to witness against you, that, rather than comply with the defire of the ambaffador of Chrift, fupplicating you in his name, you will not stand to counteract all the principles of reafon, self-prefervation, interest and gratitude, to hear whom ye will not refufe in any other cafe.

2. We befeech you, in Chrift's ftead, to accept of him; for we dare fay, he is worthy of your acceptance, worthy for whom ye fhould do this thing. He is the only begotten of the Father, and is poffeffed of all the glorious perfections of the Father; he is the exprefs image of his perfon, the image of the invifible God. And as upon account of his perfonal excellencies,fo upon account of the good offices he has done you, he deferves good treatment at your hand. He has honoured your nature, by joining it to his own, in a glorious and mysterious perfonal union. He has given the most pregnant proof of matchlefs love to loft finners: he left the Father's bofom, to bring them there; - he died, that they might live; he suffered, that they might be faved. In a word, all the perfections of the divine nature, all the perfections of your own, all the wounds, every drop of the blood of the crucified Saviour of the world, all the tears he shed, all the drops of blood he in his a gonies did fweat for the relief of poor finners; all cry with one voice, finners, we beseech you be lieve on the Lord Jefus. Can you refufe what is." craved by fuch an one?

3. We pray you, by the mercies of God, in the bowels of our Lord Jefus, believe on him, accept of him; for his heart is upon this request. Nothing more acceptable to him, than a compliance with this call; he laid the foundation of this offer we make to you, in his own blood; he wept

at

at finners folly, that would not comply with it; he has inftitute a gospel miniftry for this very end, and has been, if I may fo fpeak, at a vaft expence of gifts and grace for the maintenance of this his own ordinance. He has given them moft peremptory orders, to call you, to beseech you, to command, to threaten, nay, to compel you to a compliance. Will ye refufe our Mafter that requeft he has fo much at heart?

4. We befeech you, accept of him now, grant our requeft, as ye would have yours granted by him, at that day when ye thall be obliged to fupplicate him, ftanding before his bar, as pannels before the Judge of all the earth. None thall have their request granted in that day, who will not grant ours now. Will ye not then hear our Mafter now? If ye refufe him now, how will ye think to obtain any favour from him then?

We are

5. We befeech you, in the name of all the glo rious Trinity, to grant our demands. ambaffadors for Chrift, and God doth befeech you by us. God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, do all join in the fupplication. Never were there fuch three names at a fupplication, never fuch three hands at a petition. O finners, what hearts have ye, if ye can refufe the defire, the fupplication, the intreaties of å whole Trinity? All the love of the Father, all the grace of the Son, and all bleffings that are enjoyed by communion with the Holy Ghoft, all plead with you for your compliance. Can ye refufe us then, O finners, O rocks, O hearts harder than rocks?

6. Once more, we beseech you, be ye reconciled to God, accept of, and believe on our Lord Jefus Chrift; for we allure you, in our great Ma

fter's

Part II. fter's name, he is no ordinary fupplicant. He never came with such a fupplication to the fallen angels; he never came with it to many nations of the world, who would, we make no doubt, welcome it, if they knew it, and had it. Kings are not ordinary petitioners, and therefore it is no wonder if they take ill with a repulse.

Now, O finners, what answer shall we give to him that fent us? what return fhall we give to our master? Shall we fay, that we came to the congregation of Ceres, that we fhewed his com miffion, told our errand, in his name fupplicate for a compliance with his demand? But that ye would not hear him, though we befought you, in his name, by all the ties of reason, self-prefervati on, interest and gratitude, by the glorious worth of Chrift, by all the marks of his love to mankind, by all his concern for finners; and that we had a whole Trinity feconding us, and that yet we met with a refufal? Are ye willing that we take witnef fes upon this refufal, and, in our Master's name, proteft, that this our reasonable, nay, advantage. ous requeft, was refufed? It is a wonder that e ver the commands of a God fhould be difobeyed; but it is yet a greater, that ever the request, the intreaty of a God should be denyed. Be aftonih. ed, O heavens, at this, God befeeching! and man refufing!

(Second.) If this will not prevail with you, then know, that we are inftructed by our great Lord and Mafter, to make ufe of his authority, and, in his name, to command your compliance. We do therefore, in the name of our Lord and Mafter Jefus Chrift, command every one of you, young and old, rich and poor, high and low, to believe

on

on him, and receive him. Beware of defpifing his authority. If ye be wife, obey his command: For,

1. Never was there a command given by any king, that deferved more refpect, upon account of the matter of it. If ye look to it, ye will find it nothing else but this, Christ commands you to be happy, commands you to heaven; and will ye, out of a hatred of God's authority, damn your own fouls ?

2. Obey this command; for it is his, who is King of kings, and Lord of lords, the prince of the kings of the earth, the high and only potentate, who, on account of the fupereminent excellency of his nature, his intereft in us by creation and prefervation, has the unquestionable right to our obedience without any refervation.

3. Difpute not this command; for it is his, who did command you out of nothing, and who can, with the like facility, command you into hell, which is infinitely worse than nothing.

4. If ye will obey this command, we have an allowance, in his name, to make offer of himself, and of all his glorious purchase; and, according to our commiffion, we do here, in the name of our great Lord and Mafter, offer him for wifdom, righteousness, fanctification and redemption; we `offer him, and all he has, to every one within thefe doors. Whoever ye be, whatever your fins are, though as great as ever were the fins of any of the fons of Adam, we do here offer Christ to you, and do promife, that, if ye will accept of him, he will in no wife caft you out; nay, he fhall fave you, make you fons of God, nay, heirs, yea, and joint heirs with himself. Believe on the Lord Jefus and ye fhall be faved. Take him, and have him; take him, and have with him all things;

all

all the bleffings that the infinite, eternal, electing love of the Father, designed for his chofen ones; all the bleffings that the precious blood of God, one drop whereof was of more value than ten thousand worlds, did purchase; all that the great and precious promifes of the life that now is, and of that which is to come, are able to grafp or comprehend; all that quick-fighted faith, that looks from one eternity to another, from eternal electing love, projecting mercy, to eternal falvation, flowing from that fountain, can fet its eye upon; all that the enlarged capacity of a perfected foul can hold or defire to all eternity: in one word, all that a God can beftow, or a creature receive; if ye receive Chrift, all is and fhall be

yours.

(Third.) But if we can neither prevail by commands nor intreaties with you, then we give you to understand, that we have it in commiffion to uge you to a compliance by threatenings.

1. If ye believe not, now in the accepted time, in this your day, then the things which belong unto your peace will be hid from your eyes. Our Master will give over treating with you, call home his ambassadors, or give them commiflion to turn to others; as we find he did, when the Jews rejected the gofpel offer, Acts xiii. 46. Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and faid, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but feeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles; for fo hath the Lord commanded us.

2. We do, in our great Lord and Master's name, proclaim war against you. Unbelievers, finally rejecting Chrift, are to him as Amalek,