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lefs in it. God will reckon fo, and deal with you not according to the judgment ye make of fin, but that which he makes. We have made it appear

from the word of God, that fin is fuch as we have represented it; and if ye think more mildly of it, be doing, and behold the issue,

Having thus opened to you your indictment, I fhall now proceed,

II. To lead witneffes against you to prove the charge, according to the method we laid down for the management of this business in our entry upon the improvement.

But before we begin this work, we shall briefly obviate a difficulty that may be started against the whole of what we are to fay under this head. To what purpose is it (may fome fay) to lead witnef fes to prove a charge, which is confeft? Who denies this, that they are finners? every one will readily own fo much; and therefore, any thing that is faid to prove fuch a thing, seems perfectly loft. To this fhortly we fay, (1.) Though, every body acknowleges that they are guilty; yet few, very few, believe to be true what they them felves are ready to fay in this matter. We all own ourselves guilty of fin; but were it believed, would not every eye be full of tears? every heart full of fears? Would not our knees Belshazzar-like beat one against another, every face gather palenefs, and every mouth be full of that enquiry, Men and brethren, what shall we do to be faved? Sure they would; and that it is not fo, is a clear and unquestionable proof that we do not really believe what we fay. (2.) Were our only defign to justify God in any measures he has taken, or may take to punifh us, then indeed fuch an acknowlegement were fufficient to found a fentence

of

of condemnation on, and to free God from any imputation of injuftice in punishing them who acknowlege the crime: but our defignis of another fort; we are to ftudy to bring you to fuch a fenfe of your fin, as may put you to enquire for a relief. And therefore, (3.) We are to use all methods which may in any measure contribute to the furtherance of this defign; we are to effay all ways to awaken you out of that fecurity wherein you are like to fleep on, till you be entirely ruined, till there be no remedy or relief for you.

This prejudice being taken out of the way, we fhall now proceed to lead the witnesses against you. We have laid the blackeft of crimes to your charge, and we have the strongest evidence that you are guilty for we can prove guilt upon you by witneffes, which may be compared with any, either as to capacity or integrity; witneffes who are faithful in this matter, and will not lie, according to the character given by the wife man, Prov. xiv. 5. A faithful witness will not lie. Witneffes they are who cannot be fufpected of partial counsel, who never would have advised you to fin, and who take no pleasure in accufing you; and therefore cannot be fufpected of malice, or of any ill or invidious defign against you, as were eafy to make appear of every one of them whom

we shall name.

Take heed therefore, we beseech you, to their teftimony. The gravity and confequence of the matter, the quality of the witneffes being the greateft in heaven or earth, and your own concernment in the whole, do join in pleading for your attention. O criminals, as your crimes are great, fo is the evidence we bring against you great: For, I. The

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1

1. The Lord is witness against you. As he faid of old to his people in that xxix of Jer. and 23. fo he fays to you, young and old of you, who are here prefent, you have finned; Even I know and am a witness, faith the Lord. God, who cannot lie, accufes you as guilty of fin: And if we fay that we have not finned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us, 1. John i. 10. Here is a witness against you, O finners, to whofe chargė, I am fure, you have nothing to lay. purges himself of, Ezek. xxxiii. II. faith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Could it be any pleasure to him to ruin the work of his own hands? No fure.

Malice he

As I live,

2. Jefus Chrift, the eternal fon of God, the Amen and faithful witnefs, gives an evidence against you. He came to bear witness to the truth, and this was one of the great truths to which he bare witnefs, That all have finned, and therefore are under a sentence of condemnation, which can no otherwise be repealed, but by believing on the name of the only begotten Son of God, John iii. 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned: "but he that believeth not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Chrift's very name bears witness to this truth. He is called Jefus, because he shall fave his people from their fins, Matth. 1. 21. And how could he fave them from their fins, had they

none ?

3. Guilty you are, for the Spirit of truth, John xiv. 17. calls you fo. It is one of the offices of this glorious perfon of the ever blessed Trinity, to convince the world of fin, John xvi. 8. And when he is come, he will convince the world of fin. If

this glorious witness would now speak, as fometimes he has done, we fhould then need no more witnesses. He would finish the evidence, and make it anfwer our defign. Thus we see that there are three in heaven that bear record, and set to their feal to this great truth, the Father, Son and Spirit. Now, fure we cannot refuse what they bear teftimony to. Any crime however great, is fuf ficiently proven by the concurring teftimonies of two men; and if we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, 1 John v. 9. But moreover, in the

4th Place, God's deputy in your bofoms is a witness of this great but fad truth that ye have all finned. Ye are witneffes against yourselves, and have actually given teftimony against yourselves in this matter, and that, (1.) In your baptifin. When you were baptized you did then own yourfelves guilty; for as the whole need not the phyfician but the fick, fo the clean need not washing, but the defiled; and he who washes owns himself defiled. (2.) Your attendance on gospel ordinances is a teftimony to this truth, That you have finned; for they all level at the falvation of finners. (3.) The very name whereby you are called, is a teftimony given to this truth. Chriftians you are called, and if any body fhould deny you to be fo, you would take it very highly, and look upon it as a notable indignity done you. Well, if ye be chriftians, that is, the people of Chrift, then you are finners; for he came to fave his people from their fins. Matth. i. 21. (4.) Is there any among you that ever prayed for pardon of fin? Sure, these who have not done fo, deferve not the name of chriftians; and these who have done fo, whether young or old, rich or poor,

have born witness against themselves in this matter. And there is one day, when your confci. ences that may now either be filent, or obliged to speak fo flow that it can scarce well be heard, fhall not only speak to make you hear it, but force you to fpeak this fad truth, fo that others may hear it diftinctly. But further,

5. The fcriptures bear witness against you, that you have finned. This is every where their voice. The book of God is full of this certain and fad truth. Look but forward to the 10 verfe of this chapter, and there you fhall fee a cloud, of teftimonies to this purpofe. As it is written, there is... none righteous, no not one, there is none that un-· derftandeth, there is none that feeketh after Gods. They all are gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one. Among all the race of Adam, the fcriptures of truth make not one exception, and therefore, ye are all guilty; for the fcripture can not be broken, John x. 35.

6. The ministers of the gospel bear witness a, gainst you, that you have finned. This is our work, to be witneffes to the truths of God, of which this is one, That all have finned: and to this truth we give teftimony, (1.) In that the very defign of our office proclaims this truth, and afferts the undoubted certainty of it..

the defign of our office is, the apostle in that I Tim. iv. 16. fhortly tells us, it is to fave ourselves and them who bear us. We, and ye who hear us, are finners, becaufe we need to be faved. An of fice fet up for the faving of fouls, is a standing teftimony and witnefs to this truth, That all have. finned: and when a minister comes to any congregation, then it is one part of his business to

bear

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