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others, as if they were the dregs and offscourings of the earth when God gathers any fuch, he hath them to bring down from lofty elements, and airy vanities, that he may humble them under his mighty hand, and make them ftoop to Shiloh. Others are, as it were, building caftles in the air: fuch are thefe, who being ignorant of God's righteoufnels, and going about to establish their own righteoufnefs, will not fubmit to the righteoufnefs of God, Rom. x. 3. This is a high and lofty building; but it is like a caftle in the air, having no foundation, but the high and airy imagination of these that build it; which the Lord will bring down, when he gathers them out of their heights and altitudes, you fee he does, 2 Cor. x. 5. "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty thro' God, to the pulling down of ftrong holds, cafting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Chrift."-There you fee high things, high thoughts, high imaginations, all high and airy buildings exalted againft Chrift, and his righteoufnefs; yea, ftrong holds, fuch as nothing but the mighty power of God can pull down: fuch are all the falfe hopes, and legal dreams of poor finners. They hope they will mend before they die; they will turn a new leaf, and live a new life, and fo pay their own debt, and do their own bufinefs themfelves: thus they build in the air a refuge of lies, which the hail muft fweep away. And indeed God raifes a ftorm in the air, that he may gather his remnant from thence. As in a dangerous form, the mariner will caft filk and fattin over board, and the most valuable things, rather than perifh; even fo God raifes a ftorm of conviction in the man's confcience, that threatens everlafting fhipwreck, that he may caft away his confidence, and legal righteoufnefs; that what things were gain to him, thefe he may count lofs for Chrift.Thus, I fay, there are fome airths from whence they are gathered. And this leads me to,

4. A fourth remark, viz. that there are feveral things fuppofed and imported in this gathering of the people to Shiloh. To mention fome of thefe,

(1.) It

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(1.) It fuppofes ftraying, and imports converfion. It fuppofes ftraying; and indeed the natural ftate is a firaying and wandering ftate. The man is wandering away from God, wandering from his commandments, wandering in a wilderness, wandering he knows not where away; for the devil hoodwinks him; "The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not:" and fo they wander in the dark; in the darkness of ignorance, unbelief, error, delufion, and confufion; and yet, in the darknels of deep fecurity, never imagining but that they are in the right enough way, though it be the high way to hell, thinking that God is altogether like unto themfelves, and approves their way, and allows them in all thefe things, wherein they allow themfelves. Hence it is impoffible to bring them off from their carnal thoughts, and wicked ways, where they are wandering, unless God himfelf gather them by his convincing grace. This gathering imports coNVERSION, wherein God fays with power, (as he made the world with an omnipotent LET IT BE, fo here,) the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord," Ifaiah lv. 7, 8. But this power of God, whereby he converts finners, rides in the chariot of grace, faying, as it follows, "I will have mercy on him; I will abundantly pardon." And here is the cord of love and mercy, with which he draws. The gofpel of grace is the power of God to falvation, the power of God to converfion; without the faith and apprehenfion of this mercy, there is no gofpel repenting, nor return, no effectual converfion; "Let him return, for I will abundantly pardon." There is the motive, which muft be viewed, before any can be moved thereby. But when this mercy of God in Chrift, in multiplying pardon where fin hath been multiplied, is once viewed, then the foul is melted and moved. What is there mercy for the like of me? Pardon for the like of me? And abundant pardon, where fin hath abounded? Oh! will I, for great fins, get great pardons, and for a multitude of fins, a multitude of pardons? Will the

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mountains of mercy overtop and cover all the mountains of my fins? O! fays God this, even to wicked me? This makes all my bowels melt, and all my bones to say, "Who is like unto the Lord ?" Thus he gathers in converfion, faying, Wicked man, turn; for I will abundantly pardon: and, O that is a powerful FOR; like a loadflone, that hath a drawing virtue upon the hard fteel; fo will this draw the hard heart, and diffolve it.This FOR is backed with another, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor my ways your ways;" q. d. With refpe&t to the proud fecure finner, do you think that I am altogether like unto yourself, and that I approve of your ways, as if they were my ways, and your thoughts, as if they were my thoughts? Becaufe you allow yourself in that way, you think I allow you alfo; and your thought is, that you fhall have peace, tho' you walk after the imagination of your own heart: nay, My thoughts are not your thoughts.-Or, with respect to the felf-righteous finner, what are your thoughts? You think that your way is a very good way, and fo that it is God's way; and you think that God will accept of you, because you fay you do your beft, and do as well as you can, and no-body can impeach you, or fay black is your eye; you are a good neighbour; you are honeft in your dealings; and fo you think you are every way right; and that God thinks as well of you, as you do of yourfelf; and that his thoughts are your thoughts, and that your way that you are walking in, is his way: Nay, nay, fays he; " My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither my ways your ways; for as the hea vens are above the carth, fo are my thoughts above your thoughts and ways." O do not meafure God's thoughts and ways by your finful or felfifh thoughts and ways: if you would not run into a mistake, man, woman, look to the clouds, and fee how far they are above the earth; yea, look to the heavens, and fee how far they are above the clouds; yea, look to the God that made the heavens, and fee how far he is exalted above the heavens and if the heavens be fo far above you, that you cannot reach them, or meafure them; O how far

is God above you, that you should attempt to meafure his thoughts and ways by yours!--Or, again, with refpect to the humbled finner, that is like to be moved and melted with the view of mercy, but yet is tempted to doubt and deny it, faying, O my thoughts are, that God will never have mercy on the like of me, fuch a God-provoking finner; and I fear God's thoughts are the fame with mine: Nay, "My thoughts are not your thoughts," fays God; look to the heavens, man; look to the heavens, woman; look to the heavens, lafs; look to the heavens, lad; for as the heavens are above the earth, fo are my ways of grace, and thoughts of mercy, above your thoughts and ways.: your thoughts are, that I have no way to fhew mercy on you; and therefore, that my thoughts are to ruin. and destroy you; but I have found a ranfom, through which my mercy does make way, and vent to the credit of juftice; therefore, "My thoughts are thoughts of peace, and not of evil." Judge not my thoughts then by the ftandard of yours, but rather make the height of the heavens above the earth to be the ftandard, whereby to judge the height of my mercy, for overtopping all your fins with abundant pardon; therefore turn here is the FOR, the threefold FOR, or motive, upon which turning, or converfion, is urged.This gathering, I fay, fuppofes ftraying, and imports converfion.

(2.) It fuppofes SCATTERING, and imports CONVENTION; it is a gathering together into one, the children of God that were scattered abroad, John xi. 52. The natural ftate is a fcattered ftate; and God's remnant whom he hath a mind to gather, are not only fcattered here and there thro' the earth, but before the Lord gather them, they are like dead and dry bones fcattered about the grave's mouth, Pfal. cxli. 7. They are dead in trefpaffes and fins; dead fpiritually, under the power of fin: dead legally, under the fentence of death and damnation; and not only DEAD bones, but DRY bones; no fap of grace or goodnefs in them; and not only fo, but SCATTERED bones; How fhall thefe dry thefe fcattered bones be gathered together? B 4

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reprefented, Ezek. xxxvii. 1,-10. The Spirit of life muft come, and gather together the bones and make them live: and then, and not till then, are the fcattered. fouls conveened, and gathered to Chrift. Then the fcattered thoughts, that were fcattered among the ftuff of the world, are gathered to Chrift; every thought being brought in captivity to the obedience of Chrift. Then the fcattered affections, that were loft among the lufts of the flefh, the lufts of the eye, and the pride of life, are gathered and conveened together unto Chrift, as the proper certre. O then, there is a convention of hearts, that were fcattered among other objects; My fon, give me thy heart." Then there is a convention of defires, to him is the defire of all nations; a convention of delights, to him who is the delight of God and angels. Inftead of the defires of the flesh, and the delights of fenfe, the defire of their fouls comes to be towards him, and the remembrance of his name, faying, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none in all the earth that I defire befides thee." Oh! are there not here, dead and dry boxes fcattered about the mouth of the grave? dead and dry hearts and affections fcattered about the mouth of hell? Oh! what need of a gathering?

(3.) It fuppofes rejection, and imports reception. The natural flate is a ftate, wherein the man is rejected of God; he hath forfaken God, and God hath forfaken him. But when God gathers the people to Shiloh, he receives them into favour; Ifa. liv. 7. "For a fmall moment have I forfaken thee, but with great mercy will I gather thee;" that is, "I will love thee freely, and receive thee gracioufly."

(4.) It fuppofes SEPARATION, and imports UNION. The natural ftate is a flate of feparation from God, wherein the man is like the prodigal, in a far country; far from God, and far from Chrift, and far from grace : "Aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, and strangers to the covenants of promife, having no hope, and without God in the world," Eph. ii. 22. There is an infinite moral distance, as well as natural distance, betwixt God and them. The wall of feparation is fuch, as none but

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