probable, we are not all to meet again in this manner, till we meet before the fiery bench of the glorious Judge; and if you be not gathered to him, as an amiable Jefus now, you must be gathered to him as a terrible Judge then. And, Oh! that the thoughts of this, would excite poor fouls to think of gathering to Shiloh before they part, that they may part with God's bleffing, and not under his heavy curfe!-But as to you that have been gathered unto Chrift, I would have you know, that God allows you ftrong confolation. You having fled for refuge to the hope fet before you, you may rejoice, in the hope of the glory of God, that the joy of the Lord may be your strength, in the whole of your work and warfare, as you go thro' the wilderness. You may rejoice in this, that as your hearts are gathered unto Shiloh now, fo your happiest gathering-time is but coming; for he that hath begun to gather you as ftones for the fpiritual building, will never leave the work, till the building be completed, with fhoutings of, "Grace, grace unto it." He will never give over gathering you, till you be completely happy; from time to time, the work will be advanced, by the means of his word and ordinances, till the confummation of the work in glory; for he hath appointed a gofpel-miniftry for the perfecting of the faints, for the edifying the body of Chrift, till they all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the ftature of the fulnefs of Chrift, Eph. iv. 12, 13. He hath appointed these three fearful things, death, judgment, and eternity, to be three happy gatherings for you: the initial gathering being over, by your getting in to Chrift, after your progreffive gathering is come to a close, in your having finished your course, and fought the good fight of faith, your glorious and confummate gathering will take place: the day of death will be the glorious commencement of it. The first coming of Shiloh hath ushered in a gracious gathering; his fecond coming will produce a glorious gathering; but of thefe gathering feafons, I formerly fpoke at large *; * See the gathering feafons treated of above, p. 85,--118. I only I only fay therefore, that then, O believer, then shall you be for ever with the Lord; and it is for this reafon you are now gathered to him, that there you may be for ever with him and fo fure as you are gathered to him in time, fo fure fhall you be with him through eternity; not only for ever with the patriarchs, and prophets, and apoftles; not only for ever with angels and archangels; not only for ever with faints and feraphims; but for ever with the Lord; for none of these can make a heaven without him. Chrift himself will be the centre of the affembly, and heart of the meeting; and though now you are but with him for a start, and he is with you but for a moment, and fo your communion with him is but in tranfient glances of his glory; it may be just now you are with him in the banquettinghoufe, but instantly you are, as it were, at the back of the door: it is only for a little, but then for ever; and it is but a little of him that you have for a little while; yet then, O then, fhall you be for ever with the Lord; Wherefore comfort one-another with these words, I Thef. iv. 18. Know, that being gathered to him on earth, you fhall be gathered to him in heaven; and being gathered in grace, you shall be gathered in glory: for all the promises of grace and glory are gathered in him, and you being gathered to him, are in him alfo, in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen. And now this gathering of the people here is to part: but, O happy parting, to thefe who can date their first or farther gathering to Shiloh, from their gathering to Carnock? For, part with whom you will, Chrift and you fhall never part again; whatever clouds may be in your sky, yet your fun is rifen, and will never fet. But the most part of you here, were never yet gathered to Shiloh: and oh! how can you find it in your heart to go away without him, and without fo much as a defire after him, who is the Defire of all nations! For my own part, I cannot think of your going away in fuch a cafe. Alas! fhall he have it to fay, "I would have gathered you, as a hen does her chickens under her wings, but you would not!" Oh! wherefore did you gather to this place, if you would not be gathered to Shiloh! And if you be more willing to be gone, than willing to be gathered, wo is me, that my text will be no more but a witness against you upon Čarnock green, that you would not; and that the devil, and the world, and your lufts were more defirable to you, and you had more heart to be gathered to them, than to be gathered to Shiloh. Oh then, Sirs, heartlefs parting, while you are content to part with Shiloh for ever, rather than to part with a base luft, or a black devil! If that be not your choice, then let your heart fay, in the fight of the living God if you can, Lord, I think I would be gathered, and would rather choose to die upon the spot, than not to be gathered unto Shiloh; and, my foul could wish that all my dearest lufts were buried in this green, never to rife again, and that Chrift might have my heart for ever, in room of them all. Why, man, can you fay that to the heart-fearching God! Then, poor foul, let me defire you to take the first convenient clofet or corner you can get, and there tell him this over again more folemnly; and at the same time, bless him that ever Shiloh came to you, and that ever you felt the virtue of this promife, That, To bim fhould the gathering of the people be. SERMON SERMO N LXV,---LXXI. THE PREGNANT PROMISE with her Iffue; or, the CHILDREN of PROMISE brought forth, and defcribed *. GAL. iv. 28. Now we, brethren, as Ifaac was, are the children of promife. THIS text, prefents a fubject that concerns all here prefent, and particularly believing communicants. The facrament of the Lord's fupper is a feal of the covenant of grace; the covenant of grace is a covenant of promife; the promife of the covenant is the prolific womb that bears and brings forth all God's children, and fo the children of God are the children. of promife. As it concerns us all therefore to enquire to what family we belong, and whofe children we are; fo believers in particular, or believing communicants, upon this fubject may, in order to the increase of their faith, love, and holy evangelical obedience, find themfelves diftinguished from the reft of the world, by that fovereign grace that is manifefted in the covenant of promife. And upon the back of fuch a great folem *This fubject was difcuffed in feven fermons, moftly preached on facramental occafions. The first two were delivered at the facrament of the Lord's fupper at Torphichen, on the Sabbath evening, and Monday, June 19th and 20th. The third at the facrament at Portmoak, on Monday, July 17th. The fourth probably at Dunfermline, July 23d. The three laft at the facramental folemnity of Glendovan, July 31ft. all in the year 1726. VOL. IV. † N nity, nity, it may not be unfuitable to point them out with a now, or give them their proper name and character in the words of our text; Now we, brethren, as Ifaac was, are the children of promife. As the law and the gofpel differ especially in this, as well as in other things, that whereas in fhort the law is a word of precept, the gofpel is a word of promise; fo the covenant of works and of grace differ in this, that whereas in the covenant of works, all the benefits thereof depend upon man's fulfilling of a precept; in the covenant of grace, all depend upon God's fulfilling of a promife in Chrift. Hence the covenant of works is called the law, and the covenant of grace the promife, particularly in this epiftle, chap. iii. 18. Hence. alfo, in oppofition to all thefe that are under the covenant of works, believers in Chrift, who are brought within the bond of the covenant of grace, are called the children of pr,nife; Now we, brethren, as Ifaac was, are the children of promife. Concerning these two covenants of works and grace, the apoftle elegantly difcourfes in the preceding verfes, particularly from ver. 21. and downward; where having upbraided the Galatians for defiring to be under the law, and fo for difcovering their folly and weaknefs, in fuffering themfelves to be drawn away from the gofpel doctrine of juftification, and to be deprived of their freedom from the bondage of the law, he asks them a question, "Do you not hear the law?" q. d. How ignorantly do you hold yourselves bound to fulfil the law, and look for eternal life thereby; while, though you hear, you do not understand the law, but miftake the end and defign of it, not confidering Chrift to be the end of the law, but fuppofing that the very obfervance of it, even fince the fall of Adam, does give life, and juftify? This ignorance was, to the Jews, as a vail before their eyes in the reading of the law, 2 Cor. iii. 14.; yea, this ignorance is the vail by which thoufands, that are called Chriftians, are blinded. Now, from ver. 22. the apoftle fhews how their liberty from the law, was prefigured in the family of Abraham; where notice the nar |