maintaining, raust have little judgment, or little integrity ; and indeed, after those excellent things which have been said on the subject by raany defenders of Christianity, if he bave read their writings, he must have little raodesty too. Since then it appears, that the books ofthe New Testament, as tbey now stand in the original, are, without any material alteration, such as they were, when they came from the hands of the persons whose names tbey bear : nothing remains to corapleat this part of the arguraent, but to shew, 5. " That tbe translation of them, now in your hands, may " be depended upon, as in all things most material, agreeable " to- the original." This is a fact, of which the generality of you are not ca pable of judging immediately, yet it is a matter of great impor tance : It is therefore a very great pleasure to me to think, what ample evidence you may find another way, to make youj minds as easy on this head, as you could reasonably wish them, I -mean, by concurrent testimony of others, in circumstances in which you cann.ot imagine they would unite to deceive you.. There are, to be. sure, -very few of us, whose oflSce i- is pub^ licly to preach the gospel,, who have not examined this mat-. ter with, care, and who , are not capable of judging in so easy aca?e,, 1 believe you have seen few in the place where I now staod, .that could not have told you, as I solemnly do, that on.a diligent comparison. of our translation with the original, we find that. of. the New Testament, (and I might also add, thatof the old,) in thfe main faithful and judicious. You know indeed,. .'that >ve.do not, scrupl« on some occasions to animadvert upon, it; but you also, .know, that these reinarks affect not the fun(}araeijt^ls of religion, and seldora reach any farther than the.'bea.u^yof a figure, or. at most the connection of an argu-. ment. Nay, I can confideiitly say, that, to the best of my ' And the Nexv Testament proved to be genuine 353 knowledge and remembrance, as there is no copy of the Greek, so neither is there any translation ofthe New Testament which I have seen, whether ancient or modern, how defective or faulty soever, from which all the principal facts and doctrines of Christianity might not be learnt, so far as the knowledge of them is necessary to salvation, or even to some considerable degrees of edification in piety. Nor do I except from this remark, even that most erroneous and corrupt version, pub lished by the English Jesuits at Rheims, which is undoubt- .ediy one of the worst that ever appeared in our language. But I desire not, that, with respect to our own translation ofthe New Testament, a matter of so great moraent as the fidelity of it should rest on my testimony alone, or entirely on that pf any of my brethren, for whose integrity and learning you may have the greatest and justest esteem. I rejoice to say that this is a head, on which we cannot possibly deceive you, if we were ever so desirous to do it. And indeed in this respect that is our advantage, which in others is our great calamity, I mean the diversity of our religion opinions. It is certain, that wheresoever there is a body of dissenters from the public establishment, who do yet agree with their brethren of that es tablishment in the use of tbe same translation, though they are capable of examining it, and judging of it; there is as great evi dence as could reasonably be desired, th-at such a translation is inthe main right ; for ifit were in any considerable article cor rupted, most of the other debates would quickly lose themselves in this : and though such dissenters had all that candour, tender ness, and respect for their fellow-christians, which I hope vve shall always endeavour to maintain ; yet they would, no doubt, think themselves obliged in conscience to hear a warm and loud testimony against so crying an abomination, ,as they would ano^ ther day appear free from the guilt of a confederacy, to poison the public fountains, and destroy the souls of men. But we make no coniplaint on this subject; we all unite in bearing our testimony to the oracles of Goo, as delivered in our own lan guage. Oh that we were equally united in regulating our doc trine, and our discipline, our wprship^ arid piir practi.ee by them ! Vol, IIL A a 354 The evidences of Christianity briefly stated, You see then, on the whole, hovv much reason there is t6 be- lieve, " that the Books of the New Testament, as they are now " ih your hands, v/ere v/ritten by those whose names they bear, " even the first preachers and pubhshers of Christianity." This is the gra:)d point ; and from hence it will follow by a traih of easy and natural consequences, that the Gospel is most certainly true : but tbat is a topic of argument, abundantly sufficient tb furnish out matter for another discourse. May God command his, blessing on what has been already laid before us, that through the operation of his Spirit, it may be useful for estab lishing our regard to the Scripture, and for confirming our faith in that Almighty Redeemer, who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last; whom to know is life everlasting, and in whom to believe is the great se curity of our eternal salvation ! Amen. ( 355 y SERMON XVII. The EVIDENCES of CHRISTIANITY deduced from the NEW -TESTAMENT ^ allo-wefl tq le GENUINE- 2 Pet. i. 1(3, ' We have not followed cunningly devised fables, — — VV HEN we are addressing ourselves to an audience of pro fessing christians, I think we may reasonably take it for granted in the main course of our ministry, that they believe the truth of the Gospel, and may argue with them on that supposition. To be ever laying the foundation would be the part of an unwise builder, and be greatly detrimental to your edification and coin-»- fort, and I may add, to our own. Nevertheless, christians, w@ do not desire, that you should take it merely upon our word, that your religion is .divine, and your Scriptures inspired. We desire, that your faith, as well as your worship, should be a rea sonable service ; and wish, that, in this respect, all the Lord's people were as Prophets ; tbat as every christian is in his sphere set for the defence of the Gospel, each might in some measur^ be able to assert its truth, and if possible, to convince gainsay- ers. Therefore, as we are often hinting at the chief arguments, on which this sacred cause is established, (established I trust, sq firmly, that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it ;) sp I thought it might be agreeable and useful, on this occasion, to state them a little, more largely, in their proper connection, and A a2 ' 356 The evidences of ChKi$tiafiity, deduced from mutual dependance. And I chose the rather to do it, as these Serraons are especially intended for young people, who in an age in which infidelity so rauch abounds, can hardly expect to pass through the world, if they are called to converse much in it, without some atiacks on their faith ; which may be very dangerous, if they, are not provided with some armour of proof against them. It is indeed, (as I before observed,) above all things io be desired, that the heart may be established with grace; for we are then most secure from the danger of forget- ing God's precepts, when they have been the blessed iriean.sof quickening us to a divine life. Yet as other arguments have their use, and in some degree their necessity too, I shall briefly go on to propose them. I beg therefore, that you would renew your attention, while I resume the thread of my discourse, i» an entire dependance on the blessed spirit, by whom the Gospel was at first revealed and con firmed, to add success to this humble attempt for its service, and for your edification. I am now shewing you, that Christianity, which before ap peared in theory probable and rational, has in fabt a convin cing evidence: not only that it raay be, but that it certainly is true;— as it is certain, that the New Testainent, as now in yoiir hands, is genuine ; — and as it may with great evidence be argued frora thence, that the Gospel is a reveladon from God. The first of these points I have endeavoured to prpve at large; and without repeating what I saiti in confirraation pf it, t now proceed to shew, II. " That from allowing the New Testament to be genuine, ¦" it will certainly foUow, that Christianity is a Divine Revela- " rion." ' j^ And here a man is, at first, ready to be lost in the multiphclty of arguments which suwound him. It is very easy to find proofs ; but difficult to range and dispose them in such an order, as best to illustrate and confirm each olher. Now I chuse to offer thera in the following series, which seeras to rae the most natural, a'hd perhaps may be mast intelligible to you. The authors of the Books contained in the New Testament were capable of judging concerning the truth of the facts they the NeXb TkSt anient, allowed to be genuine. S57' alttested; — their character, so far as we can judge Of it by their writings, renders them worthy of regard ;— i-and they were under no temptation to attempt to impose on the world by such a story as they have given us, if it had been false: sb that considering all things,- there is no reason to believe they would attempt it :¦;— but if- they had, they muSt probably have ptJrished in the at tempt, and could never have gained Credit^ in the worid^ had their testimony been false.-^NevertheleSs it is certain in fact, that they did gain credit, and Sudceed in a mOSt Eimazing man ner against all opposition.— ^It is certain therefore, that the facts they assert were true ; and if they were true, then it was reason able for their contemporaries, and is rea:soHtible for us, to re ceive the Gospel as a Divine Revelation ; — -'especially, if we consider what has happened in the world for the confirmation of it, since it was first propagated by tbem. This is the Ponclu- sion> td which I was to lead you; and I beg, you would seriously consider each of the steps, by which we arrive at it. 1. It is exceedingly evident, " that the Writers of the- New " Testainent certainly knew, whether the facts they asserted " were true> dr false." And this they must have knowii for ibis plain reason ; be cause they tell usj they did not trust merely to the report, even of persons whom they thought most credible ;but wisre present themselves, when several of the most important facts happencd,- and so received thera on the testimony of their own senses. On this St. John in his Epistle la^'s a very great aiid reasonable stress : That which we have seen with our e3'es, and that not only by a sudden glance, but which we have attentively looked upon, apd which even our hands have handled of the word of life, i. e. of Christ and his Gospel,— declare we unto you. Let the -common sense of Mankind jbdge berci Did not Matthew and John certainly know, whether the had personally and familiarly conversed with Jesus of Nazareth, or not i' whe- . ther he had chosen them for his constant attendants and apos tles ? whether they had seed him heal the sick, dispossess de vils, and raise the dead ? and whether they themselves had r6-.- ceived from him such miraculous endowments, as they say he bestowed upon them ? did not they know, whether he fell into - S58 The e'V.idences qf Christianity, deduced from the hands of his enemies^ and was publicly put to death, or not? did not John know, whether be saw him expiring on the cross, or not ? and whether he received from him the dying charge which he records ? did he not know, whether he saw him wounded in the side with a spear, or not ? and whether he did, or did not, see that effusion of blood and water, which was an infallible arguraent of his being really dead .-' concerning which, it being so material a circumstance, he adds, " he that saw it bare record, and- he knoweth that-he saith true;" i. e. that it was a case, in which he could not possibly be deceived. And with regard to Chbist's resurrection, did he not certainly know, whether he saw our Lokd again and again ? and whether he handled his body, that he might be sure it was not a mere phantom ? what one circumstance ofhis life could he certainly k-now, if he were mistaken in this ? Did not Luke know, whether he was in the ship with Paul, when that extraordinary wreck happened, by which they were thrown ashore on the island of Malta ? did he not know, whe ther while they were lodged together in the Governor's house, Paul miraculously healed one of the family, and many other diseased persons in the Island, as he positively asserts he did. Did not Paul certainly know, whether Chkist appeared to him on the way to Damascus, or not ? whether he was blind, and afterwards on the prayer of a fellow disciple received his sight? orwas that a circumstance, in which there could be room for mistake ? did he not know, whether he received such extra ordinary revelations, and extraordinary powers, as to be able, by the imposition of his handsj or by the words of his mouth, to work miracles, and even to convey supernatural endowments to others ? To add no more, did not Peter know whether he saw the glory of Christ's transfiguration, . and heard that voice to which he so expressly refers, when he says in the text. We have not fol lowed cunningly devised fables, — but were eye-witnesses of bis Majesty, — ^when there came such a voice to him ; — and this voice we heard. Now Matthew, John, Luke, Paul, and Peter, are by far the most considerable writers of the New Testament ; and I am sure, the New Testament, allowed to be.genmm. U9 ¦vihm you reflect on these particulars, you must own, that there are few Historians, ancient or mpdern, that could so certainly jydge of the truth of the facta they have related. You may per iiaps think, I have enlarged too much in stating ?o clear a case : but you will please to remember, it is the foundation of the whole argument; and that this branch of it alone cuts, off Infi dels from that refuge, which I believe they would generally chuse, that of pleading the Apostles were enthusiasts ; and leaves them silent, unless they will say they were impostors :. for you evidently see, that could we suppose these facts to be false, they poyld by flp means . pretend an involuntary mistake, but must, in the most criminal and aggravated sense, as Paul him self expresses it, be found false witnesses of God. But how unreasonable it would be to charge them with so notorious, a crime, will in part appear, if we consider, g. " That the character of these writers, so far as we can " jliilge by their works, seems to render them worthy of re- " gard, apd leaves no room to imagine they intended to de- 'i Pf ive pg- " I shall not stay to shew at large, that they appear to have beenpergons pf natural sense, and at the time of their writing, of a composed mind ; for I verily beheve, no man that ever read the New Testament with attention, could believe they were idiots or madnien. Let the discourses of Christ in the Evan gelists, of Peter and Paul in the Acts, as well as many passages in the Epistles be perused ; and I will venture to say, he who is not charmed with them, must be a stranger to all the justest ruleg of polite criticism : but he who suspects, that the writers wanted common sense, must himself be most evidently destitute of it ! and he who can suspect, they might possiblybe distracted, must himself, in this instance at least,, be ji^st as mad as he imagines them to have been. It was necessary however just to touch upon this ; because unless we are satisfied, that a person be himself in what he writes, we cannot pretend to determine his character from his writings. Having premised this, I must intreat you, as you peruse the New Testament, to observe -what evident marks it A a4 360 The evidences of Christianity, deduced from' bears, of simplicity and integrity, of piety and benevolence • which when you have observed, you will find them pleading the cause of its authors, with a resistless, though a gentle eloquence- and powerfully persuading the mind, tbat men who were capable of writing so excellently well, are not, without the strono-est evidence, to be suspected of acting so detestably ill, as we must suppose they did, if4n this solemn manner they were carrying- on an imposture, in such circumstances as attended the case before us. -For, ( 1 . ) The manner in which they tell their amazing story, is most happily adapted to gain our belief. For as they tell it with ¦ a- great detail of circumstances, which would by no means be prudent in legendary writers, because it leaves so rauch the more roora for confutation ; so they also do it in the raost easy and natural manner. There is no air of declamation and harangue^ nothing that looks like artifice and design : no apologies, no encoraiums, no characters, no reflections, no digressions; but the facts are recounted with great simplicity, just as they seem to have happened ; and those facts are left to speak for them selves, and their great author. It is plain, that the rest of these writers, as well as the Apostle I'aul, did not affect excellency of speech, or flights of eloquence, (as the phrase signifies,) but determined to know nothing, though amongst the most learned and polite, save Jesus Christ, even him that was crucified: a conduct, that is the raore to be admired, when we consider how. extraordinary a theme theirs was, and with, what abundant of variety of most pathetic declamation it would easily have furnished any common writer ; so that one would really wonder how they could forbear it. But they rightly judged, that a vain affectation of ornament, when recording such a story as of their own knowledge, might perhaps have brought their sin cerity into question, and so have rendered the Cross of Christ of none effect. ( £. ) Their integrity does likewise evidently appear in the freedoni with which they raention those circurastances, which might have exposed their Master and themselves to the greatest conlempt, amongst prejudiced and inconsiderate men; such as they knew they must generally expect to meet with. — As their the New Testament, alloxved to begenuitie. 36{ Master, they scruple not to own, that his country was infamous, his birth and education mean> and his life indigent ; that he was most disdainfully rejected by the rulers, and accused of sabbath-breaking, blasphemy and sedition ; that he was reviled by the populace as a debauchee, a lunatic, and a daemoniac; and at last, by the united rage of both rtilers and people, was publicly executed as the vilest of malefactors, with all imagin able circumstances of ignominy, scorn, arid abhoi-rence : nor do they scruple to own that terror and distress of spirit into which he was thrown by his sufferings, though this Was a circumstance, at which some of the Heathens took the "greatest offence, as utterly nn worthy so excellent and divine a person. — As to them selves, the apostles readily confess, not only the meanness of their original employments, and the scandals of their former life : l«it their prejudices, their follies, and their faults, after Christ had honoured them with so holy a calling rthey acknowledge their slowness of apprehension undcr so excellent a teacher, their unbelief, their cowardice, their ambition, their rash zeal, arid their foolish contentions. So that on the whole,- they seem every where to forget, that they are writing of themselves,- and appear not at all solicitous about their own reputation, .but only that tfafey' might represent the matter just as it was, whether ithey. wient through honour or dishonour^ through evil report -or good report. Nor is this all ; for, ( 3. ) It is certain, that there are in their writings theimcst genuine traces, not only of a plain and honest; but a most pious and devout, a most benevolent and generous disposition. 'These appear especially in the epistolary parts of the New Testament, where indeed we shonld most reasonably expect to find them : and of these I may confidently affirm, that the greater progress any one has made, in .Love to God, in Zeal for his glory, in a compassionate and generous concern for the present and 'future happiness of mankind; the more humble, and candid, and temperate, and pure he is; the more ardently he loves truth, and the more steadily he is determined to suflfer the greatest extremity in its defence ; in a word, the more his heart is weaned from the present world, and the more it is fired- with the pros pects of a glorious immorlality ; the more pleasfUie -will he take 362 The evidences of Christianity, dediicedfrom ip reading those writing*, the more will he relish the Spirit which discovers itself in them, and find, that as face answers to face in, water, so dp the traces of piety and goodness, which appear there, ansv,'er to those which a good man feels in his own soul. Nay, I will add, that the warm and genuine workings of that excellent and holy temper, which every where discovers itself tn the New Testament, have for many ages been the most eflfectual means of spreading a spirit of virtue and piety in the world; and what of it is to be fpund in these degenerate days, seems prin cipally owing to these incomparable and truly divine writings. Where then there are such genuine marks of an excellgnt characterj not only iu laboured discourses, but in epistolary writings, and those sometimes addressed to particular and inti mate friends, to whom the mind naturally opens itself with the greatest freedom, surely no candid and equitable ji^dge would lightly believe them all to be counterfeit; pr would imagine, without strong proof, that persons who breathe such, exalted sentiments of virtue and piety, should be guilty of any notorious wickedness ; and in proportion to the degree of enormity and aggravation att;ending such a supposed crime, it may justly he expected, that the evidence of their having really committed it, should .be unanswerably strong and convincing. Now it is most certain, on the principles laid down above, that if the testimony of the apostles was false, they must have acted as detestable and villainous a part, as one can easily con ceive. To be found (ag the apostie with his usual energy expresses it,) false witnesses of God in any single instance, and solemnly to declare him miraculously to have done, vvhat we know in our own consciences was never done at all, would be an audacious degree of impjety, to which none but the most abandoned of mankind could arrive. Yet, if the testimony of tbe apostles were false, as we have proved tbey could not be themselves mistaken in it, this must have been their conduct; and that, npt in one single instance only, but in a thousand. Their life must, in effect, be one continued and perpetual scene of peijury ; and all the most solemn actions of it (in which they were speaking to God, or speaking of him as the Gop and J"9ther 9f ChBJST, from whom they received theif mission wd ike Nexv Testament, allowed to be genuine. 363 powers,) must be a most profane and daring insult on all the acknowledged perfections of his nature. And the inhumanity of such a conduct would, on the whole, have been equal to its impiety. For it was deceiving men in their most important interests, and persuading them to venture their whole future happiness on the power and fidelity of one, whom, on this supposition, they knew to have been an impos tor, and justly to have suffered a capital punishment for his crimes. It would have been great guilt, to have given the hearts and devotions of men so wrong a turn, even though tliey had found magistrates ready to espouse and establish, yea,, and to enforce the religion they taught. But to labour to propagate it in the midst of the most vigorous and severe opposition from them, must equally enhance the guilt, and folly of the undertaking : for by this means they made themselves accessary to the ruin of thousands ; and all the calaraities, which fell on such proselytes, or even on their remotest descendants,. for the sake of Chris tianity, would be. chargeable on these first preachers of it. The blood of honest, yea, and (supposing them, as you must, to have been involuntarily deceived,) of pious, worthy, and heroic persons, who might otherwise have been the greatest blessings to the pubhc, would, in effect, be crying for vengeance against them ; and the distresses df the widows and orphans, which those martyrs might leave behind them, would join to swell the account. So that on the whole, the guilt of those malefactors, who are from time to time the victinisof public justice, even for robbery, murder, or treason, is small, when -compared with that which we have now been supposing : and corrupt as human nature is, it appears to me utterly improbable, twelve men should be found, I will not say, in one little nation, but even on the whole face ofthe earth, who could be capable of entering into so black a confederacy, on any terms whatsoever. ¦ And now, in this view of the case, tnake a serious pause, and compare with it, what we have just been saying of the character of the apostles of Jesus, sp far as an indifferent person could conjecture it fiom their writings ; and then say, whether yojj can 564 The evidences of Christianity, deduced froVn in your hearts believe them to have been these abandoned ¦wretches, at once the reproach and astonishment of raankind ? you cannot surely believe such'things of any ; and much less of them, unless it shall appear, they were in some peculiar circum stances of strong temptation ; and what those circurastances could be, it is difficult even for imagination to conceive. But history is so far from suggesting any unthought-of fact for to help our imagination on this head, that it bears strongly the contrary way ; and hardly any part of my work is easier, than to shew, 3. " That they were under no temptation to forge a story " of this kind, or to publish it to the world, knowing itlo be « false." They could reasonably expect no gain, no reputation by it: but on the contrary, supposing it an imposture, they must, with the most ordinary share of prudence, have foreseen infamy and ruin, as the certain consequences of attempting it. For the grand foundation of their scheme was, that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified at Jerusalem by the Jewish rulers, was the Son of God, and the Lord of all things. I appeal to your con-. sciences, whether this looks at all like the contrivance of artful and designing men. It was evidently charging upon the Princes of their country the raost crirainal and aggravated murder; indeed, all things considered, the most enormous act of wicked ness, which the sun had ever seen. They might therefore depend upon it, that these rulers would immediately employ all their art and power to confute their testimony, and to destroy their per sons. Accordingly one of them Was presently stoned ; and another quickly after beheaded ; and most of the rest were scat tered abroad into strange cities, where they would be sure to be received wilh great prejudices, raised against them amongst the Jews by reports from Jerusalem*, and vastly strengthened by * 1 do not here mention Bhilo Juda!us, as speaking of » an embassy from the " Jews in his early days, to their brethren in all parts ofthe -world, exhorting " them to resist the progress of Chnstianity.'* For though Bishop Atterbury asserts, that tbeie is such a passage, (Serm. Vol. j p. i. 1 7. J I have never been abW to. find, or to hear of it; and therefore am ready to believe, it was a very pardon- 4hc Nexp Testament, allowed io be genuine. 365 their expectatious of a temporal Messiah ; expectations, whicb as the apostles knewTby their own experience, it was exceeding difficult to ropt out of mens' minds ; expectations, whicli would render the doctrine of Ciiiiisr crucified, an inseparable stum bling-block to the Jews. Nor could they expect a better reception amongst the gentiles, with whom their business was, to persuade them to renounce the Gods of their ancestors, and to depend on a person who had died the death of a malefactor and a slave; to persuade thera to forego the pompous idolatries in which they had been educated, and all the sicnsual indulgences with whicli their reli gion (ifit inight be called a religion,) was attended, to worship one invisible Gop, through one Mediator, in the most plain and simple manner; and tp receive a set of precepts, most directly calculated to controul and restrain, not only the enor mities of mens' actions, but the irregularities of their hearts. A most difficult undertaking ! And to engage them to this, they had no other arguments to bring, but such as were taken from the views of an invisible state of happiness pr misery, of which they asserted their crucified Jesus to be the Supreme disposer; who should another day dispense his blessings, or his vengeance, as the Gosppl had been embraced, pr rejected. Now could it bp imagined, that men would easily be persuaded, merely on the credit of tlieir affirmation, or in compliance with their impor- able slip of his Lordship's memory, and that tbe passage he intended to refer to, was a very celebrated one in Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho the Jew : in which he expressly asserts such a fact, in a manner which his integrity and good sense would never have permitted, had he not certainly known it to be true.. For he addresses the learned Jew, with whom he was disputing in these memorable words, " You were so far from repenting ofthe crime you had committtd, (ih " crucifying Christ,) that you sent chosen men of themost distinguished cha- " racter all over the world, representing the christians as an atheistical sect, and " charging us with those things which the ignorant heathens object against us." Justin. Mart. Dialog. Cam Tryph. pag. 171. Thirlb. Eusebius, and Origen, have both mentioned the same fact, which is in itself very probable ; and there may possibly be some reference to it. Acts xxviii, 22. where the Jews at Rome «ay, " as concerning this sect (of Christianity,) we know that it is everywhere f spoken against." 366 The evidences qf Christianity, deduced from tnnity, to believe things, which to their pr^udiced rainds would appear so improbable, and to submit to irapositions, to their corrupt inclinations so insupportable .'' And if they could not persuade them to it, what could the apostles then expect ? What, but to be insulted as fools or madmen, by one sort of people; and by another, to be persecuted with the most savage ahd out rageous cruelty, as blasphemers of the gods, as seducers of th'e people, and as disturbers of tlie public peace? All which we know accordingly happened : nay, tbey assure us, that their Lord had often warned them of it; and thaf they themselves expected it, and thought it necessary to admonish their followers to e.^pect it too : and it appears, that far from drawing back upon that account, as they would surely have done if they had been governed by secular motives, they became so much the more zealous and courageous, aud encouraged each other to resist even to blood. — Now as this is a great evidence ofthe in tegrity and piety of their character, and thus illustrates the former head; so it serves to the purpose now immediately in view, i. e. it proves how improbable it is, that any person of common sense should engage in an imposture, from which (as many have justly observed,) they could, on their own principles, have nothings* expect, but ruin in this world, and damnation in the next. When tberefore weoonsider, and compare their character, and their circumstances, it appears utterly improbable on various accounts, that they would have attempted in this article to impose upon the world. But suppose, that in consequence of sorae unaccountable, as well as undiscoverable frenzy, they had ¦ventured on the attempt, it is easy to shew, 4. " That humanly speaking, tbey must quickly havepe- " rished in it, and their foolish cause must have died with ihemi " without ever gaining any credit in thew^rld." One may venture to say this in general, on the principles ¦ which I before laid down. But it appears still more evident, when we consider the nature of the fact ihey asserted, in con junction with the methods they took to engage men to believe it: methods, which had the apostles been impostors, must havehad the most direct tendency to ruin both their scheme and themselves. the New Testament, alloxved to be genuine. 349 (1.) Let us a little more particularly reflect on the hatui'e 'of that grand fact, the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ; which as I observed, wtis the great foundation of the christian sheme, as firsf; exhibited by the apostles.-T--The re surrection of a dead man, and his ascension into, and abode in the upper AVorld, was so strange a thing,- that a thousand objections would immediately be raised against it ; and somte extraordinary proof would justly be required as a balance to them. Now I wish the rejectees of the gospel would set them selves to invent some hypothesis, which should hate, any appearance of probability, to shew how Such an amazing story- should ever gain ccedit in the world, if it had not some very convincing proof. Where, and ivhen, could it first begin tb be received ? was it in the same, or a sbcceeding ag-p? was it al Jerusalem, the spot of groUnd' on which it is said to have happened, or in Greece, or Italy, or Asia, or Africa ? yoti may change the scene, and the time, as you please ; but you cannot change the difficulty. Take it in a parallel instance. Suppose twelve men in Lon«- don were now to affirnl, that a person exetuted there as a malefactor in a public manner, a month, or six weeks ago, or if you please a year, or five or ten years since, (for it iS much the same,) wa4 'a, prophet sent from God with extraor dinary powers, that he was raised from the dead, that they conversed with him after his revival, and at last saw him taken up into heaven : would their united testimony make them be believed there? — Or Suppose them, if you please, to disperse, and that one or two of them should come hither, and go ok to more distant places, suppose Leicester, Nottingham, or York, and tell their story there ; and that others were to carry it over to Paris, or Amsterdam, or to Vienna, or Madrid": Could they expect any more credit with us, or with them ; or hope for any thing better, than to be looked upon as lunatics, and treated as such ? — And if they should go into other places, and attempt to mend their scheme, by saying there Master was put to death 100, or 300 years ago, when there could be no historical evid^ce of it discovered, and no proof given but theiir own confident assertion : would they remove, oi- 368 The evidences of Christianity, deduced from would they-, not rather -'increase, the difficulty? — -.Or would they, in any of these cases, gain credit by the most dexterous tricks of legerdemain, of whicli you cannot suppose tbem Masters ? Especia,lly if they should undertake, in consequence of such suppose.d facts, to. engage men to renounce the religioii in wliich they-had been educated ; to deny themselves in their dearest passions, and most, important worldly interests^; and even, probably to hazard their liberties and their lives, in de pendance on a future reward, to be received in a place and state,, which no raan living on earth had ever seen or known ? you would readily allow diis to be an unsupposable case: and why should you suppose it to have happened, sixteen or . seventeen hundred years ago ? you may assure yourselves, that the reason, and; the passions of mankind, were then as strong as >^lhey are now.-^But Ipl us a little more .particularly con sider, (2.) The manner, in which the apostles undertook to prove the truth of their testimony to this fact ; and it will evidently .appear, that instead of confirming their scheme, it must have been sufRclent utterly to haye overthrown it, had it been m itself the most probable imposture that the wit of man coijd ever have contrived. — You know, they did not merely assert, that they had seen miracles wrought by this Jesus, but that he had endowed themselves with a variety of miraculous powers. And these they undertook to display,, not in such idle and useless tricks as sleight, of hand might perform, but in such solid and important works, as appeared worthy a divine inter position, and entirely superior to hu.man power : restoring, as they pretend, sight to the bhnd, soundness to lepers, activity to'the lame, and in sorae instances, life to the dead. Nor were these things undertaken in a corner, in a circle of fiiends, or dependants; nor were they said to be wrought on such, as might be suspected of being confederates in the fraud ; but were done often in the public streets, in the sight of enemies, on the persons of such, as were utter strangers to the apostles, but ^omerimes well, known to neighbours and spectators, as having long laboured under these calamities, to, human skill utterly incurable. Would impostors have made such preten- The NexvTestdment allowed to be genuine. 369 sion as these ? or if tbey had, must they not immediately have been exposed and ruined ? Nor is there any room at all to object, that peirliaps the apostles might not undertake to do those things on the spot, but only assert they had done them elsewhere : for even then* it would have been impossible they should have gained credit; and they would have seemed the less credible, on account of such a pretence. Whatever appearances there might have been of gravity, integrity, and piety, in the conversation of Peter, (for instance.) very few, especially few that had known but little of him, would have taken it upon his word, that he saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead at Bethany : but fewer yet would have believed it upon his affirmation, had it been ever so solemn, that he had himself raised Dorcas at Joppa ; unless he had done some extraordinary work before them, cor respondent at least, ifnot equal to that. You will easily think of invincible objections, which otherwise might have been made ; and undoubtedly, the more such assertions had been multiplied, every new person, and scene, and fact, had been an additional advantage given to the enemy, to have detected, and confuted the whole scherne, whicli Peter and his associates had thus endeavoured to establish. But to come still closer to the point: if the New Testament be genuine, (as I have already proved it,) then it is certain, that the apostles pretend to have wrought miracles in the very presence of those, to whom their writings were addressed; nay more, they profess likewise to have conferred those miraculous gifts, in some considerable degrees, -on others, even on the very persons to whom they write ; and they appeal to their consciences as to the truth of it. And could there possibly be room for delusion here ? it is exceedingly remarkable to this purpose, that Paul makes this appeal to the Corinthians, and Galatinas, when there were amongst them some persons disaf fected to him, who were taking all opportunities to sink his character, and destroy his influence : and could they have wished for a better opportiinity, than sucb an appeal ? aa appeal, which, had not the fact it supposed been certain, far frora recovering those that were wavering in their esteem. Vol. m- B b 370 The evidende^ of Chfistidrtitfl' "^^ deduced from ftimt have b^n sofS-efent utteT:'Pj'to d-i'Sgu&t his most cord id! atid steady friends. — Ahd the same remarfc may be applied to the advise and reproofe, whidh l?h(5 apostfe fhere gives, relat ing to the use and alSiise pf their spiritual gii'ts ; which had been rtrPst notPriotisTy absrtrd, sirid e^?«rt ridiculous-^ had not the Christies to whom htf Vrtrdte-, b^eft really possessed of than-. And tbesity by the preaching of the apoStleS i and *f hatp-all imaginable reason to believe^ that thefe \ and ofdinary education, who therefore inight be more easily imposed upon than others : for (not to mention Sergius Paulus, Dionysius the Areopagke, or the domestics of Caesar's houshold, with others of superior stations in life,) it Js sufficient to remind you, that, as Ihave largely shewn, the appstles did not put their cause on.tbi^.i,^sfie of laboured arguments, in which the populace might quickly have been entangled and lost, but on such plain facts, as they might judge of, as easily, and surely, as any others ; indeed on what they themselves saw, and in part too, on what they felt. Now I apprehend, this might be sufficient to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion. You have seen, that as there is no reason to believe,"that the apostles^ , who certainlj|knew the truth, would have attempted a fraud of this kind ; — so if they had attempted it, tbey could not possibly bave succeeded ; — nevertheless they did succeed in a very remarkable nia^^nei^ii" from whence it plainly follows, that what they testified was *''"^-- '¦'-• >n \n-> '1' srit to rhmt .uri'-r.'* :. -; . -. And now then, after this,Q.f^t^|ji^^|^i|l,q|g(^n^ss^ofjjreceiving the gospel, on'adraitting the truthfpijjY^aUhey ^t^^^^^^ .cerning Cheist, is an easy eonsequence.-^jrYjEt. some thmE| ai^ to be offered under this head, whij^^^rp df gr^at.^vpeight^.and would not so conveniently have i^dje|i under anvp|rthe 'g™|t' and some considerable additional eyidehce to the truth ^ordkis- tian ity arises, from what has happened in the,Woi-ld. since its r ¦ A , , ,¦ v-jX"i ji-jvji to anoasq .:Cv- first propagation. And therefore I chuse ratherj to make A "is- course on these, with the iraproyenjeM qfitte Khoje. than to throw together, the hints f£(.j,t^e^^^^4spy^aste|i'mW must do, should I attempj.tp J)^^8^/;j^l^^§Pj,sjj^||pJ Joms d^^^ course, the just limits of yvhic):^., ti^^V!^|filready tr|i}.sKrfcs5edji,jest the ,greja.t chain of tli^f^-;gumept,shpu|d,,be jbr^k^jpf ¦("^%i^ J SERMON XVIII. '^iditititil EVIDENCES of CHKllSTlANlTY, and REFLE'CTIONS on the -wioie. 2 Pet. i. 16. <-Wehave not followed cunningly devised fables. ^XjtS I had before proved the books of the New Testament to be geh'tiine, I proceeded in my last discourse, to argue from thence thp certain truth of the Christian revelation ; and we nave made some; considerable progress in the argument. ' - The matter in short stands thus. — The authors of the New 'Testament certainly knew, whether the facts they assertfed were true, or false ; so that they could riot themselves be de- ceiyed : — Neither can we think they would attempt to deceive others, since they appear by their raanner of writing, to hate been persons of great infegrity and goodness; — audit islikcr wise evident, they could have no teniptation to atterapt a fraud 'of this nature :¦ — However, if they had atterapted it, we can not imagine they could have gained credit in the world, if the facts they asserted had not been true : — Nevertheless they did gain credit in a Very reraarkable raanner; from whence it plainly follows, that those facts were true. — Now I am to shew farther to compleat the proof of our grand proportion, 1, 6. " That admitting the facts which they testified concerning 3^ ^4 Additional evidences of 'Christianity., "¦.Chkist to be true,, then it was reasonable for their conteni",- " poraries, and is .reasonable for us, to receive the gospel" " -which, they have transmitted to us, as a divine revelation." The great thing;thejii^sertf4 wa|,t^^t J.^su^ was the Christ,' and that he was proved tp be so, — ^by prophecies accomplished inhim,^-and by miracles wrought by him, and by , others in, his n^rne. Let us atlepd to each of these, and 1 am persuaded we shall find them no contemptible arguments; but musthe forced to acknowledge, that the premises being established, the^ conclusion raost easily and necessarily follows : arid thiscon- clusioQ, that Jesus is. the, Christ, taken in all its., extent^ is an abstract of the gospel revelation, and therefore is sometimes,put for the whole of it. The apostles, especially when disputing with the, Jews, did frequently argue from " the. prophecies of the Old Testament;" in which, they say, raapy things were expressly fors^told, which were most liberally and e^^actly fulfilled in Jesus pf Nazareth, Now, greatly to the evidence, confirraation, and adyantage pf Christianity, so it is, that these prophecies arp to thisday eritant in their original language; and this, in the hijndsofa people, most implacably averse to the gospel : so that, an atten tive reader may still, in a great measure, satisfy himself, as tp the validity of the argument drawn from them. O^; searching these ancient and iinportant records, .w^ find; not only in the general, that God intended to raise pp for his people an illustrious deliverer, who, amongst other glorious titles, is sonietinies called the Messiah, or the Anointed Onp : but we are more particularly told, that this great event should happen, before the government ceased in the tribe of Judah; whil^ the second temple was standing ; and a little before its destruction, about 490 years after a comraand given to rebuild Jerusaleni; which was probably issued out in the seventh vear of .Ar^xr erxes Longimanus, or at least within a fevy years befoj-e, ;9i- ^aft^r it. It is predicted, thathe should be thesged of Abraham, iorn {)f a ylrgin, of the house of David, , in tihe town, pf , Bejh- lehem ; that ne should be anointed with -<>n e^traordin^ary e§|(r siqupf the, Divine Spirit, in virtue ofwhich, he phould npt.only fee a -perfect and illustrious example of universal holiness and goodneepj .^t, shiPMjId a-lsp perfojr4n many extraordinary m^ ;i>e- neficial dsy^'acfcs ; neverttheless, thflft,i#r,wafto^f external pomp afld splendour, ^ should be nejeptgql and insulted by the Jewfes,, ajid at teogth (be cut off and .slain by them. It is ^dded., that h» -gh«ul4 arise frpm the dead be-fore his body shi0.al4 be cpr- rupted J-n the yg:me. ; and shpuld be received up' to Heaven, and tbfifie seated at thie riglit hand of Gop j frpm whpope- he should in a wonderful mapner pour -put his Spirit on his fol- Ipwefs ; in -censequence pf which, though the body pf th.P Jewish pepple perished m tlieir obstinate pppPsitipn tp him, yet the Gentiles should be brought to the knowledge pf the true G<)D, and a kingdom ^M»blish«d amongst them, which from sin^ begin ni-Bgs should sppeed itsejf tp the ends -unient from prophecy, because they were not so capable judges of it: but then they hisisj; on appther, which raight as soon capiti vate tlieir belief, aiid <|S jusfly vindicate iti I- nieao " tile miracles perfoi-med by " Cii^RjST, and those comroissioned and influenced by hira."" Many of these were ofjSuch a nature, as' npt to admit of ^any artifice or deceit: especially, 'that most signal one df his resuf- reetion from the dead, which I inay call a miracle performed by, as i^ell as upon Cubist; because he so expressly' declares, that he bad himself a poweir to resume ¦ his life at pleasure. ^1?^ Addi^Xd^ ^m^nc^^.j^nM^biity, ¦JThi^riapo^fcles well knew, j^his' was -a^f»ct:tipf,i«uohva.riatii0ctt|at they wlio; believed/ thi«,-/Woi*ld!!n.eyern4eljiibti of-thtf,i-est::i(|hejj the.r.^fpre-^often singlpithis.ou.Vjand^ l^y/ithe whole , 'Stress ofj their cai^^eiiipon it., This, they, prpved to be'truei-by their pwg^Jeey tiniony.rairaeulow9ly:PP;ij6rn5ted; ariCtin proving this,.3tb(^#$^ -blished: Chrisrianiiy pm.-^niimjsi'egnabkrpek.^ For I m.gyiBaf% ¦lefiqr ,ii„t0 fl0.yio-f(|;flRA9iJ'itdgfij);\yiwth|efoit,J%;ani iraagina^teMiifl:^ that God should raise the dead body ofan iraposter; espfe^ailj' when he h*id solenSoly. Appealed to -such/ aresurreqtioiHy'flslthe grai)d,prpof of .hisi mission, and had expressly fixed therv.4'ry .dayiOn,which it WS.tPihiitppen,.- -f;r. m ¦:'rte"Stimony believedy -that the propbedids of the, Old Testament were.aceomplished! in. Jesus, and th^tGto ^pre witness .to, bimby miraolesj and raised hira from the dead, had abundant reason, fp b^lipye, ; that the dpctrine which Caati&T taught was divine,!. and his i gospel a revelation from Heetten, Andiif they had reaspn to admit -this -conclusion,' then itlis^plain that we> whp have jsuch, satisfactory evidPnce, ionitbijoiiie/hisfld, tha,t-,^hp t$stimpny,o£,the appstles AvaSiGrediHsi : audi onthei other, that this was the substance of it>nh»afPiirateQH also- to' adifait this grand- inference froraiit, .eand , to «emb!r-aoe vthe gospel '8^ a, Jtaith.ful saying, and as yvell wptthy -of 'all aceeptatio^ifilhis -js thething I vvas attempting to prove ; i ^aftd herfe l-shduidehd the argument, were it pot, for the confii-riiatipn it iwly receive frona, some additional considerations, wbich cPuldinpt properly ..be introduced under any pf the precedingj heads. I add^thei-e- ;4bcp, "^un) .„ -norhisT ,. "¦- : rff ¦¦ 1:^011 )n{ ¦n\ lai^^n ,, ,7- In the last placCjgJ* that the truth pf the gospel h as re- , f^ ceived farther, and very considerable confirmation!? from J f vvhat has happened in the world sinceit was first publishefh < ,, J,. And here I must desire you, raore pairtlcularly toponsidep)-^ rca% the onehand, what Gon has been doing tp-estabfehfitl?-^ and on the other, :. the methods which its enemies havfioheen J taking to destroy it. ,, p«-,^{i r aar.'O? '^'-ii-'-^w ^-«3'l "¦ (1.) Consider ^' what God has been doing to confirm the ,f" gospel since its first publication;" andyou vviU-findit'*^ W-^ ^her evidence of its divine original. -*i-l^mfghtsWe4-e is-glie afkrge, froiA -i'Cs ^ep*i25flg fiWfa(gfe^iS' Itf the worid;^-fromfth^ miraculous ppwer-s; wildl1*iH4i;H>fl(« mif the appstles, 'biit sncc^difig preachersof thegospel,''iaEhd''6tfcei- Ct5ftvigrt&, were endowed;-^ from' the abcdiiiplishraen'fiiQp-^ii'd^ phefcies ''recorded' in ' the- New Testairi«?nt;^-a!nd ' from the' 'pre servation of the Je'wS- as a distinct 'peoplev notwitbsknoi'ft^ ^e various difficulties- and'persePutrunsthfotfgh which they'-have ^ passed.-8^, ¦'¦'twqhu nj> *o y'nt-4 Un'-ih '>i'lJ Jtoi bliioriy m)..,' ir-a.! ;>i*I might particiilarly urge, in confirmiation' of the 'truth of \Ghristianity,'3" the vfonderfuf success vv^th'which it' wa§' dt- " tended, and the surprizing propagation of the gospel in the ^ world;" -"'t !h'* ^'^ ': =tjrtiv«<.,i nui 0Oi( ilsgym ':-y -.¦'.- ¦.i'->'\--l "'? I have before endteavPtJTtd'Janf^r-aiJf&l-mei-i'hend to sh^evv you, . that the gospel roetuvith so favourable a reception in thfe- 'world as evidently proved, that its first publishers were capable of pro- Tducing such evidence of its truths a^ an" imposture tiould'l^ot ftdmitr But now I carry, the I'^ark 'farther, and assOTJj that cPnsidei-ing the circumstances pf the pa'se, it i^ amazing that even >truth itself, ander so many vho had not i^af "- itO;oifer prayers ^jrjd ithanksgivipgs to the J'ather and -ilftk^ "l of allj in the name pfJ^Stts who, was prjicified*. . J4pw hpW;pp.n we accpunt for such ,.3,, scene .as this^ k^^hv saying, that the hand of the Lord was with the fij-stpre^q^^jj pf the gi^ftpel, a,^d^ thei-efore such multitudes believed, and tusngd-unto.jlhe Loed ^ {low had it been possible, that ?psm*ll a fouptaiij. should, presently Ijave swpljed. intp a mighty -riyerj and even. have covered the face ofthe earth, had it not spnjng from theipanctJipiry of Qod, iand been rendei^ thus tj'iswphgnt ^y his s^lraighty arm ? Had iJi^ new religion, so .dir/@ctly contrary to alj tbe.preJBff ^ices pf education, been contrived to, ^pothe mens vices, Ut^t gefit their errors, tp defend theij- superstitions, or to prpiiJOts their Sieeular interests, we might easily have accounted for itj prevalenpe in the world. Had its pi-eachers.,be^n yery prpf^jifli philosophers, or piplite ^nd fashionable priatprp, many ©igbf have been charmed, at, least fpF a whi^^i to fpllpw thenj ; pf had the Princes and Potpptsfes.pf the earth d.eclared th^niselves its patron^, and armpd their legions for jts defence and propa- gatiop, multitudes might have been terrified into the profession, though npt a spul coujd by such means have been rationally persjisded to the peli^i' pf jt. . But without some, spcjiVdvan- <^ges 9.S the.sg, we can h?>rdly conceive, hpw any n#vv religion ghpuld sp strangely prevail ; even though . it had crept intp thp -world ip its darkest ages, and most barbaroiis countries, and thpugh it- had bpep gradually proposed in the,mpst arttul manner, with the finest veil iodusti-iopsly .drawp ov.er eyery part, which ^spighf p,t fh'St have given disgust to the. beholder. ,. , , But ypv^ well know, that the very reverse of ^ll thi? was th^ case here. You knpw, frprn the apparent cppstitu.tipn of Chris tianity, that )thp lusts and errors, the superstitions and Jiiitei-pts of carnal raen would iramediately risp up agajnst Jt a? a most # Justin. ..Mart. pag. 388, Edit. Tbirljj^ . And t^ecfions on the whole. S^ Jfrcicpjicileahle piifffliy, 'Ypa \upw, tk>^ th? learning an<| wit ijf thie Greeks, apgl thp Iipi».*ns, wer? ^arjy eraplpygd tp over bear and ridigule it, Yog jiflpw, tf^a-t ^ »JI th? herd ,pf h^athei) deities *-ei-e tp l?^' dj§ca|-died, thg prj^^t?; wl]jo spbsisted po fhat craft, must m il)t«rest ^Ojj {hgR^fpl'V^s obliged tp oppose it. Yon know that the pringeg ©f fhe Pfirfh drew the sword agaiij3t it, ajid armed tprment^ and dpftth for t^a d^strjictiojl pf its fpl- ]pwers. And ygt yoy §p§, thflt il fyi\imph?d pvpr all^ though ^Sijblished in agfeg, and placgs, pf thg gr.eatest Ipaming and refinement; and prpposed, noti-ji gij prnamenfa} apd artificial inanner, but with the utmost plaifjopss; the doctrines ofthe a-oss being always avowed a^jtp gran^ fijndamental?, tho»gh sonutjoiiousa sturabhngblock bPth to Jews apd Gpiitiles; ^nd the absolute necessity, not pnjy of emhrflPlPg Christianity, but alsobf renouncing all 'idolrworship, fepipg ineisted on imlMPdi- ately and in tlie stropgest terms, tbpwgfe it must make the gospej appsar the most singulflr and upgpciablg |-^ligion that had pvejr been taught inthe world- *^^' Had one of tbe wits, or ppliticifvps gf these qges,- seen the apt)slles, and a few other plain men, who had been educate4 ainongst the lowgst of thp peoplp, jis mwt pf the first teacher? of Christiiwiity wpre, goiflgp«t armed wjtb njpri^ing bpt faith, truth, and goodness, to-eneopnter the ppwgj- of pjinces, the bigotry of priests, the lefifpihg of phijosophfjrs, the )-age of thp popplace, and the pj-ejlidippp, pf fjj; bsw wp«id he havedprided the at tempt!* and have said with' SanbaJfat, Wh^t will these feeblje Jews do ? But hsd hp se^ thp fvent, suj-ely he must have pwhed ^'kh the Egyptian Mng'j, in 4 far Icfjs illustrious- miracle, that it Wfts the finger of Gop; and Wi^-hl jnstly havefalleq'on big face, even amongst those vvhpm-hehad insulted, with ap humble ftfkpQwiedgmefit that Qoo wag in them of a truth. I plight l}fcr? fajtber urge '' thpse piracies, which we.rp wrought '^ iQ cpflfirrantion pf the Christiw doptriue, for a considerable " ti'me after the death of the apostles." The fno'st'signal, and best' attested of these, was the disposses sion of devils ; whom God seems to have permitted to rage with an unusual violence about tho^e times, that his Son's triumph pyer them might be go much the mPfg remarkable, and that the S80 Addi^mli^'^ideffces 0/ Christianity, xM -^sefpeiit'migWt'*be taken'-in'his Own craftiness. I doubt tt6t but many of 3'ou have heard, that more than two hundr^^iSfl after the death of Christ,' some of the most celebrated defen ders ofthe gospel, which'thechWchhasin any age|ff-bd\fce^"I mean Tertullian*, and MinPtiUs Foelixf, do not orily-fcMM^ Tany of their heathen enemifes- and persecutors, to bring ihMfk demoniac, engagingyaf^tlle hazard of iheirlives, to oblige'^ifife evil spirit, in his name, and by thteauthority of Christ, to'qait his possession ; but do also appeal to it, as a fact pubhcly liii6^, that those who were agitated by such spirits, stood terrified, 'tiitl amazed, in the presenceof a Christian, and that their p'l^i^tt'i^ill gods Vvere compelled then to confess themselves devils. ' ''^"^"^'^ I wave the testimony of sorae later writers of the "cnratiin church, lest the credulity of their teraper, join'd with 'th'e" ^cir curastances attending some of the facts they recPrd, should fur nish out objections against their testimony ; though I think'-we cannot, without great injustice *to the character of the le»fi^ and pious Auglistin, suspect the truth of some aiiiazih^'ffd'ts^of 'this kind," which he has attested, as of his own pei^soh'al'ahd cert' in knowledge]: ^-^W "<¦< '-^ ¦ ' :",(::«;*.-, ''"' Nor must I on this occasion forget to mention " the adcora- '' plishmPnt of several prophecies recoi-ded in the' New Testa^ *' ment," as a farther confirmation given by (jod, to the gospel. The most eminent and signal instance under this'liead, is that of our Lord's prediction concerning the destfuction of Jerusalem, as it is recorded by St. Matthew, in ftis twenty- fourth chapter. '^ The tragical histofy of it is mPst circumstaii- tially descibed by Josephus, a Jewish priest, who was an eye witness of it ; and the description be has given of this sad cala mity, so exactly, corresponds to the prophecy^ that one would have thought, had we not known the contrary, that.it had been written by a christian on purpose to illustrate it : [And one ean never enough admire that -series of amazing providences,- by which the author was preserved from most imminent dangef\ * Tertul. Apolog. Cap. jcxii. -f Minut. FoeV. Capi xxvii.- « n -it - Jrt -S ¦:. (1,1 t Augustin. Ja civit. Dei, l^ib.xxii. cap- 8i. ^ And riflectionson the whole.. 'Wi tltat^4night leave «g .that invalufible-li-easti'i'e which his writings contain.*- -,.• -,,,-0' - >. ¦ -' ¦ •¦ • ^.^^e have noneed, of any farther evidence, than we find in him, of the _ exactest accomplishment of what was prophecied ^concerning the destructioniof' Jerusalem :,,but our Lord had also foretold thp i Ip^^g continued desolation of their temple; landi I ^appptifprbear -reminding you of the awful sanction which was givep to that part of the prediction 5 forit is-jvell.known, that a he?ithen Historian has assured us, that, when Julian the apos tate, jn deliberate contempt of that- prediction, splemnly -and ijl-f ppjutely undertook to rebuild it> his impious design was mira culously frustrated againrand again, and the workmen consumed by .globes of fire, which Jarol^e out continually from the foun- datipnst-] , , , -n - < The pi-edictiop.of St. Paul Concerning the man of sin, and the apostacy of ^he latter times, is also well wortbyf of our re mark. And. though a great deal of the book'of revelationbe still concealed .lender a -dark veil; yet the division of the Roman Empire intp ten k;ingdoms, the usurpation, persecution and idolatry ofthe Romish church, and the long duratiopof the pa pal power, Vifitl^ several, ojher exti;aordinary events, whiclr no huthanpj-qdence could bavp foreseen, ^.nd which'haye happened long'since t\{e piiblipation of that book, are so clearly foretold there,^that I cannot, but Ippk on that part of scripture as anin- valuable treasure; and think it'not at ajl iraprobable, that the more yisibjie accomplishment of some of its other prophecies may be a great means of reyivin,g the christian cause, which is at present so^ much Pu.||ie,decline. ,-/;*^ Joseph. Bell. Jud.. Lib. w. Cap. 8 -'-' -'-f *^c&n rlaque fortiterrei instaret Alypius, juvaretque Provincial Rector, itie tUe'ndt'Globi'Fliininiarum,- prope Funda-menta crebis assultihus erump^ntcs, fe- ¦!ftt-e, -LoGUMt esttrstis: aliquoties bper^ti'lius,--i'naccessum ; hocqiie hi6do, Ete- mento.destioatius tepellsstei .cessavit Jnceptum. , Am.mian. ;MarceJl. Lib. xiiir. submit.' I .ihink one might argue the author to have heen a heaihen, from this cold way of telling a story, so glorious to Christianity : " The element repelling " them by a Jo-nd of-ohstinate fatalitv." The leariied reader will easily' observe, with how different an air Socrates (Hist. Lib. iii cap. 26-) and Sozomen (Hist. Lib. V. cap. 32.) recount, and most reasonably triurriph in it.] sm Addifioiif^ i^i(kno$a qfChrkiilmity, 5 " The pr^&ervasifl* ©f th: I , - .., ,,. ; 'Tis plain they af« tasitly rtttiM«ifdifJ»^ ticnwitb»tandJB^ all th« skughiter and desitruetisil of this j&^spW, iii fi^rifeer, and ip l«ter age-*. They are! dis^rsed in r«?ibU» liidst'distsBt natio A*/ ajid partieutarly in tho?e pSrt» oi the world where ehristianity is pro fessed : and fhaygli tbejr are eis^aSeti *P ^if^ait hatred and eoi^- tempt. On account of iktfir differeiiit faith* asd in fHost fSla^i^g snt^ected to civil inc-^pa^it)e», tf not t«> »nchrt»tk(tl ^v^iiies ; yet they are still mos-t dbStinatiely' tSftaciousof tbeir fdigjon-; which is the mPre weisdftrful a» theii? fatfesrs were so prose, tp ^postatiae front it y and as mo®t of' tlilet^ Ad«m to b^ ait®i' stran-* gers, either to piety, or humanity, and pour the greatest con-r terapt on the moral precepts, of their dw» kw, while they at? so attached to the ceremonial instigations ol it> trsublesoHje ?>H)i inconvenient as they are, >Jow seriously refiect, what an evi dent hand of Providence is here; that¥y tlieir dispersion, pre servation, and adherence to their religio^ it should come to pas^ that christians should daily s^ felie acoomph^nrent ef marny re markable prophecies concerning this people*; and that w^ should always have amongstus such a croud of H-nexceptiomaljl^ witnesses to the truth of th-ose ancient Hebrew records> on whioU so much ofthe evidence ofthe gospel depends :- record*, which are raany of them so full to the pur^pose for which we alledge them, that (as a oelebrafed writer very well absferveS-t,) " had " the whole body of the Jewish natd<>n been converted to ch?i»« " tianity, raen would certainly have tho-ogMty thay had been " forged by christians, and have looked upon them, with thp " prophecies ofthe Sybils, as ra-ade many yeara a^tff tbe e^ents- " they pretend to foretell." And to add no more here,Th?: • This important thought i^itiost ebteellsfltly i-HastsrSted if» that JtBOeiR^rtoe oli bookiof Dr. Jacksoit's, c«ledj " ThcEtOrtaliTiutlKSf rh« S«}»i-i|»«fl«Sj!^^' aspecialiy Bosk-t. Part »> Se»t.. g. Chap, i^'^vg. llse wbaldbf tBt Seiit*»ti' is very .curious. t SpEotats- Voh Vii. Ntf. 4^|, - ' AMj^ij^cfim dmhe'mMk/,' - 8|rg preservation of the Jevvs- as a distinct people, evidently leaves foPm for the accoraplishniehfof those Old and Nevs^Te&tafnleiit protttises, which relate to their national conversion and rfisto-ra- tibn; whereas that would be iin^ossible' Jn ' itS^ellf, ch* klS feast impossible to be known, if they we're" proraisCuously bleflded ¦itrth other people.''' Oh the whole, it is sueh a sebne ih the con duct of Providenoe, *&s Tarn welT asSuredcrannot be paralleled in the history of any other nation crfi earth, arid affords a riiPSt o-bvious ahd impoi'tan^'argnhVent ih favour of the gospel. Thus has Christianity beeii farther* confh-med, since its firSt publication, by what GOd has tJone to- establish it. It only re^ mains' that we cOT^sidei-, (2.) What ccmfirmation-it receives, "fi'6nt the methods which " its efifefliie*- hdive talien td destroy it." -' And these have ^nerally'been, either persecution', or fals hood, dr cavelKng at some particulars in the'reVelation, without ^htering into the grand argument ori'which it is bqilf, afld* fairly debating -what is offei-ed-ih its defence. Now who Would not think the better of a cause, for being thug attacked .? 'At first you know, that the professors," and especially the preachers of the gospel, vfere severely persecuted, lix every city bonds and iraprisoftments awaited them. As sPort as ever the apostles began to preach JeSus and his" resurrection, the Jevvish rniierS laid hpfd on thera, and having confined ahd scourged them, strictly prohibited their speaking" any more in that name; A little while after, Stephen was murdered ; and afterwards' J^fch-gs, and some other of the apostles. Now certainly such a cbrtduct did evidently shew a consciousness, that thej' were not able to answer the apostles, and to support their own cause by tfie fair methods of reason aind' argument ; to which, so far'as^ the history infotms us, they made no pretence ; but attempfed to bear them down by .dint of authority, and to silence them by brutal force. j .v : ^ .s- ^~ Th«tHn©.wojtldi-ftHli.me, .^joald I attempt paftiGujarly ta^hew, how-tfeesa-utMs^tebtte methods' were purstied'ih saoeeedin^agefs, And distant Poti'ntries. The savage er'ueleies of Nero 13? theie innocent and holy flien -were sach, as ^ai^ed, tbe pity ev^ of 384 Additional evidences of Christianity, their enemies ;* yet this was one of th* least extensive and destructive ofthe ten general persecurions, whicb arose inthe Roman Empire, besides several others in the neighbouring countries, ofwhich ecclesiastical history informs us. These early enemies of the gospel added falshood and slander to their inhumanities. They endeavoured to murder the repu tation of the christians, as well as their persons, and were not ashamed to represent them as haters of the whole human spe-*. cies-f, for no imaginable reason, but because they would not associate themselves in their idolatrous worship, but with regard to charity and truth, were strongly bearing their testimony against itj: nay, they charged them with human sacrifices, incest, idolatry, and all the crimes, for which themselves and their foolish Gods were indeed justly detestable ; but from which the christians knew how to vindicate themselves, highly to their own honour, and to the everlasting reproach of these malignant and pestilent accusers : and they have not failed to do it in many noble apologies, which through the divine providence are transmitted to us, and are incomparably the most valuable of any ancient uninspired writings. Such were the infamous and scandalous methods, by which the gospel was opposed in the earliest ages of the church; and I cannot forbear adding, " that the raeasures raore lately taken " to subvert it, especially amongst ourselves, seem to me rather " to reflect a glory upon it." Its unhappy eneraies have been told again and agaii), that we put the proof of it on plain fact. They themselves do not, and cannot deny, that it prevailed » This a haughty and cruel enemy confesses, even while he blasphemes the religion of these glorious confessors: Quanquam adversus sontes, &novissmi3 exempla meritos, Miseratio oriebatur. Tacit. Annal. Lib. xv- ^ 44. ¦f Odio humani generis convicti sunt. Tacit, ubi supra. J This matter is set in the clearest and most beautiful lighf,- by the s»gac«)UJ Mr. 'Warburton, in his " Divine Legation of Moses," (Vol. i. pag. 292— 895.-) to who.ie labours tbe learned and christian world, are indebted beyond expression, for as great a number of original thoughts, as ar.e perhaps any wherf to be found in an equal compass. And reflections dn the xvhole. S85 early in the world, as we have shewn at large. There must have been some man, or body of men, who first introduced it : they generally confess, that Cheist and his apostles were the pei-sons: and these apostles (on whose testimony what we know of Christ chiefly depends,) must have been Enthusiasts, or Impostors, if their testimony was false. Now which of these schemes will the unbeliever take ? it seems, that the Deists of the present age fix on neither, as being secretly conscious they can support neither ; but they content themselves with cavilling at some circumstances attending the revelation, without daring to encounter its grand evidence; i. e. they have been laboriously attempting to prove it " to be improbable, or absurd, to sup- " pose that to have been, which nevertheless plainly appears " to have been fact." One most weakly and sophistically pretends to prove, in defiance of the common sense of mankind, that the light of nature is a perfect rule, and therefore that all revelation, is needless, and indeed impossible. Another dis guises the miracles of Chbist by false and foolish represen tations of them, and then sets himself to ridicule them as idle tales. And a third takes a great deal of fruitless pains to shew, that some prophecies referred to in the New Testament are capable of another sense, different from that in which the apostles have taken them. These things have been set in a very artful and fallacious light by persons, whose names will be pei'haps transmitted to posterity, with the infamous glory of having been leaders in the cause of infidelity ; but not a man ofthem undertakes directly to answer, what has been said to ascertain the grand fact. Nay, they generally take no more notice of the positive evidence, by which it is even demon strated, than if thej^had never heard it proposed; though they cavil at incidental passages in -those books, in whicli it is most clearly stated. And as for what they have urged, though perhaps some, who were before weary of Christianity, may have taken occasion from their writings to reject it ; and others for want of consulting the answers to them, may have been unwarily insnared; yet the examination of these points has been grisatly fpr the honour and vindication of thciti'Uth, which Vol III. C c 585 Additional evidences of Christianity, seems on this occasion to have been set in a clearer and stronger light than ever, at least in these latter ages. The cause of Christianity has greatly gained by debate, and the gospel comes like fine gold outof the furnace, which the more it is tried, the more it is approved. I own, the defenders of the gospel have appeared with very different degrees of ability for the work ; nor could it be otherwise amongst such numbers of them : but on the whole, though the patrons of infidelity have been masters of some wit, humour, and address, as well as of a moderate share of learning, and generally much more than a moderate share of assurance ; yet so great is the force of truth, that (unless we may except those writers who have unhappily called for the aid of the civil magistrate in the controversy,) I cannot recollect, that I have seen any defence of the gospel, whicb has not, on the whole, been sufficient to establish it, notwithstanding all the sophistical arguments of its most subtile antagonists. [This is an observation, which is continually gaining new strength, as new assaults are made upon the gospel. Atid I cannot forbear saying, that as ifit were by a kind of judicial infatuation, sorae who have distinguished themselves in the wretched cause of infidelity, have been permitted to fall into such gross misrepresentations, such senseless inconsistencies, I and such palpable falshoods*, and in a word, into such a various and malignant superfluity of naughtiness ; that to a wise and pious mind they must appear like those venomous creatures, which are said to carry an antidote in their bowels against their own poison. A virtuous and well-bred Deist must turn away from sorae modern pieces of this kind with scorn and abhorrence ; and a christian raight alraost be tempted to wish, that tbe book.s, with all their scandals about them; might be transmitted to posterity, lest' when they come to live, like • [I mention not here that mean buffoonery and scurrility, that industrious, though awkward, disguise, and monstrous mixture of the sceptic and dogmatist, which the learned and ingenious Mr. Warburton has animadverted upon with such justice and spirit, in his fine Dedication to the Divine Legation of Moses demonstrated.] And reflections on the xvhole. S87 the writing^ of some ofthe ancient Heathens, only in those of their learned and pious answerers, it should hardly be credited, that ever the enemies of the gospel in such an enlightened age should be capable of so much impiety and folly.] Thus I have given you a brief view ofthe chief arguments in proof of Christianity ; and the sum of the whole is this. The gospel is probable in theory ; as considering the nature of God, andthe circurastances of mankind, there was reason to hope a revelation might be given ; and if any were given, we should naturally apprehend its internal evidence would be such, as thatof the gospel is, and its external such, as it is said to be. But it is also true in fact ; for Christianity was early professed, as it was first introduced by Jesus of Nazareth, whose life and doctrines were published by his immediate atten dants ; whose books are preserved still in their original language, and in the main are faithfully translated into our own : so that the books of the New Testament now in your hands may be depended upon, as written by the persons whose names they bear. And admitting this, the truth of the gospel follows by a train of very easy consequences ; for the authors certainly knew the truth ofthe facts they relate ; and considering what appears of their character and circumstances, we can never believe they would have attempted to deceive us; or if they had, they could not have gained credit in the world ; yet they did gain it in a remarkable manner ; therefore the facts they attested are true : and the truth of the gospel evidently follows from the certainty of those facts, and is much confirmed by what has happened in the world since the first publication of it._ I shall conclude what I have to say on this subject, \^^ith a few words by way of reflection. 1. l^et us gratefully acknowledge the divine goodness, in favouring us with so excellent a revelation, and confirming it to us by sueh an ample evidence. We should be daily adoring the God of nature, for lighting up the sun, that glorious, though imperfect image ofhis own unapproachable lustre ; and appointing it to gild the earth -with its various rays, to cheer us with its benign influences, and to guide and dirept us, in our journeys, and our labours, S88 Additional evidences of Christianity, But how incomparably more valuable is that Day-spripg from on high which has visited us, that Sun of Righteousness, which is risen upon us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace ? Oh Christians, (for I now address myself to you, whose eyes are so happy as i ndeed to see, and your ears as to hear,) what reason have you for daily, and hourly praise ! when your minds are dehghted with contemplating the riches of gospel-grace, when you view with wonder and joy the harmo-, nious contrivance of ora- redemption, when you feel the burden of your guilt removed, the freedom of your ad dress to the throne of grace encouraged, and see the prospect of a fair inheritance ,of eternal glory opening upon you ; then in the pleasing transr port of your souls, borrow the joyful anthem of the Psalmist, and ;5ay, with the humblest gratitude and self-resignation ; Gon is the Lord, who hath given us light; bind the sacrifice with icords, even to the horns of the altar. Adore God, who first commanded the light to shine out of darkness, that by the dis coveries of his .word, and the operations of his spirit, he has shined in your hearts, to give you the knowledge ofhis glory, as reflected from the face of his Son. Let us all adore him, that this revelation hath reached us, who live in an age and country so distant frora that in which it first appeared ; while there are to thjs day, not only dark corners, but regions of the earth, which are full ofthe habitations of idolatry and cruelty. Let me here peculiarly address myself to those, whose educa tion and circumstances of life have given thera opportunities of a fuller enq.uiry, into the state of those ancient or modern nations that have been left merely tothe hght of unassisted reason; even to you. Sirs, who are acquainted with the history of their GpDs, the rites of their priests, the tales, and even the hymns of their poets, (those beautiful trifles;) nay, I will add, thp reasonings of their sagesl philosophers, all the precarious, and all the erroneous things they have said, where rfeligion and immortality are concerned*. I have sometiraes thought, that * The great author I metioned before (pag. 384. note,*) has shewn in a most coavincing manner, that the whole body oJ Uje preek Philosophers disbelieys^ And reflections an the XvhotCi 389: God gave to some ofthe most celebrated Pagan Writers, that uncommon share of genius and eloquence, that thfy might, as it were, by their art imbalm the monsters of antiquity; that so succeeding ages might see, in. a more affecting view than wc could otherwise have done, how weak the human mind is in its best estate, and the need, which the greatest, as well as- the meanest of mankind have, of being taught by a revelation from above. Permit rae to remind you, that while you are daily con- -Versing with such raonuraents as these, (as I know some of you are,)' and are also surveying the evidences of Christianity in a larger, and more distinct view, than it was proper for me here to propose them, you are under peculiar obligations, to be very -thankful for the gospel yourselves, as well as to compassionate the case oftho.se, to whom it has never been offered, or by whom it is slighted. And this leads rae to another reflection ; 2. What reason have we to pity those, who reject this glorious gospel, even when they have opportunities of enq,uiring into its clearest evidences ? Such undoubtedly there are in oar own age and nation ; and surely we should soraetiraes bestow a compassionate thought upon them, and lift up an hurable prayer for them ;. if God peradven ture will give them repentance to tbe acknowledging of the truth ; that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are now led captive by him at his pleasure. We should pity Heathens, and Mahometans, under their darkness and errors : but how much more deplorable is the case of these, who, though they dwell in Emmanuel's Land, and in the valley of vision, turn it into the valley ofthe shadow of death. the doctrine of futilre rewards and punishments, thobgh tbey popularly taught it as necessary to Society; and held no other immortality of the soul,- than what was the result of a most atheistical notion, (modernly known by the name of spinoz- ism,) that the Universe was God: (See Mr. "Warburton's Diyine Legation of Moses, Book iii. Sect, 2, 3, 4.) "Which surely is one of the strongest proofs of tbe need of a revelation, that the world e-ver sa*, and the most affecting com ment on the words of the learned Apostle, 1 Cor. i. 21. The world by wisdom knew not God; but professing themselves (o be wise, they became fools. Rom. i. SS, 390 Additional evidences of Christidnity, by closing their eyes against so bright a lustre, and stopping their ears against the voice of the charmer i" They are indeed in their own conceit the only People, and wisdom will die with them ; so that to be sure, tbey will scorn our pity : but who'fcan forbear it ? Is there a more melancholy thought than this, that the Son of God should have done so rauch to introduce and es tablish the Gospel, and his Spirit so much to perpetuate and increase its evidence, and that after all, it should be contemp tuously despised, even by creatures who are perishing without it? that the blessed Jesus, instead of being received with open arms ^ the great deliverer, should either be treated as an empty name; Or if acknowledged to be a real person, should then be repre sented as a visionary enthusiast, or a wicked impostor; for there is no other alternative ? and this, not only, (though I believe, most frequently,) by men of profligate and abandoned lives, but Sometimes by perspns of external morality and decency, of great humanity and sweetness of temper, (for such I know are to be found amongst them,) as well as men of wit and genius, of fpliteness and learning, of human prudence and experience in affairs. I may also add, that it is the case of some, who were the children of pious parents, who were trained up in religious exercises, who once discovered serious impressions, and gave very encouraging hopes. Alas, whither have they fallen .' and whither have we reason to fear, they will at length fall! how shall we shelter those, that were once our brethren, that are perhaps still our friends, frora the awful sentence, which the Gospel denounces against all that reject it without any excep tion .'' As to the wretches, that add insult and derision to their infidelity, I trerable to think of that load of guilt, which they are bringing on themselves, and how near they approach to the unpardonable sin, if they have not already committed it. For the rest, who behave in a more modest and decent manner, it will, no doubt, be a very difficult task to convince them ; and so much the rather, as sorae of thera, by too easy a transition, have renounced many of the most important principles of natu ral religion, nay, I might add, even the whole of it, together with the christian revelation. But the influences of divine grace are -almighty ; let us recommend them ,to these, and omit ii» And reflections on the whole. 391 other proper method, either of recovering those who are already seduced, or at least of securing those who are not yet infected, but may be (as most of the youth are, especially in the most populous places,) in imminent danger of the contagion. Tu, this end let me add, 3. How reasonable is it, that christians should forra a fami liar acquaintance with the great evidences of our common faith. It is what we so apparently owe to the honour of God, to the interest of Christ, to the peace of our own souls, and the edi fication of others, that 1 hope, I need not urge it at large ; espe cially considering what was said in the introduction to these discourses. In consequence of all, let it be your eare to make the evidences of Christianity the subject of your serious reflec tions, and of your frequent converse : especially, study your . bibles, where there are such marks of truth and divinity to be found, that I believe, few that have familiarly known them, and have had a relish for them, were ever brought to make shipwreck ofthe faith as it is in Jesus. Above all, let it be j'our care to act on the rules which are there laid down ; and then, you wilt find your faith growing in a happy proportion, and will expe rience the truth of our Saviour's declaration, that if any man will resolutely and faithfully do his will, he. shall know of the Christian doctrine, whether it be of God. I verily believe, it is .the purity of its precepts, which lies at the bottom of most mens opposition to it ; or a natural pride of heart, which gives them an aversion to so humbling a scheme ; or a fond affectation of seeming wiser than others, ih rejecting what most of their neigh bours do at least profess to believe. When these unhappy pre- judices.and conceptions are by divine grace conquered and rooted out, the evidences of truth will daily appear with an increasing- lustre; as the light of the sun does, to an eye recovering from a film, with which it had been overgrown, and which before had vailed it with the darkness of midnight in the midst of noon. Once more, 4. How solicitous should we be to embrace and obey that Gospel, which comes attended with such abundant evidences! , I miy undoubtedly address rayself to most of you, my friends,' and say, as Paul did to King Agrippa, Believest thou the 39^ Additional evidences of Christianity, prophets, and I may add, the evangelists, and the apostles? yes 1 know that you believe them ; yet let me intreat and charge you, not to rest here, but attentively to examine, how far your hearts are affected, and your lives regulated by such a belief. The Christian reveladon is a practical thing; and it is heard,. it is believed, it is professed, and even defended in vain, ifit be not obeyed. Therefore do we so frequently read of obeying the truth, and obeying the gospel, as a raatter of so great im portance. In this Gospel, the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodhness and unrighteousness of men; but it is revealed with redoubted terror against that audacious sinner, who holds the truth in unrighteousness. In this gospel, the LoKD Jesus Christ is exalted, both a Prince, and a Saviour; and it is hot with impunity, that the impenitent rebel can reject his yoke, and trample on his blood : for if he that despised Moses's law died without mercy, of how much sorer punish ment, than even a capital execution, must they be thought worthy, who have poured contempt on such a Sovereign, and on such a Redeemer ? Oh let it be most seriously and frequently recollected, that this gospel is the touch-stone, by which you are another day to be tried ; the balance, in which an impartial judge will weigh you ; and must on the whole prove your everlasting triumph, or your everlasting torment. The blessed God did not introduce it with such solemn notice, such high expectations, such pom pous miracles, such awful sanctions, that men might reject, or dishonour it at pleasure : but it will certainly be found,' tp the greatest, and the raeanest, of those that hear it, a savour of life unto life, or a savour of death unto death. Let it therefore be your iraraediate care, to enquire, which of these it is like to prove tp your souls ; since it is so far from being a vain thing, that it is yPurvery life. If it has hitherto been despised, and that blessed Redeemer, in whom it so apparently centers, has been neglected ; reraeraber, that all which has been said in confirraation of its truth, does hut in effect prove, that the hand-writing of Gon hiraself is set to the sentence of your eternal condemnation. Oh therefore allow not And reflections on the whole. 593 .yourselves a moment's rest, until you have with humble submis sion applied to his throne, while yet there is hope that it may be reversed. And as for you, my hrfethren, who have received Christ . Jesus the Lord, be exhorted to walk in him ; since it is the design of his gospel to teach us, to deny ungodliness and •worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly ; and /this, not only as you have so comfortable an assurance, that jour labour shall not be in vain in the Lord, but as it will be, -on the whole, the most effectual method you can take in your respective stations to prpmote the gospel. If you indeed honour ¦itand love it, and desire it may be propagated in the world, let it be your care, not only to defend it by your tongues, but to adorn it by your lives; and in the words of that great cham pion in this sacred cause, be blameless and harmless, the chil dren of God without rebuke, inthe midst of a crooked and perverse generation, -shining amongst them as lights in the -world, and so holding forth the wprd of life; and perhaps it -jmay serve, not only to entej-tain their eyes with wonder a];i,d .glory, but to guide their feet into the way of peace, and may .-engage them also to join with you in glorifyipg yopr FatheV iiivhich is in Heaven- Atoca! .( 39* ) SERMON XXI. ^Beiiig the First of a Series of Ten Sermons on Regeneration. The CHARACTER ofthe UNREGENERATE. PREFACE. ft is undoubtedly the duty of every wise anfl good man, to be forining, schemes for the service of God and his fellow-creatures in future years, ifhe be continued to them ; and it -will be his prudence to do it early in 'life, thathe may be gradually 'preparing to execute them in the most advantageous manner he can. But while a man's heart is thus devi sing his way, the Lord directeth his steps. And as many such schemes will probably -be left unfinished at death, which will quickly come to break off our purposes and the thoughts of our hearts j so it is not impro bable that they who humbly and obediently follow the leadings of Di vine Provi'dence and Grace, may often find themselves called out ori a sudden to services which, but a little before, were quite untliought of by them. This has been the case with me in most of the Sermons I have .published, of which veiy few were composed with any view to the press j and it is most remarkable so with respect to these on Regenera tion. Besides many -other excellent persons, my much honoured friend Dr. ¦Wright'has hatidled the subject in so judicious and lively a manner, and through the great goodness of God to us, so many thousands of his treatise upon it are dispersed in all parts of our land, Urat I could hardly have believed any one who had told me I should thus 'have resumed it ; nor had I die least intention of doing it, when I began that course -cS. Lectures which I now offer to my reader's pprusal. I did indeed think it necessary last year to treat tlie subject mtxt Jargely than 1 had ever done before, knowing in the general how im portant it is, and observing that several controversies had about that time b^en raised concerning it, which (though I do not judge it neces- -eary to mention the particulars of thera) I was ready" to fear, might have ihad an ill influence to unsettle men's minds, and either to lead them ( 395 ) into some partlcblar errors, or into a general apprehension that it was i mere point of speculation, about which it was not necessary to form any judgment at all.* That these Discourses might be more generaUy useful, I determined to preach them on Lord's day evenings, that those of my neighbours who were not my stated hearers might, if they thought proper, have an opportunity ^of attending them : and accordingly they were attended to the last witli uncommon diligence ; a great many such persons, of different persuasions and communions, making up a part of the audi tory. As practical instruction and improvement was the main thing I had in view, I knew it was necessary to make my Discourses as plain, as free, and as serious as I could. But before I had finished near half of my scheme, several of my hearers earnestly requested that the Sermons might be published : and the request grew more extensive aud impor tunate every week, with this additional circumstance (which I much re garded) that some very pious and judicious friends at a distance, being providentially brought to the hearing, of some of these Lectures, strongly- concurred in the desire ; expressing a very chearful hope, that the read ing of what they had heard might be useful in distant parts of the land, to which they assured me they would endeavour to spread them as op portunity might offer. As the advise of several of my brethren in the ministry was joinfed with all this, I thought myself bound in duty at length to comply ; which I was the rather encouraged to do from the sever^ instances in which I had reason to believe the Divine blessing Lad in some measure attended these Sermons from the pulpit, and had made them Hie means of producing and advancing the change they de scribed and enforced, Ou these Considerations, as soon as I returned from that long journey- in which I set out die day after these Lectures were concluded, J ap plied myself to recollect the substance of them as well as I could, from the short hints I had written of them, with tlie assistance of those notes which some of my friends had taken after me in characters. Sonie things are perhaps' omitted, though I believe but very few ; some con tracted, and some enlarged ; but ray hearers will find them in the main what diey heard. It, cost me more labour than I was aware, from such materials, to reduce them into their present form ; and I hope the mul titude of my other business will be allowed as an apology, if 1 proceeded in them slower than some might expect. I shall leave it to my reader to observe for himself the manner and method in which I have handled ray subject, without giving him a par- . ticular view of it here; only must beg leave to tell him in the general, that I hope he will find I bave not presumed so far on the sublimity of my subject, as to talk without determinate ideas ; for which reason I bave omitted many phrases, used particularly of late by some pious and worthy persons, because I freely own, that as I cannot find them in my Bible, so neither can I understand their exact meaning ; and it seems * See Mr, Hebden's Appendix to his late Discourse on Reoener.4Iios. C 396 ) very itn^ropeir to embarrass such plain Discourses as these with a lan guage, which, not being thoroughly master of, I may chance to mis apply, supposing those phrases to be really more proper than I can at present apprehend they are. I have endeavoured to keep to' one idea of Regeneration, which I take to be that which the Scripture suggests: by Regenekation I mean " a prevailing' disposition of the sotil to' " universal holiness, produced and cherished by the influences of God's " Spirit on our hearts, operating in a manner suitable to the constitution *' of our nature, as rational and accountable creatures." If this be (as 1 think I have proved at large that it is) the Scriptural notion of it, it will follow, that nothing which may be found where this is not, or which may be found where this is, can be Regeneration in the Scrip ture sense, which is that sense in which we are much more concerned than -vre are ih that to which any human writers, whether ancient or modern, may think proper fo apply it. If the Doctrine which I have endeavoured in the whole course of these Serraons, to confirm 'and illustrate by the word oFGod, be in one form or another generally taught by my brethren in the m-inistry, of whatever denomination, I rejoice in it for their own sakes, as well -as for that of the people under their care. I am yery little inclined to contend about technical phrases of human invention, which have with equal frailty been idolized by some and anathematized by others. We shall, I hope, learn more and more to bear one another's burthens, and to study the kindest interpretations which tlie words of each otlier will admit. But I must take the liberty to say, I am in ray conscience persuaded that this view of things whicl\^ is here proposed, though perhaps not very feshionable, is iu the general so edifying, and so naturally leads to the frequent review of many other important doctrines of Christianity, which are closely connected with it, that I ara well satisfied it well be our wisdom to ad here to it, ^and to make it very familiar to our own minds, and to these of our hearers.«i^Nor can I imagine that any variety in the idioms of diffe rent languages,''or 'the customs of different ages and nations, can be a sufficient reason for bringing Scripture phrases into disuse, while -we keep to the original ideas signified by diem. There seems to be ape-' culiar felicity in them to express Divine truth ; and they will undoubted-i iy be found the safest vehicle of religious knowledge, and the surest band of union among Christians ; while, however we may dlSer in other matters, we so generally agree in acknowledging that our bibles contain the oracles of God. ,. Let u.? therefore, who under diflBrent denominations are honour^ with the ministry ofthe everlasting Gospel, Sgree, for a while at least, to su.spend our debates upon less necessarj^ subjects, that we may with united efforts, concur in prosecuting that great design for whieh the Gos pel was revealed, the Spirit given, and our office instituted. And since it is so evident that irreligion has grown upon us while we have been at tending to other, and to be sure smaller matters, let us by a plain, se rious, and zealous way of preaching the most vital trudis of Christianity, joined with a diligent inspection of the souls committed to our care, try what can be done towards preventing the progress of this growing apos tacy, and recovering the ground^ we have already lost. Ignorant and ( 397 ) prejudiced people may perhaps accuse us of blgotiy or enthusiasm ; but let us do our best to convince them of their error by the candour of our teraper, and the prudence. of our conduct ; and remember, that as Chry sostom excellently speaks in these lively words : f It is a sufficient '' consolation for our labours, and far more than an equivalent for all, " if we may have a testimony in our consciences, that we compose " and regulate our discourses in such a manner as may be approved by ¦" God, in whose name we spe.ak. fforthamplon, Nov. 7, 1741. POSTSCRIPT. To what I have said in the conclusion of the jfirst Sermon concerning the proper import of the word Regeneration, I beg leave to add the following remarks for the farther satisfaction of ,some worthy per sons, -who think it may be convenient to state the matter a little more particularly. ' I acknowledge that many learned and pious divines have taught and contended, that Regeneration does, in the strictest propriety of speech, signify Baptism. So that no unbaptized person, how well disposed soever, can properly be said to be regenerated ; whereas that title may justly be given to all who have been baptized, how destitpte soever they might have been of Christian faith and holiness when they received the ordinance, or how grossly soever they may since have forfeited the final blessings of a regenerate state. Dr. Waterland has stated this matter at large in his laboured and ingenious treatise on the subject, which is the best I know on this side of the question. And though this would be a very improper place to eriter on a Critical examination of that piece, I will briefly touch oh the chief arguments which he, or others in his senti raents, have urged in vindication of this favourite notion. So far as I can recollect, what they say is capable of being reduced to two heads ; — that Christian Antiquity uses the word in this sense ; and that there are passages pf Scripture which authorize such an application of it. As to the first of these, I readily own that the word has this sense in •the generality of the Christian writers, from about the middle of the se- •cond century, though I think not so universally as some have concluded*: , * Clemens Alexandrinus, so often, and to be sure reasonably, quoted on the other side, --plainly uses the word for 'f a change of character by true repentance ; (Strom, lib. ii. page 425)" -where, speaking of " a penitent harlot," he says, " that being born ( 39S ) but I think it easy to accoimt for such an use of it among them. For in the earliest ages of the church, persons were generally baptized as soon as they were converted to the cordial belief of Christianity j and therefore the time of their conversion, and that of their baptism, might naturally enough be spoken of as one : and as this was a period when they did, as it were, come into a new world, it is no wonder that the action by which they testified a change so lately made, should be put for that change itself. Just as illumination also among the ancients signifies baptism : not to intimate teat the grand illumination of the mind was made by this rite, or at the time of it ; for that would be supposing the person in darkness when he embraced the Gospel, and determined to be baptized, ' but because it was taken for granted, and that very justly in those days, that every one savingly enlightened would soon be bap tized, that so he might be regularly joined to the society of enlightened or regenerated persons, that is, to the Christian church : which no doubt had the best right of any body of map in the world to that title, though in its purest state it contained some ignorant and wicked members. In a word, a man by baptism solemnly professed himself a Christian ; and as it was generally the first overt-act by which his be lieving the Gospel could be publicly and generally known, and was also supposed to be very near the lime of his inward conversion, they dated his regeneration, that is, his happy change (as that word used to signify even among the heathen*) from that time. We own therefore that these ancient Christians (of whom I always think and speak with great respect) had a very good excuse for this metliod of speaking ; but whe ther they were perfectly accurate in this, and whether they did not rer cede from the Scripture use of the word, may be matter of farther enquiry. As to the arguhients from Scripture in support of the interpretation I oppose, they are taken partly from particular places ; but chiefly, as I apprehend, from the general tenor of it, in which Christians are spoken of as regenerated. The particular texts are John iii. 5. and Tit. iii. 5. on which much of the stress of this controversy is laid j but on considering them attentively, again by conversion, or a change in her temper and behaviour, she has the regeneratioi of life :" atotysvnScia-oc Karx rm EW.rjoipJiv ts |5ib ¦axXiyyBuaioiv e^si ^uiis, * It is well known that Cicero expresses " the happy change" made in his jtata, when restored from his banishment, by this word. (Cie. ad Attic, lib. vi. Episi. 60 The Greeks expressed by it " the doctrine of the Brachmans," in which they affirmed our entcrmg/jn a new state of being after death. (Clem. Alex. Strom, lib 11). page 451.) Andthe Stoicks used it to denote their expected renovation of the world after successive conflagrations. Marc. Antonin. Medit. lib. xi. § 1. v. \3. x. Du-/r J j*^'*"' °^^^' P^S- 532. Euseb. Pra;p. Evang. ex numen. lib. xv. chap. 19 Phil. Jud. de Mundi Immort. pag 940, 931, and in many other places.) And so the fathers often use it to fignify the resurrection which Christians expect. S?e Euseb. Eccl. Hist. hb. v. chap. 1. in fin. Compare Matt. xix. 28. and the note there : Fara. expos. Vol. II. pag. 238. ( 399 ) I find nothing in either of them to leac^us to think baptism the regene ration spoken of there. As to the former of them, John iii. 5. when our Lord says, " Except ' ' a man be bom of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the " kingdom of God ;" it is (after all the contempt wilh which that interpre* tation has ¦ been treated) very possible he may mean, by . a well-knowa figure, to express one idea by both those clauses, that is, the puri fying influences of the Spirit cleansing the mind, as water does tlie body : as elsewhere, to be baptized widx the Holy Ghost and with fire (Matt. iii. 11) signifies to be baptized by the Spirit operating hke fire. But if there is indeed a reference to baptism in these words (which I own I am much inclined to believe) it will by no means follow that baptism is Regeneration. On that supposition, I still think the sense of the passage must be that which I have given in my paraphrase on it (Fam. Expos, vol. I. pag. 148.) " Whosoever would become a regular mem- " ber of the kingdom of God, must not only be baptized, but as ever " he desires to share in its spiritual and eternal blessings, must experi- " ence the renewing and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit on his "¦ soul, to cleanse it from the power of corruption, and to animate and " quicken it to a spiritual and divine life." It is granted therefore, that how fexcellent soever any man's character is, he must be baptized before he can be loolfed upon as completely a member of the church of Christ ; and that, in general, being bom of the Spirit, he will also be solicitous that he liiay be born of water, and so fulfil all righteousness. But it will never follow from hence, that being born of water and born of the Spirit are the same thing. The text rather implies they are different ; and I think every body must own, they may be actually separate. No thing therefore can be more absurd than to infer from this text, that if there be two persons, one of which is born of the Spirit, and not of water ; another of water, and not of the -Spirit ; the latter, that is, the wicked man who has perhaps with some iniquitous design been baptized, may properly be said to be regenerated, or born ofGod, -and consequently to bean heir of God, (Rom. viii. 17) rather than a truly religious man who has not yet been baptized, either through want of opportunity, or through some unhappy mistake, as to the nature and -design, or the per petuity and obligations of that ordinance. Now this I take to be precisely the question, and must declare that when a baptized person is destitute of true religion, that birth which he had by water, seems to me as it were an evanescent thing, or a thing which disappears as unworthy the men tion ; and that it must be therefore most safe and advisable, as well as most agreeable to the Scripture sense, to appropriate the title of regene rate persons to those sanctified by Divine Grace, rather than to use it cf all who are baptised. As to the text in Titus (chap. iii. 5) where God is said to save us by the washino- of regeneration, or, as some earnestly contend it shouldbe rendered, " by the laver of regeneration :" I might answer, that as that ^teraretation is by no means necessary*, it cannot be proved that bap- * The original is S/a XBtf s t^Kx.f-.iyytnr'ioiS, Now it is certain, the seventy use another Word, that is AsTwf, to signify Laver, Exod xxk. 18. 28. xxxi. g j and I ( 400 ) tism is here designed, though I acknowledge there may be a graceful alk- sion to it: the Apostle may mean, weare saved by God's washing our hearts by his sanctifying Spirit (a phrase so often used in the Old Testament) and thereby making ns his children : and in this sense it might bave been used, tho' baptism had never been instituted. But granting (as I have done in the beginning of the seventh Sermon) that Aaljov may be rendered laver, and that baptism may be the laver referred to ; and that " there is indeed an " allusion to the washing new-born children ;" (as Mr. Mede in his dia tribe on this text contends;) I think this text will be so far from proving that St. Paul meant to call baptism Regeneration, that it will prove tbe contrary : for regeneration itself, and the laver of regeneration, can not be the same tiling ; and whatever Tertulhan and other ancients may fancifully talk of our being generated like fishes in the water, in a weak allusion to the technical word IXQTZ, common sense will see how ab surd it would be to apply this to a child, and will teach us rather to argne that as children must be born before they can be washed, so they must be regenerated before the washing of regeneration (that is, the washing which belongs to then: new birth) can be applied to them. But on the whole, as washing an infant refers to its pollution, and no pollution at-i tends our regeneration as such, I am more and more inclined to think there Is no reference at all to a laver, or the washing new-born children j and . therefore, that this washing and the renewing of the Holy Ghost are exegetical, and that the latter clause might be rendered, even the renewing, &c. which makes the text decisive for the sense in which I use the word. After all, then, if any argument can be deduced from Scripture in fa- vour of the manner of speaking now in debate, it must be from the ge neral tenor of it ; according to which it seems that all who are members of the visible church are spoken of as regenerate ; from which it may be inferred, with some plausible probability at least, that baptism, by which they are admitted into that society, may be called Reggneba- TION : and I am ready to believe, as I hinted above, that this was the chief reason why the ancients so often used the word in the sense I am now opposing. Now with relation to this, I desire it may be recollected, that when Christianity first appeared in the world, it was attended with such dis couragements, as made the very profession of it, in a great measure, a test of men's characters. The Apostles therefore, knowing the numbef of hypocrites to be comparatively very small, generally take no notice of them, but address themselves to whole bodies of Christians, as if they were truly what they professed to be. Just as our Lord Jesus Christ, though he knew the wickedness of Judas, often addresses hiraself to the whole body of his Apostles, as if they were all his faiihful servants, think (so far as I have observed) every where else : and Aajov (St. Paul's word here) is used where it cannot signify laveir, for the water in which sheep are washed. Cant. iv. 2. and for a large quantity of water in which an adult person was washed or bathed. Eph. v. 26. And this remark quite overthrows all the argument from this text, if any argument would follow from rendering it laver : but I think I need poC urge this. C 4)1 ) Jind makes gracious declarations and promises to the whole society, -which could by no means be applicable to this one corrupf and wretched member of it ; telling them, for instance, that they should share in his final triumph, and sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Mat. xix. 28. This is therefore the true key to all those passages in which Christians are, in the general, said to be adopted, sanctified, justified, &c. as well as regenerated. The Apostles had reasoii in the judgment of charity, to, think thus of by far the greatest part of them ; and therefore they •speak to tbem all, as in such a happy state. And agreeably to this, we find not only such privileges, but also such -characters, ascribed to Chris tians .in general, as were only applicable to such of them as were Chris tians indeed. Thus all the Corinthians are spoken of by the Apostle Paul as waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (i Cor. i. 7.) and all the Ephesians, and all the Colossians, as having- faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and love to all the saints (Eph. 1, 15. Col. 1. 4.) and all the Philippians, as having a good work begun in them, which Paul was persuaded God would perfect (Phil. i. 6.) and all the Thes.salon!ans, as remarkable for their work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope (iThes. i. 3.) though it evidently appears there were persons in several of these churches who behaved much amiss, and to whom, had he been particularly addressing to each of them alone, he could not by any means have used such language. On the like principles Peter, when address ing all the Christians in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bi- thjnia, speaks of the whole aggregate of them (i Pet. i. 8.) as lovino- an imseen Saviour, and amidst all their tribulations, rejoicirig in him with joy unspeakable and full of glory ; thoiigh probably there were some weak aud dejected Christians among thera, and undoubtedly in so large an extent of country, in which there were such a vast number of churches, not a few, who (as our Lord afterwards express it of some of them) had only a name I to live, while they were dead, (Rev. iii. 1.) in which passage, by the way, our Lord uses the same figure, and describes the whole body by the character of those who made the greater part of it. I state the matter thus particularly, because 1 think this obvious re mark is a sufficient answer to what is most peculiar and important in a late Discourse, consisting of near 130 quarto pages, and intitled, A^ey to the Apostolic Writings, &c. prefixed by the Rev. Mr. Taylor of jXTor- wich to his late Paraphrase and Notes on the Romans. I think what I have briefly advanced here, will much more effectuaUy answer the end of fixing the true sense ofthe scripture phrases in question. And I cannot forbear saying, that to determine the sense ofthe words called, redeemed, sanctified, &c. when applied to the Christian church, by that iu which they are used in Moses and the prophets with respect to the whole people of Israel, seems to me as unreasonable, as it would be to maintain, that the dimensions, the strength, and the beauty of a body are to be most ex actly estimated by looking on its shadow. Yet on this evidently weak and mistaken principle, the learned -and ingenious Author referred to above, ventures not only to attempt an en tire alteration in the generally-received strain of theological Discourses, but to throw out a censure, -which considering its extent and its seve- Vol. HI Dd ( 402 ) rity, must either be very terrible, or very pitiable. He not only seem.1- to think, if I understand him right, that we were all regenerated (if at all) as well as justified, in those of our parents who were firfet con-' verted from idolatry to Christianity (Key, §. 81, 82. and 246.) as in deed he expressly says, " that we are bom in a justified," and therefore undoubtedly (if the word is to be retained) in a regenerate "state:" but he presumes to say, that such doctrines as have been almost universally- taught and received among Christians-, concerning " Justification, rege- " neration, redemption, &c. have quite taken away the very ground of " the Chri.stian Ufe, the grace of Gon, and have left no object for the " faith of a sinner to work upon." (§. 357.) And hereupon, lest it should be forgot, he repeats it in the same section, that to represent it as "the subject of doubtful enquiry, trial, and examination, whether "we have an interestin Christ, whether we are in a state of pardon, " whether we be adopted" (and by consequence, to be .sure, • whether we be regenerated) " is" (as the Antinomians I imagine would also say) " to make our justification, as it invests us in those blessings, to be of " works, and not by faith alone :" and (as was just before said in tlic same words) " to take away the very ground of the Chrisfian life, the " grace of God, and to leave no object for the faith of a sinner to act " upon." And this way of stating things, which has so generally pre-' vailed, is joined with the wickedness and contentions of professing Chris tians, as a third cause of that disregard to the Gospel which is so common in the present day. Now as no book can fall more directly under this censure, than this of mine, in svhich it is the busniess of the iJiree first Sermons to direct pro fessing Christians in an enquiry, whether they be or be not in a regenerate state ; I thought it not improper, in this postscript, briefly to acquaint my reader with the principles on which I continue to think the view, in which I have put the matter, to be rational and scriptural*, and do sfiil in my conscience judge it far preferable to what the advocates of bap tismal regeneration on the one hand, or Mr. Taylor on the other, would * For the full proof of this, that it is the most scriptural sense, I must desire the reader diligently to examine, and seriously to consider, the several texts which are quoted in the following Discourses ; for it would swell this postscript too much to enumerate them all here, and to give them a. critical examination; Let it still be remembered, that to he regenerated, and to be born of God, are equivalent phra ses : and with this remark, let any one that can do it paraphrase all the passages leferied to, in two different views ; first putting the word baptism for regeneration, and baptized persons for persons born of God ; and then substituting our definition of regeneration or of a regenerate person, instead of the words themselves : and I can not but think he will be struck with that demonstration, which will (as it were); emerge of itself upon such a trial. And 1 must add, that If he looks into the context of many of these passages, he will at the same time see how utterly ungrounded it is. to assert, as sorae have done' " that regeneration is only used when applied to "Jewish converts to Christianity, referring to their former birth fromAbrkham ;" a notion so fully confuted by our Lord's Discourse -with Nicodemus, John iii. 3, ^seq. by Tit, iii. .^. and by 1 Pet. 1. 3. 23. ii. 2. when compared vpith 1 . Pet. i. 14. iv. 3. (which proves that the Apostle there wrote to societies, of which the greatest part. had before been idolatrous Gentiles) that I think it quite superfluous to discuss it more largely here. ( 403 ) introduce, ^t se^vns to nie, ,that .tf^e points ip .^i.spute -with him are i;i;^i;ch more iraportant than our debates with them, as a much gi-eater number of Scriptures are' concerned, and !the whole tenor of our ministe rial addresses would-be much more sensibly affected. .Had I leisure fo discuss the matter more largely with this gentleman, I should think it might be an importaiit service to the Gospel .of Christ. I hope it will be undertaken by some abler hand ; and shall, in the mean time, go on preaching ' and writing in the manner so solemnly condemned, with no apprehension, from the discharge of fill this overloafjedartillery, except it he wli4t I fee,l for the zealpps engirieer himself, and a few other friends -who may qhancp to stand nearer hira than in jiruderice they ought. Northampton, June 13, 1745. Ep.ii,ES. II. 1, 2. Ajid you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins ; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the potcer of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children cf disobedience. -txMONG all the various trusts which raen can repose in each other, hardly any appears to me. raore solemn and tremendous, than the direction of their sacred time, and especially of thoge hours which they spend in the exercise of ptiblic devotion. ¦These seasons take up so small a part of our lives, when com pared with that whieh the labours and i;ecreations of them demand; and so much depends upon their being managed aright, that we, who are called to assist you in the employment and improvement of them, can har'dly be too solicitous, that we discharge the trust, in a manner which we may answer to God and to you. If this thought dwell upon the mind with due weight, it will have some sensible influence upon our dis courses to you, as well as on the strain of those addresses which we present to the throne of grace in your name and on your Dd2 40-i The character of the unregenerate. account. We shall not be over anxious about the order of words, the elegance of expression, or the littie graces of com position ordelivery; butshall study to speak on the most important subjects, and to handle them with such gravity and seriousness, with such solemnity and spirit, as raay, through the divine blessing, be most likely to penetrate the hearts of our hearers, to awaken those that are entirely unconcerned about religion, and to ani mate and assist those, who, being already acquainted with it, desire to make continual advances, which will be the case of every truly good raan. It is ray earnest prayer for rayself, and for ray brethren in the ministry of all denominations, that we may, in this respect, approve our wisdora and integrity to Gon, and coraraend our selves to the consciences of all men. It is our charge, as we shall answer it another day to the God of the spirits of all flesh, to use our prudent and zealous endeavours, to make men truly wise and good, virtuous and happy : but to this purpose, it is by no ineans sufficient to content ourselves, merely with attempting to reform the inimoraiilies and irregularities of their lives, and to bring thera to an external Ijehaviour, decent, honourable, and useful. An undertaking like this, while the inward temper is neglected, even when it may seem raost effectual, will be but like painting the face ofone who is ready to die, or labour ing to repair a ruinous house, by plaistering and adorning its walls, while its foundations are decayed. There is an awful passage in Ezekiel to this purpose, which I hope we shall often recollect : " Woe to the foolish prophets, — because they have seduced ray people, saying, peace, when there was no peace ; and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untem pered. mortar : say unto them that daub it with untempered' mortar, that it shall fall : — Thus saith the Lord God, I will even rent it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hail-stones in my fury to consume it; so will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fail, and" ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord." The character of the unregenerate. 40S If there be any, in one body of christians, or another, that abet mens natural disposition to flatter themselves jn a way that is not good, by encouraging them to hope for salvation, be cause they were regularly baptized in their infancy ; because they have diligently attended on public worship, in its esta bhshed, or its separate forms ; or merely because they do no body any harm, but are rather kind and helpful to others ; or because their faith is orthodox, their transports of affection warm, or their assurance confident; I pray God to awakeri thera by the power of his grace, before they are consumed, with their hearers, in the ruins of their deceitful building. Those of you who are ray stated hearers can witness for rae, that in this respect I have delivered ray own soul. It has been the steady tenour of ray doctrine among you, that our hope and confidence must be in Christ, and not in ourselves ; and that, if we desire to be interested in the righteousness he has wrought out, and in the blessings he has purchased by his sacred blood, we must be experimentally acquainted with the work of God's renewing grace upon our souls, curing the inward distempers of our degenerate hearts, and transforming us into the image ofhis holiness : that is what we are taught in scripture to call by the name of Regeneration ; and considering how rauch the subject is neglected by some, and I fear I may add, misrepre sented and disguised by others, I apprehend I shall profitably employ an evening-hour for several succeeding sabbaths, in giving a larger account than! have yet done, ofthe scripture doctrine on this important subject, in its various parts. It shall be my care in the series of these discourses, as God shall enable rae, to speak the words of truth and soberness ; and I entreat you to have recourse to the law and to the testimony, that you may judge of the truth and weight of what I say, I desire not to be regarded any farther, than I produce evidence from reason and scripture ; but so far as we are disregarded, - while we have the concurrent testimony of both, our hearers must see to it; and their danger will then be prpportionable to the importance of those truths, which their negligence, or their prejudice, engage them either to reject, or to overlook. Pd3 406 The character of the unregenerate. The plan, on which I intend to proceed in the co'urse of these Lectures, is this : I. I will endeavour to describe the character of those, whom we rnay properly call persons in an unregenerate state. il. I will describe the nature of that change, which may pro perly be called Regeneration, or Coriversio'il'. III. I will shew at large the absolute necessity of this change, and the consequent misery of those that are strangers to it. IV. I shall endeavour to prove the reality and necessity of the Divine influences on the mind, in the production of such a change. V. I sharll describe sorae of those various riiethods, by which God is pleased to operate in the production of this holy arid important work. VI. I shall propose sorae advicies to thbse who are already awakened, as to the method in which thiey are to seek renewing grace. After which, VII. I shall conclude these Discourses with an address to those who have e^Jperienced this happy change, as to the ma;nncr in which they ought td be affected with such a Series of Sei-mons as this, and the iraproveraent they should make of Vvhat they are to hear, and what they have felt agreeable to it. I should be peculiarly inexcusable, if I entered upon such a subject, without earnest and importunate prayers to the Foun tain of Lig-bt, Grace, and Holiness, that while you hear of this iraportant doctrine, you raay have that experimental knowledge of it, without which such Discourses will indeed seem obscure and enthusiastical, according to the degree in which they are rational a-id spiritual. I shall only add, that these Lectures will take their rise from a variety of texts, which I shall not, according t--> my usual -.vcthod, largely open and dilate upon, but only t: ; and that humbling which is raerely external, ajid implies no deep sense of inward guilt, can pass for very little with that God, who searches the beaj-t, and tries the reins of the children of men. The Scripture assures us, that whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born ofGod ; and nothing can be more certaia from the whole tenor of it, than that he that believes not, shall be damned ; and surely a state of damnation, is not, and cannot be, a state of regeneration. But what is this faith in Christ.' Is it no raore than a bare notional persuasion, that he is the Son of God ? — If this were all, the devils themselves believe; and many were the instances, in which you know that they con fessed it, and trembled before .him. You cannot then be ignorant, that the faith, to which the promises of salvation are made, is a faith, which receives the Lord Jesus Christ in all his ofiices ; which trusts his atoneraent, as well as admits his revelation ; and flies to him for righteousness and life. And how can that man seek righteousness from Christ, who is insensible of his own guilt ? or how can he depend upon him for life, who is not aware that he is under a sentence of deatJi and condemnation. But imagine not you are secure, because you acknowledge yourselvestobesinners. If that acknowledgment be slight and for mal, it shews you arestrangers to the operation of that spirit, whose office it is to convince men of sin. If you have not been made sensible ofthe pollution of your hearts, as well as the rebellion of your lives ; if you have not received as it were a sentence of death in yourselves, and submitted to that sentence as righteous, though ever so dreadful ; if you have riot been made to loath and abhor yourselves, and to repent in dust and ashes; if you have not laid your hand on your mouth, and your mouth in the dust, crying out. Unclean, unclean ; and in this sense at least, adopted that pathetic complaint, O wretched raan that I am, who shalldeliver me! it is a certain sign, that .sin still reigils in your mortal bodies, and is unto this day, bringing forth fruit unto death. .The character qfthe .unregenerate. 4 1 1 3. The soul " that is uncoricerned about the favour of God, and communion- with him/' is still in an unregenerate state. Cohira'on reason may tell you, tbat a soul destitute of the love of God, can never be the object of his coraplacential regards; and that it is impossible you should love -him, while you are unconcerned abotit his favour, and habitually indifferent to con verse with him. You believe, thereisaGoo; yon acknowledge that he is the great benefactor of the whole world ; you know your liappiness depends upon his favour; you wish therefore, that yon may enjoy it; thitt is, you wish, tbat some vtay or other, you may be happy, rather than miserable. But let con- -science say, whether you have ever felt, that in his favour is life ? whether you have ever known, what it is to cry out with intenseness and ardour of soul. Lord, lift up the. light of thy -countenance upon me? AlaSi Sirs, had you been sons, God would have' sent the spirit of his Son into your hearts : and if this be hot the sincere, if it be not the habitual language of your soul: if you do not thus earnestly desire to live mider the manifestations of the divine love, ahd to be able to say, truly our communion is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ; you are spiritually dead, and under tbe fatal inflilences of that carnal mind, which being enmity against God, engages men to live contented without God in the world, so long as their corn and their wine increase. A heart thus alienated from God, was never savingly turned to him, and can have no just reason to imagine itself the object of his paternal favour. 4. The soul " that is destitute of a sincere loye to mankind^" has reason to consider itself as in an unregenerate state. You may, perhaps, think it unnecessary to mention this; but the Apostle was undoubtedly a much better judge, ahd his own words suggest this particular to me : " Beloved, let us love one another : for love is of God ; and every one thiat loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God : he that loveth not, knoweth not God, and consequently cannot be born of hira; for God is love." And our Lord strongly intimates the same thought, when he exhorts his disciples to the raost universal and unlimited bene volence by this aiigument, that ye may be the children of your . Father which is in Heaven ; plainly iraplyingj that otherwise 412 The character of the unregenerate. they could not really be born of God, or claim him for their Father: Regeneration is to form a man for intimate commu nion with the general assembly and church ofthe first-born, and to prepare him for the region of compleat and everlasting love; and the first-fruits of it are to appear, and lo be manifested here. It is a faithful saying, that they who have believed in God, should be careful to maintain good vvorks ; and unfeigned love is to be the root of them : so that if 3'ou cannot stand this trial, your religious hopes are all delusive and vain. Let rae intreat you therefore, that you would now look into your lives and hearts. Do any ofthe malignant passions har bour there? Ask yourselves, " Is there any of my fellow-creatures whom I would wish to see miserable ; or would make so, if it were in my power to do it by the secret act of my will, so that no mortal on earth should ever know rae to be the cause of their ca lamity ?" If it be so, and this be your settled teraper, you hate your brethren, and are murderers ; and therefore are the chil dren of the Devil, who was a murderer from the beginning; and we may thus say of you, in the very words of our Lord, who, never uttered a rash censure. You are of your father the Devil, for his passions you cherish, and his lusts you would do. But reflect farther, If you wish others no harm, do you really wish thera well? and that so really, and so sincerely, as to be ready to do thera good ? for raerely to say unto them, depart in peace, be ye wanned and filled, when you have it in your power to help thera, is at once to mock the poor, and to despise him that raade him. You that are conscious of a mean selfish temper, and wrap yourselves up, as it were, in your own sepa rate interests, or in those of your own families, and can feel a concern for no others, you that devise what you raay imagine shrewd and prudent things, but none that are liberal and com passionate ; you whose eye does not affect your heart, when you see the distresses of your brethren, while you have this world's good, how dwelleth the love of God in you ? How can yon imagine you are the .children of hira, whom you so little resemble '? Nay, permit me to add once more upon this head, that if all your compassion is only moved by men's temporal calamities, The character of the unregenerate. 413 and works not in any degree vpith respect to their spiritual and eternal interests, you have reason to fear, that it is no better than an unsanctified humanity ; and ind. ed, that you never have learnt the worth of your own souls, while you set so little value on the souls of others, even of those, to whom you profess and intend friendship. And this concluding hint, is of importance to prevent a dangerous mistake, in which too many good-natured sinners are ready to flatter themselves, -and in which, perhaps, others are too ready to join'in flattering them. 5. He "that does not know what it is, to struggle with in dwelling sin, and heartily to resolve against indulging it in any -kind or degree," is undoubtedly still in an unregenerate state. You will observe, I do not say, " that every one who knows what it is, ,to feel a struggle in his own mind, when assaulted i)y temptations to sin, is a truly good man ;" the contrary is dreadfully apparent. A principle of natural conscience often makes very strong reponstrances iigainst sin, and iiends out bitter cries when subjected to its violence ; and this is so far from denominating a man a real christian, that it rather illustrates the power of sin, and aggravates its guilt. But when a man's in clinations run entirely one way, and when he gives a swing to his natural passions without any regard or restraint; when he is a stranger to any inward conflict with himself, and any victory over his own lusts, and his corrupted will; it is a certain sign he is yet under the dominion of Satan, and is even to be num bered among the tamest ofhis slaves. For they that are Christ's have cracified the flesh, with the affections and lusts ; have learnt to deny themselves, and to mortify their members upon earth. It is also of great importance to add, that there must be "¦ a " resolution to oppose sin in every kind, and in every degree :" forhe that is born of God sinneth not ; nay, it is elsewhere .said. He cannot commit sin : and though it is too visibly true in fact, and apparent from several other passages in the very Epistle whence these words are taken, that this expression is to be inter preted with some limitation ; yet the least that it can be imagined to signify. is this, that he does not wilfully allow himself in the 414 Thech aracter of the un regenera t£.. practice of any sin. He has learnt to ha.te every false way, an^ to esteem all God's precepts, concerning all .things, to be right: so that upon the whok, ifhe might have h,is request, an4(^.Q0 would grant him the thing thathe lo^gs -for, it WQiild ; he this, to sin no more, and to get rid .of every sentiment, desire a,v,^ affection, in any degree contrary to the purity qf Gojp's f^^i^^i. and law. If therefore there be any of you, that spar* one .ac cursed thing, though you should seem ^ager pn destroying aU the rest ; if it be the secret language of your sovil, " There i^ " but one lust, that I will indulge ; th^re is but Qne temptation " that I will comply with ;" I perceive your heaijts ar* not right inthe sight of God ; for though you could., ficcordiiig .^o your intended purpose, keepalLthe restof thelaw, and yet qffendin this one point alone, you would in effect, be a transgresspi- of all. I(i short. He tbat committeth sin, is of the Devil : but he that is begotten of God, keepeth himself, and that wiok-ed one tQuchr eth hira not. 6. He '' that does not know what it is, to overcome diis world *' and to place his happiness in another," is yet in ^p unier generate state. This is another of those certain marks, which GoD:bag, given us ofhis own children. Whatsoever is born of God, (as it is very -eraphatically expressed in the original) overcoffjeth the world. It is not, you see, the extraordinary attainment , of fi few more eminent .christians ; but it is an essentiaLbra^nch pf ^very good man's character: for he is begotten again untp a lively :hope, by the resurrection of Jesus. Ci-iRisT.from.the dead, even to the hope ofan inheritance, incorruptible, and updefiM, and that fadeth not away. You have reason therefore tojufjgc very uncomfortably concerning your state, if you are strangers to this lively hope; which is a very different thing from that. (hope to be. saved, ofwhich some people talk in so indolent, not to say, in so profane a manner, as to shew, that it is the hope of the hypocrite, which will perish, when God takes away his soul. If you are conscious to yourselves, that you mind earthly things, your end will be destruction ; for having your heart on earth, it it plain your onljrtreatureis here; and if you govern yourselves by wordly maxims alone, and your great care be to The character of the unregenerate. 415 obtain those riches and honours, which the children of the world pursue ; if the importance of eternity has neyer appeared in such a light, as to make you judge every thing trifling, that can eome in competition with it ; nay, whatever your views of ' eternity 'have been, if you are not practically carrying on a scheme for it ; and if you cannot, and do not, deny your worldly interest, when it cannot be secured without hazarding your eternal hopes ; it is plain you are friends of the world, in such a sense as none can be, but he must be an enemy of God. If indeed you were dead to the world, and your life hid witli' Christ in God, you would set your affections on things above, ori those things which are there, where Chest sitteth on the right hand of God , but the want of this temper shews, that you are carnally minded, which is death to be; and that theredeeniing love of Christ has never exerted its influence, upon your souls, nor his cross had any due efficacy upon you; for ifit had, the world would have been crucified to you, and you also to the world. 7. The soul " that does not long for greater inprovements in the divine life," is still a stranger to the first principles of it. You know, that "we are called, as christians, with an high and holy calling ; and as he that is the author of this calling, is holy, so are we to be holy in all manner of conversation, and to be perfect, even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect. Here will therefore be room for improvement, not only during our continuance in the present life, but through all the ages of a glorious eternity ; and it is the ardent desire of every good man, that in this sense above all others, his path may be like the shining light, that shineth more and more, until the perfect day And this is the one thing that he does, or that in which all his' labours ceriter ; being conscious to hiraself how far he is from having already attained, or being already perfect,, forgetting the things that are behind, he reacheth forth unto those things that are before, and presses toward the mark, for the prize ofthe high calling of God in Christ Jesus. In this view he seri ously considers the circumstances of life in which Providence has placed him ; that he may observe the advantages, which 416 The character of the unregenerate. these circumstances give him for religious improveraents; and, it is delightful to him to discover such advantages. Now if there be any of you, who know nothing of this temper* vou are certainly in an unregenerate state : fon none can be born of God, that do not love hira; and none can truly love him, that does not earnestly desire, raore and raore to reserable him. So that if your hearts can indulge such a thought as this, " I wish " I knew how much religion would be just sufficient to saveme* " and I would go so far, and stop there ;" your conscience must tell you, that you secretly hate religion, and are unwillingly dragged toward the form of it, by an unnatural and external violence, the fear of misery and ruin in neglecting it; and that you are not actuated by the free and liberal principles of a nature savingly renewed. 8. The soul " that does not know what it is, to live by faith " in Christ, and. in dependance on his spirit," is still in ah un regenerate state. We are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus, if indeed we are so at all: and he that is joined to the Lord, in this sense, is one spirit with him. But if any raan have not the spirit of Christ, he is none ofhis; for as God has predestinated us to the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ to himself; su of his fulness it is, that all believers do receive, even grace for grace, or an abundance and variety of grace, by virtue of their union with him, who is the head ; from whom the whole body, being fitly joined together, and strengthened by what every joint supplies, by an energy proportionable to every part, in creases to the edifying of itself in love. I'hese things, as you see, are not only hinted in scripture, but are copiously insisted upon, as very material points : and though I readily acknowledge, good raen raay apprehend and consider thera very differently*, and may express those apprehensions in different phrases ; yet as experience raakes it plain, that those souls generally flourish most, who have the most distinct conceptions of thera : so I think it is plain from these Scriptures, that there can be no reli gion at all, where there is a total insensibility of them. If, therefore, there are any of you, that apprehend it is enthusiasm to talk of the assistances of the Spirit ; nay, I will add, if there The character of the unregenerate. 417 are any of you, that do not earnestly desire these assistances, and do not seek thera daily from the hand of Christ, as the great covenant-head of his people ;' you are, I fear, strangers to sorae of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are sen sual, not having the Spirit. And though you raay now and then form a hasty, and perhaps a warm resolution in reliaiion, you will quickly, with the proud youth, that are conceited with their own sufficiency, faint and be weary, and with the young men you will utterly fail; while they only that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength, shall mount up as on eagle's wings, and, pressing on with an Unwearied pace, according to the different degrees of vigour which the different parts of their course may require, shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. In short, if you do not thirst after the water of life, that is, (as the Evangelist himself explains it,) the spirit, which they that believe on Christ shall receive, however boun- tiful'he is, he raakes no promise to impart it to you; and if you never receive it, all your other sources of comfort will soon be dried up, and the miserable condition of the creature, thatasked in vain for one drop of water to cool his tormented tongue, will certainly be yours. Here I apprehend raultitudes will miscarry, who have raade a fair shew in the eyes of raen ; and if you are condemned by this mark, I am sure you will not be acquitted by any ofthe prece ding. For all the branches of an holy teraper have such a con nection with this, and such a dependance upon it, that a, raan, who is destitute of this, can have, only the semblance of the rest. And thus, Sirs, I have, with all plainness and faithfulness, as in the sight of God, and sensible of my account to him, laid before you a variety of hints, by which I think you may safely and truly judge, whether you be, or be not, in an unregenerate state; and I. shall now beg leave to conclude this discourse with one plain inference from the whole, viz. That baptism is not regeneration, in the scriptural and most important sense of the word. To prove this as a corollary from the preceding discourse, I shall only assume this most reasonable concession, with which VoL.IH. ,Ee 418 The character ofthe- unreg enerate. you may remember I at first set out; " that regeneration or " being born of God, signify the same thing." Now I have shewn you frora a variety of scriptures, under the former heads, that every one whora the Sacred Oracles represent as born of God, receiveth Christ, overcoraeth the world, and sinneth not. But it is too plain, that these characters do nol agree to everyone that is baptized; and consequently it evidently fol lows, that every one who is baptized is not of course born of God, or regenerate ; and therefore, that baptism is not scriptme regeneration. I think no mathematical demonstration plainer, and more certain than this conclusion ; and therefore, whatever great and ancient names may be urged on the other side of the question, I shall rest the matter here, without leading you into the nice ties of a controversy .-^o easily decided. I would only further observe, that they who raost vigorously contend for the other manner of speaking (for after all it is but.a dispute about a vpord) acknowledge expressly, that a raan raay be saved without vehat they call regeneration, and that he may perish with it. And though persons are taught to speak of their state, in consequence of baptism, in very high, and I fear, dangerous terras: yet when wise and good men corae to explain those terms, it evi dently appears, that many of whora they are used, are so in a state of salvation as to be dailj^ obnoxious to damnation ; so the children of God, as also to be the children of the Devil; and so inheritors of the kingdom of heaven, as to be children of wrath, and on the brim-: of hell. Where persons of real piety apprehend themselves under a necessity of using such phrases with respect to all that are bap tized, we cannot blame them for endeavouring to bring down their signification, as low as possible : but they will, I hope, excuse those, who choose to speak, in what they apprehend to be a, more scriptural, rational, and edifying language. It was matter of conscience with me, to state the matter as you have heard. I do therefore earnestly intreatyou, my dearly beloved, in th^ name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and forthe sake of your own immortal souls, that you deceive not yourselves with vain words ; but ihat where your eternail salvation is so The character of the unregenerate. 419 plainly concerned, j'ou bring the cause, the iraportant cause, to an iramediate trial ; and if you are convinced, as I snp|iose many of you quickly maybe, that you are at present dead in trespasses and sins, then let rae beseech you to reflect on what the most transient survey of the Scripture may teach vou, as to the danger of such a case. For though it will be my business, in the process of these discourses, more largely to represent it, when I come to speak of the necessity qf the new birth, Gbo only knows, whether your lives may be continued, till we ad vance so far in the subject : and where a case of this kind is in question, the delay of a week, or even of a day, may be inevi table and eternal ruin. Ee2 C 420 ) SERMON XXII., Ofthe NATURE of REGENERATION, and particularly ofthe CHANGE it produces in Men's APPREHENSIONS. 2 Cor. v. 17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature ; old things an passed away, behold, all things are become new. J. HE knowledge of our true state in religion, is at once a matter of so great importance, and so difficult, that, in order to obtain it, it is necessary we should have line upon line, and precept upon precept. The plain Discourse which you heard last Lord's day, was intended to lead you into it: and I ques tion not, but I then said enough to convince many, that they were in an unregenerate condition. Nevertheless, as there are various approaches towards regeneration and conversion, which on the whole fall short of it ; I think it very expedient now to give you, what I may properly call the counter part of this view; which I shall, by Divine Assistance, attempt from the words I have now been reading. The Apostle who wrote thein, was transported to such a zeal for Christ, and for the souls of men, that sorae thought him beside hiraself; and no doubt many would represent him, as the greatest enthusiast upon the face of the earth. But as it was a very sraall thing to hira to be judged of man's judgment, he calraly vindicates hiraself, by declaring that there was a cattse for all this warmth, as the honour of God, and the Re- Of the Nature of Regeneration. 42 1 deemer, and the eternal salvation ofmen, Avere so intimately concerned in the affair : " The love of Christ, says he, con strains us, or (as the word* properly signifies) it bears us away with it, like a mighty torrent, which we are not able to resist; 'because we thus judge," that if one died for all, then were all dead, under the sentence of God's righteous law, or they would not have needed such an atonement as the blood of his Son; and we farther judge, that he died for all, that they who now live, only in consequence of his dying love, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them." We therefore live to this Jesus ; we consecrate our lives and labours to this purpose; and in consequence of it, we henceforth know no raan after the flesh, that is, we do not regard our temporal interests, nor consider how we raay raost effectually obtain the, favour and friendship of those who may be useful to us in life ; yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, or have expected a temporal Messiah, who should make our nation triuraphant over the Gentiles, and en rich It with the spoils of other nations, yet now henceforth we know him no more under such a character. And in this re spect the same temper will prevail in the heart of every real christian; and therefore, i. e. in consequence of what is said before ofthe Redeemer's love, if any man be in Christ, if he be really one of his faithful servants, united to hira by a lively faith, and in consequence of tbat union interested in his salvation, he is now a creature; his views and sentiraents, his affections and pursuits, are so entirely changed, that he seeras, as it were, to be corae into a nevy world, and to be transformed quite into another person frora what he formerly was : old things are passed away, and (behold the astonishing transformation !) all things are become new. This is the thought that I am now to illustrate ; and you cannot but see, how proper a foundation it will be for our discourse on th&> second general 1 proposed, which is, Secondly, Particularly to describe the nature of that great Ee 3 ' 422 Of the Nature of Regeneration, and of the change,, which passes on every soul, that is truly regenerate, in the scriptural, and most important sense ofthe word. And here it raay hardly seem necessary to. tell you, that I do not mean to assert, that the substance of the soul, and its na tural faculties, are in a strict and proper sense ^changed : a man might as reasonably assert from such a scripture, that the former body vvas^ annihilated, and a new one produced ; and common sense and decency will not allow us lo imagine, that thp aposde meant any thing of this nature, by the general terms he uses here. But the plairi meaning is, that when a raan becomes a jreal christian, the whole teraper and character of his mind is so changed, as to become different from that of the generality of mankind, and different from what it formerly was, vphile in an unenlightened and unrenewed state. It is not merely alittle circunistantial alteration ; it is not assuraing a new name, pro fessing new speculative opinions, or practising some new rites and forras : but it is becoraing, (as we frequently say, in our usual forms of speech) a difi'erent creature, or a new man. — And thus the sacred writers express themselves in many other passages, which very happily serve to illustrate this. They, in particular, represent God as promising, with relation to this work ; " a new heart will I give them ; and a new spirit will I put within thera; and I will take away the heart of stone," the stubborn, obstinate, impenetrable disposition they once had, " and will give them an heart of flesh," a lender, compliant temper, which shall incline them to subrait to my will with humility, and to obey it with delight. And thus, when the apostle had exhorted the Ephesians to put off, with respect to their former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt ac cording to its deceitful lusts, he adds. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new raan, which after God or in conformity to his image, is created in righteousness aud true hohness : which is further illustrated by his important ex hortation to the Romans, Be not conformed to this world ; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. And on the same principles, what in one place he calls the new creature, in another parallel place he expresses, by faith that works by love, and by keeping the commandments of God, for all these, Change it produces in Men's Apprehensions. 423 as equivalent characters, he opposes to circumcision and un- circuracision, or to the mere externals of a religious profession; declaring the utter insufficiency of the latter, and the absolute necessity of the former. The general nature of this change raay then be Understood, by an attentive consideration of such scriptures as those men tioned above; which indeed contain what is raost essential on this subject. But for the more complete illustration ofthe matter, I shall particularly shew- you, that where there ig reason to speak of a man, as one of those who are in Christ Jesus, or who'are truly regenerate, there will be " .New apprehensions, " new affections, new resolutions, new labours, new enjoy- " ments, and new hopes :" and perhaps there are few irapor tant branches of the christian character, which may not be in troduced, as illustrating one or .other of these remarks, The forraer of thera is indeed the foundation of the rest; because, as religion is a reasonable service, all the change which is raade in the affections and resolutions, in the pur-^uits, enjoj ments and hopes of a good man, arises from that different view, in which he is now taught to look on those objects, the nature of which is to direct his choice, to determine his conduct, and regulate his passions: it will therefore be the business of this evening's discourse to shew yon, I. That wherever there is a real principle of regeneration, there will be nevv Apprehensions of things. When God created the natural world, he said, in the very beginning of his, work. Let there be light, and there was hght : and thus he deals in this new creation, which raises the soul from a chaos, to such a beautiful, well-ordered, and well fur nished frame. God, says the apostle, who comraanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; whereas before, the understand ing was darkened, being alienated froni the life of God, through the ignorance that was in them, because ofthe blind ness or perverseness of their hearts. Now this illumination, of which I am speaking, does nqt so 424 Ofthe Nature of Regeneration, and of the much refer to a speculative, as to a practical and heart-im pressing knowledge. It is true, that when a man once comes to be in good earnest in religion, he generally arrives at a clearer and fuller knowledge, even of the doctrines of Christi anity, than he had before : for he then sets himself to enquire with greater diligence, and to seek light of the great Father of Lights with greater earnestness ; he gets clear of many evil af fections, that put a corrupt bias upon his judgraent; and he coraes within the reach of those promises, " Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; and if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God." Yet, I think, I raay very properly say, that at various times, when our judgraent of any object is the sairie, our apprehensions of it are very different. It is. one thing, for instance, to believe that God fs the omnipotent, all-wise, and all-gracious governor of the world ; and another, and very different thing, to have the heart powerfully ira pressed with an apprehension of his ability and readiness to help us. I will, therefore, a little more ' particularly iflustrate those respects, in which the apprehen sions of such as are really regenerate, differ from those which they formerly had : and 1 hope you will do yourselves the jus tice to reflect, as we go along, how far you have felt these apprehensions which you hear me describe ; and I have a pleasing persuasion, that raany of you have felt them, in a much livelier raanner then they can be described. I would observe then to you, that a regenerate soul has new apprehen sions " of God,— of itself, — of Christ,— of eternity, — and of " the way and method that God has marked out for its being " happy there." 1. A regenerate soul has new apprehensions " of the blessed " God." There are very few who pretend so much as to doubt of the being of ^ God; and fewer 5'et, that will venture to deny it: and even among those, who have denied it, and disputed against it, some by their own confession, have felt their hearts give them the lie, and upbraid thera for using the power of reason and speech against the Giver and Preserver of both. - I persuade myself at least, there are none that hear me this Change it produces in Men's Apprehensions. 42.5 day, who would not look upon a professed Atheist as a monster, unworthy to be a member of human society, and little to be trusted in any of its relations. Yet after all, while the being of the blessed God is warmly asserted, his nature is so little under stood and considered, that there are thousands who may still properly be said to be without God in ihe world, or in practice and temper, though not in notion, to be atheists in it. Wicked men therefore, in general, are described as those that know not God : but where God has determined to glorify his mercy in the salvation of a sinner, he shines into the heart for this blessed purpose, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. And thus the glories of the Divine Being are known to the regenerate soul in such a manner, as they are not to the ¦most acute metaphysician, or the sublimest philosopher, who is himself a strfinger to the spiritual life. The person of whom we now speak, has new apprehensions " ofthe spirituality and omnipresence of God, — of his majesty " and purity, — of his power and patience, — of his goodness, " and his intimate access to men's spirits, with the reality and " importance of his operations upon them." — Permit me a little to represent the views of each, both to direct your enquiries, and also to impress your rainds, and my own, with truths in which we have all so intiraate a concern. The divine spiri-tuality and omnipresence is apprehended by the good raan in a peculiar manner. That there is some im material substance, and that matter is moved by his active power continually impressed upon it, according to stated laws, is indeed so plajn a dictate of reason, that I question not but the thought influences the minds of sorae, who have not so much acquaintance with language as to be able properly to ex press it : but, alas! it easily passes through, as if no way im portant. It is quite a different thing to feel, as it were, the presence of an infinitely intelligent and all-observing Deity, actually surrounding us in all times and places; — to isay from the heart, Oh, Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me, so that thou understandest my thoughts afar off: whither shall I go from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy presence? Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand 426 Ofthe Nature of Regeneration, and of the upon rae; — to feel as it were, the hand of God, which indeed we may feel, if we duly attend to it, in all the impressions made on our bodily senses, and on the powers of our mind ; — to feel our selves even now supported by it, and to argue frora the constant support of hishand, the never failingnotice of hiseye. " He reads " my present thoughts; he knows even now, all the secrets of my " soul, and has always obse.rved my conduct in every the minutest ''' particular; and recorded, in permanent characters, the whole " history of my life, and of my heart ; of this depraved sinful life, " of this vain, this treacherous, this rebellious heart." With this conception of the Divine observance are closely and intiraately connected new apprehensions of the purity of God, and of his infinite Majesty ; views, which mutually assist and illustrate each other. The irreverence with which the gene rality of raen behave in the presence af God, and the easiness with which they admit the slightest temptation to .sin against him, plainly shew what low notions they have of him : but God does, as it were, appear to the eye of a renewed mind, arrayed in his robes of light and majesty ; so that he is readj' to cry out, " I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine " eye seeth thee, I see the eternal, self-existent, self-sufli- " cient God, who sits upon the circle of the earth, and " the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers ; who spreadeth " out the Heavens as a tent to dwell in, and looks down on " the nations as the drop of a bucket, and counts them as the " small dust of the balance: who would not fear betoie him ? " who would not tremble at his presence ? who would not re- "¦ vere that Gon, who is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and " cannot look upon iniquity; who cannot be tempted with evil, " but must see it, and hate it, even in all its forms ?" And such too are the views it has ofhis almighty power, that the enlightened mind will further add, " A God of almiiihty " power, who could speak a whole world into ruin (undoubtedly " he could, for he spoke it into existence ;) who by one single " thought, by one silent volition, could easily abase the proud- " est creature in the universe ; must have it in his power to " bring ine in- a raoment to the dust of death, and to the " flames of hell ; to lay me as low in misery, and to hold me Change it produces in Men's Apprehensions. 427 " as long ill it as he should please: This, O my soul this is the "¦.God, against whom such feeble worms as we are daily *' offending, and whom we madly presume to make our " enemy." This gives the regenerate man a further sense of the patience, of God, than ever he had before. Others may look round upon the world, and wonder there is so much penal evil in it ; but the renewed soul wonders there is not a thousand times more. When he sees, how the world lieth in wickedness ; when he observes, how poor impotent mortals are, raany of them per haps, in words blaspheming the God of Heaven ; raany more pf thera, raost presuraptuously violating all the plainest and most important precepts of his law; and most of the rest, living in a perpetual forgetfulness of him, as if he were not at all, or Were not so considerable as to be any way worth their notice; such an one cannot but wonder, that the Almighty Majesty of Heaven does not in a moraent make himself known by the thunder of his power, and confound all their madness and folly by crushing the world with its inhabitants into ruin. He often sees the rising sun, and the descending rain, with asto nishment that it should be sent down on such a world as ours. , He has also more affecting views than ever of the Divine Goodnes.s. Most men .speculatively believe it ; and they take occasion, even from that belief^ to affront it : but a good man views it at once as a delightful and a venerable thing : he fears the Lord and his goodness ; and while it encourages him, guilty as he is, to repose himself upon it as his hope, it awakens .a generous kind of confusion at the thought of ever having offended him, and fills bis very soul with indignation at the thought of repeating such offences. And once more, the regenerate man has quite different no tions than before, ofthe intimate access which God has to the spirits of men, and his important power of operatinij upon thein. The greatest part of men indeed consider not, a.s tbey ©ught, how the whole material world perpetually depends upon a Hi vine agency, and is no other than one grand machine, ©n which the great artificer continually acts, to make it an 423 Ofthe Nature of Regeneratioti, and of the instrament of mercy to his sensitive and intelligent creatures. But there are yet fewer, who seriously consider, how entirely the hearts of men are in the hand of the Lord, and how much depends on his influences upon them. Nev'ertheless, experi ence teaches the renevi-ed soul, that he is the God ofthe spirits of all flesh; and that he not only views, but manages them as he pleases. " Lord," does he say, ''this spirit of mine is " shaded with thick darkness, but thou canst illuminate it; it is " diseased, but thpu canst cure it ; it is unstable as water, " and lighter than a feather, yet thou canst fix and establish " it ; and whatever thou wouldest have me to be, and to do " for thy glory, and mine own happiness, thou canst work " in me both to will and to perform it : so that all I need, to " the rectitude and felicity of my nature, is only this, that I " may have more of thine inward, vital, operative presence." It is not easy to conceive, what efficacy this thought has, for 'the transformation of the soul. But again, S. N(rW apprehensions are connected with these sentiments in the regenerate soul, " concerning itself, and its own state.'' It is surprising to think, how many run through successive years in life, without ever turning the eye of his mind inward, that the soul raay survey itself I speak not of a philosophical survey of the faculties of the raind ; which, though indeed in its place it be useful and entertaining, is no raore necessary in its refineraents to a well-ordered state, than skill in anatomy js to a healthful constitution : but I, speak of those views ofthe mind, which are in the reach of all, how low soever their genius, or their education raay have been. As all true happiness is an internal thing wherever God intends to produce it in the heart of a revolted corrupted crea ture (and such, alas ! we all naturally are,) he leads it into a view of itself; and shews it (if I raay be allowed the expression), a raixture of grandeur and misery, that lies within ; which yet the greatest part of mankind live and die without ever observ ing. " I am here," does the awakened creature say, " an " intelligent being; far superior to this well-wrought frame " of flesh and blood, which God has given me for a little " while to command, and which I must quickly drop in the Change it produces in Men's Apprehensions. 429 " dust. I am made capable of determining ray own choice, " of directing my own actions, of judging concerning the " importance of ends, and the propriety of raeans in sub- " serviency to thera : ^nd while I see a vast variety of creatures " in different forms beneath rae, 1 see no rank of creatures " above me, nothing nobler than man, hereon earth, vi'here " I dwell. Yet I see man, in the midst of his glory, a feeble, " dependent, mortal creature, who cannot possibly be his own " end, nor can of hiraself alone, by any means coraraand or " insure his own happiness. — Every thing tells rae, that he is " the creature of God; and that it is his greatest honour arid " felicity, to know, and practically to acknowledge hiraself'to " be so : every thing tells rae, that it is most reasonable, that " God, who is the great original of man, should also be the " end of his being : but have I made him the end of mine? " my soul, thou art conscious to thyself, thou hast lived in " many instances without him in the world. — He has given " thee, even in the system of thine own nature, and of the " visible beings that are round about thee, compared with his " providential interposition in the management of them, the " intimations of his holy and righteous will : he has expressed " these dictates far more plainly in his written word : and when "thou comest to examine them, how art thou condemned by " them ? when thou comest tp think of the spirituality and " purity of his being, and his law, how shameful does thy " temper, and thy life, appear to have been ! what an infinite " disproportion is there between that, and its perfect ride ! — " and whom, oh my soul, hast thou offended ? whose law hast " thou broken ? whose grace hast thou despised ? the law, the " grace of that eternal God, of whom I have now been hearing; " who is here present with me, who is even within me, and " who sees, oh my heart, (raore distinctly than thou canst see) " all thy guilt, and all its aggravations. Oh Lord ! I abhor " myself, and repent in dust and ashes. I have talked of sin, " and ofthe sentence of God against it, as a thing of course: •' but oh, my soul, it is thine own concern! the guilt, the stain " of sin is still upon thee; the sentence of God is pronounced " against thee : and it must be reversed, or thou art undone " for ever. These irregular habits and dispositions that pre- 430 Of the Nature of Regeneration, and of the " vail in thee, must be corrected, or they will prove thy mor- " tal disease, and everlasting torment. — Thou art a poor, weak, " irresolute creature ; the experience of every past day of life, " since I began to think of religion at all, proves it: yet thou " must, by some means or other, attain to inward strength "¦ and inward purity, or thou art lost ; and all these great capa- " cities, and glorious faculties, will but make thy ruin so much "¦ the more distinguished. Oh how weighty the care! oh how "¦ great the charge! what shall 1 do, that thought, that reason, «' that immortality, may not be ray destruction? where shall ¦ "' I find a rock, that will be firm enough for my support and "safety ? where shall I find the means, to build the fabric of " such a happiness, as thine, oh ray soul ! must be, if ever I "¦ am happy at all r" Thus does God teach the mind, by its inward reviews and reflections, this iinportant lesson of its own impotence and guilt, of its depravity and ruin; and so prepares it for those new apprehensions of Christ, which I raentioned as the third par ticular. 3. The regenerate soul has new apprehensions " concerning " the LordJesus Christ, considered as a mediator in general, " and as such a particular mediator as he is exhibited in, « the word of God."" That affecting view, which the regenerate soul has of the majesty, glory, power, and [uiritj' of the blessed God, will undoubtedly convince him how unfit he is in hiraself to appear before his awful presence. He is ready lo sink down in the dust at the very thought, ajid to say, " Who is able to stand " before such a great and holy God, as thou art? Ifl were in " all the original rectitude and glory of my nature, I could not " do it; how much less, surrounded as I am, with so much " guilt, with so much pollution! I need, as it were, a day's- " man betwixt us, who might lay his hand upon us both, who " should transact affairs in my name with God, and bring the " peaceful messages of God to rae: let such an one speak " with rae, and 1 will hear; but let not God speak with me, " kst I die." Change it produces in Men's Apprehensions. 431 Andwhen he comes' to take a more near and intimate view of this Mediator which God has exhibited in the gospel, the renewed soul is even charmed and transported with the view : and that Jesus, whose name he before pronounced with so much coldness, that the very mention of it was a kind of pro fanation, now is regarded by him as the chiefest among ten thousand. He beholds his glory, as that of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The union of the divine and human nature in the person, of Christ, though it appears indeed a mystery, which he cannot fully explain, is never theless a glorious certainty, which in the general he raost cor dially believes. He sees Emraanuel, God dwelling with us inhuman flesh, and acquiesces in the sight; while the rays of divine glory are attempered by passing through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. He considers Christ as made of Gon unto hira wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption : and each of these views rejoices him to tlie very heart. " Ignorant as I am, I shall be taught and instructed " by him, that great Prophet, whom God sent into the world ; " by him, who is incarnate wisdora, as well as incarnate love ; " whose words resound in the gospel, and whose spirit seals the " instructions ofhis word. Guilty as I am, my crimes shall be " expiated; for there is redemption in his blood, even the " forgiveness of sins : there is an everlasting righteousness that " he has introduced : and oh, how richly will it adorn my " soul ! — This pollution of mine shall not for ever exclude me " from a comfortable intercourse with the pure Majesty of " Heaven; for Christ is come to be ray sanctification; and " he can cleanse rae by his spirit, and transform rae into that " divine, delightful image which I have lost.— Victorious Lord, " how easily canst thou redeem rae from that state of servitude, " in.which I have beenkept so long complaining! howeasily,and ^' how powerfully, canst thou vindicate me into the glorious " liberty of the children of God!— Blessed Jesus, thou art ray "light and my strength, my hope and ra}' joy ! Thou art just " such a Saviour as my necessity requires ; thou filiestup all " my wants, aud all my wishes; thou art all in all to me ! I " would not be ignorant of thee for ten thousand worlds; I 432 Ofthe Nature of Regeneration, and of the " would, not live a day, nor an hour, without recollecting who, " and what thou art, and maintaining thatintercourse with thee, " which is the life of my soul." 4. The regenerate soul has also new apprehensions " of <¦' the importance of eternity, when compared with time and all " its concerns." It is indeed a most pitiable thing, and awakens our astonish ment, grief, and indignation, to observe how the things of this world press down immortal spirits, and reduce them almost indeed to a state of brutality. Most deplorable it is, to see the power and energy of those motives, which are taken merely from this earth, and its little concernments ; so that if a man did but know what was the favourite vanity, he raight almost predict, frora the knowledge of circumstances, how a vm.a's ' actions would be ordered ; and raight almost be surelhat he would follow, whithersoever this interest, or that pleasure, this ambitious, or that mercenary view, called hira ; tho' all the prospects of an eternal world pleaded the contrary way. Such is the folly and madness that is in men's hearts while they live ; and after that, they go down to the dead, and spend that immortal duration, which they have despised, in fruitless lamentations. Fatal de lusion ! which it is the great design ofthe gospel to cure. But when a soul becomes wise to salvation, it is taught to look not at the things which are se^n, but at the things which are not seen ; because it has now a full sense of what before it only notionally confessed, that the things which are seen are temporal ; but the things which are not seen, are eternal. — Eternity ! it is impossible I should tell you, how much an eye, that is enlightened by God, sees and reads, as it were, in that one word ; while one scene' beyond another is still opening on the mind, till its sight; and its thoughts are swallowed up : and as the creatures are as nothing with respect to God, so all the interests of time, with respect to eternity, appear as less, than nothing and vanity. To be made for an everlasting existence appears in so awful a view, that while it has some pleasing hope, it rejoices with trembling; and every remaining fear, with relation to this great interest,, seems ,a greater evil, than the certainty of any temporal calamity. Change it produces in Men's Apprehensiofis. ,433 I might add upon this head, that the regenerate soul has not dnly new views of the importance, but likewise ofthe nature of the invisible and eternal state ; and particularly of the nature of the celestial happiness. It does not consider it merely, or chiefly, as a State of corporeal enjrtyment, formed to gratify and delight the senses ; but as a state of perfect conforrii'ity to God, and most endearing intercourse with hira ; of ivhich, as it begins already by divine grace to taste the pleasures, so it most ardently thirsts after thera ; and would be heartily wil ling to lose this body for ever, and to bid an eternal adieu to every object capable of giving it delight ; rather than it woutd consent to lose, in a perpetual succession of such objects, the sight of the Father of Spirits, and that sensibility of his love which adds the most substantial solidity, and exalted ri-elish, to every inferior gflod that can be desired from it. 5. A regenerate man has also new apprehensions " of " the way which God has marked oat to this happiness." Nothing is more common than for carnal arid ignorant meii to imagine, that it is a very easy thing to get to Heaven ; and upon this presumption, they hew otit to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no -Vvater; and often live and' die with a lye in their right hand. But the renewed soul, having such awful notions of the blessed God, and such ap prehensions of the excellency arid glory of the heavenly state, as you have heard, deeply feels how absolutely nCcesSary it is, that something of a very great and iinportant change should pass in the mind of that sinful creature, that e-fer hopes- to be a partaker of it. He sees, that it is rnipossible, any external lite, should secure so great an end'; impossible, that baptism should be regeneration, in that sen.se iff which the scripture Uses the word, or that by this alone, though eVer so regularly administered, a man's eternal happiness should be' secOred. He sees, that to be associated to this or that party of chriatrans, fo join with established, or separate churches, arid t6 be ever so zealous for their respective order, worship ahd discipline,- is a thing quite of foreign consideration here; and that tire best, or the worst df m-en, may be, and probably are, on dne side, and on another; nay that ignorance, pride, and bigotry Vot. m, Ff 434 Of the Nature of Regeneration, and of the may take occasion frora hence, to render men farther from the kingdora of God, than any mistake in judgraent or practice on these disputed points, could have set them. No, my brethren, when a man's eyes are enlightened by God's renewing spirit, he sees and feels that, in the lan guage of Scripture, he must bg created anew in Cheist Jesus : be sees that holiness is a character without which no man shall see the Lord ; and he is perhaps little anxjous, whether this, or the faith that produces it, shall be called a condition, or a qualification, or an instrument, vyhile he sees he must perish without it: he sees, that as it is absolutely necessary, so it is very extensive, as the comraandment, which is its rule, is exceeding broad : he sees, thtit it must not only effectually regulate the actions of his life, but controul all thf sentiments of his heart: nay, he sees, it must not only be snbinitted to as a necessary, but be chosen as a most amiable thing : and accordingly, he does chuse it as such. — ^Tli^ unr regenerate soul, when he hears of repentance and reforma tion, though he understands not half that it means, nor is aware of what will, in fact, be the greatest difliculty. of it, looks upon it at best as a nauseous medicine, which he musj take, or die ; but the regenerate man finds his heart so won derfully and so happily changed, that he regards it for itself, as the food, the health, and the life of his soul; aS that which neces.sarily brings it own pleasures, and in a consider able degree, its ovvn reward along with it; so that now, as David beautifully expresses it. He openeth his mouth, an^ pantcth, because he longs for God's commandments. And I will, add once more, the "ood man is also made sensible of the place which faith and holiness hold, in the scheme which God has laid, for our justification before hirn, and our acceptance with him. I do not say, that all chris: tians conceive of thi.s with equal perspicuity, or express their conceptions with equal exactness : the most candid allovy- ancc should here be made for ihe different ideas they fix to the s.T.r.e phrases, as tlipy have been used to look upon, them with >, eiicraiion, or willi suspicion. But this I will venture to say, Change It produces in Mien's Jlpprthensions. 4^5 beca-use T am persnaoled the scripture will be«r me oat in it, " that tbe confiiilsnce of a regewerate soul is not fixed on " his own holiness, or faith, as th'e meritorious Cause 'o\' his " acceptance with God." Hei is deeply s.wA cordially sett- sible, that he is made accepted in the Beloved ; and seeing nothing but guilt, and weakness, and ruin in himself, he ascribes to the blessed Jesus, and to the riches of God's free grace in him, his righteousness, his strength and his salvation.. 'And where a man is thus persuaded, I think he must, in effect, believe, even though he might scruple in words expressly to own it, " that Christ, as our great " surety, having perfectly obeyed the law of God himself, " and by his blood having fully satisfied the Divirie Justice "for the breach of it, we, on our believing in hira by a " vital faith, are justified before God by the imputation of " his perfect righteousness." This latter way of stating it, when rightly explained, appears just equivalent to the for mer; and it is a manner of conceiving and expressing it, which, when rightly understood, seems extremely suitable to that deep luimility, and poverty of spirit, to which the re newed soul is brought, when like a new-born babe, it desires the sincere milk of the word, that it may grow thereby. But as the mind, at such a time, finds little inclination to con tend about words and phrases, it would be much less pro per for me, to enter into any controversy about thera here. Let it suffice for the present, that I have given you this plain representation of that change, whiqh is wrought in a man's apprehensions, when he is made a new creature. When' old things are passed away, he has new apprehensions of God, of himself, of Christ, of eternity, and of the way to obtain the happiness of it : and as at this happy time all things are become new, there are " new affections, nevi^ " resolutions, new labours, new enjoyment-;, and nevv hopes." which are the result of the change already described. But it will be rauch more difficult ro reduce what I have to offer on these heads, within the bounds of the next discourse, than proper to attempt" any of them in this. Go home, my friends, Ff i* 436 Of the Nature of Regeneration. and try j'ourselves by what you have already heard ; and be assured, that if you are conderaned by this part ofthe de scription, it is irapossible you should be approved by any that will follow ; since they have all their foundation in this. -{ 437" 1 SERMON XXIII. Ofthe NATURE of REGENERATION^ •with respect to the CHANGE it produces i Men's Affectiomy Resolutions, Labours, Enjoyments, and Hopes. 2 CoK. V. 17. ^ any man he in Christ, he is a new creature ; old things are- passed away, behold, all things are become new. A.MONG the various subjects, which exercise the thoughts and tongues of men, few are more talked of than religion. But it is melancholy to think how little it is understood; and how much it is mistaken and misrepresented in the world. The text before us gives a very instructive view of it; such a view, that I am sure, an experimental knowledge of its sense would be infinitely preferable to the most critical and exact knowledge of all the most curious passages, both of the Old Testament, and the New, Frora it, you know, I^have begun to describe that great change, which the vvord of Goo teaches us to represent under the notion of regeneration,^ or, according to the language of St. Paul, in this passage of his writings, by a new creation. I know I am explaining it be fore many, who have been much longef acquainted with it than myself; and, it becomes me to believe, before many that have attained much higher advancements in it; but I fear also at the same time, I speak of it before many, who are yej strangiers to it ; and I am labouring, by the plainest addresses F f3 ¦ 438 Of the Nature of Regeneration, and of the that I can, to give thera at least sorae just ideas of it. . Oh that to all the descriptions that either have, or shall be given, God raay, by his grace, add that understanding which arises frora feeling correspondent impressions on the mind ! I have alreadyi eiid^avouredi to. illustrate tliose new appre hensions, which arise in the regenerate raind ; apprehensions of the blessed God, of itself, of Christ, of the eternal world_ and of the way to obtain the happiness of it. It now remains, that I consider those " new affections, resolutions, " labpurs,. enjoyments, and hopes," whicli result from, them, r observe, thej-eipre,, II. That these new apprehensions will be attended with new affections. I raedily acknowledge, that the degree in which the affections operate, may, and will be diflerent, in different persons, according to their natural constitution: but as, in some degree or another, they i-pnke an- essential' part of our frame, it is impossible but they raust bei impressed with a matter of such- infiiiitc impor- tance, as religion will iippear. Andthe apprehensions de.-*cribed abo'ie, must awaken the exercise of correspondent affectionsi and direct them to objects very different from those by which. they vvere before excited, and on which tliey were fixed; And- here now, r. This may be especially illustrated in love. Eove is indeed the ruling passion of tli-:; mind, and has all. the rest in an avowed and real' subjection to it. And here lies. the very root of human misery in our fallen state : we are. n-aturally lovers of ourselves in a ve.ry irregular degree; lovers- of pleasures, more than lovers of God. But, on the contrary, the first and great commandment of the law is written in the bn-east of every regenerate n>an : thou, shall love the LopD thy God, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and, with all. thy mind. It^^is true indeed; that if his spul were perfectly delivered into this mould, and his attainraetits in divine love were complete, there would be an end of all sin, and almost; of alb caUimity too: for what evil could assail or impress a miiid entirely and unchitngeably fixed upon Gqd? ypt that. Chan^^ it produces in Men's Affeciibns, -S;e. 439 theldVe of God should be the prevailing affection, is not. raerely a circumstance, but an essential part or true religion. While the godd nidri stes hiiti vvho is invisible, as infinitely perfect in himself, and as tlie aulihor of being and happiness to the whole creatidri, he cannot but acknowledge, thathe is, beyond comp'arisori, the most amiable of all objects. And though it is certain, that nothing cari so much induce and inflame our love to God, as a well-grounded assurance, that he is becoriie our Cod, arid our father in Christ; yet before the re^eri6rate soul has attained to this, a sense of l;hose favours Avhich he receives from God' in conirnon with the whole hu- nian race, and mole especially of those which are inseparable frora a christian piidfessiori, together with the apprehensions of his being accessible through a Mediator, and reconcileable to' sinful riien, will diffuse sdirie delightful sense of Gon over the mind, which vvill grow svveeter in proportion to the degree in v^hich his ovvn hopes brighten and settle, while they are -gtowing'tovvard the, full assurance of faith. Atid as the real christian loves him that begot, he loves him also' that is begotten of him. He loves the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, viewing hira, not in a cold and insensible manner, as he once did, but with inflamed affections, as the chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely. If he knows, in any degree, the grace qf our Lord Jesus Christ, in becoming incarnate for the salvation of his people, in making hiraself a sacrifice for their sin-s, and piiying his life for the ransom of their lives; he feels himself drawn toward Jesus, thus lifted up on the cross ; and the love of Christ constrains him to such a degree, that he longs to find out some acceptable method to express hjs inward and overbearing sense of jt. • How divided soever true christians- may be in other respects, they all agree in this, in loving that Jesus whom they have not seen. We may further recoUeict on this head, that the apostle, in a solemn manner, adjures- christians by the love of the spirit, thereby plainly implying, that such a iove to him is an i-nportant branch of their character : and it must be so in all those who- regard him, as every regenerate soul does, as the ' F f 4 44P Of the Nature of Regeneration, and of the author of divine light and life, and as the source of love and happiness, by whom this love of God is shed abroad in the heart, while it is enlarged with sacred delight to run the vyay of his commaiidmepts ; as that spirit, by whom we are sealed to the day of redemption, and who brings down the foretastes of Heaven to the heart jn yvhich he dvyells, and which, by his presence, he consecrates as the ternple of God. And most natural is it, that a soul filled with these impresr sions and views should overflow with unutterable joy, aud feel- in'g itself thus happy in an intercourse with its God, shpuld be enlarged in loye to man: for^ says the apostle, yp are taught pf God to love one another. "Those, whom he apprehends as hi^ brethren by regenerating grace, he knows are with him beloved of the Lord; and as he hopes lo dwell with them for ever in glory, he must love them so far as he knpws thera now. And though a narrow educatipn, and that bigotry, which sometimes conceals itself under very hpnourable and pious names, raay perhaps influence even a sanctified heart, so far as to entertain unkind suspicions as to thpse vi'hose reli gious sentiments may differ from his own, and it mj^y be, to pass some rash censures upon thera ; yet as his acquaintance with them increases, and he discerns, under their different forms, the traces of their corainon father, lii^ prejutlices wear off, and that sometiraes by very sensible degrees ; and chris tians receive one another, ds Christ has received them all. . And where the gpod man cannot love others with a love of complacency and esteem, he at least beholds tbem w-ith a love. of compassion and pity; and remembers the relation of fellow-creatuies, where he sees no reason to hope that they are fellovv-heirs wilh hini. In a word, the hetjrt is melted' down into tenderness; it is warmed with generous sentiments;' it longs for ppportunities of diffusing good of- all kinds, both- temporal and spiritual, wide as its influence can reach; it beats. wi^th an ardour which sonietimes painfully recoils upon a mack's- self, fpr want of ability to help others in proportion to his de; , sire to do it; and that God who knows all the inmost working?'; ofhis mind, hears raany an importunate intercession for others i in the hours of solemn devotion, and many a compassionate Change it prodiic'eS mMtn's AffpctionS, 8^c. 441 ^aEulation, which he is occasionally sending up to Heaven fmm time to "time, as he passes through so sinful and so cala mitous a world. . These are the i-uling affections in the heart df a good man ; and though it is neither reasohable" nor possible, that he should entirely divest hiraself df s'elF-love, yet he endeavours to regu late it so, that it may not interfere \vith the more important cPrisideratidn of general good. Self has the lowest place in his regards, ijor-' does he lirait his afl'ection to a party; but aiming at extensive' usefulness, he guards against those iinrao- derate attachments to particular friendships, and those extra- -vaganf sallies of personal fondness, which are often no raore tlian self-love under a specious disguise; which at once alienate the heart from Gob, and contract the social affections within very narrow, and those very irregular bounds; and so prove alraogt as fatal to the health of the raind, as an excessive flow of blood into one part would to be that of the bodv. I have enlarged so copiously on this change in the leading affection of the raind, that I raust touch in a raore transient manner on the rest. I add, therefore, 2. That a regenerate soul has new aversions. He once hated knowledge, and did not chuse the fear of the Lord. He hated the light, which disclosed to the aching eye of his conscience the beloved and indulged irregularities of his heart. He hated every thing that laid an embargo upon his lust; and was ready to count those for his eneraies that plainly admonished him, and secretly to dislike those whose conduct even silently reproved him. But now all these things are amiable to him ; and those are esteemed his most valuable frierids, whose example may be raost edifying, whose instruc tions may be most useful, and vvhose admonitions may be most faithful. Forhe now hates every false way; yea, and every vain thought too. He looks upon every irregular desire as an enemy, which he longs utterly to subdue; and especially strives against that sin which does most easily beset hira, and abhors it more than he ever delighted in it. And though he rather pities than hates the persons of the most wretched and mis- phieyous transgressors, yet he can no longer continue an eri- 4i 2 Of the Nature qf Regeneration, and of the fTearing friendship with' those who were once his sedutei'S to sin, arid his cpmpanidns in it. In this sense, like David, he hates the congregation of evil-doers, and will ridt sit vVith the wicked ; and if fhey will not be wrought upPri by his compas sionate endeavours td reclairri tliem, he will soPri' break off the intercourse, and saj^, Depart from me, ye evildPers, for f d'eterraine that I wiU keep the commatidrileiits of rily God. 3. The regenerate rriail has also new desires. There was a time, when sinful passions, as the -ap'd3tle'e.\:- pYesses it:, did work in his raerabers to bring forth fruit unto' d'eath. He waS fulfilling the desires ofthe flesh, and ofthe mind, and making provision tP fulfill the lusts of both. But now he earnestly desires a conformity to God, as his highest happiness; arid' can look up to him, arid say, "Oh', Lord', " the deslr'e'of my soul is tP thy' name, and to fhe remeriibrarice' "' of thee; lo m'airitain siich a sense of thy presence at all times, " as raay influence ray heart to think, ray lipS fo speak, and " ray hands to act, ina raaririer suitable to that remenibrance, " arid' agi-eeal>le to thy wise and holy will." He rioW hungers and thirsts after righteoilsness; flels as real an appetite after more advanced degrees of piety and holiness, as he ever felt toward the gratification of liis senses ; and esteeras the proper .methods of attaining these ad-vanced degrees, even more than his necessary food. Instead of desiring to run through a long course of animal enjPyrrients, he desires to get above' theni; longs to be a pure and triumphant spirit in the refined regidiis of immortality ; arid is willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. But I wave the further illustration of this, till I come to Con sider the nevv ho[)es which inspire him. I therefdre add, as a necessary consecnience of these new desires, 4. That the regenerate nian has new ftars. Pain' and sorrow, disappointment and affliction, he naturally . feared ; and the forebodings of his own raind would soirietitnes awaken the fears of future punishment, according to the righ teous judgment of an oflcnded God: but now be fears not merely punishment, but guilt ; fears the remonstrance of an injured conscience; for he reverences conscience as Gou's vice- Change ikprodmaes' in Men's Affections, S,-c. M3 ggrent in his. bosomi Be therefore fears the most secret sin?>. as w«ll as those whichi might uccas-ion public disgrace ; yea, he fears, lest by a praaipitate" audi inconsidierate conduct he should contrafct gu.it before he is aware. He fearsj lest he should inadvertendy injure and gaiieve others, even- the weakest and the meanest. Her fears- using his liberty, in a^ man ner that might ins-nai-c his brefchren, or iniglk occasion any scandal' to a; christian-- profession : for such is the sensibihty of his heart in this- respect:,' that he would be raore de.:'ply con cerned for the dishonour bi-Qughtto Got»> and the reproach Wihich. raight be thnown on^religjon-. by any. unsuitable conduct of hiss;, than merely for that part, of the- shame that might im mediately and directly fall uponJiiraself. But again^ 3, The regenerate man hae^nezojoi/s. These arise cjiiefly froin. an intei-course with Gon* through Jesus Christ; and from a review of himself, gis under the" sanctifying influences- of his- grace,, and as brought into a state of fa->-our with. him,, in proportion tothe degree iri which he can discern himseif in. this character and; state. Yourknow David,, speaking- of Gddj calls him his exceeding joy;, and declares>the gladne-ss' he had put into his heart; by- lifting, up the light: of bis countenance upon him, to be far beyond. wbat^liey- could have, whose corn and wine increased. And the apostle Paub speaks of christians, as joying in God through Jes:us;- Christ, and as- rejoicing in Christ Jesus : and. Peter also describes; them as those, who believing in him, though, unseen, rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of Perhaps there was a- time, when the good man censured all pretences of.this. kind, now at.loast in the.se latter days of Chris tianity, as an empty enthusiastic pretence : but since he has tasted that the Lord is gracious, he has that experimental knowledge of their reality and excellence, which he can con fidently oppose to all the most artl'ul and sophistical cavils; and could as soon, doubt, whether the sun enlightens his eyes, and warms his body, as he could question, whether God has" way? of manifesting him.self to soulsvvhen it is felt with un utterable delight: and when thus entertained, he can adopt 444 Of the Nature of Regeneration, and of the David's words, and say, that his soul is satisfied as with mar row and fatness, so that with joyful Hps he praises God, when- his meditation of him is thus sweet, and God says unto his soul 1 am thy salvation. The survey of the Lord Jesus Christ gives him also un utterable joy ; while he reflects on that ample provision, which God has made by him, for the supply of all his necessities; and that firm security which is given to his soul by a believing union with Christ; whereby his life is connected with that of his Saviour. In his constant presence, in his faithful care, he -can boast all the day long; and that friendship, which establishes a community of interests between hira and his Lord, eno-ages hira to rejoice in that salvation and happiness, to which he is advanced at the right hand of God, and gives him, by joyful sympathy, his part with Christ in glory, before he per sonally arrives at the full possession of it. I add, that he also rejoices in the corisciousness of God's gracious work upon his own soul, so far as he can discern the traces of it there. He delights to feel hiraself, as it were," cured of the raortal disease with which he once saw hjmself infected; to find himself in health and vigour of mind, renewed to a conformity with the Divine Image. He delights to look inward, and see that transformation of soul which has made the wilderness like the garden of the Lord, so that instead ofthe thorn there shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the briar' the myrtle. Thus the good raan is satisfied from himself; arid though he humbly refers the ultimate glory of all to that God, by whose grace he is what he is, he enters with pleasure into • his mind, and reckons it a part of gratitude to his great bene factor, to enjoy with as a high a relish as he can the present workings of divine grace within him, as well as the pleasing prospect of. what it will farther do. But this head has so near a resemblance to some that are to follow, that were I to enlarge apon it, as I easily might, I should leave room for nothing diffisrent to be said upon them. 1 will only add, 6. That as the counter-part of this, new sorrvzcs will arise in' the raind of a regenerate man. Change it producjes in Men's Afl^eciions, &;c. 445, These are particularly such' as spring — from the withdrawlngs of God's presence — from the remainder of sin in the soul — and from the prevalence of it in the world about him. The regenerate man will mourn, " when the reviving mani- " festations of God's presence are withdrawn from his soul." It seeras very absurd to interpret the numberless passages in the sacred Avriters, in which they coraplain of the hidings of God's face from them, as if they merely referred to the want of temporal enjoyments, or to the pressure of temporal calamities. If the light of God's countenance, which they so expressly oppose to temporal blessings, signify a spiritual enjoyment, the want of it must relate to spiritual desertion. And I believe there are few christians in the world whp are entirely unac quainted wjth this. They have most of them their seasons, when they walk in darkness, and see little or no light : and this, not dnly when anxious fears arise with relation to their own spiritual state; but. at some other times, when though they can in the main call God their father, yet he seems, as it were, to stand afar off, and to continue them at a distance, which wears the face of unkindness, especially under temptations and other afflictions, in which they lose their lively sense of God's presence, and that endearing freedom of converse with hiin, which, through the influence of the spirit of adoption on their souls, they have sometimes known. If this be mysterious and unintelligible. to some of you, I am heartily sorry for it: bnt I do not remember that I was ever intimately acquainted with any one, who see.med to me a real christian, that has not, upon mentioning the case, acknowledged, that he has felt something of it: at least I will boldly venture to say this, that if you are truly regenerate, and do not know what I mean by it, it is because you have, hitherto been kept in a continual flow of holy joy, orat least in a calm and chearful persuasion of your interest in the divine favour : and even such may see the day, when, strong ^s their mountain seems to stand, God may hide his face to their trouble: or, however, they will infer fi-om what they now feel, that it must be a mournful casp whenever it occurs ; and that sorrow, in such a circumstance,- 4-i6 Of the Nahirs - neerins: within him. And once more, " The prevalence of sin in the world around " him," is a grief to one that is born of God. It pierces him to the heart to see men dishonouring God, and ruining them selves : he beholds transgressors, as David well expresses it, with a mixture of indignation and sorrow; and when he seri ously considers how common, and yet how sad a case it is, he can perhaps borrow the words of the same prophet, so far as to say, that rivers of waters run down his eyes, because men keep not the law of God. — Now, as these are sorrows that seldom do at all effect the heart of an unregenerate man, I thought it the more proper to mention them, to assist you in your enquirie* into your ovvn state. Such are the affections of love and aversion, of desire and fear, of joy and sorrow, which fill the breast of the regenerate man, and naturally arise from those new apprehensions which are described under the former head. I add, III. That he has also new resolutions. You will easily apprehend I speak of those that are formed for the service of God, and against sin. I readily acknowledge, that there are often, in unregenerate men, some resolutions of this kind, and perhaps those very warm, and for the preset very sincere ; yet there is considerable difference between them and those we are now to represent ; as the resolutions of th« truly good man are more universal, more immediate, and illPfe humble. Chflnge it produces- in-'MotsAfllkcfions, S^x. 447 1. The resolutions which he now forms, are more universal than they ever were before.- Pe .does not now fesolye against this or that sin, but against all ; against sin, as sin, as opposite "to the holiness of God, and dest)-ucj;ive of the honour and happiness of the rational creation. He does npt say with Naaman, concerning this or that more convenient iniquity, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing ; nor does he resolve to excuse himself in an indul gence, even to that sin which does most easily beset him : but rather, in his general determination against sip, and in those solemn engageraents vvith which such determinaUons raay be attended, he fixes especially upon those sins which he mio-ht before have been most ready to accept. 2. The vesplfitions of the regenerate man are more imme diate. It very freqtjently happens, that while others are under awakening impressions, as they see q necessity for parting with their sins, and engaging in what they may call a religious life, they resolve upon it : but then they think it may be de layed a little longer ; perhaps a k\v years, or at least a few weeks or days; or they, perhaps, refer it to some remarkable period -which is approaching, which they flatter theinselve,'; they shall make yet more remarkable, as the a;ra of their refor mation : but, in the mean time, they will take their farew-el of their lusts by a few more indulgences; and thus they deludo themselves, and rivet on their chains faster than before. Bni the good man, with David, makes haste, aud delays not tu keep the commandments of God. He is like the prodio-al, who, as soon as ever he said, I will arise and go to mv father, immediately arose and came to him. He reckons the time he has already spent in the service of sin may suffice, and tbat 'indeed it is far more than enough: he wishes he could call back that which is past; but ha determjnes, that he will not take one step further in this unhappy path. He fully purpo,ses, that he will never pnce more deliberately and. presmnptuottsly offend God,, in any matter, great or small; if any thing can be called siinall, which is a deliberate and apprehended oflence: and he determiriesj that from this moment he will yield hiia- 448 Of the Nature of Regeneration, and of ihe self to God, as alive from the dead, and employ his members as instruments of righteousness. But then, 3. His resolutions are more modest and humble than they have ever been before. And this indeed is the great circumstance that renders them more effectual. When an awakened sinner feels himself most enslaved to his vices, he pleases himself with this thought, tbat there is a secret kind of spring in his mind, which, wheri he pleases to exert, he can break through all at once, and commence, whenever that unhappy necessity coraes upon him, a verv religious raan in a raoment. And when conscience presses him with the meraoiy of past guilt, and the representa tion of future danger, he cuts off these remonstrances with a liasty resolve, " I will do so no more :" but then, perhaps, the effect of this may not last a day ; though possibly it may, at other times, continue a few weeks or months, whpre the grosser acts of sins are concerned: and indeed his resolutions seldora reach farther than these; for the necessity of a sanctified . heart is a mystery which he has never yet learned. — But a" truly regenerate man has learned wisdora from this experi ence of his own, and the observation of other men's frailty. He feels his own weakness, and is so thoroughly aware of the treachery of his own heart, that he is almost afraid to ex press in words the purpose which his very soul is forming: he is alraost afraid to turn that purpose into a vow before Gon, lest the breach of that vow should increase his guilt: but this he can say, with repenting Ephraim, Lord, turn thou me and I shall be turned ; and, with David, hold up my goings in thy paths, that ray footsteps may not slip. " I am exceeding " frail; but. Loan, be thou surety for thy servant for good, " and then I shall be safe! do thou rescue rae frora temptations, " and I shall be delivered! do thou fill ray heart with holy " sentiments, and I will breathe thera out before thee ! do " thou excite and maintain a zeal for thy service, and then I " will exert myself in it!" And when once a man is come to such a distrust of hiraself; when, like a little child, he stretches out his hand to be led by his heavenly Father, and trusts in his guardian care alone for his security and comfort; then out Chdfige' it prodiCces hi Men' s Affections, ^c. 449 of weakness he!' is iriade strong, 'and' goes on safe, thouglj perhaps trembling ; and^sees those that made the loudest boasts, and placed the greatest confidence in themselves, falling on the right hand, and on the left, and all their bravery melting away like snow before the sun* IV. The regenerate man has new labours and employ ments. ' ' Not that his former employraent in secular life is laid aside : it would ordinarily be a very dangerous snare for a raan to ima- . gine that God requires'this. On the contrary, the apostle gives itin charge to christian converts, that in what calling soever a man is found, when he is called into the profession of the gospel*/' he should therein abide with God. But when he be^ coines a real christian he prosecutes this calling, whatever it be, with a new spirit and temper, from new principles, and to new purposes. While his hands are labouring in the world, his heart is often rising to God : he consecrates his work to the divine honour, and to the credit of religion : and desires, that his merchandise and his gain may, in this sense, be holiness to the Lord, by employing it to support the family which Providence has coramitted to his charge, and to relieve the poor which Christ recommends to his pity: and as he de pends upon God to give hira wisdom and success in the con duct of his affairs, he ascribes the glory of that success to him ; " not sacrificing to his own net, rior burning incense to his own drag." • And I will further add, that regenera,tion introduces a set of new labours, added to the forraer, with which the man was before utterly unacquainted. — We raay consider, as the prin cipal and chief of these, the great labour of purifying the heart, of conquering sinful inclinations and affections, and of approach- • ing God by a more intimate access and more endeared con verse. Now they that imagine this io be an easy matter, know little- of the human heart, httle of the spirituality of _ God's nature and his law. Give me leave to say, that the labours of the body, in cultivating the earth, are much more easily performed than this spiritual husbandry. To weed a soil' Vol. IH. Gg 450 Of the Nature of Regeneration, and of the so luxuriant ip evil productions, arid to raise a plentiful harvest of holy affections and act'ions in a soil so barren of good; to regulate appetites and passions so eyorb'itant as those of the human heart naturally are, and to awaken in it suitable affec tions ; to be abundant in the fruits of righteousness, and to con verse with God in the exercise of devotion : these are no little things ; nor will a little resolution, watchfulness, and activity suffice, in order to the discharge of such a business. It is compa ratively easy to go through the forms of prayer and praise whatever they are ; to read, or from present conception to utter, a few words before God : but to unite the heart in God's service, lo wrestle with hira for a blessing, to pour out the heart before him, to speak, to hira as searching the very heart ; so that he should Say, " This is prayer:" this, my bj-ethren, is a work indeed; and he that is conscientious in the discharge of it will find, that it is not to be dispatched in a few hasty moments, nor without serious reflection, and a resolute watch maintained over the spirit. New labours also arise to the regenerate soul, in consequence of the concern it has to promote religion in the World.— Bemg possessed, as I formerly shewed you the heart ofthe good man is, with unfeigned love to his fellow-creatures, and knowing of how great importance religion is to the happiness ofmen, he pleads earnestly with God for the propagation and success of the gpspel : and he endeavours, according to his ability and opportunity, to promote it ; to promote pure and undefiled religion in his family and his neighbourhood, even in all around hira. And this requires observation and application, that this atterapt may be prudently conducted, and great reso lution, in order to its being rendered effectual: it requires great diligence in watching over ourselves, lest our examples prove inconsistent with our precepts; and no small degree of courage, considering how averse the generality of mankind are to admonitions and reproofs ; in consequence of which, a person can hardly act the part of a faithful friend, with out exposing himself to the hazard of being accounted an enemy. Chdnge it produces in Men's Affeetionsi S^c^ 451 Such ate the riew labadrs 6^ the real Christian : let any tnan try to, perfdrm them, and he will not find them light: but to encourage the dttempt, let j.ne further addj V. That the regerierate soul has its Mw eriteridthnteitts tdO» He has pleasures, which a stranger intermeddles not with, and ¦which the world can neither givCi nor takeaway: pleasures, vvhic'h a thousand times overbalance themost painful labours, and the most painful sufferings too ; and which sweetly minglirig fhem- selveswjth the various circumstances of life> through which the christian passes, do, as it were, gild all the scene^ and make all the fatigries and self-denial of his life far more agreeable^ than any of thdse delights the wOrldlirig, or the serisualist, can find in thei midst of his uribounded and studied indulgences. — But here I shall be in great danger of repeating what I said under a former head, when I -ivas speaking of the new joys which the christian feels, in consequence of the great change that rege neration raakes in his soul : and therefore, omitting what I then observed, concerning the pleasure of communion with God through Christ, ahd of perceiving a work of divine grace uppn the soul, I shall now touch upon some other sources of exalted entertainment, which did not so directly fall under that head. 1. The christian finds new pleasures iri the word of GoO. You know with what relish the saints of old spake of if. " Thy words were found," says the Prophet, " and I did eat them ; and thy word was unto me joy and rejoicing of mine heart." " Thy statutes," says the Psalmist, "are more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold ; they are sweeter also than honey, and the honey-corab. — The apostle Peter beautifully represents this, when he exhorts the saints to whora lie wrote, as new-born babes to desire the sincere milk of the word, that they might grow thereby. And the infant that srailes on the breast, and with such eagerness and delight draws its nourishment from it, seems an amiable image of fhe humble christian who receives the kingdom of God, and the word of that kingdom as a little child; who lays up scripture in his heart, knd draws forth the sweetness of it, with a firoi G g3 452 Of the Nature of Regeneration, and of the persuasion, that it is indeed the word of God, and was appoiiiit-» ed by hira for the food of his soul. 2. He also finds wcffi' p/ca6M;-£S in the ordinances of divine worship. He is glad, when it is said unto hira. Let us go into the bouse of the Lord. He indeed esteems the tabernacles of the Lord as amiable, and regards a day in his courts as better than a thousand elsewhere. And this pleasure arises, not merely frora any thing peculiar in the administrations of this or that man who officiates in holy things ; but from the nature of the exercise in general, and from a regard to the divine authority of those institutions which are there observed. He feels a sacred delight in an intercourse with God in those solemnities; in comparison of which, all the graces of composition and delivery appear as little as the harmony of instruments, or the perfume of incense, to one of the Old Testament saints, when compared with the light of God'b couqtenance, which was lifted up on the pious worshipper under the Mosaic forms, when in his temple every one spake of his glory. One thing- has he desired of the Lord, and that he seeks after, that he may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his fife; not to amuse his vain imagination, not to gratify his ear, not to indulge his curiosity with useless enquiries, nor merely to exercise his understanding with sublime speculations ; but to Ijehold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his tem ple. 3. He likewise finds a new entertainment in ihe conversation of Christian friends. , He now knows what it is to have fellowship with those whose communion is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. His delight is now in them that are truly the excel lent of the earth. He delights to dismiss the usual topics of modern conversation, that some religious subject may be as sumed, not as raatter of dispute, but as raatter of devout re collection ; and loves to hear the plainest christian express his experimental sense of divine things. Those sentiments of piety and love, which come warra from a gracious heart, are always pleasing to him ; and those appear the dearest bands Change it produces in.Men's Affections, <§c 453 of friendship, which may draw him nearer to his heavenly Father, and unite his soul in ties of more ardent love to his Redeemer. A society of such friends is indeed a kind of anticipation of heaven ; arid to chuse, and delight in such, is no contemptible token, that the soul has attained to sorae considerable degree of preparation for it. I only add, VI. That in consequence of all this, the regenerate 30i^ has new hopes and prospects. Men inight be very much assisted in judging of their true state, if they would seriously reflect what it is they hope and wish for ? what are those expectations and' desires that most strongly impress their minds ? a vain mortal, untaught and unchanged by divine grace, is always dressing up to himself some empty phantom of earthly happiness, which he looks after and pursues ; and foolishly imagines, "could I grasp it, " and keep it, I should be happy." But divine grace teaches the real christig^n to give up these empty schemes : " God," does he say, " never intended this world for my happiness : " he will make it tolerable to me ; he will give me so much of '^ it as he sees consistent with ray highest interest; he will *' enable me to derive instruction, and it raay be consolation, " out of its disappointments and distresses : l^ut he reserves " my inheritance for the eternal world. I am begotten again " to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ frpm ^' the dead, even to the hope, of an inheritance incorruptible, " and undefiled, and that fadeth not away : and though it be, " for the present, reserved in heaven, it is so safe, and so " great, that itis well worth ray waiting for, though ever so " long ; for the things that are not seen, are eternal." And this indeed is the true character of a good raan. Eternity fills his thoughts ; and growing sensible, in another manner than he ever was before, of the importance of it, he pants for the enjoyment of eternal happinessi. Assign any limited duration to his enjoyment of Gop in the regions of glory, and you would overwhelm hira with disappointment: talk of hundreds, of thousands, of millions of years, the disappoint ment is almost equal: periods hke these seem scarce distjn- Grg3 454 Of the Nature of Regeneration, and of the guishable frpm each other, when compared with an eternal hope. To eternity his desires and expectations are raised 5 and he can be contented with nothing less than eternity : per fect holiness, and perfect happiness for ever and ever, without any mixtpre pf sin, or any sUay of sorrow ; this he firnjly expects, this he ardently breathes after; a felicity >vhich ari immortal soul shall never outljve, and which an eternal God shall never cease to cpmmunicate. This ^ heavenly cpun try he seeks; he considers hiraself as ^ citizen of it^ and endeavours to maintain his conversation there: to carry on, as it were, a 4mly trade for Heaven, and to lay up a treasure there ; in which he may be rich and great, when all ihe pomp of this eaith is passed away as a dream, and ^11 its most precious metals and gems are melted down and consumed amoijg its vilest materials in the last universal burning. ^ This is the change, the glorious change wbich regeneration makes, in g,-man's character and views: and who shall dare to speak^ or to thjnk, ponteraptibly of it ? were we indeed to j-epresent it as a kind of charm, depending on an extern4 ceremony, which it was the peculiar prerogative of a certain order of men to perform, and yet on which eternal life waS suspended ; one might easily apprehend that it would be brought into much suspicion. Or should we place it in any mechanical transports of animal nature, in any blind impulse, in any strong feelings, not to be described, or accounted for, pr argued upon, but knOwn by some inward inexplicable sen sation to be divine ; we could not wonder, if calm and prudent men were slow to admit the pretension to it, and were fearful it might end in the mpst dangerous enthusiasm, made impious i^y excessive appearances of piety. — But when it is delijieated by such fair and bright characters as thdse that have now been drawn ; when these divine lineaments on the soul, by which it bear? the iraage of its Maker's rectitude and sanctity, are ponsidered as its necessary consequence, pr rather as its very essence; one wpuld iinagine, that every rational creature, instead of cavilhng at it, should pay an iinmedia-te homage to jt, and earnestly desire, and labour, and pray, to experience the change : especially as it is a change sp desirable fpr itself; Change it produces in Mens Affections, &;c. 455 as we acknowledge hpaltli to be, though a man were not to bfi rewarded for being well ; nor punished, any farther than with the malady he contracts, for any negligence in this respect. Where is there any thing can be more ornaraental to our natures, than to have all the powers of the mind thus, changed by grace, and onr pursuits directed to such objects as are worthy of the best attention and regard!' — to have our appre hensions of divine and spiritual things enlarged, and to have right conceptions of the most important matters ; — to have the stream of our affections turned frora empty vanities, to objects that are proper to e.Kcite and fix thera; — to have our resolutions set against all ^in, and a full purpose formed within us of an iramediate reformation and return to God, with a dependance on his grace to help us both to will and to do ; — to have our labours stedfastly applied, to conquer sin, and to promote religion in ourselves and others ;— to have o,ur entertainments founded in a religious life, and flowing in upon us from the sweet intercourse we have with God in his word and ordinances, and the delightful conversation that we sometimes have with christian friends ; — and finally, to have our hopes drawn off from earthly things, and fixed upon eternity .'' — where is there any thing can be more honourable to us, than thus to be renewed after the iraage of him that created us, and to put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness ? — and where is any thing that can be more desirable, than thus to have the darkness of our understandings cured, and the disorders rectified, that sin had brought upon our nature? who is there that is so insensible of his depravity, as that he would not long for such a happy change ? Or who is there that knows how excellent a work it is, to be transform ed by the renewing of the mind, that would not, with the greatest thankfulness, adore the riches of divine grace, ifit appear .that he is thus become a new creature; that " old things are passed away, and behold all things are become new?" But I shall quickly shew you, that regeneration is not only ornamental, honourable, and desirable, but absolutely neces sary, as ever we would hope to share the blessings of God's heavenly kingdom, and to escape the horror of those that are Gs4 456 Of the Nature of Regeneration. ^finally and irrevocably excluded from it. This argument will empoy seveial succeeding Discourses: but I would dismiss you at present with an earnest request, that you would, in the mea,n time, renev.' your enquiries, as to the truth of I'egenera- , tion in your own souls; which, after all that I have been say ing, it will be very inexcusable for you to neglect, as probably you will hear few Discourses, in the whole course of your lives which, centre more directly in this p.oint, or are raore industri ously calculated to give yPu the safest and clearest assistance .jn it. May God abase the arrogance and presuraption of every , gelf-deceiving sinner ; and avvaken the confidence and joy ofthe feeblest soul, in whom this new creatioii is begun ! 457 SERMON XXIV. Ti'e NECESSITY of REGENERATION argued; frsm the IMMUTABLE CON, STITUTION of GOD. John hi. 3, Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be porn again, he c(fnnot see the kingdom of God. VY HILE the ministers of Christ are discoursing of such a subject, as I have before me in the cojirse of these lectures, and partiPularly in this branch of them which I ara now enter ing upon, we may surply, with the utmost reason, address our hearers in those words of Moses to Israel, in the conclusion of his d)'ing discourse: Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your chil dren to observe and do, even all the words of this law; for it is not a vain thing for you, because it is your life. That must undoubtedly be your life, concerning which the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the incarnate wisdom of God, the faithful and true witness, has said, and said it with a solemn repeated asseveration, that without it a raan^ cannot see the kingdom of God. The occasion ofhis saying it deseryes our notice ; though the' niceties of the context must be waved jn such a series of ser mons as this. He said it to a Jew of considerable rank, and, as it appears, one of the grand Sa,nhedrjm, or chief council 458 The Necessity of Regeneration argued, of the nation ; who carae not only for his private satisfaction, but in the narae of several of his brethren, to discourse with Christ concerning his doctrine, at the first passover heat- tended at Jerusalem, after he bad entered on his public mi nistry. Our Lord would, to be sure, be peculiarly careful what answer he returned to such an enquiry : and this is his answer. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God : as if he should have said, " If the princes of Israel enquire after my character, let them " know that I came to be a preacher of regeneration ; and " that the blessings of that kingdom which I am corae to re- " veal and erect, are to be peculiar to renewed and sanctified " souls; who raay, by an easy and natural figure, be said to " be born again." And the figure appears very intelligible, and very instructive to those that will seriously consider it; and might lead us into a variety of pertinent and useful re marks. You easily perceive, that to be born again must intimate a very great change ; coining, as it w.ere, into a new world, as an infant does ; when after having lived awhile a kind of vege tative life in the darkness and confinement of the womb, it is born into open day ; feels the vital air rushing in on its lungs, and light forcing itself upon the awakened eyes ; hears sounds before unknown ; opens its mouth to receive a yet untasted food, and every day becomes acquainted with new objects, and exerts new powers, till it grows up to the raaturity of a perfect man. Such, and in sorae respects greater and nobler than this, is the change which regeneration raakes in a heart, before unacquainted with religion ; as you may have seen at large from the preceding discourses. But I might further observe, that the phrase in the text may also express the humbling nature of this change, as well as the greatness of it. Erasmus gives this turn to the words; and it is so edifying ; that I shonld have mentioned it at least, though I had not thought it so just, as it appears. Tp be born again, must signify to beome as a little child ; and our Lord expressly and frecfuently assures us, that without this we can not enter into the* kingdooi of heaven, He has pronounced From the Immutable Constitution ofGod. 4SQ the very first of his blessings on poverty of spirit; and where this is wanting, the soul will never be intitled to the rest. A mild and humble, a docile and tractable teraper, a freedom from avarice and ambition, and an indifference to those great toys of which men are generally so fond, are all essential parts of the christian character ; and they have all, in one view or another, been touched upon in the preceding discourses. Let it be forgiven however, if considering the importance of the case, you are told again, that in malice ye must be children ; and that if any man think hiraself wise, he must become a child, and even a fool, that he may be wise indeed. I might observe once more that these words intimate the divine power, by which this great and bumbling change is effected. Our first formation and birth is the work of God, and no less really so in the succeeding generations of men, than the first prodactJon of Adam was, when God formed him of the dust of trie earth, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. We raay each of us say, with respect td the natural birth, and in an accommodated sense with respect to the spiritual too, " thine eyes did see my substance, being as yet imperfect, and in thy book all my members, which in con tinuance of time were fashioned, were written, when as yet there was none of them." All the first gracious impressions that were made upon the mind, and all the gradual advances ofthem, till Christ was formed in the heart, .and the new creature animated, must (as I shall hereafter shew at large) be ultimately and principally referred into a divine operation; arid in this sense, it is God that brings every good purpose in the mind to the bjrth, and God that gives strength to bring forth, Biit I omit the farther prosecution of these remarks at present, because they coincide with what I have said in former discourses or what will occur in those which are yet to come : und shall only further consider the words, as they are a confirmation of, and therefore a proper introduction to, what I am to lay befpre you under the third general head of these discourses ; in whicli (as I have already shevyn, who rnay be said tp be in an wnre- 460 The Necessity of Regeneration at gUed, generate state, and how great that change is which regenera tion makes in the soul) I shall now proceed. Thirdly, To shew the high importance, yea, the absolute necessity of this change. Our Lord expresses it in a very lively and awakening man ner, in these few determinate -ivords, whicji are here before us: Verrily, verily, I say unto thee, except a raan be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of Gon. You see how emphatical the—words are: he whp is himself invariable truth, the same yesterday, to-day^ and for ever, repeats it again and again, with as much soleranity as he ever uses upon any occasion ; repeats it to us, as he did to Nicodemus, " Verily, verily, I " say unto you, that is, I seriously deliver it as a truth of Jn-i> " finite moment,- except a man, i.e. any man, whatever his " profession, whatever bis knowledge, or whatever -his prive- " leges may be; though he be a Jew, though he be a Pharisee, " though he be as thou Nicddemus art, a ruler or a senator; " except he be born again, and have that great change, so " often described jn the word of God, wrought by the opera- "¦ tion of the spirit in his mind, he cannot see the kingdom of " Gpp : he cannot bj' any raeans approach it, so as to enter " into it, or have any share in the important blessings which " it contains," That we may more fully understand, and enter jntp this weighty argument, I shall from these words, I. Briefly consider, what it is to see the kingdom of God, II. Shew how absolutely impossible it is, that any unrege nerate man should see it. . And, III. How wretched a thing it is to be deprived ofthe sight, ^nd enjoyment of it, .^ Apd I am well persuaded, that if you diligently attend tp these things, j'ou will be inwardly and powerfully convinced, that no argument could be more proper to demonstrate the importance and nec^fessity of Regeneration, than this, which our Lord has suggested in these awful, emphatical, and com-i prehensive words, From the Immutable Constitution of God. 461 I. I am to shew you what it is to see the kingdom of God. And for the explication of it, it will be necessary to con sider' — what we are to understand by this kingdora ; — and what is raeant by seeing it. J [ I .] I would shew you what we are to understand by the kingdom of. God. And you will pardon me if I state the matter pretty largely; because the phrase is used in scripture in different senses; and the true interpretations of many passages in it depends on a proper distinction between them. You may observe then for the explication of this phrase,— that the kingdora of Gonin general signifies ''' the society of those who profess them- " selves the servants and subjects of Christ;" and inconse quence of this, — that there are some passages, in which it peculiarly relates to " the iraperfect dispensation of this king- " dom, and the beginning of it in the world; and other.'!, " in whichit relates to the more perfect 'form, which this " society is to bear in the world of glor}'." 1. The kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven (for they are synonymous phrases,) does in the general signify " the society of those who profess theraselves the servants and " subjects of Christ." You well know this was a phrase used among the Jews; and therefore the original of it is to be traced from the Old Testament: and I apprehend it to be this. Alraost every christian is aware, that in the early days of the Jewish com monwealth, as Samuel with great propriety expresses it, God was their king. Jehovah was not only the great object qf their religious regard, as the creator and supporter of the 'whole world; but he was also their supreme civil magistrate, settling the forras of their political government, and reserving to himself some of ,the chief acts of royal authority. They did indeed afterwards desire another king, like the other nations round about them. But still those kings being appointed by God, Were indeed to be looked upon as no other than his vicegerents, though another kind of governors than he had originally instituted. By degrees their peculiar regard to the 452 The Necessity of Regeneration argued, civil authority of God among them, as well as to bis religious authority which was nearly connected with it, in a great mea sure wore out ; and their government went through a great many different forms, which it would be unnecessary here par ticularly to describe. Nevertheless God was pleased tp de clare by king David, and by many others of his holy prophets, that he would in due time interpose to erect another, and a far more extensive kingdom in the world : not indeed upon the same political principles, with that which he exercised pver the Jews ; whicb principles would by no means have suited this extensive design : but it should be a kingdom in which the authority of the God of heaven should be acknowledged, and his laws of universal righteousness observed with greater care, and to nobler purposes, as well as by a vastly greater number of subjects than ever before. This kingdom he deter mined to commit to the government of the Messiah, who with regard to this was called the Lord's anointed, his king wholii he set upon his holy hill of Zion ; and to whom indeed he would give all power, not only on earth but in heaven too; so that having trained up his subjects here, in the discipline of holiness and obedience, , he should at length translate them to another and a better country, that is a heavenly, where tbey should see his glory, and should reign with him in eternal life. This plainly appears from the whole tenor of the Old and New Testament, to have been the grand plan of God, with respect to the Messiah's kingdom : and you will easily see, that coming from God as its great author, and referring to him as its end, it may, with great propriety be called the kingdom of God ; and ultiraately terminating in the hea venly state it may also properly be called the kingdom of Heaven. These were phrases which prevailed in the Jewish nation, before Christ, or his immediate fore-runner appeared : and indeed they were used by Daniel in a very remarkable manner, v.hich probably made them so familiar to the Jews, who had some peculiar reasons for stud3'iiig bis writings, even raore than those of sorae other prophets. Ahev that pro phet had foretold the rise and fall of several great empires of the world, he adds, and in the days of these last kings (i. e. of From the Immutable Constitution ofGod. 463 the Romans) shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom which shall not be destroyed, — but shall stand for ever. And the person whom the ancient of days, i. e. the eternal and ever-blessed God should fix on the throne of this kingdom, from his appearing in the human nature, is called the son of man ; I saw in the night visions, and heboid, one like the son of man, came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him ; and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him : his dominion is an ever lasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. In allusion to this, when our Lord Jesus Christ appeared, he called himself the sbn of man : and he particularly used this phrase, and it was exceedingly proper that he should, in this conference with Nicodemus, again and again. And all those who being convinced of the divine commission he bore, submitted themselves to him, raight in this respect be said, to enter into the -kingdom of God, or of heaven; that is, into the society which had so long been foretold and expected un der that title. This kingdom, as the above mentioned pro phecy declared, was to be raised from very low beginnings, and under the personal ministry of Christ and his apostles, till at last it should extend through very distant regions of the world, and kings and princes should subrait theraselves to> it, and reckon it their glory to enrol theriaselves among his sub jects. Agreeable to this meaning of the phrase, and to this view with respect to the establishment of his kingdom, our Lord opened his ministry with preaching, as John the Baptist had done, the kingdom of Heaven. And you will see, that in most places of the gospel, where the phrase occurs, itis to betaken in this sense. Thus our Lord says. Blessed arethe pooria spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven; i.e. they are fit to be members of this society, and to receive the blessings of it. ?Seek first the kingdora of God, and his righteousness ; i. e. labour to servethe interest of this society that I ara erecting, and to obtain and promote that righteousness which it recom- 464 The Necessity of Regeneration ai'gued^ mends, and is intended to establish in the world. And again. Suffer little children to corae unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God: persons with such a dis position a:re most fit to become ray subjects, and to enter into this holy and spiritual society. And when our Lord says to the Pharisees, publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you; he means, no doubt, they are more ready than you to join themselves to the society of those who profess theraselves ray subjects. And once raore, when he speaks of sorae who chose tbe severities of a single life, that with less entangleraents they raight serve the interests of his church, he expresses it, by their making themselves eunuchs for the king dom of Heaven's sake. I shall only add, that the phrase, by a near connection with this sense, solnetimes signifies the charter of this .society, or the privileges which it affords to its members ; as when our Lord says, " Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as alittle child, shall in no wise enter therein." This then is the general sense of this phrase: it signifies "¦ the society of those who should submit themselves to the " government of Christ, as appointed by God to rule over " them; who are thereby to be considered, as God's people " and subjects." In consequence of this you will easily appre hend, 2. That it comprehends " the more imperfect dispensation, " under w-hich the raerabers of this society are, during their " abode in the present world." All that passes here is jndeed but the opening of Christ's kingdora : nevertheless, the phrase does soraetiraes more par ticularly refer to this opening : and there are several passages, in which it would be apparently absurd to suppose it cwrapre- hended the glories of the invisible state, to which Christ intended finally to conduct his faithful servants. Thus our Lord tells the Pharisees, The kingdora of God is come unto you, i. e. that gracious dispensation under the Messiah, ,by which God is gathering subjects to his Son. And elsewhere he says to thera. The kingdom of God cometh not with ob servation, j. e. not with such outward shew and grandeur as Froni th'e Immutable Constitution ofGod. 465 you expect; but behold, it is within, or, (as it might be ren dered) araong you : God has begun to open and establish it, though you knPw it nPt ; and has actually brought many poor sinners into it, whom ypri prpudly deride aS ignorant and accursed. < Thus alsP, when our Lord Says to Peter, I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, it would be most absurd to suppose, he meant to grant to him the power df admitting into, or ^xcluding from, the world of glory: but the plain meaning is, that he should bear a distinguished officei in the church upon earth; and be the means of admitting Jews and Gentiles into it. Here, as in many Other instances, the kingdom of God, or df Heaven, means much the same with the professing church of Christ, during its settleraerit in this imperfect state: as it undoubtedly does, when Christ threatens his hearersj that the kingdoin of God should be taken away from them : and when he represents it, as consisting of good and bad, df tares and wheat; but declares, that at the last day he will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity; whereas nothing of that kind shall ever enter into fhe kingdom of glory. But yet, 3. It ultiraately relates to " the more perfect foriii and slate " of this society in the kingdom of glory." You very well know, that the desigri of Gob in his gospel was not to establish a temporal kingdora, as the Jews' expected 5 nor merely td form a body of raen, who should live upon earth with sorae peculiar forms of worship, under very excel lent rules, and with distinguished privileges of a spiritual na ture; but that all these ultimately referred to the invisible world. Thither the Son of Man was rPraoved, when he had finished his labour and sufferings upon earth ; and thither all the true and faithful members of the kingdom were sooner or later to be brotight, and there were to have their final settle ment and everlasting abode, iri a far more splendid and happy slate, than the greatest monarch on earth has ever known : they shall, there, as tbe apostle more properly expresses jt, reign in life by Jesus Christ. No\v as the kingdom of Goo upon earth is to be considered with - a leading view to this ; so we sometime^ find, that this glorious state of its members, Vol.111. Hh ' 466 The Necessity qf Regeneration argued, or (which will come much to the same thing) the society ot the faithful in this glorious state, is, by way of erainence, called the kingdom of God: and with regard to this, they whose characters are such that they shall be excluded from thence, are represented as having no part in the kingdom of Heaven, though they have been by profession raerabers of the church of Christ on earth. Of this you have a remarkable instance, w-here our Lord says. Not ever}' one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doth the will of ray Father which is in Heaven : now it was calling Christ Lord, or professing a regard to him as a divine teacher and governor, which was the very circum stance that distinguished the members of his kingdora on earth from the rest of mankind : yet as they who do this insincerely shall be excluded frora final glory , it is said, they shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. — So also the apostle tells us, that flesh and blood, i. e. such gross machines of animal na ture as those in which we now dwell, cannot inherit the king dom of God, they cannot dwell in so pure a region; and therefore it is necessary, that before they enter upon it, those who are found alive at the illustrious day of Christ's appear ance, should undergo a miraculous change to fit them for such an abode. — In reference to this we are likewise told, that then i. e. at the great resurrection-day, the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. — And this is what our Lord most certainly had in view, when he tells the impenitent Jews, that there should be weeping and gnash ing of teeth, when they should see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdora of God, and they theraselves thrust out: which couldnot be raeant of the pri vileges of the christian church upon earth, in which the patriarchs had no share ; nor did the Jews at all envy those professing, christians, who raost evidently had : it must un doubtedly therefore be nurabered among those passages, in v.hich the kingdom of Heaven chiefly refers to the state of glory. And I apprehend, the text here before us raay be added to that catalogue ; w hich leads us to shew. From the Immutable Constitution of God. 467 [2.] What we are to understand by seeing the kingdom of God. Now, in general, you will easily apprehend, that to see the kingdora is to enjoy the blessings of it. — 'There, is no need, of enumerating raany passages of Scripture, where to see pro perly signifies to enjoy. This is apparently the sense of it, when Christ declares. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God; for the Deity cannot be an object of sight ; but the proraise is, ' that such souls, (oh that we may be in their number!) shall for ever enjoy the raost delightful tioraraunications from him. And thus again we are to under stand it, where it is said. What raan is he that desireth life, and loveth mariy days, that he may see, i. e. that he may enjoy, good? for otherwise, to see it without enjoying it, would be a great aggravation of misery and distress. And in this sense it is most evident, that seeing the kingdom of God- must here be put, for enjoying the chief and raost important blessings appropriated to this happy state ; because, as I have just been observing, conderaned sinners are represented, in another sense, as seeing that kingdora and the glorified saints in it; but viewing it only at an unapproachable distance, as a spectacle that fills thera with horror and despair. This therefore is, upon the whole, the meaning of this pas sage : "that no unregenerate soul shall finally h^ve any part " in the glory and happiness, which Christ has prepared for " his faithful subjects; nor can any that appear to be such, " according to the tenor and constitution of the gospel, be ad- " mitted into the number even of professing Christians." It is true indeed, a man raay appear under such a disguise, that those who are in this sense the stewards of the mysteries of God, may in the judgment of charity, be obliged to think well of him, and to admit hira: but Christ who intimately knows him, does even now discern him. The present external privileges he enjoys, are such as be has no just right to ; and in alittle rime, Christ will root hira out of this kingdom with a vengeance, and he shall be openly declared a rebel, and one whom the Lord of it never knew, or never approved. So that upon the whole, it is so little a part that he had in the Hh2 468 The Necessity of Regeneration argued, kingdom, and that for sp short a time, that it may, in the free language of Scripture, be said, that he has never seen the kingdom of Gon at all ; that he has neither part nor lot in this matter, has no part with God's chosen, nor any lot witb his inheritance. Having thus largely explained the meaning of this phrase, I now proceed, II. To shew you how certain this declaration of our Lord in the text is, or how absolutely impossible it is, that any unre generate man should thus see the kingdom of God. Now this I shall argue, — partly " from the iramutable con- " stitutipn of God, whose kingdom it is;" — and partly " from '' the nature of its blessings, which are such, that no unrege- " nerate man, while he continues in that state, can have any " fitness or capacity to enjoy thera." The first of these considerations is copious and iraportant enough, to furnish out abundant matter for the remainder of this discourse ; and it will be difficult to dispatch it within theses limits. [I.J The impossibility there is, that any unregenerate man should enter into the kingdom of God, appears, " from the " imrautable constitution of that God, whose kingdom it " is." This might be sufficiently argued, from the express and emphatical words of our Lord Jesus Christ in the text. For he bore his father's commission to preach the gospel-of the kingdom, to publish the good news of its erection and success, and likewise to declare its nature and the method of admittance into it. And he is himself the great Sovereign of that kingdom; and consequently cannot but perfectly, and beyond all comparison with any other, know the whole of its constitution.— But God haS repeated the declaration by hiin, and by his other messengers to the children of raen, in dif ferent ages, and under different dispensations, in such a man ner as suited its infinite importance. — And, therefore, for the farther illustration of the argument, 1 shall enumerate a great variety of scriptures that speak the same language; not so From the Immutable Constitution ofGod. 46Q much aiming therein at the speculative proof of the point, as attempting to impress the consciences of my hearers with a sense of its certainty; and humbly hoping that some of those sharp-pointed arrows, which I am now drawing out of the quiver of God, may by the direction of his spirit, enter the reins of sorae against whom they are levelled, and convince them of the absolute necessity of an entire change in their hearts, as well as their lives, or of the vanity of all those hopes which they entertain, while that change is wanting. And let me bespeak your attention, not to the conjectures or reasonings of a frail mortal man, but to the solemn admoni tions and declarations of the eternal God; and be assured that in one sense or another, his word shall take holdyOn you, as it has done on sinners of former generations, either fot con viction, or condemnation. That I may not be confounded in the multiplicity of my proofs, I shall range thera under these three distinct heads The prophets of die Old Testaraent were coramissioned to make this declaration : — it was renewed by the preaching of Christ ; —and was supported by the testimony of the apostles under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 1, The prophets of the Old Testament were commissioned in effect to make this declaration, that no unregenerate sinners should enter into the kingdom of God. Well might our Lord say to Nicodemus, art thou a teacher in Israel, and knowest not these things ? For to this in effect all the prophets bear witness, and it might be learned frora almost every page of their writings. It is true the particular phrase of heing born again, or regenerated, does not occur there ; nor is it expressly said, thfit an unregenerate man shall not be admitted into God's kiiigdom. But then the prophets every where assert, what is iu effect the same, that no wicked man, who does not heartily repent of his sins, and turn from them. to God, must expect the divine favour. Now if you consider what we mean by an unregenerate man, according to the description I have given before, you will find it is just the same as an impenitent sinner: and if it be declared that .such are not to expect the divine favour, nay, that they must Hhs 470 The Necessity of Regeneration argued, certainly pi"ove the objects of his displeasure, this raust certainly imply an exclusion frora his kingdora, and must intend a great deal raore than being deprived of everlasting happiness. And thus you see that all those Scriptures, which speak of the irreconcileable hatred of God against sin, and against all impenitent sinners, corae in to do service here, and are equi valent to the declaration in the text. And I raay hereafter shew you, that there are many Scriptures in the Old Testa ment which lead raen to consider that change, said to be so necessary, as what raust be effected by a divine operation on their souls. But as that will more properly corae in under a following head, I shall at present content myself with se lecting a few Scriptures, as a specimen of many hundreds more, in proof of the main point before us; and I beseech you that you would endeavour to enter, not only into the sense, but into the spirit of them. You well know that unregenerate sinners are wicked men; and of such it is said, God is angry with the wicked every day; or all the day long, as the original imports. The sinner lies down and rises up, goes out and cPraes in, under the divine displeasure ; and ihough with great patience God bears with him for a while, he is described as preparing his dreadful artillery against hira, to sraite hira even with a raortal wound: so far .will he be from admitting hira inlo his kingdoin, that^ as it is there added, ifhe turn not he will wet his sword; he has bent his bow and made it ready; he has also prepared for him the instruments of death. And in another place, he de scribes the dreadful consequence of that preparation in most lively terms : If I wel hsy glittering sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me : I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and m}' sword shall devour flesh from the beginning of revenges on the enemy; i. e. as soon as 1 begin this awful work. And elsewhere he compares the destruction wiiich he will bring upon sinners at last, to that which he executed on Sodom and Gomorrah, when he scattered fire and brimstone oti their habitations, and reduced their pleasant country to a burning lake : Upon the wicked be will rain Fi'om the Immutable Constitution ofGod. 47 V snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest : this will be the portion of their cup ; and oh, how unlike the state and abode of those who are the happy subjects of his king dom. None of the prophets speak in milder and more gentle lan guage to returning penitents than Isaiah; yet he declares, there is no peace, saith ray God, to the wicked. Yea, be does as it were, call in the concurrence of all who feared God, and who loved their country, to echo back and inforce the admonition : say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with him ; but on the other hand, woe to the wicked, it shall be ill with him ; for the reward of his hands shall be given him. K The enumeration would be endless; and it would require more than the time of a whole discourse, only to read over without any comment or remark, one half of the passages which might properly be introduced on this occasion, I will therefore only raention two raore, which though sorae of you may hear with indifference, I confess I cannot read without a very sensible inward commotion. The one is that passage in the Mosaic law, where God directs his servants to say, If there be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood, or any unregenerate soul, who -when he hears the words of this curse, shall bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace though 1 walk in the imagi nation of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst, and run into one debauchery and sin after another : The Lord will not spare him, but the anger ofthe Lord, and his jealousy shall smoke and be inflamed against that man ; and the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant, that are written in the book of the law. There is a terrible emphasis of which we cannot but take notice here: God declares, that if.among all the thousands of Israel, there was but one such presuraptuous sinner, that thus flattered hiraself in the way of hisown heart, he would make a terrible example of hira, and separate that one man to evil, out of thousands and ten thou sands ofhis faithful and obedient servants. Hb4 472 ¦The Necessity of Regeneration argued, This therefore is a passage full of apparent terror: theotheir is indeed a language of mercy ; but it contains a most awful insinuation, which appears, as good Archbishop Tillotson expresses it, " like a razor set in oil, which wounds with so " much the keener edge.'' As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye frpm your evil ways ; for why will ye die, O house of Israel ? thereby plainly intimating, that notwithstanding all that gentleness pf the divine nature, which he expresses in a most tender invi- tatipn which he cpnfirras even with the soleranity of an oath ; yet, if sinners did not turn frora their evil ways, there was no reraedy, but they must die for it. And how. Sirs, will any of you that continue in an unre- gerate state, arm yourselves against these terrors ? Is it by say ing, " that these are the thunders of Mount Sinai ; that these " are denunciations of the Old Testament; whereas the new " speaks in milder language ?" You may easily know the contrary ; and to this purpose [ am further to shew you, 2. That this declaration -was renewed by the preaching .of Christ. It is true indeed, that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ : yet all the grace and gentleness of that administration he brought did not contradict those awful threatenings; nay it obliged him to set them in a stronger light.— He presently repeats to Nicoderaus what he had just before asserted in the text, and declares, Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water, and of the spirit,' he cannot enter the kingdoin of God ; i. e. " As he raust be baptized with water, " in order tp a regular entrance into the society of ray people, " so he must also be sanctified and transformed by the cleanr " sing and renewing influences of the spirit, signified by the " water there used, or he can have no part in the blessings " which my gospel brings."— And that this must produce an universal change in the life as well as in the heart, and a faithful subjection to the will of God, without which no profesr sion will stand a raan in any stead,' our Lord soleranly declares in the conclusion ofhis incomparable discourse on ^the Mount: From the Immutable Constitution of God. 473 " Not every one that saith unto rae. Lord, Lord, shall enter / into the kingdom of Heaven ; but he that doth the will of my Father who is in Heaven : many will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in "thy name cast out devils, and in thy name done many won derful works ? and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you ; depart from me ye that work iniquity." And shall you Sirs, merely for having a name and place in his house, escape; when those that have preached his gospel, and wrought mira- ; cles in confirmation of it, when those that personally conversed with Christ, arid those that rainistered unto him shall perish, if destitute of a holy temper of heart, and of its solid fruit in their lives ?-7TH,as not our Lord expressly said, that he will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity ; and will castthem ina furnace of fire; there shall be wailingand gnash ing of teeth .? — Nay, in his infinite corapassion he has given to sin ners, as itwere a copy of the sentence that will another day be pro- nouncedupon thera ; that they raay meditate upon it, and review it, and judge whether they can bear the terror of its execution : hear it attentively, and then say whether unregenerate sinners shall enter into his kingdom. The dreadful doom is this; De part from me, ye fcursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. And what now will you say to this? can any soul of you imagine,' that the Lord Jesus Christ did not know what would pass in this day in which he is appointed to preside ? or that knowing it, and knowing it would be something different frora this, he would, on any cori- ^jderation whatsoever, make a false representation, and lay so much stress upon it ? yet one or other of these things you must secretly iinagine ; or must own, that every unregenerate sinner, and you araong the rest, raust not only be excluded frora his presence, but be conderaned to suffer all the fury ofhis wrath, in company with devils and damned spirits, in final darkness and everlasting burnings. It only remains that I shew you, 3. That the same testimony was renewed by the apostles, under the influence of the holy spirit. You know that they were authorized by their Great Master tp declare, in an authentic manner, the constitution of this 474 The Necessity of Regeneration argued, kingdom ; and that he who despises them, despises- Christ, Now I would fain persuade you all, to consider this argument as it lies in Scripture ; to read over the epistolary parts of the New Testament in this view, to observe what encouragement they any of thera give to an unregenerate sinner, to expect any part of the kingdom of Heaven. In the mean time, permit me to present you with a few texts, as a specimen of the rest. The apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, does indeed speak" of God's justifying the ungodly ; but lest any should vainly imagine that he encourages the hope of those that continue so, he expressly tells us, in the very same epistle, that the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of raen ; and that ere long this wrath shall be executed, even in the day of the raore am ple revelation of the righteous judgraent of God ; who will render to every man according to his deeds : — .To them that ,do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, (which is the character of every unregenerate sinner) indignation and wrath ; tribulation and anguish upon every soul of raan that doth evil, of the Jew first, as having had the most signal ad vantages, though advantages inferior to yours, and also of the Gentile. And farther he assures us, that to be carnally minded is death ; and that the carnal mind, which universally prevails in men, till by regenerating grace they are made spiritual, is enmity against God, and is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. — In another epistle he mentions it as a first principle, in which, it might rationally be supposed, no christian was uninstructed ; know ye not, says he, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? And else where he declares, that all external raodes of religion, sepa rate frora that entire change of soul which I have described, are worthless arid vain : in Christ Jesus, says he, or to those that desire any part in hira and his kingdom, neither circum cision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new crea ture. — He likewise tells us to this purpose in another place, that his grace, which has appeared unto all men, teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righ- From the Immutable Constitution of God. 475 teOusly, and godly in this present world ; and yet, after all, to acknowledge, that it is not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy he saves us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he has shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ Our Saviour. And without holiness, which is the effect of these sacred operations upon the soul, he expressly tells us in another place, that no man shall see the Lord. — And to alledge but one more passage from him ,• as it is evident, that all unre generate sinners, and only they, are ignorant, of God, and disobedient to the gospel ; he solemnly assures us, that instead of receiving such at last into this kingdom, the Lord Jesus shall be revealed frora Heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the pre sence of the Lord, and frora the glory of his power. — ^This is the testimony of the apostle Paul in his own emphatical words, zealous as he was for the doctrine of free grace, which such declarations as these do not in the least degree contradict. Let us now hear his brethren, the other apostles of the Lord. — James urges sinners, if they ever desire to draw nigh to God, and to have him draw nigh to them, to cleanse their hands, and purify their hearts. And yet more expressly he says, when he speaks of those who should receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him ; Of his own will begat he us with theword of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures. The apostle Peter describes christians, as those whose souls were purified in obeying the truth through the spirit, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible; and as those, who were made partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. — Again, John the beloved disciple tells us, that every one that doth righte ousness is born of God ; but he that committeth sin is of the devil: and that every one that has a well-grounded hope of being like Christ, and seeing hira as he is, when he appears, purines himself even as he is pure. — And once more, the apos- 476 The Necessity of Regeneration argued^ tie Jude, as he describes those who are sensual, and haVe not the spirit, as men, that, if they were saved at all, must be plucked out ofthe fire ; so he echoes back that awful prophecy which Enoch had so long since delivered, that the Lord will come with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all that are ungodly of all those ungodly deeds and words, by which they have violated his law. This then appears, from the whole tenor of the scriptures, to. be the positive and imrautable constitution of the great God, " that none who are unregenerate shall be admitted to " enjoy the happiness of Heaven/' And from the view that -we have taken of the sacred writings jt is manifest, that this, in every age, has been the language of the word of God ; and under every dispensation we have sufficient evidence of this iraportant truth. This is the doctrine of the Old Testaraent; and many are the passages that I have offered from the law of Moses, and frora the Prophets, and the Psalms, that shew it is impossible an unrenewed soul should enter into Heaven. And the same also is asserted in the strongest terras in the New Testament; and when Christ carae to set the gospel ofthe kingdom in a clearer light, the purport of the declaration that he raakes to Nicoderaus in the text, was frequently repeated by him in the course of his preaching, and represented as the rule he would regard at the last day. And the inspired apostles speak the sarae thing with an united voice, and testify at large in their epistles, that it is absolutely necessary we should be born again, if ever we would hope to see the kingdora of God. So that now. Sirs, I may say. Call, if there be any that will answer; and to which ofthe saints will j'ou turn, to en courage your vain and presuraptuous hope, of finding your lot among Gqn's people in the kingdom of glory, if you are strangers to that iraportant and universal change, which we before described as regeneration in the Scripture sense of the word .' The Prophets under the Old Testament, and Christ and his apostles under the New, concur, in all the variety of the most awful language, to expose so presumptuous a hope. And is it not audacious madness in any, to venture their souls upon il? Thus ^^ou would undoubtedly judge of any man, who From the Immutable Constitution ofGod. 477 should strike a dagger into his breast, or discharge;5 which they once saw hini, and which they knoWjhq. stjU inva,ria-., bly possesses, is surely an .everlasting yexation to them :- <^nd,it would be so to you, if you were within the sight of it. But furjlher, the blessed in heaven^ find^th.ejr everlasting enter tainment *' in the service of God." "They rest, not day apd night, saying, H0I3', holy, holy Lord Gob Almighty; i e! they are continually employed, either in the immediate acts of devotion, or in other services, in which they still maintain u de votional temper, and are breathing out their souls in holy affec tions, while their active powers are employed iii the execution ofhis commands. But as I have already shewn yoy^^ that vvhjle in an unregenerate state you could have no sense .df his favour to you ; it is very apparent, that you could have no sentiments of gratitude and love towards him. ^So that while angels arid glo rified saints were breathing out iheir. soulsj in thejnpst delight ful an^ rapturous praises, you must keep a sullep kind of si lence: or, if it were possible that your, harps and vpices should sound as melodiously as theirs, it would be all. ceremony and shew; the music of the heart would be .wanting; and yPU \ypi;ld look on all the external forms ^f seryice but as a tedious task, and count it your misfortune,, thatthe c^stona,s,of the place obliged you to attend them. You may the more easily apprehend and believe this, when you consider what, little relish you now have for those solera nitjesipf Divine worship, jn. which sincere chris- / tians Ijave the most lively foretastes of Heaven. Ypu know, in your own conscJences, that short and interrupted as our public services are, they are the burden of your lives. ; You know that you say, in your hearts at least, " When wjll the sabbath be past, aud the new moon be gone ?" Judge then how insupportable jt would be to you, to spend an everlasting sabbath thus. ^ I ques tion r^ot, but to your wretched spirits annihilatipn wouldappear vastly preferable to an eternal existence so employed.^ 3, Another very considerable branch of the happiness of Hea ven, is that which arises " from the sight of the glory ofan ex alted Redeemer ;" but foi- this hkewisie no unconverted sjauer c^n have any relish. This is a view of the future happiness, which our Lord gives iiSj when he prays for his people in those memorable words, Ii3 486 The Incapacity of the Unregenerate for engraven, as I hope, upon raany of our hearts ; " Father, I will that they whom thou hast given rae, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given rae." And he elsewhere promises it, as the great reward he would be stow upon his people; "If any man serve me, let him follow me ; and where I ara, there also shall my servant be." And agreeable to this, the apostle Paul represents it as the trans porting view in which he considered the happiness of the fu ture world ; I desire, says he, to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far' better; iricomparably beyond any of the enjoyments ofthe present world which can corae into compe tition 'with it. — But for this part ofthe happiness of angels, and ofthe spirits of just men raade perfect, it is also evident, that you, sinners, can have no relish, The sight of Christ will aflbrd holy souls a transporting delight, because they will regard it as the glory of their Re deemer and their friend, and as a pledge and security of their own glory. But what foundation can you, sinners, find for such a joyful syrapathy with Christ, and such a comfortable conclusion with regard to yourselves ? Such is the wretched degeneracy pf your nature, that though Christ be indeed " the chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely, being the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person," possessed of every divine perfection and excel- > lence ; yet you now slight and neglect hira, and discern in him no form nor comeliness, for which he is to be desired : and were you unregenerate in Heaven, the same principle would prevail. Now where there is no love to a person, there can be no delight in his converse, nor any pleasure in his happiness. Nay, the contrariety of your nature to his would rather occasion aversion and terr-or. You could not but know, that the blessed Jesus is holy and undefiled, and separate from sinners; that he abhors all moral evil to such a degree, that he laid aside all the glory and entertainments of Heaven, that he might destroy the interest of sin in this worid of ours, and might purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works ; and when you should recollect at the same time that sinfulness that con tinued to reigo in your hearts, and made you to every good The Enjoyments of the Heavenly World. 487 work reprobate, you could not but know that you must be hateful to him ; and therefore could not but fear, lest his almighty power should be exercised for your punishment and destruction : and thus your terror must rise, in prpportion to the sensible evidence you had pf his dignitj' and authority. In a word, you would stand like guilty rebels in the presence-chamber pf their injured'and displeased Sovereign : his.throne and his scep tre, his robe and his crown, his courtiers and his guards, though in theraselves splendid and raagnificent objects, only serve to terrify and amaze thera, while they. display the grandeur and power of their enemy. 4. Another very considerable branch of the celestial happi ness will be " the society of angels and glorified saints ;" but for this likewise an unregenerate sinner must be unfit. You know, that when the apostle speaks of our alliance to the heavenly world, he represents it as a social state ; where excellent spirits dwell together, and converse with each other with mutual esteem and endearment : " ye are come, (says he,) to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in Heaven, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." If is sitting down with Abi-aham> Isaac, and Jacob, with all the patriarchs and prophets, all the apostles and martyrs in the kingdom of Heaven : and perhaps you think you shall want nothing more to complete your happiness, than to be admitted to a place araong them. But reflect a little more attentively upon the circumstances of things, and I am per suaded you will form a different judgment. There is no reason to doubt, but at your first entrance in the regions of glory you would be agreeably struck with the view of those inhabitants. As for those beauties of their character, which consist in love to G.od, and in zeal for his honour and interest, it is certain, that you would be insensible of them, and pay but little regard to thera ; but the humanity and benevo lence of their temper would no doubt, render them agreeable to you ; and so much the more, as self-love raight lead you to expect some personal advantage by it. And it is more than possible, that you would be much prejudiced in their fa^ I i 4 4S8 The Incapacity if the Unregenerate for vour by those respJeridept -snd attractive forras in whiph they appear; forras, no;;^ doubt., far more beautiful and engaging than any which the children -of meneVer saw upon earths Qn both these. ;>ccounts it lap^^t bet riatural enough for you> atr.ffitst to address them with, an air of-respect> as persons that you could be glad to be upon good terms iwith'^ed in whose ftjend- ship you could desire to share. oJ sra:':^ bi(io-« v(^-i noqo But hpw dp you think itbat ai>y:such:'proppsal of friendship would be received by an angel, or a glorified saint? No doubt, if tjiere wej-e any prospect of convej-tui^ you,, or any hope^OU might be brought to a devout and holy temper, they wtinild jiil'' mediately becorae preachers of righteousness to you; imd env deavQur by the raost rational, the most pathetic, and the tistost insjnuating address, to awaken and alarm yon to a sense of religioii, and so tp forra you to a capacity for bappiqessv-^/ But they -would know, that according to tlie eternal constitution pf God, thefe cpuld be np roora toentettain such an hop-e; but that being . fjlthy, you raust be filthy still : arid therefore, as they would know you to be incorrigible, their loye tO' Goitj and their concern to be approved and accepted by him, i would prevent their fprming any intimate ¦ friendship with: persons ¦whose natures were so contrary to him, and on whoi-n he look ed with s.ucb irreconcileable abhorrence. Aud besides this, their own personal sanctity of character would give ¦th.em ,aa aversion to such corrupt and degenerate creatures : so that Iroy much soever tbey raight pity yoirr condition, they would turn away from you, as objects, whp§e presence and converse wer« not to be endured. 'tru'im 9ii. lo ^aok-i^'-T '^t '\'r'»- 'a-i'»oni And do you not easily apprehend, that such' a refusal, pn.' their part vvould be both shameful and very provoking to ypu if For which way cpuld ypu bear it, tp be thus rejected tind dis honoured by the most excellent < part of the creation ; by thpsei whom perhaps you once intimately knew, and with whom youi conversed upon equal terras ; nay, by raany who were once much' your jnferiqrs,, and \yhoin, ; perhaps, in the pride of your hearts,) you ^yould not condescend, to regard ? The natural effect of thik: huist surely be, that you would ^oonbe prpporuonably displeased gad enraged with the refusal, as you were at first -charmed at; The Enjoyments oftkxig^'m^^IV'oridr ^ their appearance; afid wheri ydh sa«r tMt>ri^iSs^8i{ay, so jntent js this Sacred Agent on the important work, that when sinners most insolently and ungratefully reject him, and by resisting hira oppdse their own happiness, he does not imme diately leave them; he strikes them again and again; and waits upon them for succeeding days, and months, and years : and when, perhaps, the sincere convert makes the most ungrateful return for the experience of his goodness, even after he has acknowledged, and at length obeyed it; when under the fatal transport of some ungoverned passion, and the influence of some strong temptation, he acts as if he were intent upon tearing down the work ofthe spirit of God upon his soul, and driving him for ever away ; yet in how many instances does he return again after all these injuries, pleading the cause of God with a sweetly prevailing eloquence, and thus healing the wound, and repaiiing the breach, and ra aking it perhaps stronger than before ? And all this, for what ? That the happy subject of all these kind operadons may be formed to the fitness for the king dora of Heaven. — And are we to regard this blessed spirit as an unmeaning agent, or as incapable of judging of the importance 506 Ofthe Importance of entering of this end for which he acts? Is that almighty energy ofhis employed in an insignificant manner? Surely Nicodemus, slow of understanding as he was, must apprehendjthe impor tance of entering into the kingdom of Heaven, when he heard, that in order to be admitted to it, a raan raust be borri of the Spirit. And let me add once more, 5. That the excellency of the heavenly kingdom may further be argued " from the eagerness with which the enemy of souls " is indeavouring to prevent our entrance into it.". You know the ddvil is always represented as the inveterate dnerny of our happiness. His rage is expressed by that of a i-paring lion, that w'alks about seeking whom he raay devour; and with unwearied diligence he" is continually eraployed in forming and pursuing his temptations : And this is the grand" design of all, that hfe may exclude us frPra the promisdd felicity. While sinners are in their unregenerate state, he endeavours td engage all their regards to the objects of tirae and sense; and for that purpose he' continually presents thera with a variety df eritdrtainraents and amusement suited to their respective tem pers arid' dircuiristances. If they are awakened tP any serious concern about'their eternal salvation, he uses his utraost address to divert their rainds from an attendance td it : arid for this pur pose he displays before them all the allurements of sin in its most engaging forms ; and if they are not captivafetJ with these, he o fieri puts on a face of terror, and endeavours to affright' them frora religiPn by the raost glooray representations of it, or by horrible and distracting suggestions, "that itis now for' " ever too late to attain it." Or if divine grace surmount all' this opposition, and the sinner resolutely chusds his portion in heaven, and puts his soul into the hands of Christ to be con ducted, to it; the malice of Satan pursues him even to that sacred retreat, which he has sought in the arras of his Saviour: and if he cannot prevent the soul from entering'' into Heaven,' he will at least labour to bring it into such a state of negligence, and to seduce it into those delays and relapses which raay divert its regards to that blessed world, which may cloud its evidences of it, and may at least, as rauch as possible, diminish the degree of its glory there. Into the Kingdom of Heaven. 507 Now permit me,, in this, instance, to turn the. artillery of this cunning enemy against himself, andito argue the excellency of this kingdom, from the zeal and attachment with which he endeavours to obstruct your attaining it. Though Satan be now a very degenerate creature, he was once an angel of light, and still retains much of the knowledge, though he has lost the rectitude and integrity ofthe angelic nature. And he particu larly knows what Heaven is, because he was once an inhabitant there; and while he is endeavouring to persuade the sinner to prefer earth before it, he does, by that very endeavour, incon- festably prove, that he himself knows the contrary, and is fully apprized that there is nothing here to be compared with the felicity of the future state. And therefore, while he seeks the' destruction of the soul, he can leave it in the enjoyment of all jts worldly prosperity; nay, he will attempt to lead him into methods, by which this prosperity may be promoted and in creased. And thus. Sirs, I have endeavoured a little to represent to you, what this kingdom of Heaven is, from which we are as sured that unconverted sinners shall for ever be excluded. I have argued its excellency — from the representations which are made of it in the word of God- — from its being the prepa ration df Divine love — from its being the purchase of a Re deemer's blood — and fhe end to which, on the one hand, the glorious operations of the blessed Spirit lead — and of which, on the other hand, all the stratagems and assaults of the prince of darkness are intended to deprive us. If therefore, there be truth in Scripture, if there be wisdora in Heaven, or policy in Hell, it must surely be infinitely iraportant. And will any of you be such mean-spirited creatures, as, when this happiness is proposed-'to you, basel^^ to relinquish the pursuit of it, and to sacrifice this blessed hope to any perishing trifle of raortal lite? Surely it would be madness; though nothing more were to be apprehended than the loss of it; and though, when Heaven were lost, all that earth can give should remain, if not ' to counterbalance the loss, yet at least to make you less sensible' of it. But the weight of the argument will much raore evi dently appear, if you consider. 408 Of the Importunce of entering [2.] What will at last become of all those who are excluded frora this heavenly kingdora. And here I beseech you to ask your own consciences, whether they be not inwardly persuaded, — that those who are excluded frora Heaven, will reraain in a state of existence, in which they will be ever sensible of their loss,— and will be delivered over by Divine vengeance into that seat of torraent, which God has prepared for the punishment of bis implacable and incor rigible enemies. — ^This many of you do undoubtedly believe of such persons in general : believe it therefore of yourselves, if you are, and continue, in an unregenerate state. ]. "You will still continue in a slate of existence, in which " you will be ever sensible of your loss." It might afford sorae wretched kind of consoladon to 5'ou, if, as soon as you died out of this world, your being, or your apprehensive powers were immediately to cease. Then the loss of Heaven would only be an affliction to you in your dying moments, wben you saw the enjoyments of Heaven were come to an end, and that you must have no part in any future happiness. But alas, Sirs, you cannot but know that when your bodies are dead, and consumed in their graves, your thinking faculties will sdll be continued to you : and oh, that you would seriously reflect, how they will then be employed ! You will then be thinking what you have done in life, what you have chose for your happiness, and what has been the consequence of that choice. You will look round in vain for such accoraraodations and pleasures, as you were once most fpnd of: but they will be no more ; and when you perceive them vanished, like the visionary amuseraents of a dream, you will lift up your astonished eyes towards the regions of glory. And you indeed will have a lively view of thera : but to what purpose will that view serve ? Only through the righteous ven geance of God, to aggravate your misery and despair. " Alas," will you think *¦' there are millions of creatures yonder in " Heaven, who are rejoicing tbe sight and favour of God, and " are as full of happiness as their natures can contain, and shall " be so fpr ever ; while I am cut off from all share in the Into the Kingdom of Heaven. 509 "¦ Divine bounty. Rivers of pleasure are flowing in upon " them, while not one drop is sent down to me; nor could I " obtain it, though I were to ask the favOur from the least of " Christ's servants there. I ara cast out as an accursed wretch, " with whom God and his holy and blessed creatures will have *' no farther intercourse, or communion : and why am I thus " cast out ? and why am I thus cast off frora God's favour, " and driven from his presence, while so many that dwelt .with " me on earth are admitted to it? My nature was originally as " capable of happiness as tU^rs ; and though it was sadly de- " generate, it might, like thehs, have been renewed. God was "' once offering me that grace, by which my disordered soul " might have been transformed, and I might have been fitted " for the regions of glory : but I despised all these offers, and " gave the prefeVence to those fading vanities, which, alas ! " have for ever forsaken me. And now they that were ready ?' are. gone in to the delightful banquet, and the door is shut ; " the everlasting gates are shut for ever, and barred against " me. And, here I must lie at this miserable distance, envying " and raging at their happiness, of which, whatever sight or " knowledge I may have of it, I must never, never, never *' partake." Such reflections as these. Sirs, will cut deep into your souls ; and accordingly our Lord declares to impenitent sinners in his own days, There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see others' sitting down in the kingdora of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And if you would reflect, you raight easily apprehend this. How would you be enraged at your selves, if by your folly you had neglected securing a plendful estate, when it was offered to you on the most ea'sy terms ; and you actually saw others, once your equals, and perhaps your inferiors, in the possession of it, in consequence of having taken those methods which you stupidly neglected ? The re flection, I doubt not, would very much impair the pleasure you might find in other comfort is ascribed to his influence : and if the improvement of the sciences, and any other discovery, which renders human life in any degree more coramodious and agreeable, is to be ascrib ed to the Divine illuraination and influence, then surely it is from hence this art of living wisely and well must also be de rived. All the views upon whicb good resolutions are fovmed, all the strong irapressions upon the mind arising from these views, and all the steadiness and determination of spirit, which does not only forra such purposes, but carries them into exe cution are plainly the effect of the Divine agency on the mind ; without which no secular affairs could be clearly understood, strenuously pursued, or successfully accomplished. And how peculiarly reasonable it is, to apply this remark to the point now in view, will appear by attending, [2.] To " the greatness and excellency of this change," which speaks it aloud to be the Divine work. Td produce Regeneration in the Soul. 519 I musti upon this occasiori, desire you to recollect what I laid before you in several of the former discourses. Think of the new light that breaks in upon the understanding— of the new ¦affections that are enkindled in the heart — of the new resPlu- tioris, by which the will is sweetly and powerfully, thorigh most freely influenced ; and think of fhe degree of vigour attending these resolutions, and introducing a series of -new-labours and pursuits; and surely you must confess, that'il is the finger of God; especially when yon consider-^hoW beautiful and excellent, as well as how great the work is. Do we acknowledge, that it was the voice of God that fir^t commanded tbe light to shine out of darkness; and that it waS worthy of a Divine agency to produce so bearitiful a creature as the sun, to gild the' vvhole -face of our world, and to dress tbe different objects around us in such a various and vivid as semblage of colours? And shall We not allow it to be much- more wm-thy of higi, to hghten up a benighted soul, and td reduce its chaos into harmony and order ? — Was it wo/thy of God to form' the firsfc principles even of the Vegetative life, in' the lowest plant or herb, arid to visit, with the refi'dfehing influ ences of the rain and sun, the earth wherein thesd seeds are sown ? And is it not much more worthy of him to implant the seed of the divine life, and^ to- nourish it frora tirae to time by the influence of his Spirit ? — Did it suit the Divine wisdom and mercy to provide for sustaining our mortal lives, for heal ing our wounds, and recovering us frora our diseases ? And shall it not much raore suit hira, td act as the great physicia-n of souls, in restoring them to ease, to health and vigour ? They must be dead indeed to all sense of spiritual excellency, who do not see how much raore illustriously God appears, when considered as the author of grace, than riierely as the author of nature. For indeed all the works of nature, and all the instances of Divine interposition td maintain its order and harmony, will chiefly appear valuable and important, when considered in subserviency t6 the gracious design of recovering, apostate man from the ruin of that degenerate state, without which it had been far better for him never to. have kiiOTvn being, and never to haVe inhabited a world- so- hberally^ fur- L-U' 520 Of the ^eCe^sity of Divine Influences nished with a yariety of good. And, therefore, I wonld appeal to every Christian, whether he does not find a much more ar dent gratitude glowing in his heart, when he considers God as the author of the religious and diVine, than merely of the ani mal or the rational life. And permit me here tp remark, thaty agreeably to these rea-* sonings, some of the pagan philosophers have said very serious and remarkable things concerning the reality and the need of divine influences on the miud, for the production of virtiie and piety there. Thus Seneca, when he is speaking of a resem blance to the Deity in character, ascribe* it lo the influence of God upon the mind: "Are you surprised," says he, "that *' man should approach to the gods ? It isGoD that comesto raen; " nay, which is yet more, he enters into them ; for no mind be^ " comes virtuous but by his assistance*." Simplicius also was sp sensible ofthe necessity of such an influence, thathe "praysto " God, as,^he father andguide of reason, so to co-operate withus, " as to purge us from all carnal and brutish affections, that we " may be enabled to act according to the dictates of reason, and " to attain to the true knowledge of himself-f-." And Maiimus Tyrius argues, agreeably to what was said above, that " if skill " in the professions and sciences is insinuated into raen's minds " by a Divine influence, we can much less imagine, that a *' thing so much more excellent, as virtue is, can be the work " of any mortal art ; for strange must be the notion that we " have of God, to think thathe is liberal and free in matters " of less moment, and sparing in the greatest^." And in the * Miraris hotninem ad Decs ire? Deus ad homines venit, im6, (quod proprius estr) in homines venit: nulla sine Deo mens bona est. He had said but just before, Ascendentibus manum porrigUQt. Senec. Epistol. Lxxjii. -}- ly.ilivu at, AEffTrola, o Vsttlrtf nxi fiytnuv T8 ev ))(ai» Xoya,— -o-u/*»faif«i es avloMt^ois ¦nfji.tv -BJf ©¦ te xaSago-jy T»)v atio ru (Tu/Mil®' Ktx rait ocXofm maBuv, M. Simplic. in Epictet. ad fin. J E/Ia !)!!(»« ^Ev vfvi Sfia rivi tirim^ix \}/u^«ij mO^umvats avxxgimirBai, ra. 5« riHuy cTrmiuli^ov rw a^ikii t§?ot tiyxi te%*>)s 5/»)1))S' :j croJiAa «| the work often drops short; and it may be the plainest addresses from a WPak and alraost tremb ling tongue, shall perform that whiclMhe far superior talents of many have riot been able tp effect; A multitude of such in^ stances have been fbund, and perhaps seldpm in these latter ages more observable than in the compass of our own ob servation. Now whenever this work is riccpmplished bV the preaching pf the gospel in a Christian country^ there is -generally some circuriistance that shews it is a Divine, arid nPt a human work. It is not the novelty of the doctrine which strikes; for all the main truths, on whidh the conviction and impression turns, have been known even from early infancy. No miracles awaken the attention, no new discoveries astonish the mind ; but what has a thousand times been heard, and as often neglected, breaks in upon the mind with an almost irresistible, energy, -and strikes it as if it never had been heard of before. They seem, as it were, when the Lord turneth again their captivity, to awaken out of a dream, and wonder at the accident that has awakened them. The ministry of the word may seem but feeble, when compared to such an event: and yet sometimes even less so leran methods than that shall be effectual. One single text of Scripture accidentally occuring to the sight or thought, one serious hint dropped in conversation, shall strike the^ raind, and pierce it through with an energy that plainly shews: that from whatever feeble hand it might seera to cortie, it was shot out of the quiver of God, and intended by hira that made the heart to reach it : since there is almost as much disproportion between the cause and the effect, as between Moses lifting up big rod, and the dividing of the water of the sea before Israel. In many instances, remarkable providences, which one would bave thought should have struck the soul as it were to the centre, have produced no effect ; and yet a word, or a thought, ha« accomplished it: and after the whirlwind, the earthquake, and the fire have made their successive efforts in vain, it has ap peared that the Lord has been in the still small voice. On the whole, a variety of circurastances may illustrate the matter in different degrees ; but, taking it in a general view, the remark To produce Regeneration in ihe' Soul. 5%5 appem-s to be well-founded, " that the weakness of the means ''by whichthe saving change is- wrought, argues plainly that " die h-dnd of God is in it;"' as when anointing the eyes with spittie gave sight to the blind, it was evidently the exertion of a miraculous power .--But now, agreeably to what has been advanced under these -'several heads, I shallproceed to shew at large. [5.] "That the Scripture teaches us to ascribe this great " change pn the mindrto a Divine agency and operation," And here you will see, that 4t does riot irierely drop here and there an expression which is capable df suoh an interpretation, but that the whole tenor pf the word of God leads to such a conclusion; and surely, if we own the word to be divine, we need no mpre convincing argument of the truth of this remark. The orily diflSculty I shall here find, will be Uke that which occurred under the former head, and proceeds frora the variety and multiplicity of texts which offer themselves to me while reflecting on this subject : however, I' vvill endeavour to rank them in the plainest arid- best order I can, under the following particulars.— We find God sometimes promises to produce such a change in men's minds ;-^and at other times he speaks of it as his own wpriv, when it has been already produced : — the Scripture represents e yen the increase of piety in a regenerate heart, as the effect of a Divine power ; and how much more must the first iraplariiting of it be so ? — nay, it goes yet further than this, and expresses the necessity, as well as the reality, of a Divine influence on the raind to make it truly religious, and resolves' the want of true religion into this, that God with- Jiolds his influence. — If therefore any one, and much more if all these particulars cap be raade out, I think it mu^t force a conviction on ypur judgments at least, that what we are en deavouring to confirm in this discpurse is the dpctrine pf Scrip-; ture. " 1. There are various places in Scripture, wherein "Gon f promises to produce such a change in men's minds as we f* have before described ;" which plainly shews tl^at it is to tie acknowledged as his work. 526 Ofthe Necessity of Divine Influences Thus Moses says to Israel, without all doubt by the Divine dii^etion. The Lord thy God will circuracise thy heart, and the' heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,* and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. And this circum cision of the heart miist surely be the removal of some insen sibility and pollution adhering to it, and bringing it to a more orderly, regular, obedient state : which, as it is sometimes made matter of exhortation, and thus indeed proves that there is a view in which it may be considered as a duty incumbent upon us, as when Moses said, circumcise the fore-skin of your heart; and Jeremiah, in imitation of him, circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the fore-skin of your heart ; so here it is put in the form of a promise, to signify that wherever if was done. It was in consequence of God's preventing and assist ing grace, — on the sarae principle, the Father prpnhises to Christ, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power r and if any pretend that these wm^ds may possibly admit of ari- otber version, though I know none more jrist than this, there are many other parallel places which are not attended with any ambiguity at all. Sucb, in particular, is that graci-Pus promise (which, though il was immediately made to the house of Israel, is nevertheless quoted by the Apostles as expressive of God's gospel covenant with all believers); After thdse days,- saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and I will be tbeir God, and they sh'all be my people: or, as it is elsewhere expressed by the same prophet Jeremiah, I -will give them one heart and one way,- that they may fear me for ever ; and I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.-^And Ezekiel echoes back the same language by the same spirit; I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you ; and I will take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh ; that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my oi-dinances> and do them ; which is afterwards repeated again almost in the same words ; A new heart also will I give you, and a riew spirit will I put within you ; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh ; and I will put my spirit within you, and cause To produce Regeneration in the Soul S27 yoil to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgtnents, and do them. Now such a transformation of the heart and spirit as may be represented by a thorough renovation, or by changing stone into flesh, speaks the doctrine I am assertino- in as plain terms as we could contrive or express, and beauti-. hilly points out at once the greatness and excellency of the change, and the Alraighty Power by which it is effected ; for we may assure ourselves God would never proraise such influences,. if he did not really mean to impart them. But again, Q. Agreeably to the tenor of these promises, the " Scripture 'f also ascribes this work to a Divine agency, when it is ef- ff fected." Thus tbe aposde Jphn, when he is speaking of thoseuwho, on receiving Christ, become the sons of God, declares con cerning theni that they were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, noi- of the will of man, bnt of God ; plain ly intimating that it was to him, and not only or chiefly to themselves or others, that this happy change was to be as cribed ; which is well explained by those words of St. James, in which he says, of his own will begat he us with the word of -truth, that we should be^ a kind of first-fruits of bis crea tures. Accordingly our Lord, as you have heard at large, insists upon it as absolutely necessary to a man's entering into ^he kingdom of "God, not only that he should be born again, but more particularly that he should be born of the spirit, i. e. by the sanctifying influence of the spirit of God operating npon his soul, to purify and cleanse it. And as this great work of regeneration chiefly consists in being brought to faith and repentance, you may observe, that each of these are spoken of as a Divine production in the mind, or as the gift of God to it. Thus the believing Jews, with one consent, expressed theiir ponviction when they heard the story of Cornelius, and declare, then has God al^o to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. And so- the apostle Paul expresses it, when speaking of the possibility that some might be recovered out of the snare of the Devil, he s^ys. If God perajdventure will give them re pentance to the acknowledging of tbe truth. That very atten- ^n to the gospel,, which is tbe first step tovyards the production SSlS Of the Necessity of Divine Influences of' faith in the soul, is resolved into this, when it is said, that the Lord opened Lydia's heart, that she attended to the things which were spoken by Paul. And with regard to the progress of it, it is not only said in general, you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins ; but faith expressly de clared to be the gift of God ; and the apostle says to the Philippians, that it was given to them to believe; nay, it is represented as a most glorious and illustrious effort of Divine power, and ascribed to the exceeding greatness of his power towards them that believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Chkist when he raised him from the dead. And in this view it is, that this change is called a new creation ; plainly implying, as a celebrated writer well expresses it, " that something must here be done ^^ in us, and for us, which cannot be done by us." Wherefore it is said, tbat the new man is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him ; and we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works : not to insist upon the great variety of parallel passages in which the same thoughts are expressed almost in the very sarae words. But he indeed who would reckon up all the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testament, which directly or indirectly refers to this, must transcribe a larger part of both than would be convenient to read at one time in a worshipping assembly. But we may further, by a very strong consequence, infer the doctrine I am now maintaining from those various passages pf the sacred writers, in which, S. '' The increase of piety in an heart already regenerated, " is spoken of as tbe work of God." Thus David, even when he felt himself disposed to the most •vigorous prosecution of religion, solemnly declares his depend ance upon continued Divine influences, to enable him to exe cute tbe holy purpose he was then most affectionately forming : I win run the way of thy comraandments, says he, when thou shalt enlarge ray heart, or when thou shalt influence it with a steady principle of zeal, and with those devout passions which make every branch of ray duty easy and dehghtful. ^Apd the feposile Paul- declares his persuasion that God would continu* To produce Regeneration in the Souh' 529 . those gracious influences which he had already impc^iied : He that has begun a good work in you, -will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.. And when he speaks of the ardent desire with which Christians were aspiring towards a better world, he adds. He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing, is God. Thus also he ascribes his continued fidelity in the ministry to the grace of God that was with him, as being one that had obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful : and by the grace of God, says he, I am what I am ; and if I have laboured more abundantly than others., it is not I, but the grace of God which was with me : on the sarae principle he acknow ledges, that the success of Apollos in watering, as well as his own in planting, was to be referred to this, that God gaye the increase in the one case as well as the other. And he concludes his epistle to the Hebrews with this remarkable prayer-: The God of peace make you perfect in every good work to dp.his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ. But indeed, as every prayer that the Apostles offer for any of their Christian brethren and friends, that they may grow -in grace, might be urged for the illustra tion of this- headj I choose rather to refer the rest to your own observation on this general hint, than to enter into a more particular enumeration. I shall only add, to complete the argument, ¦ 4. That the Scripture ofteos declares " the necessity as well " as the reality of such influences, and refers the ruin of man " to this -circumstance, that God in his righteous judgment had " with-held« or withdrawn them." When Moses would upbraid the obstinacy of the Israelites, that all the profusion of wonders wrought for them, in Egypt, and in the wilderness, had not -produced any suitable impres sions; so much was he accustomed to think of every thing good, in the moral, as well as in the natural world, as the gift of God, that he uses this remarkable expression : Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to heai*, untp this day. — And our Lord, the propriety of whose expressions surely none can arraign, speaks to the same pur pose, when adoring- the Divine condnct wilh. respect to the Vol. III. M ra S^O Of the Necessity of Divine Influences. dispensation of saving light and gospel blessings, he says, I thank thee, O Faiher, Lord of Heaven and Earth, that thou hast hid these things from tli^ wise and prudent, and hast re vealed them unto babes : even so. Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. If some of the plainest and lowest of the people, who were in comparison to others but as little children, under stood ahd. received the Gospel, while the learned raen and politicians of the age despised it, God revealed it to the for mer, while he suffered the veil of prejudice to remain on the mind of the latter, though his Almighty hand could easily have remo.ved it.T— Thpse other words of our Lord must net be omitted here, in, which he says. No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him : and what this drawing of the FafrheE means, he himself has explained by saying) No man can come unto; me, except it be given him of my Father ; andi elsewhere he. expresses it by learning of tbe Fattier ; all which must undoubtedly signify a Divine agency and influenGe on the mind. — Nay, a more forcible expression. than this is made use of by the Evangelist,, where he takes notice of the unbelief of those that saw the miracles of Christ,. therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said, he has blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts : which is agreeable to that expression, of the apostle Paul, he has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth : a thought, which the Apostle pursues at large through the fol lowing verses. These, to be sure, are vei-y emphatical Scriptures: and though it is necessary to understand them in , such a qualified sense as to make them consistent with, other Scriptures which charge men's destruction, not on any necessitating decree of God, but upoa themselves, and the abuse- of their own faculties ; yet still these expressions must stand for something ; and in themost moderate sense that, can be put upon. them,, they directly con firm what I have here brought them to prove. So that on the whole, the matter must come to this, " That the cause of men's " final and everlasting ruin may be referred, in one view of it, " to God's with-holding those gracious influences, which, if " they had beea ' imparted, , would indeed hav£ subdued the To produce Rigi:nefaiiM'in the Soul. i'g 1 " greatest perversehes^ : but his vi'ith-hdldirig these influehcida " is not merely an arbitrary act, but the jrist punishmerit df " irien's A^vickedness, arid of their obstiriatd folly in trifling " with the ni^ans of his gVacfe, and grieving his Spirit till it " \VEis provoked to withdra#." This thoright, -which' I iriight largely prpye to you td be' a cdnipendium of the Scripture- scheirie, I'eConciles all ; arid aliy consequences dra;wn' frdm one p'art of tbat scheme to the denial of tbe othef, how plau- ^ble sd^veir, must certainly be false. I hope v^h'at I have here said may be sufficient to fix a ddn- victidn in ydur judgriients and consciences, " that regeneration ^' is ultimately to be referred to' a Divine influence upbn tbe " soul;" or as the aposde expresses it in the text, th^t God ^aves us ofhis mercy', bythe Washirig of regeneration, and re newirig of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through J'esiJs CHRisf our Saviour. I shall conclude with two dr three reflections, which though go exceeding obvious, I shall touch upon> in regard ta their ^rdat iiriportancd, t^ithdut offerings ds I niight,- to dilate ori eac of them at large. [1.] Let thole who have exiperienced this Divirie change m riieif souls give Gob the glory of it. Perhaps there are many of ydri xfhb'riia}' sfee peculiar re'asbn fd do It ; perhaps yori may be conscious, to yourselves, that the arm ofthe Lord was remarkably revealed in conquering every- serisible opposition, arid getting itself the victory, even when ypri sedflied as' if you had been resolutely bent upon your own diSstrriction, td struggle td the utnipst against the operation of his grace on your soul. Others may perhaps have peVceived the strSrigth of the Divirie agency in the shghtnesS of the occa sion, ot' 111 the weakness of the mearis by which he wrought; which ihdead is pfteh matter of astonishment to fhose that seri- crasly rgflect upon it. But whatever your inclinations liifay have ^appeared, and whatever means or iristruments' wei-e used, give God the glory df all. If ydu have found yorirselv'es, from your early years, i-riclinfed to attend to divine things, and susceptible of tender impressions froiri- them, that attention and those -impressions .\tere to be re- M m3 532 Of the^Necessity of Divine Influences solved into this, that God preseaitedyou with the blessings of his goodness.-, If you have enjoyed the most excellent public OFdlnanees, even with all the concurrent advantages that the most pressing exhortations, and themost edifying example of parents, ministers, and companions could give,, it was Divine providence that furnished you = with those advantages, and Divine grace that added efficacy to them> else they had only served to .display their own weakness, even where they might htive appeared most powerful, and to illustrate- that insensi bility or obstinacy of heart which would have rendered you proof against all. You do well indeed to honour those whom God has blessed as the means of your spiritual edification r' hut if they think aright, it would grieve them to the very Iieart to have those applauses given, and those ackndw'ledgments made to them which are due to God alone. All they havef done is so little that it deserves not the mention ; aud the greater attainments they have made in religion, tbe more cordially; will they join with the holy appstle in saying)! " Neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth thedncrease." - "^ :i v£3.] We may further infer, that they who attempt the con- : version of sinners, should do it with an humble depeiidd.nceDa the co-operation of Divine grace. Otherwise they will probably find theraselves fatally disap pointed ; and after their raost skilful or most laborious attempts, , they will coraplain that they haVe laboured ip vain, and spent their strength for nought :¦ and find reason to say, Thebellows are burnt, and. the lead is consumed of the fire, yet the drofes is not taken away. A. dependance upon God, in all: the com- mpn affairs of life) becomes us, as we are creatures-; and it is most necessary that we should, in all our ways, acknowledge him as we e-^ect or desire that he should direct or prosper our paths: but the greater the undertaking is, the moi-e solemn should the acknowledgment of God be. Let me therefore especially recommend this to those who are Coming forth as young officers in the army of Christ. See to it, my brethren, that in the name of your Gqd you set up your hanriers ; that you apply froHi time to time to your public work To produce Regeneration in the Soid. 533 with a deep conviction upon your minds, that no strength of reason will eflfectually convince, that no eloquence will effectut ally persuade, unless he that made men's hearts will plead his own cause, and bowthose hearts in humble subjection. With these views I haye often known the feeblest attempts successful, and the meek and lowly have, out of weakness, been made stroiig ; while, for want of this, all the charms of composition and delivery have been, at best, but like the lovely song ofone that has a pleasant voice, or the art of one that can play well bn an instrument. It is those that honour God by the most cordial dependance upon him that he delights to honour; and T will presume to say,vthat it is the inward conviction of this im portant truth, which I feel upon my soul while I am confirming it in you, that encourages me to hope, that this labour shall not. be in vain in the Lord, but that aDivine blessing shall evidently attend what has already been -delivered and what shall further be spoke. Only let me conclude my present Discourse with thia one necessary caution, ||S.] That you do not abuse this doctrine ofthe necessity of Diyine influences, which, from the word of God, has been so abundantly confirmed. ' . God does indeed act upon us, in order to produce this happy change ; but he acts upon us in a manner suitable to our rational nature, and not as if we were mere machinesj He saves us, as the Scripture expr^es it, by awaking us to save ourselves : a new heart does he give us, and a new spirit does he put vvithin us, to stir us up to be solicitous to make ourselves a new heart and anew spirit: he circumcises our heart to love hira, by en gaging us td take away the foreskin of our hearts. You see the correspondency of the phrases, and it is of great iraportance that you attend to it. — If any therefore say, " 1 will sit still, and " attempt nothing for my own recovery^ till God irresistibly " compels me to it ;" he seems as like to perish, as that man would be, who, seeing the house in flames about' hira, should not attempt to make his escape, till he felt himself moved by a miracle. Sirs, the dependance ofthe creature on God, though it be especially, yet itis not only, iri spiritual affairs : it runs through all our interests and coriceras. We ais really deperid uppn his influence to atretch out our hands^ as we du to raisg 534 Ofthe Necessity ofDi-vi^e Influences pur hearts toyvard him in prayer. Your fields . could no more produce their fruit without his agency, than his Wprd could withput it, be,cgj^e_ frui,t£>jl in your hearts : yet you plow and ' sow ; and would look uppn him as a madman, that upon this principle should decline il, urging, ,thiat no crop could be exr pected if G,od did not pj-oduqe it : apd |that if be pleased to pror duce it, it would come up without any human labour. The ar- gume^gt igjugt th.e same in tha^ case, ^s vvhen men plead fc^ the neglect of means or endeavours, from the reality and necessity pfa diyine concurrence. And if they apply this argument to the concerns of their souls, vyhen they do not apply it to those pf their bodies, it plainly shew?, that they regard thei"" bpdie? more than their souls; and that^ iii pretending to in^k^ thes.e ^xcyses, theybelie their cpnscience, and act against t^^e secfe^ conviction of their o-wn heart. Such persous (Jo ppt dejse.rve to be disputed yvith, but rather should be solernnly a4'^onished of the danger of ^uch egregious trifling, where eterj^ity is at stake. And sure I am, that it is offering a greajt a^ront to" the memory of the blessed Paul, when pi^n pretend tp encourage themselves in this peryerse temper from any thing he Ijas said. For whea he gives us, as it yvere, the substance of all I have been saying in those coroprejiensjve wo.rd§, " It is Gpp that wprljeth in y®"* both to -will and to do^ of his goo4 pleasure ;" he is $o far from, mentioning jt as any exeusp for remissness and sloth, tha,t he introduces it pr.pfessjedly in the very cpiitlfery view, as engaging ns tp exert ourselves with the utmost vigour ih a dependance upon that pi vine operatipn. And therefore, a§ be there expresses it^ I s^y with him, Work out your owp salvadpn with fe^r and trerabling ; and if you will npt dp it, you have reaspp to tremble in: the prospect of a final condemnation frpm iGpp, aggrava ted- by your having thus irrationally and ungratefully abusedj the revelation pf his grace. -435 SERMON XXVIlL 6fthe VARIOUS METHODS ofthe DIVINE OPERATION in thi PRODUCTION of tils SAVING C0ANGE ^ I Cob, xii. 6. I • There are diversities of operations, but it is the same Qody wMeh worketh all in all. '>¦¦.. VV HATEVER the original sense of these words was, apd hew peculiarly soever they may relate to the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, the whole tenor of the Discourse now intended ivill shew, with how much propriety they may, at least, be ac commodated to the operations of his gracp,;, I have proved tp you in the last of these Lectures, that wherever regeneration is pi-oduced, it is ultiraately to be ascribed to a Divine agency ; and though I cannot say it is equally iraportant, yet I appre hend it may be both agreeable and useful to propeed, Fifthly , To survey the variety df thpse metheds, which Gop is pleaded to take in producing this happy change : or, to borrow tlie language of the text, to consider the diversity of operations, by which the same GoD^who worketh all in all, (i. e. who pro duces all the virtues and graces ofthe Christian character, in some degree, in all his people) is pleased, according to his own wise and gracious purposes, to proceed in his agency on these whom he regenerates and saves. And this survey will not be matter of mere curipsity, but may prebably revive the hearts of some amongst you by the recol-. Mm4 536 Various Methods of the Divine Operation lection of you own experience: aind it tnay be a caution to others, who, for want of due compass and extent of thought and knowledge, are ready to argue, as jf Gop had but one way to v/ork on tlie- huirian. heart, y and that one the particular man ner by which he recovered them. Ofthislshall speak more largely hereafter. In the mean time, I judged it necessary to premise this hint, to. direct us as to the temper with which this discourse should be heard, as well as to the purpose to which itis^t^ beimprpyed. ¦ -,j .- . , ,.-!¦•, - Now what I have tcoffer on this .subject will be ranged under these three heads. There is a diversity and variety observable —in the time— the oecasion-^and the manner, of the Divine operatipns on the soul, I, There is an observalile variety, " as to the time of God's .'l^gi^acipus operations on different persons.'^ .'r. ' ^ ¦¦, . >'., . Sorae are called .in their- infancy :-?others, and these per haps the greatest part, are wrPught upon in youth : — and some very few in the advance, and even in the decline of life; ¦¦ ¦ f ¦ . AH' ' ' :, •¦ ' '.¦' .' , "1 . 'Some are •w'rought upon by Divine Grace " in their in- ^' fancy."- . . , . This- is often the case ; and I doubt not, but if parents were 'to do their duty, it- Would rauch more frequently be so. And it is an honour which God is pleased, in some instances, re- ¦ markably to -confer' on a good education; which is indeed so impbrtant a d rity on one side, and so great a privilege on the other, that it is the less to be wondered at, that he so mercifully encourages Christian parents in the discharge of it ; thus grant ing, as it were, an immediate reward for this labour ofTove. • And I must here take the freedom, on my own observation, to say, that God seems especially to own the faithful endeavours of pious' mothers' in this respect. He has wisely and graciously -given that sex a peculiar tenderness of address, and an easy and' insinuating manner, which is admirably adapted to this great end, for which, no doubt, he especially intended it, that of conveying knowledge to children, and making tender im- In the Production of this saving Change, 537 pressions on their minds : and there is hardly any view in which the impprtance of the sex moje evidently appears. ' We have endouragtement to believe, there are a considerable number who are, as it were, sanctified from the womb, and in vihoxQ. the seeds of Divine Grace are sown, before they grow up to a capacity of understanding the public preaching of the Word ; a remark, which Mr. Baxter carries so far as to say, " that he believes, if the duties of religious education were " conscientiously discharged, preaching would not be God'-s > '^•iordinary method of converting souls; but the greater part " would be wrought upon before they'wete capable of entering " into the design of a sermon." And indeed it seems to me^ that children may early come to have some apprehensions of what is most important in religion. They may have a reve- I'ence for God, and a love for hira, as that great Father who made them, and that kind Friend who gives them everything that they have : they may have a fear of doing any thing that would displease hjm : and though it is not so easy for them to understand the doctrines peculiar to a Redeemer, yet when they h'ear of Christ, as the Son of God, who came down from Heaven to teach men and children the way thither: who loved them, and did them good every day, and at last died to deliver them frooi death and hell; their little. hearts may well be im- ]p'ressed with such thoughts as these, and they may find a grow ing desire to be instructed in what Christ is, and what he taught and did, and to do what shall appear to be bis will. Arid wherever this is the pl-evaiUng disposition, it seems to me that the seeds of holiness are- sown in that soul, thdrigh-buf small proficiency may be made in knowledge)'and though the capacities for service may be very low. ¦' ' '¦' 1 will add, that sorae remarkably pertinent and solid things, which little children have said concerning religion, seem tp me plainly to evidence, that they have been, in many instances, under some uncoraraon teachings of the Divine spirit : and it seems perfectly suitable to the genius of Christianity, that. in this sense God should ordain strength out of the raou{,h of babes and sucklings, and should revealto them what he has sufiered -to be hidden from the -wise and prudent. Nor can I suppose 55S Various Methods of the Divine. Operation it Jiard for any, who haye been for a considerable time acquaint ed with the state of religion in Christian societies, to recollect various instances, in whicli persons thus early taught of God, who have heard, and known, and loved the Scriptures, and delighted in ordinances and serious discourse from their child hood, have been, in some measure, like Samuel, Obadiah, Jere miah., Josiah, and Timothy, honoured with eminent usefulness in the church, and have happily filled some of its most im portant stations of service. Almost every age has afforded instances of this; and I am persuaded, many are now growing up amongst us, who will be instances of it in ages yet to come. 2. Others, and these perhaps the greatest part of real Chris tians, are wrought upon " in their youthful days." Many parents are very deficient in a due care to cultivate the infant minds of their little ones ; or the feeble and general impressions then made, are, perhaps, worn out and lost, in the growing vanities of childhood and youth. They begin to b^ drawn away by evil inclinations and examples, and by the delur sions of a flattering world, which then puts on its most attrac tive charmsy to gain upon their unexperienced minds : and hereupon they follow after vanity, and becorae vain : ofthe rock which begat them, they grow unmindful, and forget the Go^ that formed them. But by one method or another, God oftej^i stops tbem in this dangerous career ; and awakening ordinance^j or more awakening providences, bring them to a stand, %nd turn them the contrary way. The terrors of the Lord spt themselves in airay against them ; or his mercy melts their goul, and they yield themselves its willing captives. They con- seci-ate their hearts, warm as tbey are with youthful vigour, to be the sacrifices of Divine love, and enter, it may be, very early into the bonds of God's covenant ; and so prove such a seed to serve him, as is accounted to the Lord for a mos^ honourable and useful generation. Blessed be Gp», I speak to many who know this by experience ! By far the greater part of those who have been admitted to your coraraunion, since I settled araong you, have been, as I apprehend, under the j^gp of twenty-four years : and several of those, who were fartljips In the Production qf this saving Change, ssg advanced in Ijfe when tbey first approached the table of the JjORD, h9,d been brcught to real religion in their much earlier years ; thougji particular circumstances, or some mistaken ap prehensions, might prevent their giving up their names pub licly to the Lord, so soon as they might, and as they ought to have done it. 3. Some few are wrp;ught uppn by Divine grace " in the ." advance, and even in the decline of life." I confess that the number pf these is comparatively small: and it is not to be wondered at, that it is so. There are not many whp arrive to what can properly be called old age ; and of them but a very inconsiderable part are then brought to any thing which Ipoks like a saving change. Nor shall we be much surprized at this, if we consider the inveterate nature of had habits, which render it almost as hard for them that are accustomed to do evil, to learn to do good, as it is for the Ethiopian to change his skin, or the leopard his spots. To such 9, degree are prejudices rivetted in the mind, so insensible is it rendered of tender and generous irapressions, so cold are the affe.Gtipns, and the mempry (if the phrase may be allowed) .so rigid, that humanly speaking, there is much less probability of their being impressed with religion, than there was when they were in the bloom of life ; notwithstanding all the seem ing advantiage? which might .arise from riper reason, deeper e^pierience, and a nearer prospect of eternity. In all these things, it is in vain to reason against observation of fact, since we evidently see how uncommon a thing it is, for persons tp be awakened and reformed in old age ; especially if they have been educated in the principles of rehgien, and have made a florid pi-ofe?,sion of it in their youth, frora which they have afterwaids apostatized, out of a love to the wealth or honours ofthe world, or ft relish for sicnsual dehghts. Such persons generally liye and iie monuments of Divine wrath, bearing, as it vvere, in characters, dreadfully legible,, the sad inscription pf those, " who, haying forsaken God, are finally forsaken of " him." They appear as dry trees, twice dead, and fit for nothing but to, be plucked up by the roots,, and cast intp the 540 Various Methods of the Divine Operation Nevertheless, to prove the infinite energy and sovereignty of Divine grace, God is sometimes pleased to work even on such. He touches the rock which has stood for ages unmoved, and the waters flow forth : he says to the dry bones, live, and they. obey ; they are clothed with beauty, they are animated with life, and stand up as with the vigour of a renewed youth, to pursue the labours of religion,, and to fight the battles of the Lord. Such instances, in wbich aged sinners have been thus wrought upon, I have read and heard ; though (I grieve to say it), I can recollect very few, if any, that have occurred to me within tbe sphere of my own personal observation and ac-' quaintance. ' But besides this variety in the time, there is also, II. An observable diversity, " in the occasion, which Divine " Grace takes to operate upon different persons." The occasions are indeed so various, that it would be impos sible to enumerate them : I shall, however, just touch on seme of the chief. And here I might particularly consider a religious education in this view, and that daily converse with pious friends, which ; js of course connected with it. But though perhaps there may be no occasion more considerable in itself, and none that has been more eminently honoured of God ; yet it is proper to wave it here, as having been mentioned under the former head, as well as much more largely illustrated in my serraons on that subject, which are in raost of your houses, and which, I hope,. you will often review, t I proceed, therefore, farther to observe, — that some are wrought upon by the word of God ; — others by some remark able providences ; — some by little incidents, which, inconsider able as they seera in themselves, grow,,memorable by the noble effects they are made to produce ; — and others by secret and iraraediate impressions of Gon upon their spirits, which can not be resolved into any external cause, or any visible occasion at all. 1. " The administration of Divine ordinances, and espe- " cially the word of God and prayer," is an occasion, which In the Prodi^ction qf this saving Change. 541 he most frequeritly takes, to work upon men's hearts by his grace. ^ " I do not mention the administration of the sacraments upon this occasion ; because, though they have so noble and effectual a^ tendency tP irri prove men's minds in piety, and to promote Christian edification; yet I do not remember to have heard of any instance, in which they have been the means of men's conversion ; which is the less to be wondered at, as they are appointed for a very different end. There are many, however, that have been wrought upon in prayer, as there are many things concur in this to awaken and impress the mind. The soleran acknowledgments then made of the Divine perfections, the praises offered to his tremendous Majesty, the deep and humble confession of -our various and aggravatedi guilt in his holy presence, the lamentations over it, the importunate pleadings for a variety of blessings, both for time -and eternity ; in a word, all the overflowings of pious affecjtions in the breast of him that leads the devodan, ^nd especially the earnest intreaties then offered for unconverted sinners, the genuine e.^ipressions of an undissembled apprehen- »ipn. pf their danger, and the fervent breathings after Divine grace, to be communicated to them for their spiritual life : all these things, I say, and many more, which occur in prayer, when it is; managed aright, may, by the Divine blessing, be singularly usefut. And I am well assured, there have, been happy instances, in which, while God's people have yet been speakirig to him on this head, he has graciously heard, and signally answered them. But -the reading-, and especially the preaching of the word, is the grand occasion and instrument in the conversion of souls. Ofhis own will h£ begets them with the word of truth : and jt is admirably suited to those saving impressipns which it is intended to make on the heart, being quick and powerful, and ' shafsper than any two-edged sword. It was while Paul was preaching, that the Lord opened Lydia's heart, so that she, attended to the things which were spoken by him : and it was while'Peter was thus employed, that such vast multitudes were pridked in their hearts, and said to him, and to the rest of the 54S VariOtts Methods qf the Divine Operation apostles (iresent, Men ind br^threh, what shall we do? Arid'I am well persuaded, that, various and laraentable as the instan ces ard, in which raen stop their ears, and harden their hesfrts against it, God doeS not even to this day leave it without witness ; but the terrors of the Lord, as displayed by his faithful rainisters, have subdued their thouiiands, and the riches of his grace their ten thousarids, when illustrated by those Who have not only heard, but have fhemselyes tasted of their sweet ness. The preaching of the cross may indeed^ to them that perish be foolishness ; but blessed be his name that died upon it, there is still a happy reranant, to whom it appears to be the power of God, and the wisdom of GdD. Evangelical sub jects, when opened with perspicuity, and erifbrcdd with vigour and tenderness, by those that have experienced the trarisfPrra- ing energy of thera on their own hearts, arid desire, above all things, to" be vvise to win the souls of others, are generallj^ the" occasion Pf producing the most iramediate, arid the most ira- portaflt change ; as' I doubt not, but mariy ndw present hav6 seen and felt. And the observation of every year of life cOn- -vinces me more and more, that they who desire to be signally instrumental' in this good work, this work, of all' others, the most benevolent and importarif, rarist, in the account of a vain world, become fools, that they may be Wise. How ddriteriiptu- ously soever it may be fashionable to ti'eat such preaching', we must make thgse subjects familiar to our hearers, arid niust treat them wilh all jilkinneSs of speech, and all seriouSneks of address, or we shall generally labour in vain, arid*^ spe'rifl our strength for nought. Would to God, that the teachers of our Israel may consider the iraportianc'e of it, and grovt' \iisthy such experiraents as these! that they may act the part of prudent physicians, who prescribe the medicines they "find in' fact most "iiSeful, and those concerning which the finest speculations ihay Be framed. Till then, Whatever their learning, pohteneSs, and parade may be, it cannot be expected that our health should be generally recovered; but' We are like to continue, what we have long been, -a vicious people, anlidst the flnest ericomiuras of virtue, that are any where to be found : nor will thfere be much rdom td -fonder, if soiile of its most eloquent adyocates In the Production of this saving Change. 543 should appear,.,even in their own practice, insensible of those which they so gracefully recommend to others, and sink in their character below those heathen moralists, whom they may chuse to imitate, rather than Christ and his apostles. Never theless I am persuaded, that if God intend mercy for us as a people, he will support among us a succession of those who shall dispense his ordinances in such a manner, as he has generally chosen to honour with success. But though the greater part of sincere converts are reduced by these, I am to add, 2. That " remarkable providences, whether merciful or af- " flictive," are occasions which God takes to work upon the hearts of many others. When ordinances have long been attended in vain, God perhaps interposes, by other raore peculiar and signal methods, to pluck the trifling and lethargic sinner as a fire-brand out of the burning. Sometimes remarkable mercies and deliverances accomplish the work. An appearance of God in their favour,. when they are conscious to themselves that they are the unwprthiest of ali his creatures, shall shame and melt thera, and powerfully pre vail on their minds to turn unto the Lord ; who daily loads them with his benefits, and thus seems, in more senses than one, to send from Heaven to save them, and to draw them out of many waters, in which they had otherwise been lost. But we more frequently see, that afflictions are the means of performing this happy work. By a gracious severity God is pleased to lay hold on many, and to give them reason to bless the hand, which, though by a rough motion, delivers them from the flames that were kindling around them, and shews the Lord to be merciful to them. Like Jonah in the ship, they are awakened by a storm, to call upon their Gotj : like ltanasseh> they are taken among the thornS> and laid in fetters, that they may be brought to know the Lord : like thejailor, they are shaken with an earthquake, and trembling and aston ished they fall down, and enquire what they shall (Jo to be saved ? The terrifying fear of the approach of death, or the' distressing weight of some calamity, which threatens every 544 Various Methods of the Divine Operation moment to swallow them up in destruction, rouzes their con sciences to an attention to those divine truths which they had long forgotten, and open those records of guilt which they bad studiously sealed up. And there seems to be no affliction by which God more fre quently works upon men thaa by sickness. When he weakens their capacity for the business of life, and spoils their relish for its enjoyments ; when he confines them to their chambers, or even to their beds, and makes their chain strait and heavy ; when he threatens to take them away in the midst of their days, to deprive them of the residue of their years, and immediately to bring them before that awful tribunal, for which tbey know, in their own consciences^ they are so ill provided: then do we often see the accomplishment of that observation which Elihu made so many ages ago ; He chasteneth a man with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain, so that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat ; his flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen ; and his bones, tbat were not seen, stick out; yea, his soul draweth near to the grave, and his life to the destroyers : but sending him an interpreter, one araong a thousand, to shew unto man his up rightness, then he is gracious to him, and saith, in a spiritual as well as a literal sense. Deliver hira from going to the pit, I have found a ransom. Blessed be God, instances of this kind have been known, and known among us, in which the sick ness of the body has wrought the cure of the soul, under the conduct of the great Physician of both; and so has proved eminently to the glory of God, and the good of those who, for a while, have been in heaviness. Yet it must be acknowledged, that, in other instances, the remorse which a man expresses upon a sick bed, and in the near views of eternity, proves but like that of some condemned malefactor, who, when he has obtained a pardon, throws off all those appearances of repentance with which he had once deceived hiraself, and perhaps deceived others too, and plunges himself anew into capital crimes ? it may be, into crimes for which he afterwards suffers death, without those compunctions af conscience wbich he before felt, being hardened by a return In the Production of this saving Change. 645 into sin, attended with such dreadful aggravations. — Thisi^^sis been the case, of many ; and I pray God it may not be thus with any of you. But if there be any among you that were once under powerful awakenings; any that have cried outof terrors on every side; that have, confessed your sins, it may be, with greater freedom, and a more particular detail of cir cumstances, than the minister who attended ypu could have desired, and have resolved against tbem with all the appear ances of the most determinate purpose; and yet, after all, have returned with the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire : such have pecuhar reason to be alarmed and terrified. Every day of Divine patience toward such is astonishing. And if to all this have been added the returns of danger, and signal interpositions of Providence for your deliverance, and yet there be no kindly irapressions of penitence arid gratitude on your heartsi, they who know the particulars of the case, must surely look upon you with horror as vi'ell as with wonder : for what can one iraagine of such, but that they are given over by God to a darkness, which nothing but the flaraes of hell can enlighten, ;and a hardness, which nothing can penetrate but ¦the sharpness of unquenchable fire$ and the gnawings pf the never-dying worra? But to return from a digressipn, into which compassiori to- ¦Vyards such a deplorable case has insensibly led rae, I would farther observe, that as these various interpositions "of a re markable providence are often the means of working saving iiri- pressions on men's rainds, so, 3. Gob is sometimes pleased to over-rule " little and incon- " siderable incidents in life," as the occasion of accomplishing this happy change. As the treasure of the gospel was at first put into earthen vessels, that the excjellency-;of the power might appear to be pf Gpd, and not of man; so God, to make his own praise glori ous, is sometimes pleased to produce the most important effects, by causes which seera iri themselves least considerable. And it is astonishing to see from how small and seeraingly unproraising a seed this plant of Paradise springs up, and with how little cul tivation too in some instances, after Paul had long attempted Vol. III. N n " S46 Vtii0us MethMsoft^Ce Diifinh^peration ia*vs»iri tpsplaiit, and lApbllPfe'to'water.'-iAi'ew lines inthe Bible, or any other good book, perhaps taken up by chance, < shall be theiriSfr^ment { Eindia passagi^,' on whi(^h the eye glances with out expectation or designj shall strifce^td the heart, like an arrow frpm the bdW'df GOD himseff, after quivers of the most pointed aud pdlished'shafts haye bderi Exhausted in vain, though such shafts were most 'Skilfully . aimed, and most vigorously dis charged. In Other histattces>, a Woid dropped in conversa tion, and that perhaps no way remarkable either for its spirit or propriety, shall do that which the mostsolemn ordinances bave not beeri capable of doing; -an important enconragepient/jby the way, to abound in religious discourse, which God has some times been pleased to honour as the happy means of saving a soul from death, ^and laying a •foundation for the delights of an everlasting friendship watb; thpse , who have been so reco vered. ' ' " ii.- ¦ T-i''- Ofi i 4.' Sometimes this »' great work is accomplished "by secret, " AWd immediate impressions from iGqo upon the mind," without any visible means, instruments; oroccasions at all. These things do not frequeiitly happen ; nor does it seem fit they should, lest any should be encouraged to expect thera in the neglect of the appointed- raeans. Nevertheless, it. is plain,, in fact, that God is sometimes pleased toigo outof the cpm- monway; and his mighty hand is to be acknowledged in it; The reasons are known' to himself; and the praise is humbly to be ascribed to him, who giveth not an account of any ofhis matters, - " It is not, to be srire, so common now as it was in the days of Elihu, that God should speak to men in a dream, or seal in structions to them in slumberings on their bed : yet I have myself known several who have ascribed their first religious awakenings to some awful dream, in which the solemnity ofthe judgment-day, or a view ofthe invisible world, has been repre sented to them with unspeakable terror; aud others to whom, when they have waked in the night, sorae words of Scripture bave occurred with such power, tbat they have not been able to divert their thoughts to any thing else ; and that, when they In the Bj'odtfctic^ 'qftim savijtg Changen ^ themselves have nQtijCfrtain%fkn§wn,i^^heii they wejie in die Bible ornot, ¦ u- ¦ -nt .- -rJ, -- ,./jj- ; ,,-' , ,^ ,, ,j I have known those that, in the circle of tlieir companions, and in the midst of thpir sensual delights, have been §truck to the very heart with some;,sHch spripture as this: .to-.,be carnally minded is death: or such atext as this has, onasadderiy. darted intotheir minds ; The wrath o^^God, is revealed from'?JIea*en against all ungodliness and.unrigh.teousijQ^spf men, .-'Such pas sages have seemed to ring and thunder ie^tthe't ears, till the sound' of their music, and the noise of. their .mirth have been quite overpowered> so that they have been driven from their revels to their knees, and have returned no more into the paths of the destroyer, , Yea, to- add no more instances of this kind, I haye known those of distinguished genius, polite manners, and great experi ence in human affairs, who, after having outgrown all the im pressions of a religious education ; after having been hardened, ratherthan subdued, by the most singularniercids, even various, repeated, and? astonishing deliverances,, which have appeared to themselves no less than miraculous; after having lived for years without God in the worldj notoriously ^ corrupt tbemselves and labouring to the utmost to>corrupt others ; Ijav© Iseen stop ped, on a sudden inthe full career of their sin,M and. have felt such rays of the Divine presenc^y and, of redeeming love, dart- inginupon their minds, almp^t liljelightningfi'oin -Heaven, ,ijs have at once rouzed, overpowered, and transformed them ; so that they have come out of tbeir secret chambers, with an irre concileable enmity to those vices,., to which, when they entered thera, they were the tamest and most abandpned slaves ;, and have appeared, . from that very hour, the votaries, the patrons, the chaiiipions of religion ; and after a course of the mpst reso lute attachmentto it, in spite of all the reasonings, or the raille ries, the importunities, or the reproaches of its enemies, they have continued to thisday some of its brightest ornaments : a change which I behold with equal wpnder and delight, and which, if a nation should join in deriding it, 1 would adore as the finger of God, In mentioning these things thus publicly, I do irideed take an iincommon freedom, which some may perhaps censure; but 548 'Various Methods qfthe Divine Operation so far as human testimony can give an assurance of truth, I may jusdy say that 1 speak what I know, and testily what, iri its genuine and powerful effects, I have myself seen. And since the possibility of abusing such condescensions of Divine mercy did npt prevent their being granted, I cannot think it ought to engage me to be silent, when so natural an opportunity offered of declaring them, to the glory of him who worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will. Yet I must repeat the caution which I before suggested, that it would be madriess for any to neglect God's appointed means of operatipn, on presumption that they shall be added to the small list of those who bave been such uncoraraon and astonishing trophies of the efficacy and sovereignty of Divine grace. These remarks must for the present sufiice, with regard to the -various occasions by which God works upon men's minds ; and I hope you will excuse me, if, in illustrating some of them, I have a little 'anticipated sorae things which might bave been mentioned under the third head, in which I proposed, III. To cPnsider sorae varieties observable in " the manner " in which Divine grace opeirates on the mind." And this variety, by the way, will be observable in many instances where the occasions are in general the same, Thu* among those that are awakened by the word Of God, or by hi» providence, — some are shaken by strong terrors; — some are melted down inlo deep sorrow ; others are astonished as it were, and captivated at once, by the discovery of the love of God in Christ ; and others are led on by such gentle and gradual impressions, that they can hardly recollect any remarkable circumstance at all relating to the manner in which this blessed work was begun, or conducted in their souls. 1, Some converts are " awakened by strong terrors," It is obvious, that conviction of sin, in sorae degree or ano- other, is absolutely necessary to raake way for the entrance of the Gospel into the soul. But the degrees are various in dif ferent persons ; and as for those of whora we ndw speak, God reproves them. aloud, and sets their sins in order before them, marshals them in dreadful array, as the expression imperts ; In the Production of this saving ChdH^e. 549 so that they seem like defenceless creatures surrounded with a whole host of enemies, whose weapons are raised for their destruction. Yea, God himself, the great, the terrible, the eternal, and omnipotent God, seems tp set them up as a mark for those arrows, the poison of which drinketh up their spirits; and, as he himself expresses it. He is unto them as a bear, or a Hon, ready to tear and rent the very caul of their heart. They cpme, as it were, to the trembling and terrifying mpuntain of Sinai, to blackness, and darkness, and tempests The convic- tipn of guilt is attended with such a sense of the demerit of sin, as fills them with horror ^nd astonishment, and engages them to wish in the bitterness of their souls, that they had never been born. They are left for a time, and tbat perhaps for weeks and months, to be, as it were, deafened with the loud thunders of the law : a dreadful sound, as Eliphaz expresses it, is in their ears, even the sentence of their own damnation ; and the awful curse of an alraighty sin-ayenging God coraes into their bowels like water, and like oil into their bones. They are filled with such deep remorse for their past sins, that they verily think no iniquity was ever like theirs, and that no punishment will be like theirs. They hardly see a glimmering of hope that they shall obtain deliverance, but expect, in a very litde while, to be sealed up under wrath, if they are not already so. When they hear the offers and the promises of the Gospel, they can apply none of them to themselves, and find comfort in none: 4but every threatening aud every, curse ofthe book of God seeras to have been written as their intended. portion ^ And thus, perhaps, they continue for weeks, or for months toge ther,, expecting every day and every night that destruction from God, which is now a terror to them, should uttei-ly swal low them up, jand leave them neither root nor branch, neithei: comfort nor hope. The law is a school-master to bi'ing them to Christ, and it scourges thera with raost rigorous discipline,: yea, the infernaljion roars over them, though he is not per mitted to devour them ; he particularly terrifies them when they think of approaching God, as if they were to meet with some peculiar danger there, where alone they can find their relief ; or, if they do in broken accents utter their prf^yer he- Nri3 550 Various Methods qf the Divine Operation fore God, it seems to be shut out, .and they are apprehensive that it is turned into sin. Yet there is one thing to be observ ed Jn the midst of this scene of horror, and it is a circumstance of great importance; "that they justify God when he seems " most inexorible, and subscribe to that sentence as righteous " which dopms them to eternal ruin," 2, Others are " melted into deep sorrows," ' Their eyes run down vvitb tears ; and they are ready to wish that their head were waters, and their eyes fountains, that they might continue to weep d9.y and night. They see the evil of sin, and the, misery to which it has reduced them, in a most deplorable view ; and it may be, while those described under the fornner head are ready to tremble because they cannot weep, because they cannot tremble. They lament, araong other things, the want of those strong .horr^qi-s which some have felt : they cry out, " Woe is me, for I am undone ; I bave f' destroyed myself, and in myself is not mv help found :" and it raay be, they are a con|id,era|)Ie., tinie before they can per suade,: themselYps, there j^j any help for them, even,, in .God. Thev know ibere is help in him through. Christ fpr penitent - ¦ - - -'- ¦---'- - '. - - ' --¦ ."*, " ¦'' ' '''..'-»l , -'ii' r i":"';: and believing sinnerp^: britj-V^^J ^^^PR^^ ^^^"J, "^ cpnvipoed that4bey believe, ^bjecpuse they dp, not feel .that confident truk which some ol.hers have much sooner been brought to: 'and they are afraid, lest whatever they experience, which looks .like repentance, shopld.Jbe only the false appearance of it, proceeding frora mere self-love and a natural, dread of future misery. They ..dwell perpetual|ly on the dark side of things; they readpver -the catalogue of their iniquities aga,ih,ana again, antj, attend to those: passages in which the Wj'ath of God Js revealed.fi;£nvHeaven,against every, kind arid degree of sin; while. . tbey , are slow of heart to .admit those reviving ,consd- l9^iQ^j,^)ii(jh,,thej va;ripus rich and precious pj'omises pf, the Gospelaresoadn^irably .well calculated tp ^d^niinister. . , The state, pf such;-, souls, .whefi they are first , savingly en- ligh^teped, Js like tbat.pf the earth, when fogg ,^nd^ misfs, have veiled, tli^jf^cepf.^he sun after it is risen. 3ut it very often happens, with respect to such souls, th|it w{hen.tliese mists are at length dispersed, a very bright and cheerful day opens ; In, the Production qf this saving Change. 55 1 ^^ '¦ " :nsi^^ iMOi'°'^i 0,, ' they are comforted by the warmer beams of the Sun of Righ teousness, according to the hpors irf \lhith they hlive^bfeeh be clouded, and are made gWd^ according to'the days in which they were afflicted : arid going On to fear the Lord,' and to obey the voice of his^^ervan^ though they haVelkiag 'Walked in darkness, and seen no light, they are -kt length encouraged by his spirit inforcing the exhoiftatipns of his word, to trust iri the name of the Lord^ ahd stay ihemselves upon their God. , ', ' - ' 3. Some are " captivated', ivith astonishing and delightful " views of the love of God ih Christ." There is always, as we bbserved before, in the awakeried soul some conviction of sin and apprehension pf danger; never theless, there are instances iri which God heals almost as sooh as he wounds, and speaks peace lalmdst as soon as bespeaks trouble. He graciously shortens, to some souls, the pangs of the new birth, and gives them beauty for aihes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment* of praise for the spirit of heaviriess. The news of salvation by the blood, and righteous ness, and grace of Christ, is redeived with so thankful a sense, with so joyful a compliance, that the soul, feeling- beyond all doubt the cordial sincerity with' which it embraces the offer, is filled with joy unspeakable, aind full of glory: the heart does magnify the Lord, and the spirit rejoices in God its Sa viour. This was remarkably the case of the jailor, who in the very night in which he was converted, that same night in 'whidh the foundation of his house had been shaken, and his^ own soul tod shaken, by an earthquake, sd that he had dnde'^vPured to lay viblent'hands. upon hiriiself: yet, I say, that ve^ night, before the day appeared^ having been directed to befibVe da the Lord Jesus CiiRisT, that he might bis iayed, and' been enabled, fcy'iDivine grace, to comply with the exhortaitidn^' it is added concerning him, that he rejoiced, believing in'Gdh with all/his hoOsel^-l — ^Thus too the TbesSaloriiatls,' thd'ri^ the^ re ceived the Wai'd ih much alHidtion,' dnd raft the, ffslc^'of* losing tlieir pdSsessibris arid their 'livds in a4Keriiiig"to"*it> ylet' reddi'ved it witlijoycjf thd' 'Holy Glhost^ And though Tcannpt fejiylthss 552 Various Methods of the Divine Operation is God's most ordinary way of-dealingj and though I fear the counterfeit appearance of such a work as this often leaves men in the number of those whom our Lord represents by stony hear ers; yetitis certain, some instances of this kind are still to be. found,. But theni must observe, this is a joy attended with tbe deepest humility, and animates the soul to the most ardent and affectionate resolution of walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing; being strengthened with all might, according, to his glorious power, unto all patience, and long-suffering with joyfulness, ; . ¦ 4. Others, and these perhaps the greatest part of such as are religiously educated, are " led on by such gentle and insen- " sible degrees, that they can hardly recollect any remarkable " circurastances that have attended their conversion, nor can ¦'' certainly fix on the particular time of it." God is soraetiraes, as in the, preceding instances, in the whirl wind, the earthquake, andthe fire; but he is also frequently in the still sraall voice. The operations of the Hply Spirit on the soul are often, and perhaps generally,' of such a nature, that it is difficult exactly to distinguish ihera from the rational exercise pf our own thoughts, because tbe Spirit operates by suggesting rational views of things, and awakening rational affections. For whatever some have, vainly and dangerously insipKiated, nothing is so rational as the sentiments and temper which prevail in renewed souls, and to which it is the ^vork of God's regenerating Spirit to bring tbem. j, . These operations, where there isj a religious education, often begin very eariy ; but then, in some degree, the, impressions wear off from the weak and flexible mind ;. and perhapSbthere are various instances in which tbey alternately revive and decay again. And this vicissitude, of affectionate applications tp. reli gion (under moving ordinances, afflictipns, or deliverances), and of back-sMdings and remiissness in it, may be permitted,, with respect to raany, to continue for a long time. At length, under the various methods of Providence and Grace, the soul arrive to greater steadiness, and a more habitual victory over the remainders of indwelling sin:: but it may be exceeding hard, aud perhaps absolutely impossible, to. determine cpncern- In the Production -of this saving Change. 553 Jng some remarkable scenes through which it has passed, whe ther such a one in particular, perhaps the last which strikes the memory, were the season of its new birth ; or whether it were merely a recovery from such a degree of negligence and remissness, as may possiWy be consistent with real religion, and be found in a regenerate soul. These balancings of back->sliding and recovery often occa sion very great perplexity ; and such sort of converts are fre quently much discouraged, becaitse they cannot give the his tory of their religious experiences in so clear and distinct a manner as others; and particularly, because they have not passed through such violent terrors and agitations of mind as many, who were perhaps once sunk into much deeper degene racy, have done. Nevertheless, where there is a consciousness of an undissembled love to God, an unreserved devotedness to his service, a cordial trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sincere affection to mankind in general, and especially to those of the houshold of faith, a man ought not to perplex himself on this account. For as every man knows he was born into the world, by a consciousness that he now lives and acts here, though it is impossible be should remember any thing of the time or circurastances in whieh he was first produced intp it s so may a Christian be assured, that some way or another he was born of the Spirit if he can trace its genuine fruits and efficacioris influences in a renewed heart and life. I have thus laid down several particulars, which appeared to me important, in order- to illustrate that diversity which is pbservable in the methods ofthe Divine operation on the heart : and they will naturally lead us to these three reflections, with which I shall conclude ray present discourse. — Let us not make our awn experiences a standard for others ;^-^nor the experiences of others a standard for ourselves ;— -nor let us be unwilling, in a prudent manner, to communicate Pur spiritual experiences to each other. [].] Let us not make our own experiences a standard for others. Let us remember that there is, as we have heard, a diversity of operations ; and that many a person may b« a dear child 554 Various Methods, of the Divine Operation of God, who was not born just with those circumstances whiph attended .our own regeneratiori... Others may not so parti)9ul|ijjy have discerned the time, tbe/.opcasion,' the progress of -.^ change : theyrmay not have felt all that we felt, eith^ in t.he Way of extraordinary terror or extraordinary jcomfprt; and yet, perhaps; may equal, or even exceed us in that; holy temper,^ to which it was the gre^ interidouidf our Heavenly Father> by one method or another, tovbring all hisehildren. Nay I will add, tbat Christians of a very amiable and hcmf^ij rable char?ic- ter may express themselves but in a dc^rk, and something of an improper manner, concerning the doctrine of regeneration, and may, in conscience, scruple the use of some phrases relat ing to it, whicb we judge to be exceeding suitable ; and yet, that very scruple which displeases us may proceed from a reve rence for God and truth, and from such a tenderness of heart as is the effect of bis renewing grace. We should therefore be very cautious how we judge each other, and take upon us to reject those whom perhaps God has receive^, I remember good Dr. Owen, whose candour was, in many respects, very reraarkable, carries this so far, as somewhere. to say, " that some may, perhaps, have experienced the saving " influences of the Holy Spirit on their hearts, who dp not in " words acknowledge tbe necessity, or eveu the reality of those '' influences." Judging men's hearts, and judging their states, is a work for which we are so ill qualified, that we bave reason to be exceeding thankful it is not assigned tO US. And wben we are entering into such an examination of their character, as our duty may iu some particular circumstances seem tp re quire, we should be very solicitous that we do not.,lay down arbitrary and precarious rules. It seems, inde^d^ ,th^t so far as we can learn it, we may more safely judge, J)y thejCjP.resent temper and conduct, than by the history of ^y tjiiflg which has formerly passed in their rnin.d^, ,, , r- ,. ;,v i. - ^ j-- ' And let me add it as a necessary cautiqn here, that they,^ho never felt.any -of the extraordinary enjptions.cjf t^^ mind, wHijdh have been described under some for,n?er,heads, J^ut b^ve^cen brought to religion. by le^s observable; ^i,e|:hpd^, ,pe^-haps^,jby calm rational views pf it : (of whpm I believe. ^therg.^ ^rf jSJ)^* In the Produttion' of this sa'&ihg Change. 655 numbers) shorild be very cautious that they do not rashly cen sure such things as I haye ridw been* representing, as if they werd mere enthusiasm, I cannot but tWnk this a criminal limiting the Holy One pf Israel, and fear it will be found a boldness highly displeasing tP him, and very injurioifs to the souls of those whP allow themselves in it, and of others too, if they be such as are eriiployed in the ministeriabwork i not now td insist on what, in comparison of this is but a small mat ter, the apparent rudeness arid petulancjr of contradicting facts BO well aftested as many of this kind have been, and running coutater to the solid effects which sudh impressions have pro duced. The rashness Which ' prey ails under different forms among men of'the most oppdsite sentiments is too' obvious ; but if we would give ourselves leave calmly to weigh and con sider mafters, our spirits would be rendered on all sides more moderate, arid many harsh- and hasty censures would be sus pended, whicn at present proveyery litde more than the igno rance, pride, and folly of thdse that pass them. [2.] Let us not make the experiences of JPthers a standard ' for ourselves. '""'"' This is frequeritly the case, and especially with those who are naturally of an bumble and tender temper/' for whose peace and comfort therefore One dannot but be peculiarly soli citous. Having heard of'sP'me extraordiriiiry experienddS of others, they are ready to iraagine, because tbey can trace no thing' correspondent to these in their ovif'n iriind^, that they are uttei- strangers tP real regeneration, and have- nd*hing raore than such i^hgious notions and formS, as natural men may easily learn df each othei*. ' ''^ But what I have novir been saying of the variety of the Di^^ine operations on the hdart, affords a sOlid answer to Such scruples wheri they arise in a pious riiind, Refledt,' on this occasfon, hpw it is in the Works of nature : there we know that God Works in all, so that he is the hfe and existence of the whole creation ; and yet, p an excellent writer expresses it, " He " ^ alone s^ems not to work :^'' his agency is so invisible and secret, that did not rea'sdn and scripture join to teach it, one might live a great inany years in the world without knpwing 556 P'arious Methods of the Divine Operation any thing more, than that such and. such effects are produced by correspondent second causes : though in strict propriety of speech they are no causes at all, but owe all their efficacy to the Divine presence and operation, ^ense tells us that the sun enlightens the earth, and warms it ; that the rain waters it, the seeds produce vegetables, and the animals continue their proper race : but that God is the Father of Lights, that he has prepared the light and the sun ; that he visits the earth, and causes rain to descend into the furrows thereof, so as to make the grass to grow for cattle, and corn and herb for the service of man ; that he sends forth his Spirit, and the animal race is created, and the face of the earth renewed ; this I say is what multitudes of the human race are not aware of ;' because in all these things he acts in a gentle, stated, and regular manner, and employs inferior agents as the instruments of his providence. And just thus gentle, silent, and regular, are the influences of his Spirit upon raen's souls ; and it is often impossible exacdy to distinguish thera from the teachings of pa rents and ministers, and from .those reflections which seem to ispring from our own minds, though it is he that gives us coun sel, while our reins instruct us in our secret musings, and that teaches us to profit by the lessons which others give us. Be not therefore surprised, and be not dejected, though you cannot assign the place, the time, the manner, in which your conversion began ; and though you are strangers to the terrors, the sorrows, or the transports of joy, which you have heard one another express. The wind hloweth where it listeth, and the Spirit dispenses his influences where and when, and in what measure and degree he pleases : but while the way and manner of his operation may be secret and unknown, the effects of it are sen- sible and evident ; and as with regard tP the wind, thou fiearefl; the sound thereof, but canft not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth ; so is every one that is born of the Spirit. You may not certainly know when to fix the precise time of your conversion, or how to trace the particular steps by which it has been' brought to pass ; for as thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child ; even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. But though you cannot trace the process of tbe In the Production of this saving Change. 657 operation, the effects of it are such as you may feel within you, and by its fruits it will be known. It is indeed desirable to be able to give an account of the beginning and the progress of the work of God upon your souls, as some that are regenerate can do; but this is not necessary to evidence the truth of grace, Happy is he who in this case can say, as the blind- man in the gos pel. One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. For as you know that there is fire wheri you see the flame, though you know not bow or when it began : so also it may be discern ed, that you have really undergone a saving change, though you know not how or when it was wrought in your hearts. If you ahswer the characters I laid down in the preceding discourses, as essential to the truly regenerate (which are all comprehended in repentance and faith, producing an unfeigned love and uniform obedience), you may trace the cause from the effect with far greater certainty than you could have traced such an effect, as what would infallibly follow frora any cause which you could have perceived in your rainds previous to it. There may be great awakenings, violent terrors, and extadc joys, where there is no saving work of God on the soul : but where the Divine iraage is produced, and the soul is actually renewed, we are sure (as was before ob served) that .grace has been working, thpugh we know not when or where, or how. — And therefore on the whole, guarding against both these extremes, and to cure thera both, [3.] Let Christians, in a prudent and humble manner,^ be ready to coramunicate their religious experiences to each other. God undoubtedly intended that the Variety of his operations should be observed aud owned in the world of grace, as well as in that of nature; and as these things pass in the secret recesses of men's hearts, how should they be known, unless they will ' themselves communicate and declare them ? And let me caution you against that strange averseness to all freedoms of this kind, which, especially in persons of a reserved teraper, is so ready to prevail. Let not any think it beneath them to do it,' You Well know tbat David, who was not only a man of an admirable ge nius, but a -mighty prince too, was far from thinking it so; On the contrary, deeply impressed with the Divine condescension in all the gracious visits he had received from bim, he calls, as it 558 Various Methods qfthe Divine Operation were, the whole pious wprld around him, that they might be edified and comforted by the relation : "Come," says he, " and " hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath " done for my soul," He proclaimed it, not with bis voice and harp alone, but .with, his immortal pen: and many other noble and excellent persons concurred with him; and the .invaluable treasure of their experiences, in as great a variety of circumstaa- , ces" as we can well im-agine, is transmitted to us in the Book of Psalms, Can any just reason then be assigned, . why they who. live under a nobler dispensation, and a more abundant commu nication of the Spirit, should be entirely i silent on this sub ject ? There may, indeed, be an over- forwardness which is the appa rent effect of pride and self-conceit, and which; with thinking people, may bring even the sincerity of the speaker into question, or put his indiscretion beyond all possibility of being questioned. But it would be very unreasonable to argue, that' becadse a thing may be dene ill, it cannot possibly be done. well. { Why may not intimate friends open their hearts to each other on such delightful topics ? Why may not tbey, who have met with any thing peculiar pf this kind, ' communicate it to their minister ? And though I must in conscience declare against making it absolutely and universally a term of communion, yet I am well assured, that, in some instances, a prudent and serious communication of these things to a Christian society, when a person is to be admitted into fellowship with it, has often answered very valuable ends. By this means God has the honour of his own -work ; and others have the pleasure of sympathizing with the relator, both in his sorrows and his joys : they derive from hence too, additional satisfaction as to his fitness for an approach to the Lord's-table ; they learn with pleasure the divine blessing which attends the administration of ordinances among them ; and make observations and remarks which may assist them in offering their addresses to God, and in giving proper advices to others who are in circumstances like those related. To all which we may add, that the ministers of Christ do, in particular, learn what raay be a means of forming them to a more experimental raanner pf preaching, as well as in raany histances discpver those, before In tise.Pfoduction of ihis, saving Change. 55Q unknovyn, tpfcens of success: which may strengthen, their hands in the work of. their igreat Master^ ^ ...: . It is by frequent iconversations of this kind, that I have learnt many of the particulars on which I have grounded the pre ceding discourse. 1 hope therefore you will exeuse me, if, on so natural an -occasion, 1 have borne my pubhc testimony to what has been so edifying to me, both, as a rainister and a christian. And the tender regard which I have for young persons training up fof ihe work of the ministry, and my ardent desire that they may learn the language of Sion, and have "those peculiar" advantages which nothing but an acquaintance . " with cases, -and an observation on facts can give," has been a farther inducement to me to add this reflection, with which 1 conclude my discourse ; humbly hoping that what you have heard upon this ..occasion will, by the divine blessing, furnish out agreeable matter fpr such conversation as. I have now re commended, to the glory of God, and to the advancement of religion among you. ylmen! 6$Q SERMON XXIX. DIRECTIONS TO AfVAKENED SINNERS. Acts' IX. 6. And he, trembling and astonished, said. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? T' ' • " - >" •-* -. -¦- ,- ¦ ¦ I HESE are the words of Saul, who alsp is called Paul, when he was stricken to the ground as he was going tp Damas cus: and any one who had looked upon him in his present circumstances, and knew nothing more of hira than that view, in coraparison with his past life, could h^ave given, would have imagined him oue of the, most miserable creatures that ever lived upon earth, and would have expected diat he should very soon have been nuralpered amongst the most miserable of those in Hell. He was engaged in a course of such savage cruelty, as can, upon no principle of coramon morality, be vindicated, even though the Christians had'- been as much mistaken, as he rashly and foolishly concluded they -were. After having dragged many of thera into prison, and given his voice against sorae that were put to death, he persecuted others into strange cities ; arid had now obtained a cpinraissiiDn from the Sanhedrim at Jerusalem to carry this holy, or rather this impious war into Damascus, and to liring all the'prpselyies tP the religion of the blessed Jesus bound frorn thence to Jerusalem; probably ihpit they might 'be there animadverted Directions for dwakened Sinners, 66\ upon with greater severity than could safely have been attempt ed by the Jews in so distant a city, unddr a foreign governor. But behold, as he was in the way, Jesus interposes, cloathed with a lustre exceeding that ofthe §un at noon. He strikes him down from the beast on which he rode, and lays bim pros trate on the ground, calling to him with a voice far more dreadful than that of thunder, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? Any one vvould have iiilagiried, from the cii'cumstarices in which we now beheld Saul, that divine vengeaace had already begun to seize him, and that full execution would quickly have been done. But God's ways are not as our ways, nor are his thoughts as our thoughts. Christ laid him alraost as low as hell, that he might raise hira as high as the third heaven; of which he afterwards gave him a view in vision, to anticipate his reception into- it. This day of his terror and astonishment Was, in a nobler sense than any other, the day of his birth ; , for, he is brought to bow himself at the foot of an injured Saviour, to offer him, as it were, a blank upon which to write his dwn terms pf peace : and as soon as he heard that this glorious person- was Jesus, whom, in his members, he had so long persecuted, he makes his submission in these lively com prehensive words, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" — This was not a time for a long speech-; but he that discerns all the secret recesses of the spirit, knew these few words were full of a most important meaning, and expressed not only a grief of heart, fpr. all that he had before been doing against Christ aud his kingdom, but the sincerest resolution for the future to empoly himself in-his service, waiting only the inti mations of bis wise and gracious will, as to the most proper and acceptable manner of beginning the atterapt. There is, methinks, a poignant kind of eloquence in this short expression, far beyond what any paraphrase upon it can give: and our compassionate Lord accepted this surreimer. All his former rebellions were no more remembered against hira; and before he I'ose from the ground, to which he fell on so terrible an occasion, ChHist gave him an intimation, not ouly that his forfeited life should be spared, so th-at he gli-^ulcj get Vol. IIL Oo 502 Directions for amaleened, Sinners. safe into the city to which he was bound, but that he shpuld there be instructed in that serviqe which Jesus, whpm he .had persecuted, wpuld npw cpnd.escend to receive at his .hands. I represent the case thus largely, because I hope it is a case which, in sorae measure, suits the experience of some that bear rae this evening, Paul tells us, it was for this reason, among others, thathe hiraself obtained mercy, though he was the chief of sinners, that in him, as the chief, Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering, for a pattern tP them who should afterwards believe. Is there then, in this assembly, any awakened and convinced: sinner; any one that, apprized of , his.'folly, and sensible of hii misery, is desirous to fall at the foot of Christ, and say with Saul, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? That which^ "i see not, teach thou me; aad wherein I haye done iniquity, . " I' will do so no raore !" — To; such would I, now especially address : and while I put the question. Is there any such among us? ' I would fain persuade myself, there are several.: for; J humbly hope, that all the labours that haye been bestowed in the preceding Discourses are not in. vain, nor all, the prayprs, that have been offered for their success in vain ; prayers which, I- doubt not, have been carried- by many of you into your families and your closets, as well as jointly presented to God in this public slssembly. Trusting therefore that it. isi thus with sorae, and praying that it may be a more frequent case, I proceed, Sixthl)', To give some directions to such who are awakened by divine grace to a sense of their misery in an unregenerate state, and are brought to desire recovery frora it. To such- 1 propose to give directions : and to what purpose would it be to undertake to offer them, to any others ? Who would pretend to teach those who are unconcerned about their salvation, what methods they are to take in order to their be coming truly regenerate ? This, methinks> would be, like giving directions how those might learn to write who do not desire it, and will not take a pen into their hands,;. All I could say to such, while they continue in this character, would vanish int» empty air: it would not, probably, be so much.as.pbservedjand Directams for awakened Sinners. 563 remembered.- I speak therefore to awakened souls, and to such it' is pleasant to address on this- head. Ananias undoubtedly undertook thi« message to Saul with chearfulness, to tell him what Christ would have him to do : and I would, with plea sure and chearfulness, engage in the like work ; humbly hop ing, that some will hear with observation and attention, will bear for themselves, and so hear for their good. And to this purpose let me advise you — ^to attend to the impressions that have been made upon yoa with great seriousness — to break off every thing that is contrary to them — to seek for further know ledge in religious matters— to pour out your souls before Gon in earnest prayer— to communicate the state of your case to some experienced christian — to acquaint yourselves with such as are much in your own circumstances— to fly irari:iediately to Christ,- as ready to receive all that corae to him-^to dedicate ySm"selves to him, and to hisservicej in tbe most soleran man- ndi-i— to arm yourselves to encounter with the greatest difficul ties in ycrai? Christian course — and finally, to take every step in this attempt with a deep sense of yPur own weakness^ and a'humhle dependance upon divine grace to be communicated to you as the matter requires. These are the several directions I would offer toyou\: and may they be impressed in: such a manner on ydur souls, that none of you may lose the things that have been wrought, but by the effectual working of the mighty powet of God, such as he graciously has been -pleased - to bring to the birth, may be brought forth, and such as are awakened may be savingly renewed ! '. "1, I would advise you to " attend to the impressions made " upou you with great seriousness." They may perhaps take you a litde off the world and its concernments; and some wilh blalne you for suffering such an interruption: but regard no(j that censure. The time will come, if syou pursue' these things aright, when renewed diligence, prudence, arid the diyine ttessing; will amply make amends for any present hindrance which these impressions may occa sion. 'And if it shtouldsbe otherwise, were there not a cause ? If a Irian seized >with> a .threatening distemper shduld choo,se, for. a little while, to lay aside his usual business, that he raight Oo2 664 Directions to awakened Simters. attendjto the Care of his health, before the symptoms grew In- <}urable,- would any body blame ihim for this? On the con trary, would it not be looked upon as acting a very wise, pru dent) and necessary part? Much moremay.be said here»— It is not a light thing for you, because it is your life.: And if the life' is more than mea,t,,and the body, than raiment, then surely the soul is more to be regarded than either. And therefore what you . do in your woiildly, affairs, do ^moderately ; and do not: grudge that, retirement which is so necessary, in such a ten der circumstance as this. — I may apply to you, on this occa sion, those words of S.olpmon ;, Through desire a man having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with .fill^wisdom. If you desire to attain divine, wisdora, you raust separate your self from ^11 other, things to pursue, it.— ,And it is the more necessary to attend to thjs now, because the tempter may pro bably contrive to lay soins more than ordinary avocationain ypur way, at , a. time, when the interest of his kingdom requires you should be diverted, frq^ prosecuting tho^g views vvliicli are presenting .themselves to you, and by whiph you may sp, prp- bablybeirescued out of his hands, and,put.fp|^,eyeivout pf y(^is -power. ,,-;i -, ,,^ .,;.> 3, Let me advi,se you to ".break off every thing ,v^}ilcl;^,,is '?. contrary to such impressions as these." , , „ -, i ..Igin, will immediately appear to have been your disease and your ruin : and therefore, if ever you hope for recovery, you inust resolutely break with that; not mei'cly w|th tl^s ,pr that particular eyil, but with every sin ; ani^ that npt pnly fpr a little while, but entirely, and for ever^ A mortal irreconcileable^war nuist be.^eplared against it, .pyery fleshly lust raust , be .de^iied, every immoral practice, for which your heart mayjat anytime sraite you, must berefprrae4; and, if ever you, expect tp reap ; mercy. qn^ life, you must, as tbetprophet expresses it, break up. your fallow ground, apd not sow araong t}w,ns_- .ul^'oi^ righteousness )i9^ no fellowship with unrighteousness,, and light no coraraunion :Yflt^i (;larjkness.i ^^d you may be ass,u,red,i that as/all sin grieves thp Spirit ,9f.,(3oD, an4 strengthen^ the heavy fetters .wjiichihe upon die soul ; sp tliose sins whicl^ a^-p cpm- - raided after , these awakening .^nd , convictions, h,iye,apecjiU§ir Directions to awakened Sinners. 565 guilt attending therii, and do greater despite to the spirit of grace, in proportipn to the degree in which his mPtions on the SPul have been vigorous and warra. -*"« 3. " Seek further knowledge," especially frorii the Word and bi-dinances of God. The influences of divine' grace are not to be considered 'a:s a bhndirapulse ; but God's spirit works on the spirit of mcin, as one rational being on another. The Apostle, therefore, piits the questiori with great reason, HPw shall they believe in him, pf whora they have not heard ? And as some knowledge is the fdundation Pn which the Spirit of God ordinarily operates in men's hearts: so in proportion to the degree in which you attain further light into the scherae of the Gospel, and of salvatiPn by Christ, it may be expected you wrirbe more impressed by it. The mention of this is so much the more necessary, as mistaken nPtions of religiori often expose people on the drie hand, to great perplexities, and on the other, betray thera into a false peace, which one way or another will be bitterness in the end.— Corae therefore to the house of God, and attend spiritual preaching. The question is not about forms, but things. Be not, therefore, over-scrupulous about what'i^' merely cirdumstantial in religion, on the orie hand or the other: but where you find most spiritual light and im provement, there choose generally to atferid ;' not confining I'eligion to any particular party, nor judging those who diffei- frora yoti in their sentiriient or practice ; but calinlj and hdm- bly seeking your owri edificatidn, leaving others to sdek theirs where they are persuaded, in the sight of Goby they-may raost probably find it. — Above all, reraeraber, in this circumstance, td' make the word df God the man of 'yorir counsel, arid to judge of what ydu read and, hear bythe tenor of that, as the oracle of eternal truth ;';alway^ attending the reading of it with earnest prayer to Gon for the illumination df his spirit, as I shall afterwards more particularly direct.— No other books are to be set up in opposition to this, or in comparison- with it; yfet let it be your care, in subordination to Scripture, to study the writings ,of those faithful servants of God' iri latter ages, who themselves manifest a 's'ense of practical religiori. Espc- O 03 566 Directions to awakened Sinners. cially endeavour to find out and peruse those writings whieh treat of conversion and regeneration, and Which contain advice suited to your case. Blessed be God, Prir language abounds with such ; and every truly christian minister will 'be glad to direct ydu to them, and so far as be has a convenient oppor tunity to furnish 'you vvith them. ' ¦''''. 4, " PoUr out your soul' before Go ri' in -earriest prayer." You cannot be unacquainted with the many promises God has made iri Scripture, for the encouragemerit of thdse who desire to pray to hira in the sincerity of their hearts. You know into how little a cdmpass Christ has crouded together three. ieiquivalent promises; Ask, and it shall be giveri you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall' be opened unto you: andyou cannot but remeinber the three-fold dheouVag^-* ment, from the success of those who have recourse to this expedient, which he has added in the most express and gene ral terras : For every one that asketh, receiveth-; arid he that seeketh, findeth; arid to him that knocketh, it shall be opened; Go, therefore, in. a chearful dependence upon- this promise; go, and try the truth of it. Whither should a creature in such circumstances go, but to that God, who has the hearts of all in his hand as die rivers of water, and turns them whithersoever he will ? And who should go to him, rather than ydu? And in what circunistances should a distressed creature rather think of looking and crying to him, than in these; Where it sees itself surrounded with so much danger, and yet feel's an inward earnest desire, not only of deliverance, but of holiness tod.''* Go, therefore, and cast yourself at the feet of Gbn this very evening ; do it as soon as you return to your habitations; and if you cannot put your. thoughts arid desires into words, at least sigh and groan before the LorP, Mourn, if you can not pray; and mourn that you carihot; or rather be assured, that unutterable groanings have sometimes the greatest efficacy, and prove the most prevailing eloquence. '• It will he no wonder at all, if, in these circumstances, Satan should endeavour to terrify you. It is his common practice. So many souls have vanquished hira, upon their knees, thathe dreads and hates ihe posture : but dravr an argument from that Directions to drmketied Sinners. 567 very opposition to make you so /much the more eagdr arid, im portunate^: when ypur heart is overwhelmed within you, fly unto the rock that is higher than you, I will add. Be not discpuraged, thpugh help be not imme diately imparted. Though you may Sefem to be cast out of -God's sight, yet look again towards his holy temple : thouo-h you seerii to cry from the deeps, and almpst from the belly of Hell, the bowels ;pf a heavenly Father will yearn over you as returning prodigals; and I doubt not you will meet with the reception that Ephraira found, ,whep God ^aw hiih bemoaning and humbling himseif, because he had been as a bullock un accustomed to the yoke ; when he cried. Turn thpu me, anfl I shall be turned ; for thou art the Lprd.my God ; his heavenly Father answers, him in these riipst affectionate wPrds,; attend to them, O thpu returning siriner, fpr thy comfort in this hour of distress ! ",l^s Ephraim my dear son ? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against .him, I do earnestly reraeraber him StUl; therefore my bowels rrire. troubled for him, and I will surely have mercy upon .hira, saith the Lord." 5. I wpuld advise you farther, that you " irrimediately coM- f' municate the ^state qf your case to sorae experienced Chris- ^'Jian," I know there is a backwardness in pei'spns pf your circum stances to do it ; and it has been surprising to me, to learn from the converse of some, who,- in this respect, have after wards grown wiser, hpw long fhey have been pining away in their sorrows before they could be persuaded to consult their ministers or Christian friends. It is a strataaera of Satan, against which I would by all ineans caution you. And one would think your ovfii reason would suggest sorae very obvious advantages attending the riiethod I propose, of opening your case freely to those whom you think to be more experienced in these things. The impression may be revived upon ydur own souls, even by the account you give them: and their ad vice may be exceeding useful to you to griard you against the wiles of the enemy whiclithey have known, though hitherto ypu are strangers to them ; and to guide you into such raethods as, -by the divine hj.essing, may farther promote that good Work 568 Directions to apakened-Sinners. -jvhich seeras, in any measure, tp have been begun withittyou. you may also depend , upon it that it will engage .their prayeri for you, which, in this case, raay have great prevalency. And it will also naturally, lead them tP-Jrispget your, conduct ; and if they see you afterv.-ards in, danger of being drawn aside, they may remind you pf tlfg hppes pnce entertained, and the im pressions once mafic uppn.youri;n^i.n(jT7-:l^?..irthisii^spect ypij may ^hope, th'it by walking with wise men you will be yet wiser; and '.iill soon find„|iow happy an exchange, you mal-^e, when you give up joLir vain, and, perhaps, wicked companions, that you may become the companion of thera that fear .Gon, and that keep his precepts; apd, may, have your delighti in thera, who, in thp judgment of God, are the excellent of the;earth, however they raay be despised and derided by men. mif lianhi ,6.1 would also advise that you ''endeavovH- to.. search out ^' thpse, if there be any such about or near you, who are rauch f' in your own circumstances.".,,^ ;artj. io;i-ii'.,in^^\ii ;,rti ,-,:4jjJ ij, pbserve, especially among ypung people, whether there are any that seem of late to have grown more serious than ordinary i^nd particularly more constant in attending the ordinances of God, and more .eautious in . venturing on such occasions and teinptations to sin: and if you can discover such, endeavour to foiin an acquaintance with them. Try, by proper biu ts, how faf their circumstances resemble j'ours ; and. as you find encouragement, enter into a stricter friendship withr.diein, founded on religion, and intended tp promote it ineachiothers hearts, Associate yourselves jn litde bands for Christian con- yerse and prayer; and by this raeans you will quicken^ and strengthen the hearts of each;., Other. For, on the one lialnd, what they tpll you of their ownexperience, will rauch confirm you in. a persuasion that vvhat you find in yoiu-splves. is jnot a mere fancy, but is really a divino work begun on your hearts, and vvill give ypu encourageraent to pursue it as such ; fpr as /ace, answers to face in water, i so docs the heart of man tp man; and pn the other hand, the ob.-.oi vation , of your ipious zeal will quicken others, and may occasion the revival of reli gion in the hearts of elder Chriblians ; as, Lbless Go-d,. I have found some things pf this kind have done, aud hope (and Directions t0 tixM^iie-ned Sinnei'^S? 669 tkcspgblhe divine blessing expect) 40 find it morearid more. There fo;-0 exhort one another daily, while it iis called to-day, lest any of;you should be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Strengthen ye- the weak hands, and Confirm the feeble knees: and be assured', that while yotf are endeavouring to help others] you Will find in yourselves- the first-fruitsof tliis happy attempt; and while you water others, ydu will be watered also yourselves. -(iJ 'h''-' -''Q 'J"" *^i/' ''lii'" g(;i.(),ij3w yu jj,. (•j>-j>j.4 ^'7. It is- an advice of the highest iraportance, that " whoever "• youare, you should immediately fly to Christ, and repose *' the donfidericeof your souls' upon him." ' -J't-uo ^coi ih-.v -t^iObserve that I urge you, whoever you are, to fly immediately to Christ : and this I do, to guard against a strange notion which some are ready to entertain, as if we were to bring some thing of oiir own righteousness and obedience lo him, to render us worthy of being accepted by hirii. But this is a grand mis take'. The blessings of the Gospel are not to be considered as matter of bargain and sale -s no, if we come to buy wine and milk, it' mrist be without money, and without price; and who ever will take of the water of Bfe, raust do it freely." If he pretend to offer an equivalent, he* forfeits his share in the in* vitation ; and must be made to know, that the price he offers is a great aftront to the value of the blessings for which he would thus barter. — ^-r-Let this then be your language, " Lord "I have undone myself, and in me is no help : I see nothing "in myself which makes me worthy of thy regard; but this 'f l know, that -where -sin has abounded, grace does much " more abound, and reigns through righteousness unto eternal '^' Me by Jbsus Christ; through whom thou hast assured me ^1 in thy word that eternal life is the gift of God. As such ^' -let -me; receive it :i and by how much- the more undeserving <" I have been, by so much the more will I celebrate the riches " of thy grace in making me a vessel of mercy, and a monu- " ment bf love throughout all eiernity.— Blessed Jesus, thou " hast said, that him who comes unto thee thou wilt in no wise " cast out: behold, I come, and cast myself at thy feet; re- " . ceive me^ and put me among the chlldtai, though I deserve f' not the very crumbs that fall from thy table.'': ,9moa bnijq'l 5/0 Directions tq awakened Sinners. You will not, I hope, imagine that when I give such adyic ¦ As this, I mean to insinuate that a person, purposirig to continu- fn his sins, may nevertheless come and receive the blessings ci the Gospel; for that would be no other than in the grossest manner to pervert and contradict the whole tenor of it. But this I say, and repeat it, that when once a sinner finds himself, by divine grace, disposed to turn from his sins to God, arid made willing to accept the inercy tendered in the Gospel, of which a deliverance from sin and a renovation of nature are a great, important, arid essential part; he may with chearful ness apply himself to the great Redeemer as orie of those whom l>e cairie on purpose to deliver; and in proportion to the degree in which' he can discern the sincerity of his sentiments, he may open his heart to comfort, how great soever his fornteif unworthiness' has been, and how lately soever such impressions inay have be^n made upon his heart. 8. " Mcike the' dedicatiori of yourselves to- Christ, and his '' service as soleran a thing as you can." We read in the Acts of sorae that were baptized, and pub- licly ' received into the church the very sarae day in which they were converted : and though a change of bircumstances may at present render it convenient to defer doing it for sorae tirae with the solemnity of the ordinance of the Lord's supper, which is peculiariy intended for that purpose; because it is proper that the efficacy of your repentarite and conversion should first of all be so far seen, as in the judgment of charity to approve the sincerity of it :.yet I think, when you feel your hearts absolutel}'- determiijed for Gon, you should in a soleran manner lay hold of his covenant, in secret at least, as soon as pi;ssible; and declare, as before- him that searcheth all hearts, the sincerity of that acceptance.— Some' have recora raended the doing this in a written engagement ; and there are several very affecting forras of this kind in books on this subject, which raay very profitably be used. But I hope the fullness of your heart will dictate something of this kind, if such helps should be wanting, or if any pecuhar considerations should prevent -their being used. — And surely, if you feel the love of the blessed Jesus glowing in your hearts as you ought Directions to awakened Sinjiers. 67 \ you will need no other engagement to yi^ld yourselves to him : that love will be instead of ten thousand arguments ; and ypti will see a secret charm in the view of serving him, which will engage your very soul to spring forward with vigour and eager ness to every proper instance of it. The , dread of future punishment has certainly its use lo restrain from the commission of sin; especially in an hour, of pressing temptation ; and the hope of that exceeding and etemf^l weight pf glory which the Gospel promises, will have a greater efficacy upon a generous mind : yet I will venture to say, that a heart powerfully im- pi-esSed with the love of JesiUS. will have a yet stronger influ ence than either of these. Cordial friendship needs not to be hired to perform ita proper office. Love is a law to itself: it adds a delightful relish, to every attempt for the service of its object: a^d' it is most, evidently thus in the present case. " Lord," will the Christian say, " wilt thou do me the honour "to accept any feeble attempt for thy service which I can fdrm.* " .1 thank thee for it; and bow my head before thee in t'be ''most grateful jsacknowledgements, that thou favourest me " with an ability to discharge, in any degree, the fulness of "my grateful heart in presenting them; Oh that my whole "soul raight.,daily rise before thee as an acceptable sacrifice " in the flame of love ! Oh that I might always feel my heart " enlarged, to run the way of thy commandments! were the " degree of my "fiiture happiness from this raoraent invariably " fixed-, I would still pursue th,is delightful business ; for there "¦is nd"! other in which, ray soul could find a pleasure equal or comparable to it." If you ,feel such thoughts as these rising in your mind, breathe them ouf before the throne from day to' day : and when you have done it, recollect frequently the vows of G,OD that are upon you. ; and see, that having sworn, you -perform it, and maintain in the whole of your lives a conduct agreeable to such a profession as this. Q. ".Gird up the loins of your mind, to encounter with a " great deal of difficulty in your christian course." Many are the difficulties that you must expect; great, and, possibly for a while increasing- difficulties. It is coraraonly said indeed, that those difficulties which attend the entrance te 572 Directions to aumkened Sinnei^s. on a religious life, are the ¦ greatest '; and in themselves con sidered, no doubt but they 'are so : they arise frPm raany quarters, and unite all together in' the same- design of kedping you from a believing application to Christ, and a resolute elPsure with him. In this respect, evil sometimes arises to a man in his own house : and' those whose near relation should rather engage them to give' the young convert the heSt assist ance, where his most impdrtarit interests are concerned, are on the contrary, ready to lay a Stumbling-block in his way; arid perhaps act as they had rather he should have no religion at all, than change a few circurastances in the outward professidn of it. , VVoildly interest too is perhaps to be sacrificed; and conscience cannot be preserved- without giving up the friend ship of thosewhora at any other expence but conscience a man Would gladly oblige. And it is no wonder if Sat^ri make his utmost efforts, and those very unwearied too, that he may' prevent the revolt of these subjects, or rather the escape of his prisoners. The Christian is, therefore; called upon by the Apostle, to arra hiraself as for a corabat, and [that'at all points; to put on the whole armour of Go D' that he fflay be able to Withstand iri the evil day; and haying done all, to stand. ' 'f' •¦ ' '' Nor must you, my friends, though as soon' as, you have put on your harness ydu gain^se'nie' iraportant victory, boaSt aS if you might securely put it Pff. Ydur whole life mustbe a series of exercise. Through much opposition, as well as much tri bulation, you riiust enter into the kingdom of God; and though your difficulties may generally be greatest at first, yet your encouragements then may perhaps be so peculiarly great, and your sjoirits under their fitst religious impressions ^o Vvarm, that olher difficulties, in theraselves smaller, may press more Sen sibly upon yoii. Endeavour therefore to keep yourselves in 'a prepared posture : put on a steady resolution ; and to support it, sit down and count the cost, lest having begun to build, you shamefully desist, and be not able to finish it; or having put your hand to the' plough, you should look back, and becdme unfit for the kingdora of GdD, And therefpre, •' Directions to^ awakened Sinners. 5js 10. " Let every step in diis attempt be taken with a deep "sense of your own weakness, and a humble dependance upon ."., divine grace to be communicated to you as the, matter re- " quires." > • , Recollect seriously what I was telling you in a forraer dis course, of the necessity of the divine agency and interposition^ and reraeraber, it depends.- upon God, not only to begin the igood work, but also to carry it on, and perfoim it until the iday of Jesus Christ. If we trust in our own hearts, espe cially after this solemn adinonition> this plain instruction, added to such frequent experience, we are fools indeed. < Let us there fore trust in the Lord, and not lean to our own understand ing. And do you, my friends, who have but just listed your selves in this holy war, every one of you say, with an humble yet chearful heart, in the name of our God will we set. up our- banners. And if thus you wait on the Lord, you shall renew your strength; and even the feeblest soul shall be «nable4 tiy divine grace to mount- up with wings as eagles, and to press on from one degree of religious improvement to another, while the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shalll utterly falL The Apostle expresses, iri the liveliest manner, his dependence on the Divine Redeemer to communicate this grace in a proper degree, when he says, i" Let us come boldly to to .the throne of grace, that we may "¦obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need;" plainly implying, that it may be obtained if we have but hearts to seek, for it ; which, as on the one hand, it effectually takes off all idle excuses for the neglect of our duty, pleaded *fr,om our own i acknowledged weakness any further than we are supported by the Divine Ppwer; so on the otber hand it animates the heart, that, rSensible of its various infirmitieSj desires nevertheless to go forth to tbe work of God, arid tp consecrate all its faculties to ,his service; using them, sucj^ as they are, for God, and humbly seeking from him the en largement of them. Go therefore, my friends, into the divine presence; and, while under a sense of this, ;be not discouraged., though moun tains of opposition, may lie in your wa^'. Those mountains 674 Directions to awakened Sinners. shall be made loW, and spread themselves into a plain before you ; while you go forth under the influences of the Spirit of the Lord, who is able to make all grace abound to his people.^— Of this Paul in our text was a most celebrated in stance, who not only received, as was here promised, direc tions what he should do, but had strength also given him to perform it ; a strength which was made perfect and illustrious in his weakness: and when, in consequence of this, he had attained to very distinguishing improveraents in religion, and had been enabled to act up in the most honourable manner, not only to the christian character in general, but to that of a minister and an aposde, he acknowledges in all his abun dant labours, .that it was not he but the grace of God that was with him. ' If it be thus with you, my brethren, you will be established and built up in your most holy faith. The most agreeable hopes -we form concerning you, when we see you under such serious impressions as this discourse, supposes, will be an swered; and they who have spoken td you the word of God, on such occasions as these, will have the pleasure to think that they have nol run in vain. And now if these directions, which I have offered to yon with great plainness and freedom, but with the sincerest desire of your edification and establishment in religion, be seriously pursued, I shall have the satisfaction of thinking, that, though - I might find you in the number of tbe unregenerate When i began these lectures, I shall carry you on along with me through the only head that yet remains to be handled ; and shall indeed address myself to you, as those who were some times darkness, but are now light in the Lord, whea I proceed to address those who have been renewed by divine grace, which I promised as my last general, and with which I shall •Oriclude my discourses on this iraportant subject. ( ^75 ) SERMON XXX. An ADDRESS ia the REGENERATE, founded on the preceding DISCOURSES. James i. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures. Al INTEND the words, •which I have now been reading, only as an introduptipn tP that address to the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty, with which I ara now to conclude these lectures ; and therefore shall not enter into any critical discussion, either of them, or of the context. I hope Goo has made the series of these discourses, in some measure, use-r ful to those for whose service they were imraediately intended : b^t if they km^ uot been so to all, and if with relation to many I have laboured in vain from sabbath to sabbath, I can not be surprised at it. What am I better than my fathers? It has, in every age, been their complaint, that they have stretched out their hands all the day to a disobedient and .gain saying people ; that the bellows have been burnt, and the lead consumed of the fire, but the dross has not been taken away : such reprobate silver haye muldtrides been found. Yea, the; Lord Jesus Christ himself, who spake with such unequalled eloquence, with such, divine energy, yet met with multitudes, who were hke the deaf adder, that would not hearken to the voice of the wisest charmer : and surely the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 576 An Address to the Regenerate, When indeed we consider the infinite importance of the message we address to you. Oh, ye perishing sinners ! we hardly know how to give over, or to take a denial. We feel a strong impulse on our hearts to give line upon line, and precept upon precept: as a physician that loves his patient, when he sees the distemper prevailing, and has run through the wliole range of medicines, is ready, while life yet remains, not entirely to give over, but to repeat again what he had prescribed unsuccessfully before. And if God spare our lives, no doubt raany of those things Which I have before been urging, raust, in substance, be repeated. But at present I will desist: I know not what more or farther to say: and if you are utterly unimpressed with what I have already laid before you, especially with regard to the character of the un- generate — the nature of regeneration — the absolute necessity of it — and of the Divine Agency in producing it ; — I know not what further to urge, and must leave you either to the grace or the judgment of God. The time will certainly corae, when you will see and own the iraportance of these things. The word of God wifl, in one sense or another, take hold of every soul that hears it, and perhaps on sorae. pf you in a very terrible manner, and in a very little tirae. But if it do, I raay say with the apostle Paul, when, in token of the soleranity with which, he spoke, he shook bis raiment, aud took leave of his obstinate hearers, I am clean from your blood ; and since you refuse to be instructed, I turn to those who will regard what I say. And thus, according to the methpd I at first proposed, 1 proceed. Seventhly, To conclude these discourses with an address to those who, by divine grace, are experimentally acquainted with this great work of regeneration ; to shew them how they ought. to be affected with the considerations of the truths that have been offered, and what improvement they should make of such a course of Sermons as you have lately been attending. Out of a .general regard to the glory of God, and the good of souls, you have attended on what has hitherto been spoken to persons of a very different character ; and I hope not al together without some sensible refreshment and advantage : Founded on the preceding Discourses. 5^7 but now Ijear.more immediately for yourselyes, and suffer a word of exhortation in such particulars as these.— Be thank ful to .God- for what you have experienced : — improve it as an engagement to behave in a suitable manner :— study to promote the work of God upon the hearts of others :— and long for that blessed world where the change that is now begun, and is gradually advancing in your souls, shall be universal and cpmplete.--rYour own wisdom and piety have, no doubt, pyevented me in each of these particulars ; but you will be glad to enter more fully into the reflection than you could do, while it was intermingling itself with other thoughts. [1.] " Return the most affectionate acknowledgments of " praise to the God of a,ll mercy for the experience you have " had of a regenerating change," I would now address this exhortation and charge to every one of you, who, thrpijgh divine grape, hope you can say, tljat you are born again; to aU who can say, that God has, of his own will, begotten you with the word of truth, that you njay be a kind, of first-fruits of his creatures. To you, I would say, " Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of bis, and give '^thanks, at the remerabrance of his holiness and goodness." "Give thanks to the Father, who has made you meet to be "j partakers of the inheritance pf the saints in light." Join your vpices and ycur hearts in the most chearful hymns of praise,', wbateveir your different circumstances are. Let the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the hpnourable and tlie mean, rejoice together ; if any may be called poor, who are thus enriched ; if any may be accounted mean, who are thus honoured. Bless the Lqrd at all times, let his praise be continually in ybur mouths ; and endeavour to cany along with you, throujgh the darkest road you travel, and the bit- terdst sorrows you taste, chearfulness in your hearts, and praise on your tonguesi; considering-r-bow iraportant tbe blessing is with whjch the LpRD has favoured you; — liow few there are who partake of it ;-Tand in the midst of how much opposition the divine grace has taken hold of your souls, and wrought its -wonders pf Ipye there. vo^... m, p p 578 An Address to the Regenerate, 1, Consider, my Christian friends, " how important this " favour is which God has bestowed upon you in thus beget- " ting you, as a kind of first-fruits pf his creatures:" Justly indeed may I say, Behpld, what manner of lovejhe Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should bd regenerated by his grace, and so be called, and that with propriety, tbe sons of God ! Jusdy may I say to j'ou, now you are assem bled in the courts of the Lord, in those emphatical words of David, O corae, let us worship, and bow down ; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker: for it is he that has made us, and not we ourselves, vvith regard lo this second, as well as the first creation ; and we, in consequence of it, are in the noblest sense his people, and the sheep pf his pa'sture : enter there fore, into his gates vvith thanksgiving, ^d into his courts with praise ; be thankful untd him, and bless his namd. IVIy brethren, it is a favour in wbicllt the salvatiota of yp'ur souls is concerned; and can- that be small? or ought it evef to be thdughl of but with the highest emotion and erilarged- ness of heart? The gracious purposes of Gdri towards his children are, to raake every one of them higher than the kings of the earth, to give' thera raore solid satisfaction than crowns and kingdoms Can afford, and at length to raise them' to a diadera pf iraraortal glory, Oh what reason have you, with the Apostle, td say. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, has begotten us again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, even to the hope of an inheri tance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for us who are kept by the ppwer of God through faith unto salvatiori ! Survey this great privilege which God has already given you, this high security, these^orious hopes. Has he not brought the beginning of glory already- intp your souls ? Has he not wrought you to a filial teraper, and taught you to cry, Abba Father? Has he not, in some measure, fprmecl and fa^hiPried. your minds to a meetness to divell vvith arigels and perfected spirits in Heaven ? < So tligt you can now say, even with relation to- that which you already feel, that you are np n^ore strangers and fpreigpers, but fellow- Founded on the, preceding Discourses. 679 citizens with the saints^ and of the houshold of God, You are even now the sons of Gob, and it doth npt yet appear what you shall be ; but there is enpugh appears, and enough known at present, of what you shall be, and of what you are, to revive, to delight, to transport the heart. And is not this too. Oh thou afflicted soul, who art call ed to encounter with the most painful difficulties, enough to be the means of thy support, and to afford thee matter for thy strong consolation? You that are tossed with tempest, and obliged to struggle under various and long-continued burthens, have you not here a joy that the world can neither bestow nor impair, a pleasure in public and in secret duties, and a hope which is, as the anchor of the soul, both sure and sted fast, entering into that within the veil, and so enabling you to outride, these storms and tempests ? How glorious does your lot appear when viewdS in the light of Scripture ? You are expressly told. All things are yours : the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good things will he withhold from you : all the paths of the Lord are inercy and truth to you; and ere long you shall see how they are so. You have a sight, by faith of 4he Inheritance appointed for his children ; but he does not intend merely a distant prospept for you : you shall go in, and possess that good land, . and shall ere long be absent frora the body, and present with the Lord: yea, the Lord Jesus Christ, er.e loiig, shall come to be glorified in his saints, and. to be admired in all them that believe, to be glorified and admired, in and by you in particular ; when bearing the iraage of your heavenly Father, you shall rise far beyond this earth and all its vain anxieties, and vainer amusements, to dwell for ever in his presence. And what is there in this world that you iinagine you want, which is. by any means to he compar ed with these enjoyments and hppes? Surely, Sirs, in such a view, you. should be much more than, content; and should feel ydur inward admiration, love, and joy, bursting the bonds of silence, and turning your voices that have been brokeri by- sighs into the most chearful and exalted anthems of praise ; especially when you consider, Ppa ' 580 An Address to the Regenerate, 2. " How few there are that partake of this important fa- " vour, which God has extended to you," I hope I need not, after all I have said, remind you at large, that I intend not by any means to speak, as excluding those of different forras and different experiences; as if, in consequence of that diversity, they had neither part nor lot in this raatter, I hope that raany who are not so ready, as it were to be wished, to receive one another, are nevertheless, in this respect, received by Christ to the glory of God. Yet the teraper and conduct of the generality of mankind, even under a Christian profession, too plainly shews, that they have the raarks of eternal ruin upon thera : and one can forra no hope concerning them, consistent with the tenor of the whole word of God, any other than this, that possibly they raay hereafter be changed into- something contrary td what they are, and in that change be happy. Now that you are not left araong the wide extended ruins of raankind, but are set as pillars in the building of Gpd, is what you have been taught by the preceding discPurses to refer to the grace of God, which has taken and polished you to the form you novv bear : or, as the Evangelist expresses it, in language raore suitable to the subject beforje us. The power, or privilege to becorae the sons of God, is what he gives to as many as receives him; and it is raanifest as to your regene ration, that you are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the wifl of man, but of God : for we love him because he first loved us : and whatsoever our attainments be, there is no true believer but will be ready, with the apostle Paul, tp say. By the grace of God, I atri what I am. And now, when these two thoughts are taken in this com parison with each other, how deeply should they impress our minds! and how should it excite us to the most lively gra titude, to consider that when so many of our fellow-creatures perish, even nnder the sound of the Gospel; that when they live and die under the power of a corrupt and degenerate nature, despising all the m.eans which God has given them of becoming better, and turning thera into the occasion of greater mischief; God should graciously inchne our hearts founded on the preceding Discourses. 581 to a wiser and better choice I It is indeed a melancholy reflec tion, that the number of those who are made wise to salvation should be so small; yet it is an endearing circumstance in the- divine goodness to us, that when it is so sraall we should be included in it : as no doubt it would appear to every truly reli gious person in the ark, that when but eight souls were saved from the deluge, he should be one.— -Ther.e is now a remnant, says the Apostle, according to the election of grace : to that gr^ce there fore should we render the praise. We have indeed chosen him ; but it is in consequence of his choosing us. We have said, The Lord is my portion ; but let p* remember to bless him, that he has given us that counsel, in consequence of which we bave been inclined to do it. Again, 3. Consider, " in the midst of how rauch opposition. the grace " of God has laid lipid on your souls, and wrought its won- " ders of love there." Christians, look into your own hearts ; yea, look back upon your own lives, and see whether many pf you have not reason to say, with the great Apostle, It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came .into the -world to save sinners, of whom I am chief: and yet to me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should be a regenerate adopted child of God, begotten to an inheritance of eternal glory, " Oh," may one Christian say, " how obstinately did I strive " against my own happiness ! like a poor creature, that having " received some dangerous wound, and being delirious with a " fever attending it, struggles with the hand that is stretched out " to heal him. How did I draw back from the yoke cf God ! " How did 1 trifle with , convictions, and put them off frora one " time to another I So that God might most righteously have " awakened any heart rather than raine. He admonished me by " his word, and by his providence : he sent afilictious : hq " wrought out deliverances for me; and yet I went on to harden " my heart, as if I had been afflicted, and delivered, that I might " work greater aboraination ; till the Lord being merciful unto " me, laid hold upon me, and drew me out of Sodom." Pp3 ^82 An Address td the Regenerate, And hefeafiother Christian will 'be ready to say within him self, " If the grace of God wrought sooner upon me when my " soul was^ more pliant, when my heart was comparatively ten- " der, in infancy or childhood, or in early youth ; yet what " ungrateful returns have I since raade for his mercy ! How " defective have I been in those fruits of holiness which might " reasonably have been expected from me, who have so long a " time been planted in the house of tbe Lord t Alas for me ! " that I have flourished no more in the courts of ray God. How " often have I forgotten and forsaken him, how cold and n'eg- " ligent has my spirit been, bow inconstant my walk, how " indolent my behaviour, for these many years that have passed " since I was first brought into his family.' How little have " I done in his service in proportion to the advantages I have " enjoyed! Allthis he foresaw; all the instances in which " my goodness would be as a morning cloud, and as tbe early *' dew; all the instances in which this perverse' heart of mine, " so prone to backslide, should trim aside, and start back from " him like a deceitful bow : and yet he has mercy upon me, I " know not why : I cannot pretend to account for it any other- " wise than by saying, Even so. Father, for so it seemed good •• in thy sight : thou hast mercy on whom thou wilt have mercy, " and thou hast compassion on whom thou wilt have compassion. " I have revolted deeply from thee again and again; yekthou " sufferest me not to be lost to this very day, nor wilt thou " ever suffer it : Thou restorest my soul ; thou leadest me in " the paths of righteousness for thy name'9 sake. Having there- " fore obtained help of God, I continue to this day : and surely " goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life ; and " unworthy as I am so much as to enter into thine house below, " I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever above. Thus, " Lord, thou makest me, as it were, a wonder to myself; and " I hope to express my admiration and my gratitude throughout " eternal ages : and if I can vie with the rest of thy redeemed " Ones in nothing else, I will at least do it in bowing low before " thy throne, and acknowledging that I am of the number of " the raost unworthy, in whom my Lord has been pleased founded on the preceding Discourses. 683 " to glorify the. riches pf his mercy, and the freedom of his "grace. ,In the mean time. Christians, I call you, often to entertain yourselves with such views as these, often to excite your hearts by such lively considerations: I call you, in the name of your ¦Father and your Sayiour, to a whole Ijfe of gratitude and praise. >And this leads rae to add, [2.] "Iraprpve those experiences you have had of divine " grace, as an engagement to behave in a suitable raanner." Remember :the lively admonition of the text, that you were begotten by him fpr this .very purpose, that you should be a kind.of firsti-fruits of; his creatures. See, therefore, that you be entirely consecrated to- him, ,and behave as becomes the children of God in the midst of a crooked, an,d perverse generation ; being not only: barpiiless and blameless among thera, but shining as lights in the world, and holding forth that word of life, by wliich he has .begotten you to himself, and quickened you when you were dead in trespasses and sins. God has now brought you into a most honourable relation: be may, therefore, well expect raore, much more frora you than frora o.thers. He has made you priests to himself, and you are therefore to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. You were darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord ; walk therefore as children of light. Reraeraber ,you are not your dwn ; your time, your pos sessions, and all your capacities for service, are the propertv of your heavenly Father And permit me to remind you, that if you desire to see this doctrine of regeneration prevail, you, who pretend to be experimentally acquainted with it, must take great care that your behaviour raay not only be innocent, but exemplary: otherwise many will be ready to blaspheme tl^e holy name of that Gpp, whom you call your Father : and you are like to bring a reproach upon the houshold of faith, which probftWy you will never be able to roll away. Christians, thedignity of our, birth and our hopes is too little considered, and regarded ; and the reason why the world thinks so meanly, pf it, is because we ourselves are so insensible of its excellency. .Did we appre'nend it more, we should surely be more solicitous to walk worthy of that calling wherewith we I' p 4 584 An Address to the Regenerate, are called, that high and holy calling. Let me therefore ex hort you to endeavour to loosen your affections more from these entanglements of time and sense, which so much debase our minds, and dishonour our lives. Yield yourselyes unto God, as those that are alive frora the dead : eraploying with a grow ing zeal, to the honour of God, that renewed life which he has given you: Be nol conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds: and let your conversation and behaviour be hke those who feel the con straining influences of divine love ; who are, not in form, but in reality, devoted to God; and who would be continually waiting for his salvation, with that temper in whicb you could most desire that salvation to find you when it comes. [3.] Let those who have experienced the power of divine grace themselves, " study to promote the work of God upon " the hearts of others." Labour, as much as possible, to spread this temper which God has wrought in your hearts; for you cannot but know that with it you spread true happiness, which alone is to be found in that intercourse with the great Author of our being, for which this lays a foundation, and in the regular exercise of those powers which are thus sanctified. No sooner was Paul converted hiraself, but he presently set hiraself to bring others to Christ, and to preach the faith which once he destroyed. And David speaks of it as the effect of God's pardoning love to him. Then will I teach trangressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee. If, therefore, God has called us to the office of the minis try, as the experience of this change on our own hearts will be our best qualification for our public work (and indeed such a qualification that nothing else can supply the want of it) ; so it will surely e.xcite us in a very powerful manner to apply vigorously to this care. That which vve have not only heard, but seen with our eyes, and looked upon, and handled of the word of life, let us declare to others ; that their fellowship also may be with the father, and with his son Jesus Christ, Let us declare it in our public discourses, and never be ashamed to bear our testimony tp that gi'ace to which we are so much. founded on the preceding Discourses. 585 indebted ; tp that grace by which we are what we are. Let us warn every man, and teach every man the absolute neces sity of regeneration ; and expose the vanity of all those hopes which are built uppn any fair outside, on any moral decency of behaviour, on any humane turli of temper, on any warm flight of imaginatiPn or emotion of passions, while the soul continues unrenewed and unsanctified. Let us endeavour to save men with fear, pulling them out of the fire, which, if they are yet unregenerate, is just ready to kindle upon them. And let us be often reviewing our respective flocks, that we may see who ihey are, concerning whora there is reason to entertain this fear ; that proper applications may be made to them in private, as well as in public ; that joining our admo nitions to our sermons, and our prayers and exaraples to both, we may at least deliver our own souls, if we cannot deliver theirs. But, in proportion to the degree that such a spirit prevails in us, there is very great encourageraent to hope il will be propagated to them, and that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. And let me beSeech you, my beloved hearers in other stations of life, that you would not imagine the work is so entirely ours that you have riothing to do with it. Are we alone re deemed by the blood of the Son of God ? Are we alone renewed and sancitified by his grace? Are we alone the brethren and friends of mankind, that the generous care and endeavour to promote their eternal happiness, should be entirely devolved upon, us? We wish so well to the world, and permit us to say, we wish so well to you, to your own religious consolation and establishment, to your comfortable account, to your eternal reward, that we cannot but earnestly exhort you all, even as many as have tasted that the Lord is gracious, that in this respect you join, not only as I trust you do, your prayers with ours, but that you also join your endeavours. , Let rae particularly address this exhortation to those of you who bear any distinguished office in the society, to whom therefore its religious interests are dear by additional ties. Let me address to those of you whose age and experience, in the human and the divine life, gave you something of a natural 686 An Address to the Regenerate, authority in your application, and comriiand a distinguished regard. Look round about you, andr observe tbe state of reli gion in your neighbourhood ; and labour to the utmost to pro pagate not so rauch this or that -particular opinion or form of worship, but real vital Christianity . in ithe world. ;Bear your testimony to it on all proper occasions : be . npt ashamed of it in your familiar discourse : and above all, i labour to adorn it by your actions. And when .you see -any .under serious im pressions, asit is certiiin they.will ha-ve.a great deal discou raging and difficult to break tbrough;!and as the .devil and his instruments, araong whora. I must necessarily reckon licen tious company, will be doing their utmost .-to:draw, them baqk into the snare of the fowler ; let me exhort and cbarge you to be as splicitous to save, as others -.are to , destroy. I, know how many- excuses our cowardly and indolent hearts are ready to find out upon such an occasion ; but I'think those words of Solomon are a sufficient. answer to all,iandT beg you would seriously revolve them; Ifthou forbear to. deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are. ready to be slain; if thou sayest. Behold, we .knew it; not; doth not he that pondereth the heart, consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul (thine, O Christian, with such peculiar and gracious care), doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? He will assuredly remember, and will abundantly reward, every work of faith, andt every labour of love; and we are insensible of our own truest interest, if we do not see how much it is concerned here. Let me especially leave this exhortation with you, who are parents and heads of families. And one would imagine there should need but litde importunity in such a case as this : one would think your own hearts should speak to you, upon such an occasion, in very pathetic language. Look upon your dear children, to whom you have conveyed a nature which you know to be degenerate and corrupt ; and be earnest in your prayers before God, and your endeavours with them, that it may be renewed. And take care that you do not in this sense despise the soul pf your man-servant, or of your maid-servant. God has brought thera under you care, it may be in those founded on the preceding Discourses, 6 87 years of life in which, on the one hand, they are most capable of being instructed and seriously impressed ; and in which, on the other hand, they are -also most in danger of being cor rupted. Perhaps their (-relation to you, and abode with you, is the most advantageous circumstance which may occur in their wholelives : see therefore that you seize it witb an holy eagerness; and amidst all the charges yOu give them relating to your own business, neglect not thatof the one thing need ful ; and labour heartily to bririg them to the honour and happiness which is common lo all God's servants, and peculiar to them alone. Let me conclude this part of my address with intreating you all to express your. concern for the souls ofothers, by your importunate prayers to Gpd for them. Pray for the success of gpspel ordinances ; and for a blessing on the labours of all -God's faithful servants throughout our whole land of one or another denomination in religion. Yea, pray that through out the whole world, God would revive his work in the midst of the years ; that the religion of his .Son, by which .so many souls have been regenerated, refined, and saved, may be uni versally propagated ; and that all who are vigorously engaged in so important, though so self-denying a work, raay find that the hand of the Lord is with them, and so multitudes believe and turn unto the Lord; so that bis sons may be brought from far, and his daughters from the ends of the earth; that the barren may rejoice, and she that did not tra vail with child, may break: forth into singing, and cry aloud ; that the children of nations now strangers to Christ, may •be more than of those that are already espoused to hira. And then, [4.] Let all that are born again, "long for that blessed " worid, where the work of God shall be corapleted, and we " shall appear with a dignity and glory becoming his chil- " dren." As for Gon, his work is perfect; and the time, the happy tirae is approaching, when we shall know, and the whole world shall know, in another manner than we-now do, what our heavenly Father has intended for us in begetting us to 588 An Address to the Regenerate, himself — Whatever our attainments here may be, we know at present but in part ; and wilh whatever integrity of soul we now walk before God, we are sanctified but in part: and hereupon we find, and must expect to find, the flesh striving against the spirit, as well as the spirit against the flesh ; so that, in many respects, we cannot do the things that we Would : and in proportion to the degree in which our nature is refined and brightened, we are more sensible of the evil of these corruptions that reraain within us ; so that though we are not, in a strict propriety of speech, carnal and sold under sin, but do indeed delight in the law of God after the inward man, yet in the humility of our hearts we are often borrow ing that pathetic complaint, " Oh, wretched raan that I am, who shall deliver rae frora the body of this death !" — But let it be remembered. Christians, as the matter of your joy, that the struggle shall not be perpetual, tbat it shall not indeed be long. Look up with pleasure then, and lift up your heads ; for your rederaplion draweth nigh : the tirae is approaching, when that which is perfect shall come, and that which is in part shall be done away. You are now the children of God ; but it does not appear to every eye that you are so : the world knows us not, nor are we to wonder at it ; for even Christ our Lord was once unknown, and appeared in so rauch raeanness, and so much calamity, that an undiscerning and carnal eye could not have discovered who and what he was. But there is a day ap pointed for the manifestation of the sons of God, (as the apostle Paul raost happily expresses it) ; when he will manifest them to each other, and manifest them also to the whole world. They shall not always live thus at a distance from their Father's house, and under those dispensations of Providence that look so much like disregard and neglect : but he will take them home, and gather thera to hiraself. Ere long, Christians, he will call these heaveii-born spirits of yours, that are now aspiring towards him, to dwell in his immediate presence: he will receive you to himself; and you shall stand where no sinner shall have a place, in the congregation of the righteous, and shall have an inheritance among the saints in light, the saints in holiness and glory, — Oh happy day ! when dropping founded on the preceding Discourses. 589 this body into the grave, we shall ascend pure and joyful spirits to that triumphant asseinbly, where there is not, one vitiated affection, not one foolish thought to be found among the thousands and ten thousands of God's Israel ! Oh blessed period of a regenerate state I Though all the scheraes of the divine love were to rest here, apd these bodies were for ever to be laid aside, and utterly to be lost in the grave ; the re joicing soul. might say, " Lord, it is enough!" And it might be indeed enough for us ; but it is not enough to answer the gracious purposes of God's paternal love, God wifl shew, in the raost conspicuous manner, what a family he has raised to himself araong the children of raen ; and therefore he will assemble them all in their coraplete persons, and will do it, with soleran porap and magnificent parade. He will, for this purpose, send his own Son, with all his holy angels, and will cause tbe bodies of millions of his children, that haye long dwelt in the dust, to spring out of it at Pnce in forms of beauty and lustre, wordiy their relation to hira. This there fore is, with' beautiful propriety, called by the Aposde the adoption, even the redemption of our body; alluding to the public ceremony, witb» which adoptions araong the ancients were soleranly confirmed and declared, after they had been more privately transacted between the parties imraediately con cerned. Oh Christians, how reasonable is it that our souls should be rising with a secret ardour towards this blessed hope, this glorious abode! — Itis pleasarit forthe children of God to meet and converse with one another upon earth ; so pleasant, that I wonder they do not more frequently form themselves into little societies, in which, under that character, they should join their discourses and their prayers. — It is delightful to address to those that, we trust, through grace are born of God. No discourses are more pleasant than those that suit them: and could we, that are the rainisters of Christ, rea sonably hope, that we had none bnt such to attend our labours, we should joyfully confine our discourses to such subjects. — Yet while we are here, vve see imperfections in others, we feel them yet more painfully in purselves : and as there is 590 An Address to the Regenerate, S^c. no pure unmixed society, no fellowship on earth that is com pletely holy and without blemish, so there is now no pure delight, no perfect pleasure to be met with here. — Oh when shall I depart from this mixed, society, and reach that state where all is good, all glorious ! where I shall see my heavenly Father, and all my brethren in the Lord ; and shall behold them all for ever acting up to the character ! All giving thanks to the Father, who has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light! All for ever blessing and serving the Great Redeemer ; and without one un generous action, one reflecting word, one suspicious thought, for ever serving each other in love, rejoicing, in each other's happiness, and with the most prudent and stedfast application for ever studying and: labouring to improve it! With the most earnest desire that you my dear brethren and friends, may at length attain to this state of perfection and glory : and with a chearful expectation through divine grace, that I shall, ere long, raeet many of you in it; I close this Sermon, and these Discourses : not without an bumble hope, that when we arrive at this blessed world, these hours which we have spent together Jn the house of Gon in attending thera, will come into a pleasant remembrance; and that the God of all grace, to whose glory they are faithfully devoted, and to whose blessing they are humbly committed, will honour them as the means of increasing his family, as well as of feed ing and quickening those who are already his regenerate chil." dren ! Amen. END OF THE THIRD VOLUME, Printed by N. BIGGS, Crane-Court, Fle«t.Street. ERRATA. VOL. III. For Sgrmon X, , p?ge 201, re^i Sermon XI. XI. . page 240, re^d XU, ¦- XV. . page 300, read XVI. XV. . page 312, read. XVII. . XVI. page 331, read XVII?, XVII. page 355, read XIX, : — r-3iVIU. page 373, rea4 — JiJ^, YALE UNIVERSITY YALEV