and can play well on an instrument;" unless you be deeply impressed with the importance of the matter; and enter into an inquiry after the things that make for your peace, as if it were for your life. If you will profit by the following discourses, you must not be of the faithless stamp of the times; you must at least have this preparation of mind, a serious concern about salvation. And I will not believe, that you are so without understanding, whatever you are, however heedless and wilful in your sins, as to have determinately given over all care for your soul. will hope, that somehow or other I shall, by divine grace, reach your heart, and move you to some awakened reflections upon that which concerns you more than a thousand worlds. Nay, I will be confident, that I shall be heard of many who desire to "know the certainty of the words of truth;" and would "examine themselves whether they be in the faith."

I

It is not my business to please men; and therefore, if you shall be detained with a subject which must of necessity prove very offensive to human pride, altogether opposite to worldly views, and destructive of carual indulgence, see that ye be not offended." Christ's kingdom is not of this world." He hath no offers to make, which invite by the indulgence they give to vanity, grandeur, and ease. Just the contrary: his invitations are spiritual and eternal; nor can they be relished, till a man "deny himself, mortify his affections which are upon earth, and crucify the flesh." Him that is such a one, Christ will visit with his consolations. Such a one

shall receive out of Christ's fulness, peace, acceptance with God, and sanctification; with help in every time of need against the enemies of his soul, in the present life; and in that which is to come, a glorious rejoicing in the great day of the Lord Jesus, and an inheritance in the eternal kingdom. It is my design, in this and some following discourses, to give you an account of the gospel salvation, and to lead you either to seek or discover an interest in Jesus Christ. What I have to advance hereupon, will divide itself into two principal particulars; each of which will demand some larger measure of your attention and time. They are FAITH, and the NEW CREATURE; which, together, will comprehend the sum of gospel salvation.

The former of them is FAITH. And this it will be my endeavour to illustrate in such a manner, that while ye shall see what faith is, ye may be able to prove yourselves, if in this way ye are seeking God; and, if ye are out of it, ye may know the measures to be taken in order to a right faith in Jesus Christ.

You must suffer me here to use great freedom of speech; to charge you with sin, in behalf of the Majesty of heaven; and to remonstrate with you upon the sad consequences which your sin has drawn after it:—I must be allowed to tell you, that these consequences it is not in your power to remove:After this, my message will be more agreeable, in the declaration of Christ's ability and willingness to succour you: And the conclusion will be, an account of faith.

Sin

Let me engage you to remark the near connexion there is between these several points. hath brought man into a ruinous state; out of this state man cannot help himself: Christ offers him rescue; and with this offer man must comply, if he will be delivered.

To lay the ground-work, I must, in the first place, be free to charge you with sin, in behalf of the Majesty of heaven; and then will remonstrate with you upon the sad consequences which your sin has drawn after it. And the words of the Psalm

read for the text, give me foundation enough for the general charge and expostulation I have to make. "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men; to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy: there is none that doth good, no not one."

"You

One indeed there was in our nature, who might boldly say, "Who convinceth me of sin ?" see my manner of life; you know my actions: tell me wherein I have broken the least commandment; wherein, in the nicest particular, I have neglected what God would have me do, or done what he forbids. Not one among you can convince me of sin: No, ye blasphemers; nor can your father the devil.' He tried all his arts upon me: but no carnal appetite, no proud imagination, no covetous, ambitious desire, could be found in me. Yea, my heavenly Father, who knoweth the very secrets of the heart, hath found no wickedness in me. He hath honoured me by a voice from heaven, declaring his pleasure in

me; because he knoweth, that as I am come to do his will, so I keep his sayings." Thus he might set up a claim to purity of heart and integrity of life; and neither God, nor man, nor devil, could disallow it. But every other mouth is stopped. God charges sin against us all. Alas! so many iniquities are gone that I am at a loss wherewith to begin the black catalogue.

over our heads,

But where shall I begin the accusation, unless with that which is the root of all the rest?

"Your

soul hath been without the disposition of a creature, and hath affected independency." This is my charge in God's behalf against you all; ye have had a pleasure and a will within you, not subordinate to the will and pleasure of God.

But

"Let all things serve God," is the one equitable law of the universe. For he is "our Father, and we all are the work of his hands." Nay, but mark the design of our being, he "made all things for himself," he "created us for his glory," he "formed us" that we should "show forth his praise.' There must be but one king and one pleasure in all the world. Every inferior being must be subject to the supreme will of God; so the order of creation demands. apostate angels first affected to have a will of their own; to erect a pleasure within them, not subordinate but opposite to the good pleasure of God. Thus rebellion was conceived against the divine will; and among the creatures in heaven, many vainly aspired to be independent of the Creator. Man, too, has trod in the same steps: all of us have a will of our own, which opposes the sovereign will of God.

In proof of this I must appeal to yourselves. Was there not a time, when your heart knew little fear of God's displeasure; when you were insensible of his presence, unmoved with any awful apprehensions of his majesty, untouched with any feeling of love towards him, wherein "God was not in all your thoughts?" Say, hath not God seen you in such a state? if it be not now your very condition? Have not days and years gone over you, wherein the Searcher of hearts, considering your soul, might find nothing there but a horrid forgetfulness of your Maker; not so much as a desire to serve him, and submit to his pleasure; when you lived at your discretion, not caring for God, and carried on by inclinations which were directly contrary to his law? I speak not now of what you did; I intend not one action or another which were sinful; it is not in question at present, whether you were lewd or chaste, drunken or temperate, a knave or honest, a trifler or diligent; my charge against you is, that in those days, whatever you did, you did what you would, and because you would; you were pleasing yourself, and not God; you had not a creature-like regard to him in your conduct. Be faithful for

God, though it be against yourself: had you at that time any real concern about the will and pleasure of him that made you? Had you either thought or design of pleasing God?

True, you considered not in those easy days that you were acting that monstrous part you did; you reflected not, that to forget, to cast off God, and do as we list, carries in it all the foul sins of ingratitude,