are thus abundantly set before you as already accomplished,
how do you slight them! How light do you make of them!
How little are they taken notice of by you! How unconcern-
ed are you about them, following other things, and not so
much as feeling any interest in them! Indeed your sin is ex-
tremely aggravated in the sight of God.
God has put you
under great advantages for your eternal salvation, far greater
than those saints of old enjoyed. He has put you under a
more glorious dispensation; has given you a more clear rev-
elation of Christ and his salvation; and yet you neglect all
these advantages, and go on in a careless course of life,
as though nothing had been done, no such proposals and of
fers had been made you.

2. Have the angels been so engaged about this salvation. which is by Christ ever since the fall of man, though they are not immediately concerned in it, and will you, who need it, and have it offered to you, be so careless about it? You have heard how the angels at first were subjected to Christ as me diator, and how they have all along been ministering spirits to him in this affair. In all the great dispensations which you have heard of from the beginning of the world, they have been active, and as a flame of fire in this affair, being most diligently employed as ministering spirits to minister to Christ in this great affair of man's redemption. And when Christ came, how engaged were their minds! They came to Zacharias, to inform him of the coming of Christ's forerunner. They came to the Virgin Mary, to inform her of the approaching birth of Christ: They came to Joseph to warn him of the danger which threatened the new born Saviour, and to point out to him the means of safety. And how were their minds engaged at the time of the birth of Christ? The whole multitude of the heavenly host sang praises upon the occasion, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will towards men. And afterwards from time to time, they ministered to Christ when on earth; they did so at the time of his temptation, at the time of his agony in the garden, at his resurrection, and at his ascension. All these things show, that they were greatly engaged in this af

:

fair; and the scripture informs us, that they pry into these
things 1 Pet. i. 12. "Which things the Angels desire to
look into." And how are they represented in the Revelation
as being employed in heaven in singing praises to him that
sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb. Now shall these take
so much notice of this redemption, and of the purchaser, who
need it not for themselves, and have no immediate concern
or interest in it, or offer of it; and will you to whom it is of-
fered, and who are in such extreme necessity of it, neglect and
take no notice of it?

3. Was it worth the while for Christ to labor so hard, and
do and suffer so much to procure this salvation, and is it not
worth the while for you to be at some labor in seeking it?
Was it a thing of so great importance, that salvation, should
be procured for sinners, as that it was worthy to lie with such
weight on the mind of Christ, as to induce him to become
man, and to suffer such contempt, and labor, and even death
itself, in order to procure it, though he stood in need of noth
ing, though he was like to gain no addition to his eternal
happiness, though he could get nothing by those that he sav
ed; though he did not need them; was it of such importance.
that sinners should be saved, that he might properly be induc
ed to submit to such humiliation and suffering and yet is it
not worth the while for you who are one of those miserable
sinners that need this salvation, and must perish eternally
without it, to take earnest pains to obtain an interest in it after
it is procured, and all things are ready?

4. Shall the great God be so concerned about this-salvation,
as so often to overturn the world to make way for it; and
when all is dóne, is it not worth your seeking after? How has
the Lord of heaven and earth been as it were engaged about
this affair! What great, what wonderful things has he done
from one age to another, removing kings and setting up kings,
raising up a great number of prophets, separating a distinct
nation from the rest of the world, overturning one nation and
kingdom, and another, and often overturning the state of the
world; and so has continued bringing about one change and
revolution after another for forty centuries in succession, te
VOL. II.
2 E

make way for the procuring of this salvation! And when he
has done all; and when, at the close of these ages, the great
Saviour comes, and becoming incarnate, and passing through
a long series of reproach and suffering, and then suffering all
the waves and billows of God's wrath for men's sins, insomuch
that they overwhelmed his soul: After all these things done
to procure salvation for sinners, is it not worthy of your taking
so much notice of, or being so much concerned about, though
you are those persons who need this salvation, but that it'
should be thrown by, and made nothing of in comparison of
worldy gain, or gay clothing, or youthful diversions, and other
such trifling things?

*

O! that you who live negligent of this salvation, would consider what you do! What you have heard from this subject, may show you what reason there is in that exclamation of the Apostle, Heb. fi. 3. How shall we escape, if we neglect' so'great salvation?" And in that, Acts xili. 41. "Behold ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days, a work which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. God looks on such as you as great enemies of the cross of Christ, and adversaries' and des-` pisers of all the glory of this great work. And if God has made such account of the glory of Salvation as to destroy many nations, and so often overturn all nations, to prepare the way for the glory of his Son in this affair; how little account will he make of the lives and souls of ten thousand such opposers and despisers as you that continue impenitent, în comparison of that glory when he shall hereafter come and find that your welfare stands in the way of that glory? Why surely you shall be dashed to pieces as a potter's vessel, and trodden down as the mire of the streets. God may, through wonderful patience bear with hardened, careless sinners for a while; but he will not long bear with such despisers of his dear Son, and his great salvation, the glory of which he has had so much at heart, before he will utterly consume without remedy or mercy.

SECTION II.

ا

I WILL conclude with a second use, of encouragement to burdened souls to put their trust in Christ for salvation. To all such as are not careless and negligent, but do make seeking an interest in Christ their main business, being sensible in some measure of their necessity of an interest in Christ; being afraid of the wrath to come; to such, what has been said on this subject hokis forth great matter of encouragement, to come and venture their souls on the Lord Jesus Christ: And as motives proper to excite you so to do, let me lead you to consider two things in particular.

1. The completeness of the purchase which has been made. As you have heard, this work of purchasing salvation was wholly finished during the time of Christ's humiliation. When Christ rose from the dead, and was exalted from that abasement to which he submitted for our salvation, the purchase of eternal life was completely made, so that there was no need of any thing more to be done in order to it. But now the servants were sent forth with the message which we have account of in Matt. xxii. 4." Behold, I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: Come unto the marriage." Therefore all things ber ing ready, are your sins many and great? Here is enough done by Christ to procure their pardon. There is no need of any righteousness of yours to obtain your pardon and justification: No, you may come freely, without money and without price. Since therefore there is such a free and gracious invitation given you, come; come naked as you are; come as a poor condemned criminal; come and cast yourself down at Christ's feet, as one justly condemned, and utterly helpless in yourself. Here is a complete salvation wrought out by Christ, and through him offered to you. Come, therefore, accept of it and be saved.

2. For Christ to reject one that thus comes to him, would be to frustrate all those great things which you have heard that God brought to pass from the fall of man to the incarnation of

Christ. It would also frustrate all that Christ did and suffered
while on earth; yea, it would frustrate the incarnation of
Christ itself, and all the great things done in preparation for
his incarnation; for all these things were for that end, that
those might be saved who should come to Christ. Therefore,
you may be sure Christ will not be backward in saving those
who come to him, and trust in him; for he has no desire to
frustrate himself in his own work; it cost him too dear for
that. Neither will God the Father refuse you; for he has no
desire to frustrate himself in all that he did for so many hun-
dreds and thousands of years, to prepare the way for the sal-
vation of sinners by Christ. Come, therefore, hearken to the
sweet and earnest calls of Christ to your soul.
your soul. Do as he in-
vites, and as he commands you, Matth. xi. 28, 29, 30.« Come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light."