but to them that believe not? Had we time to dif courfe of these things at length, your danger might be easily manifefted. (3.) I fhall now shut up what I have to say to you, in a fhort account of your duty, having already laid before you your fin, and imminent danger. The fum of this is that which is conrained in the words of our text, Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift. Before we come to prefs this duty upon you, we must acquaint you, that we come not in our own name to treat with you upon this head; but under the character and notion of Chrift's ambaffador, clothed with a commiffion from him. We do come to you in his name, and fhall treat with you according to the inftructi ons received from our great Lord and Mafter. According to our inftructions then, we do in his name demand and require feveral things, all com prehended in that short one, Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift. 1. That ye do own and acknowlege yourfelves fools, blind and ignorant finners, utterly void of, and incapable by your own endeavours to attain to any measure or degree of the faving knowlege of God; and that ye do receive, reft, rely and believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, for inftruction, wifdom and understanding of all things that are needful to be known, in order to your acceptance with God, and partaking of his falvation. Truft in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not to thine own understanding, Prov. iii. 5. Let no man deceive himself, if any man among you feemeth to be wife in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wife, I Cor. iii. 18. which he can no otherwise be, than by trusting entirely to the Lord Z 2 Jefus Part II. Jefus Chrift, who is made of God to all them that believe, wildom. 2. We do, in our great Lord and Master's name, demand and require, that in your appearances at the bar of God, or of his deputy your own confcience, to anfwer for your fins, ye do never once look to, or in the least expect to be abfolved, acquitted, or juftified, on account of any righteoufness of your own; but that ye shall here difclaim and refuse your own righteousness entirely, without offering to plead in your own juftification, your own doings or fufferings, refting and relying only upon that righteousness which Chrift has wrought, pleading only that Chrift has fuffered all the punishment that the law did threaten you with, and has yielded a full and complete obedience to all its demands in your name; to which righteousness, paffive and active, ye truft, as that only whereby ye can be abfolved at the bar of God from the charge laid against you, and have a title to that life and happiness which is the promised reward thereof. Ye muft, with the apostle, Phil, iii. 9. Count all but loss and dung, that ye may win Chrift, and be found in him, not having your own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Chrift, the righteoufness which is of God by faith. 3. Whereas ye have by your fins rendered your felves juftly obnoxious and liable to the difpleasure, anger and wrath of the holy and juft God, we do require, that ye shall never offer to him your own faith or obedience, your doing or fuffering, your prayers or tears, as a fatisfaction for the offence done him, or a propitiatory offering to atone him and turn away his anger; but that ye do truft on. ly to the lamb of God, whom we fet forth as a pro propitiation thro' faith in his blood, in whom alone God is well pleafed with, and accepts of finners. 4. We do further demand, in Chrift our Mafter's name, that ye believe on and receive him as your abfolute and fovereign Lord; that ye readily and cheerfully obey all his coramandments, that ye willingly submit to his providential dispofal of you. 5. We do require, that ye do believe on and receive him, as the author, preferver and maintainer of fpiritual life, and of the whole work of fanctification; to whom alone ye are to truft, for the beginnings, progrefs and completion of a work of fanctification, he being made of God fanctification as well as righteoufhefs to all them that do believe. 6. We do further demand, that ye do all in the name of Chrift, Col. iii. 17. and that ye attempt no duty, go forth against no enemy, but in his name and strength, and under his conduct; trusting to him only for firength, protection, throughbearing and acceptance. In fine, to fum up all, we do, in our great Lord's name, require a prefent ready compliance with all and every one of thefe demands. We have no inftructions to allow you one hour's delay. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of falvation; and to day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. We have no commission to fpeak of to-morrows. we, nor dare we part thefe, demands. Comply with all or none. That short one in our textimplies them all and more, which we shall not now infift upon, having at length opened up the na ture of this duty in our explication of that doctrine which we now are improving. This is the fubftance of what we do in our Lord's name crave; and we are inftructed to prefs thofe demands, and urge your compliance with them, (1.) by intreaties, (2.) by commands, (3.) by threats. (Firft,) Know then, O unbelievers, though our bleffed Lord and Master might peremptorily require obedience to, and acceptance of thefe demands, and, upon the first refusal, turn you all into hell; yet fuch is his condefcenfion, that he has given us in commiffion, to befeech and intreat your compliance. Therefore, as ambassadors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us, we pray you in Chrift's ftead be ye reconciled to God, which can no otherwise be, than upon an accep tance of the terms we have proposed to you. We want not motives to enforce our petition; we are rather straitened with the number of them, than with want. We have fo many in our view, that we know not where to begin, nor how to end. 1. We earnestly, in Chrift's ftead, befeech your falling in with the demands made upon you, which are in themfelves worthy of all accepta tion. We crave no unreasonable thing, when we bid you believe on the Lord Jefus Christ. The request is suited to all the principles of reafon. What more fuitable than for the creature to grant the request, comply with the defire (pardon the expreffion) of the Creator? What more fuitable to that rational principle of self-preservation, and allowable felf-love, than for a captive to accept of a deliverer, a slave to receive a redeemer, a condemned malefactor to welcome a pardon, a finner to entertain a Saviour, a wanderer to lay hold upon upon a guide, a poor man to accept of riches. when offered, and a purfued offender to betake himself to the city of refuge? Nothing fure can better quadrate with that principle that is interwoven in the very frame of our natures. Again, what more fuited to our intereft than this? This is a rational principle, when kept within juft bounds; and it has a great influence for ordinary upon the actions of men. Intereft, real or mistaken, rules the world: and never did it more appear than here, pleading strongly for your acceptance of, and compliance with our defire. A compliance will take you from the dunghil to the throne, will enrich beggars with all the fulness of God; will make the children, nay, the flaves of Satan, heirs of heaven, and advance them to the estate and dignity of being fons of the Most-high. It is not a few things, but all things, that ye may make yours, by accepting of this offer. If ye believe, All things are yours, things prefent, and things to come, grace and glory; all are yours, and ye are Chrift's. Once more, Nothing more fuitable to that principle of gratitude, that is judged to be fo much fuited to the nature of man, that he cannot forgo it, without finking himself a degree below the very beafts. Nothing, I fay, is more agreeable to gratitude. He who gave you all that ye poffefs, to whom alone ye muft owe all that ye fhall to eternity enjoy, afks this fmall and reafonable boon, this juft defire; and we in his stead befeech, intreat and obteft your compliance. Shall we get a refufal, when our demand is fo highly reafonable? Reafon, felf-love, intereft, gratitude, all fecond our requeft. If ye refufe in this, if ye will not hear thefe feconding and urging our earneft requeft, then we take God, angels and men |