"God did befeech you by me, I would pray you "in Chrift's ftead, be ye reconciled to God." It is "the word and miniftry of reconciliation*," not of condemnation which I bear. True, I would fhew you your tranfgreffions, and your fins, your guilt and your danger; your great, your aggravated guilt, your dreadful your alarming danger; but, it is in order to bring you to Chrift, for pardon, for peace, for life, and eternal falvation. Think of all his gracious invitations, all his glorious promises. He is able to fave to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. He is able, and he is willing alfo. Do you doubt it? He has fealed it with his blood. He fhed his blood for you finners, and you reject him. Your outward profeffion is like "the purple robe, the reed, "the crown of thorns," with which his enemies mocked him, when in the flesh; like the " HAIL! KING OF THE JEWS! with which he was derided by thofe who crucified him. Still there is mercy. His prayer for you, as well as for his murderers, his Father, forgive them, for they know not "what they do." The times of your ignorance God will wink at; but now he calleth on you, every one, to repent, to repent, and believe the gofpel; to believe with your whole heart, in "his only-begotten Son, whom he gave to die on "the cross, for this express purpose, that all who "believe in him fhould not perish, but have everC 3 "afting "lafting life." "How fhall you efcape, if you "neglect fo great falvation *" Think, how fhall you be able to meet him as an avenging judge, whom you have rejected as a kind, a loving Saviour? How fhall you be able to endure "the "wrath of the Lamb," the once fuffering and compaffionate Lamb of God? Now is the ac❝cepted time; now is the day of falvation. The "night cometh, when no man can work." The long night of the grave is rapidly advancing, when, if it finds you ftill in unbelief, ye fhall, with "the "Devil and his angels" be " referved in chains "under darkness, unto the judgment of that day." Oh, then, fly to Jefus. Pray to him, and to God the Father through him, to give you faith to believe to the faving of your foul. Oh! kifs the Son, left he be angry, and ye perif "from the way, when his wrath is kindled, though "but a little. Bleffed, yea, thrice bleffed, are all "they that put their trust in him t!" God grant that this may be the cafe with us, even unto death, for the fake of his dear Son, Jefus Chrift our Lord! Amen! Amen! Heb. ii. 3. + Pfalm ii. 12. PRAYER PRAYER BEFORE OR AFTER THE SERMON. The Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Eafter and St. James. O Almighty God, who alone cant order the unruly wills and affections of finful men: Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou com: mandeft, and defire that which thou doft promise; that fo, among the fundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may furely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found. that, as thine holy apoftles, leaving all that they had, without delay, were obedient to thy dear Son Jefus Chrift, and followed him ; fo we, forfaking all worldly and carnal affections, may be evermore ready to follow thy holy commandments, through Jefus Chrift our Lord! N my former difcourfes, I endeavoured to fhew, that the faith spoken of in our text, by which alone we can avoid the eternal wrath of God, is far more than a mere notional affent to any truths whatever. It is a living ruling prin ciple 66 even ciple in the heart, actually uniting us to Christ through his Holy Spirit, by which "of his ful"nefs of grace and truth we continually receive, * "" for grace grace We particularly confidered it, alfo by the fcriptural marks its making Chrift precious to our fouls, and its being productive of fpiritual joy and peace; which no mere fpeculative faith, however learned or laboured can ever effect. Let us proceed now to try our ftate, in like manner, by fome of the other marks of juftifying faith contained in the facred volume. In the prefent difcourfe I would propose the three following. 1. It is the fubftance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not feen: 2. It is the principle of regeneration, or a new and spiritual birth. 3. It produces good works. 1. By the fubftance or fubfiftence of things "hoped for, the evidence of things not feent," we are to understand an internal conviction of the certainty and reality of future and invifible things, on which the 'mind can confidently repofe. It thus becomes a fettled principle of conduct. Mankind act on a fimilar confidence, in the daily af fairs of human life. The affairs of the world could not go forward a fingle hour without it. We truft a friend or fervant with our property; a phyfician with our life. We carry on extenfive commerce in countries, and with perfons which we have *John i. 14. & 16. † Heb. xi. 1 have never beheld. Cannot we then admit the fame principle in religion, as in every thing befides? Cannot we truft to God, as well as to man? Cannot we extend our views beyond the grave as well as to the other extremity of the earth? Cannot we enjoy communion with an invifible God, as well as with unfeen men? We certainly can; and the fcriptures afford us numerous inftances of fuch as have done fo. Indeed," whofoever will "come to God muft believe that he is, and that "he is the rewarder of them that diligently feek "him," Speaking of the several faints of old, the Apoftle fays, "Thefe all died in faith, not "having received the promises, but having feen "them afar off, and were perfuaded of them, and "embraced them, and confeffed that they were "ftrangers and pilgrims on the earth t." I will not multiply inftances of this, but proceed to afk you, Whether your faith in Chrift fhews itfelf in this manner? The Apoftle thus defcribes true faith in him: Whom having not feen ye love; "tho' in whom now ye fee him not, yet believing, ye "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory;" of that glory which fhall be revealed; through a firm confidence, that when Chrift, who is our "life, fhall appear, then fhall ye alfo appear with "him in glory. Is your heart thus with Chrift in heaven; or is it ftill on carth?" Where your "treafure is, there will your heart be alfo." Where then is your treafure? Where do you + "fet Heb, xi. 6. + Heb. xi. 13. 1 Pet. i. 8. |