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Adanı, your federal head, and alfo in your own perfons, you are liable to the wrath and displeasure of God, yea, condemned already.

5. Be convinced of the utter infufficiency of all thofe nails that you have been formerly trufting to. Perhaps you have been trufting to the nail of a general mercy in God. But this will not hold; for God himself has declared, that he who "made finners, will have no mercy on them; that he will by no means clear the guilty," without a fatisfaction to his juftice, and faith's improvement of that fatisfaction set forth in the gofpel-revelation. Perhaps you are leaning to the nail of gospelchurch-privileges, or receiving the feal of the covenant in baptifm, or the Lord's fupper. But this nail will give way: "Unless you be baptized with the Holy Ghoft, and eat the flefh, and drink the blood of the Son of man, you have na life in you." Perhaps you are leaning to the nail of a blazing profeffion. But, alas! this will fail you, as you fee in the cafe of the foolish virgins, and those Matth. vii. 22. to whom Chrift fays, "Depart from me, I never knew you." Perhaps you are leaning your weight upon the nail of fome common attainments under the drop of the gospel, fuch as, a common knowledge, a common faith, a common reformation, a cominon zeal for the public caufe of Chrift, without an actual taking hold of God's covenant of grace and promife. All these will give way. That knowledge that does not humble and fanctify, that faith that is not accompanied with a humble sense of unbelief, that reformation of life that does not begin at the heart, that zeal that is not founded on knowledge, will never abide the trial. Perhaps you are laying your weight upon the law, or the works of it, either in part or in whole; your morality, civility, delight in duties, or your own good meanings and endeavours. But, alas! this nail will break alfo: for the law is weak through the flesh, and there is no law given, fince the fall of Adam, that can give life, otherwife righteoufnefs would come by the law. The Jews leaned to this nail, and went about to establish their own righteoufnefs, as it were by the works of the law. But what came of it? The nail broke, and they fell under the condemnatory fentence of that law to which they leaned; and there they lie, and will lie till their eyes be opened. Now, I fay, ftudy and be fully persuaded af the utter infufficiency of all thefe, or other nails you are venturing your falvation upon. The hail fhall fweep away all thefe refuges of lies.

6. Turn away your eyes from all these, and take a view of the ftrength, fufficiency, and excellency of the nail that God has faftened in a fure place. Study the excellency of Christ in his perfon as Immanuel, God man; the validity of his commif

fion as the fent of God; the fufficiency of that righteoufnefs he has brought in for juftifying of the ungodly by his obedience unto the death; the stability and freedom of the covenant whereof he is Head, Surety, and Mediator; the prevalency of his interceffion, by virtue of which he is able to fave to the uttermoft all that come to God by him: I fay, be much in viewing and meditating upon these things.

7. With thefe join earneft and importunate prayers in the name of Chrift, that he, who is Father of light, the Author of every good and perfect gift, may fend forth his light and truth, that in his light you may fee light; that it may be given you, by his word and Spirit, to know the myfteries of the kingdom of heaven, particularly that leading myftery of a God in our nature, "God manifefted in the flesh, juftified in the Spirit," &c. And while you are praying for thefe things, ftudy to believe, and be confident toward him, that he will hear you, and that he doth hear you, because these things are agreeable to his will, Mark xi. 24. 1 John v. 14.

8. In obedience to the command of God, and in a dependence upon his power, make the mint at refting upon the nail faftened in a fure place: commit your eternal all into the hands of the great Manager of his Father's house, faying, "I believe, Lord, help thou mine unbelief:" I believe that through the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, I fhall be faved, as well as others that have taken the fame course: and thus he that believeth entereth into his reft. And in this way wait on the Lord; for "he that fhall come will come, and he will not tarry."

I proceed now to offer a word of exhortation and advice to believers, who are here defigned the offspring and iffue of the houfe, and likewife the vessels of cups, and of flagons. I fhall offer a few advices unto you, fuited unto thefe different characters given you in the text.

First, then, Confidering you under the character of the offSpring and the iffue of God's family, I have the following advices to offer you.

1. Blefs God that ever put you among the children, and gave you the pleasant portion and the goodly heritage. The queftion that is put, as to this matter, Jer. iii. 19. "How fhall this be done?" plainly implies, that there were fuch infuperable difficulties in the way of its accomplishment, as no created power was capable to remove. Although a general affembly of angels and archangels had been convened to answer this queftion, How fhall these finners of Adam's family, being Heirs of hell and wrath, lawful captives to the god of this world, under fentence of eternal death; how shall they, in a confiftence

confiftence with the honour of the law, juftice, and holiness of God, be put among the children, and become heirs of God, and be poffeffed of the inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth. not away? they had been all put to an eternal ftand, they behoved to own that it was a question too high for them to refolve. But behold the knotty and unanfwerable queftion folved by Infinite Wifdom and Sovereignty, inspired with infinite grace and love, in the clofe of that verfe, "And I faid, thou fhalt call me, My Father, and thou shalt not turn away from me." As if he had faid, Although this queftion puts the whole creation to filence, yet I myself will anfwer it. My own beloved and eternal Son, having, in the council of peace, promifed as a fecond Adam to fatisfy juftice, and to repair the honour of my law, by his obedience unto the death, I have determined to put them among the children, and, by the power of my Spirit, they fhall, upon the footing of the raufom I have found, cry, Abba, Father, unto me, and I will keep them by my power through faith unto falvation, O how fhould the confideration of all this grace and love, manifested in your adoption, fill your hearts with wonder, and your mouths with the highest praifes of God, faying with the apostle, John iii. 1. “Behold, what manner of love the Fa ther hath beflowed upon us, that we should be called the fons of God! O what is man that thou art fo mindful of him? or what is the fon of man that thou shouldst be so kind unto him? Blefs the Lord, O my foul, and all that is within me, blefs his holy name," &c. O levy a tribute out of the whole creation, and invite all creatures in heaven and earth to concur with you in celebrating his praifes, as David doth under a fenfe of redeeming love and grace, Pfal. ciii. through the whole.

2. Let the whole offspring and iffue. of God's family be much employed in beholding and admiring the nail upon which they and all their privileges hang; for all the glory and offspring hang on Christ as the great Manager of his Father's houfe, as you heard in the doctrinal part. Believer, thou haft thy very being as a new creature in him; and all thy privileges, in time and through eternity, they have their conveyance to thee through him. Hence is that doxology of the offspring and iffue of God's houfe, Eph. i. 3. " Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath bleffed us with all fpiritual bleflings in heavenly places in Chrift Jefus." It is the will of the Father, that "all men fhould honour the Son, as they honour the Father; that every tongue fhould confefs, that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," And therefore, I fay, let every one behold and

admire the glory of his perfon as Immanuel, the glory of his mediation; for through him it is that your relation to God, as your God and Father, doth come: John xx. 17. “ E afcend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God."

3. Let all the offspring and iffue of the family give a firm credit to their Father's word, fet to their feal unto this word of promife, and believe the record of God concerning the great Manager and Prieft over the houfe of God. It were a thing criminal among men, and an iniquity to be punished by the judge, for a child to fay to the father that begat him, Thou art a liar. But is it not much more criminal for the offfpring of God by regeneration, to fay fo to him that begat them by the word of truth? And yet this is the way that God is treated by his own children, under their fits of unbelief, defpondency, and difcontent; for he that believeth not, hath made God a liar." Alas! how often do we contradict our everlasting Father to his face, by faying either with the heart or tongue, "His promife fails for evermore; he hath forgot. ten to be gracious; his mercy is clean gone?" Is not this flatly oppofite to what he hath declared in his word, that "his mercy is from everlafting to everlafting; that his grace never faileth; that he is ever mindful of his covenant; his promife he will not break?" O beware of the fin of unbelief, for it is a reproaching and contradicting your Father, "Why fayeft thou fo, O Jacob? Why fpeakeft thou fo, O Ifrael? Is he not thy Father, that begat thee? Beware of him, and provoke him not; for he will vifit these thine iniquities with the rod, and thy tranfgreffions with ftripes." Well then, credit your Father's word, for faithfulness is the girdle of his loins, and truth the girdle of his reins. Man may lie, and the fon of man may repent, but it is impoffible for God to lie. Imitate Abraham, the father of the faithful, who "itaggered not at the promife through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God."

4. Let all the offspring and iffue of the family truft the bleffed Manager, and rest upon him in all cafes with assured confidence. Hath God the Father intrufted him with all the glory, all the offspring, and all the veffels of his house; and hall not all the members of the family, particularly his own offspring and iffue, truft him alfo with every thing that concerns them in time and through eternity? This being the leading duty called for from the text and doctrine, allow me to enforce it with fome few motives, and then to illustrate it by anfwering a question or two.

Firfi, I would enforce the duty with a few weighty confiderations.

confiftence with the honour of the of God, be put among the children and be poffeffed of the inheritance: filed, and that fadeth. not away? eternal ftand, they behoved to ow! high for them to refolve. But t fwerable queftion folved by Infini infpired with infinite grace and 1 “And I said, thou fhalt call m not turn away from me." As i queftion puts the whole creation apfwer it.

My own beloved at council of peace, promifed as a and to repair the honour of my death, I have determined to and, by the power of my Spi of the ranfom I have found, I will keep them by my pow O how fhould the confiderat nifefted in your, adoption, your mouths with the high apoftle, John iii. 1. “Be ther hath beflowed upon fons of God! O what i him? or what is the fonc unto him? Blefs the L in me, blefs his holy n. the whole creation, and earth to concur with yo doth under a fenfe of through the whole.

2. Let the whole c much employed in be which they and all t and offspring hang or ther's houfe, as you thou haft thy very b thy privileges, in ti conveyance to thee the offspring and if the God and Fathe ed us with all fpiri Jefus." It is the " nour the Son, as fhould confefs, th the Father," Aj

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