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Where can ye lay the blame of it? (1.) Dare ye fay that ye wanted the means of falvation? No, this ye cannot, ye dare not fay; for if ye fhall fo do, we are all here witneffes for God against you; nay, your own confciences fhall arife and fly in your faces, and force you, though unwilling, to own that ye have had the means. (2.) Dare ve fay that the means are not fufficient to the end for which they are offered? No, I am fure there fhall not be one that ever had them, who fhall dare to charge then with infufficiency. And if any, of you should arrive at that height of intolerable infolence and impudence as to do it, it were eafy to flop their mouths: For God might afk you, when franding at his tribunal, Firft, How do ye know them to be infufficient, fince ye were never at the pains to try them? Next, He might ftop your mouth thus, Behold here upon my right hand that innumerable company out of all kindreds, tongues and nations: and how were they fav ed? If ye fhould go to them all, and afk them one by one, would they not all with one voice anfwer to your eternal fhame and confufion, that by the ufe of these very means you had, but neglected, they were faved? (3.) If yet ye will not fee that all the blame of your deftruction will come only to your own door, then I afk you, on whom will ye lay the blame Dare ye lay it upon any other but yourfelves, with any tolerable fhadow of s ground: I know ye dare not. To blame the devil, or the World, d, is downright nonfenfe, for it is falvation from them that ye was to feek; and to tell that there are the cafe of your ruin, when ye had reHefhgain them offered, is vain; for it may eali ly be alked at a perfon who has lived under the gofpel, and gives Satan or the world the blame of audi bog

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his ruin, Was there not deliverance from Satan and the world offered to you? Were not the means mentioned fufficient? This will eternally: acquit them as to your deftruction, and lodge it upon yourselves as the principal cause of it, which is all we plead; for we do not exeme them from afhare in the guilt of it. Now, this being in conteftably evident, it remains that either Chrift,: or his minifters are chargeable with your damna tion, or that ye yourselves only are fo..

As for our bleffed Lord and mafter, we offer now to undertake his vindication against any that fhall dare to accufe him. We have abundance: to speak in his behalf; and are refolved to afcribe righteousness to our Maker. In his vindication, I appeal to your own confciences in a few particu lars. (1) Is he not indeed a fufficient Savioun, one able to fave to the uttermost all that come unto God through him? Deny it you dare not; for this is the atteftation of the glorious cloud of witnefs fes, who all have, by faith in his name, got abover the reach of fin, death and hell. (2.) Did ever! any of you come to him, and get a refufal? Produce your inftances of this fort, if ye can. We darei boldly, in our Lord's name, give a defiance to earth or hell, to produce one inftance of this fort. (3) Has he not allowed, nay, invited, intreated, nay, commanded you to come unto him that ye might be faved? If ye fhall deny this, the word of God, the fervants of God are. witneffes againft, you. Has he not waited long upon you? Has he not given you precept upon precept, and line upon line? And now, to conclude, I pofe you on it, what could he have done more to you that he has not done? But it may be ye will lay it to our door, and fay, though Chrift did his part, yet his fervants

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have not done theirs; they have not given you fair warning. As for their vindication I anfwer a few things; and I fay, (r.) Though they may be guilty, and conceal, or at leaft fail of faithfulnefs in their duty, yet your danmation is of yourfelves: for ye have the word of God that is plain, that is full, in its reprefentation of your fin and mifery; and had you paid a due regard to that,' ye could not have miffed of falvation: therefore, yet your destruction is of yourfelves. But. (2.) We refufe the charge of your blood, and tell you that ye have destroyed yourselves, if ye fleep on in your fins. And for our own vindication, I put a few things home to you? Have we not plaint ly told you your fin and danger? Have we not done it frequently? Have we not been particular in dealing with young and old of you? Have wel not been preffing, in order to your conviction? We have told you with earnestnefs, both your fin and danger. We have looked from our watch-i tower through the profpect of the word of God, and have feen the wrath of God ready to feize you; and we have not concealed his righteoufnefs within us. And now, the Lord, the righteous judge, be witness betwixt you and us, for we have done as much as will free us of your blood. Indeed we cannot deny ourfelves to be finners; and muft own that we have finned, even with refpect to your but this will not make your blood to be charged upon us; fince, in order to ation as to that, it is only required we give you' warning of your danger; and if ye be fain fleeping, ye are to blame. There is one word more 1 have to fay to you in the

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6th Place; and then I fhall leave you. What have we to do more with you? If ye comply not

with the first part of our meffage, ye will be fure to refufe the fecond. Chrift will be refufed by you, and we will feem to you like them that mock. But whatever ufe ye make of it, we fhall proceed in our work: and if we prove not the favour of life unto you, we fall prove the favour of death; for we are a feet favour unto God in them that are faved, and in them that perish, and if our goSpel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, 2 Cor. I come now,

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Secondly, To fpeak a word to fuch as are awakened, and are saying, with the convinced jaylor în the text, What shall I do to be faved? and to you we fay,

1. Blefs the Lord, who has opened your eyes. Ye were naturally as much inclined to fleep or as others; and it is only the diftinguishing goodness of God that has made you to differ.

2. Study to keep your eyes open. If ye fhut them again, and lofe convictions, then ye may never recover them again. If ye quench the fpirit, it is hard to fay but the iffue may prove fatal to you. If God, being provoked by your ftifling conviction, fhall give over dealing with you, I may fay, Wonto you, for ye are undone eternally. And that ye have got your eyes opened in fome meafure, to difcover your hazard, will be fo far from mending the matter, that it will make it much worfe; it will put an accent upon your fin, and likewife upon your punishment.

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3. Endeavour to improve the difcoveries ye have got of fin, and feek not only to keep your' eyes open, but to have them further opened. The more clear the fight of fin is, which ye get, the more welcome will ye make the 'gofpel-tender of

mercy and relief, the more fincerely and heartily will ye clofe with it.

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4. Would ye indeed be faved? then take the advice in the text, Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou shalt be faved. This leads me to that which I did principally defign in the choice of this fubject; therefore I fhall, if the Lord will, infift upon it at length, because it is the very fum and fubftance of the gospel, that which comprifes all the reft.

We have hitherto reprefented your cafe by nature, as ye are under fin; and have hinted shortly at your cafe, as under the influences of the spirit in conviction; now we fhall proceed to a discovery of the gospel relief, that is provided by infinite wifdom, for fuch as are awakened to a difcovery of their loft and undone ftate; and that lies before us in this 31 ver. Ye may remember, that when we did open to you the context, we did refer the ,explication of this verfe, till fuch time as we had ended the former. This being now done, I shall briefly open the words, and then draw thence fome fuch comprehenfive truth as may give ground to dif courfe of that which we have principally in our eye,

The words contain a direction given to the diftreffed and awakened jaylor; and in them we may take notice,

1. Of the perfon to whom the direction is given; and, as was juft now faid, he is an awakened and convinced finner. This is the gofpel method; it propofes its remedy, not to thefe who are whole and well, in their own eyes, but to fuch as are difeafed. Chrift is tendered to fuch as need him, and are fenfible that they do fo. The foundation of the gofpel is laid in conviction of fin. Hence it is, that we find gofpel minifters begin their work here; 'of which we have many eminent and

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