not fing; therefore depend upon him, who only can make the tongue of the dumb to fing. If there were more dependence on him, the tongue as well as the life of profeffors would be more employed in finging his prailes, and talking of his name, and fpeaking of his glory. What a fad matter is it, that a dumb devil hath poffeffed the generality of profeffors as to fpiritual converfe? O the idle worldly talk upon Sabbath days; yea, on communion days! Some will go away even from this communion, talking more of the corn and weather, or any thing elfe, than upon the word they have heard, or any foul-edifying difcourfe fuitable to the occafion. What faid Chrift of the poffefled man in the gospel? "Thou dumb and deaf fpirit, I charge thee to come out of him." O look to him, that he would charge the dumb devil to come out of you, that your tongues may fing his praifes, and fpeak of his glory. How hardening is it to a wicked world, to fee profellors as carnal and worldly as themselves! O then employ the chief Singer to help you to fing, and plead his promife for this end, "They fhall fing in the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord," Pfalm exxxviii. 5. yea, he hath promifed to give fongs in the night of adverfity; that is, a fong of mercy in the midst · of judgment and affliction: "I will give her the valley of Achor for a door of hope, and the fhall fing there," Hof. ii. 15. O believer, whatever be your difcouragement and complaint, while furrounded with judgments and trials, let not the world fee you dampt and discouraged, left they fay, You ferve a bad mafter, that does not allow you to fing. Whatever dead weights you have upon your fpirit, which God and you know, ye may tell him of it, and tell fome godly perfon that will fympathize with you in it; but let not the world hear your complaints and difcouragements, let them know you serve a good mafter; and remember how he encourages you to this, faying, "How great is thy loving-kindness thou haft laid up for them that truft in thee, before the fons of men!" or, as it may be explained, who carry boldly and couragiously, under whatever difficulties and dangers, before the fons of men, and glorify God before the world:

and

and therefore, tho' you may weep in fecret places before the Lord, and get to little more than a figh or a fob, yet endeavour to fing before the world at least, that they may bring up a good report of religion, and that the world may know you believe what believe what you profefs; that yet a little while, and you fhall return to Zion with fongs, and everlafting joy upon your heads, and fighing and forrowing fhall for ever fly away; and that though your body will be laid in the duft within a little time, yet a little while, and the happy joyful morning of a glorious refurrection is haftening on, when the voice will be heard, "Awake and fing, ye that dwell in the duft," Ifa. xxvi. 19. 0 fing, fing, amidst all your forows and fighing; fing of mercy and judgment, in hope of finging there, where forrow and fighing fhall fly away. O go away finging, in fpite of the devil and corruption; and take Chrift the chief Singer along with you, to tune your harp, whenfoever the devil puts it out of tune; Go up from the wildernefs, leaning upon him, who hath engaged to work in you both to will and to do.

And now, when we are parting, alas! is it not a fore matter, that there are many here, that will never learn to fing on earth, nor ever be admitted to the very firft note of the fpiritual fong, which is, to believe on the Son of God; for, "Without faith it is impoffible to please God," or praife him; and, as they never get to this, fo it never coft them an hour's care, or made them lofe an hour's fleep, that they could not believe in Chrift. O wretched man! are you carelefs and indifferent, whether you fing in heaven among angels, or roar in hell among devils, to all eternity? Yea, there are fome here, that do not believe there is fuch a perfon as Chrift in heaven; they have had a fancy about him, by their hearing of him in the gofpel, but never had the faith of the Son of God, by the Spirit's revealing him in the heart and yet you are living careless and fecure, in the purfuit of your fins and idols you are going straight to hell, with a cart-load of fermons on your back, and making poor ministers fpend their breath and labour in vain, and preach you to the devil, when they would gladly preach you to

Christ. O fhall we part, and not a foul of you be touched and turned to the Lord, or brought to learn any other fong, but to fing yourselves afleep in the arms of the devil and your lufts? Some are fleeping in the arms of a black devil, in the purfuit of grols and abominable lufts, of drunkennefs, whoredom, fabbathbreaking, &c. Others are fleeping in the arms of a white devil, going about to establish a righteousness of their own, relting on their legal duties and prayers; having a form of godlinefs, but denying the power thereof; expecting God will have mercy on them, because they obferve feveral duties of the law, which others neglect; and fo finging a falfe fong of mercy, or hope of mercy, while they never knew the judgment of God, nor faw the wonders of God's executing all the judgments threatened in the law upon the glorious Surety Chrift Jefus, nor ever came under that covert to efcape the judgment of God: but, while you are firangers to Chrift, all your worship is but hypocrify, your zeal but madness, your faith but fancy, and your work abominable to God. O! will none of you be prevailed with to cry with your heart to the Lord, faying, Lord, pluck me out of the arms of the devil, and as a brand out of the burning? As you would not defpife the riches of his mercy, and incur the fury of his judg ment, go to a corner, and cry to him, that he would teach you how to fing of mercy and judgment. It may be, the Lord will pity you for his name's fake. O may the Lord himself fhew his glory to you, and make you fee mercy and judgment meeting and embracing each other, and with joint harmony carrying on your falvation work, in fpite of all the oppofing legions of hell; and bring you to put in practice the pfalmi's fweet refolution here, "I will fing of mercy and judgment; unto thee, O Lord, will I fing."

SERMON

SERMON XX*.

The HARMONY of the DIVINE ATTRIBUTES dif played, in the Redemption and Salvation of Sinners by JESUS CHRIST.

PSALM 1XXXV. 10.

Mercy and Truth are met together, Righteoufnefs and Peace bave kiffed each other.

MY friends, at a folemn marriage-fupper, there

is ufually a friendly company that meets together; and when at fuch an occafion, all things are managed with fobriety and decency, it is very heartfome and pleasant to the parties concerned, to see the members of the meeting with mutual kindness to one another, harmoniously gracing the folemnity: even fo at the marriage-fupper of the Lamb; I mean, the facrament of the Lord's fupper, which we have been celebrating, there is a heartfome company, not of men and women, for that would make but a poor earthly meeting; nor yet of faints and angels, for that would make but at beft a mean creature-meeting; but it is a glorious heartfome company of divine attributes and perfections, in the fweeteft concord, meeting together, and embracing one-another. This wonderful conjunction of divine excellencies is the friendly company that meets together, to put honour upon this nuptial folemnity and to fee them thus harmonioufly embracing one-another in the falvation of finners, is the fweet

* This fermon was preached on the Sabbath-evening, immediately

after the administration of the faciament of the Lord's fupper at Durfermline, September 29th, 1723.

est

eft fight, that the bride, the Lamb's wife, fhall ever fee at the marriage-fupper, whether it be at the lower or upper table.

There is a great meeting in this houfe, but an infinitely greater in this text; a meeting of divine excellencies, to grace the affembly of the marriage-fupper of the Lamb: " Mercy and truth are mer together, righteoufnefs and peace have killed each other." When God made heaven and earth of g, he made them by a word, without any other ceremony; but when he made man, there was fome particular folemnity, a grand council, as it were, of the glorious Trinity called; "Come let us make man, after our own image.", But now, man having unmade himfelf, if God hath a mind for the praife of his own glorious grace to make him up again, by a new creation in Chrift Jefus, there must be a more glorious folemnity yet; not only a council of the adorable Trinity, but a grand meeting of all the attributes of God, to confult their. own glory that was marred, and reconcile their own interefts, and feemingly contradictory claims; for the fin of man had brought real confufion among all the creatures of God on earth; yea, and a feeming war among all the attributes of God in heaven, concerning the execution of the fentence of the law upon mankind, the tranfgreffor thereof. Some of thefe attributes, fuch as Mercy, faying, If the fentence of death be execute upon them, how fhall I be glorified? Others, fuch as Truth, faying, If the fentence be not executed, how fhall I be glorified? Is it to be expected that fuch oppofites can meet together? Or if they meet, that they will agree together cordially? Yea, though it be beyond the expectation of men and angels, yet, behold, it is here celebrated with a fong, "Mercy and truth are met together, righteoufnefs and peace have kiffed each other.”

This pfalm confifts of a prayer of faith, and an anfwer of peace. Firft, The church's prayer, from the beginning to the 8th verfe, where they are praying for the removal of many tokens of God's difpleasure they were under, notwithstanding of their return out of the

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