"Sinners. We hear of Flames and Black"nefs of Darkness for-ever: But we can no "more measure the Size, than we can fathom "the Eternity of those Torments, thy ex"act Juftice hath appointed the Wages of Sin. "We cannot but tremble, O GOD, upon "the Apprehenfion of thy fearful Judg

ments, even as little as we can conceive "of them: And Wo were unto us, unless "thy Mercy were as large as thy Juftice. "But, great GOD! It is as eafy for thee to forgive as to punish: And thy Wisdom "hath discovered a Way, whereby to exer"cife thy Mercy without injuring thy Juf"tice. Nor can thy Truth fail, more than 66 any other of thy adorable Perfections. "We will dare avouch it therefore with "humble Confidence, because thou haft "faid it; we can no more perish, if we "return, than we can efcape, if we perfift

and die in our Iniquities: For thy unal"terable Truth stands engaged for the one, "as much as the other." Such art thou, in whofe Hands we are; in Goodness, Patience, Juftice, Mercy, and Truth, altogether infinite.

O grant us, Heavenly Majesty, from the daily Experience we have of thy Loving-kindness and Patience, to conceive the bigbeft Apprebenfions of both thy Juftice and thy Mercy; that

flying from Sin, we may escape thy Judgments, and betaking ourselves to Chrift Jefus may inberit thy Promises; Judgments and Promifes which, upon the infallible Affurance of thy Truth, are laid up for the Evil and the "Good."

SERMON

SERMON IV.

Faith in CHRIST.

JOHN VI. 37.

-Him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out.

G'

IVE me leave to hope, that amidst the various Concerns which have engaged your Attention fince we last parted, the important one of your Souls Salvation may have had a peculiar Place: That you are come hither again defirous to have the Way of God expounded to you more perfectly; more perfectly to be informed, how ye may be delivered from your manifold Miseries, how made Partakers of the faving Merits of Chrift's Atonement. Hear what your Redeemer faith, Him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out. You must come to Chrift: If you do fo, you have it from his

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own Mouth, he will in no wife cast you out; and you know, that Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but his Words shall not pass away. You would know, what is is to come to Chrift. My Business is now to explain that Matter unto you: But I wou afk you beforehand; Is it out of Curiofity you would hear of it, to amufe a lcritical Head? Or would you know it, merely to fettle you in just Notions, and orthodox Opinions? Alas! I fhould but lose my Labor upon you. You may hear, you may know, but you cannot understand nor perceive. How fhould you? you know not, at leaft you feel not, that you are a Sinner; you are whole, you do not need a Physician (t); you neither can nor will come to Chrift, that you may be faved. But would you know what it is to come to Chrift, because whatever it be, and whatever it may coft you, you are ready to do it? Be affured that you are not far from the Kingdom of God (u). It will be a pleafing Employment to me, to fhew you that Faith in the Son of God, which it is my prefent Concern to illuftrate.

THIS was the Fourth and concluding Point. Here,

First, You are undone in your felf: A Sinner, and Dishonorer of GOD; liable to his Wrath, which you have no Power to avert; fallen from the Purity of Man's Pri

(+)

Matt. ix. 12.

(u) Mark xii. 3.

mitive

mitive Nature, which you have no Strength in you to recover. If left to yourself, you must abide under the Dominion of your Lufts, and at last perish in deserved Vengeance. This Charge I fuppofe you to allow.

Secondly, CHRIST is able and willing to fave you. You have heard of the inexpreffible Dignity of his Perfon, God manifefted in the Flefb (x). His victorious fatisfying, and reconciling Obedience unto Death hath been fet forth. You have been fhewn, that be is able to fave them to the uttermoft that come unto God by him (y), amply and eternally he is able to fave you. Time his Willingness hath been evidently fet before you. I fuppofe therefore you are alfo fully affured, that he hath an all-fufficient Ability and Willingness to apply his Salvation to you. Seeing then you are undone in yourself; and feeing you are affured he is able and willing to fave you; I afk,

At the fame

Thirdly, HAVE you found yourself determined to rest your Soul upon him? Are you refolved to venture all your eternal Interefts with him? And quitting all other Confidences, doth your Soul hang upon him for all your Hopes? We fhall be more particular immediately. For the present, hear how the Scriptures describe this committing of the Soul unto Chrift, from a full Perfua (x) 1 Tim. iii, 16. (y) Heb. vii. 25.

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