the old world of the deluge of water, 1 Pet. iii. 20. fo doth he warn the inhabitants of this world, particularly of the vifible church, of the wrath to come. I fhall not ftay upon this, having lately had an occafion, from Job ix. 4. to prefent before you a great many beacons of divine wrath, that he has fet up in the fcriptures of truth, to warn finners, that they fplit not on the fame rocks on which others dafhed their fouls into a hell of eternal wrath and mifery. No man can read his Bible, or hear the gospel preached, but he must hear of a wrath to come from God upon impenitent finners: "Except ye repent (fays Chrift), ye fhall all likewife perish," Luke xiii. 3. God" fhall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy fcalp of fuch a one as goeth on ftill in his trefpaffes," Pfal. lxviii. 21. "The wicked fhall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God," Pfal. ix. 17. And, of all forts of finners, the wrath of God will burn hotteft against gofpel and Chrift defpifers: "It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgement, than for fuch," Matth. x. 15. A notable word to this purpofe you have, Heb. x. 28. "If they that defpifed Mofes' law died without mercy, under two or three witneffes, of how much forer punishment, fuppofe ye, fhall he be, thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was fanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done defpite unto the Spirit of grace." HEB. ii. 7.-By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear, prepared an ark, to the faving of his house. THE SECOND SERMON ON THIS TEXT. WAVING fpoken to the two first heads of the method, 3 III. The third thing propofed, which was, to speak little of Chrift, as the great New Teftament Ark, that God has provided for faving finners from the deluge of his wrath. ift, The ark was a mean of God's preparing for the falvation of Noah and his family. It is true, Noah built the ark; but it was entirely at God's order and direction. It would never have entered into Noah's head or heart to build the ark, if God had not given him the plan of it. Juft fo, Chrift is a Saviour of God's providing and appointment. The plan of man's redemption by Christ was laid in the heart of God; it is the wisdom of God in a myftery. Men and angels would have been at an eternal stand, if it had been put to them, how man fhould be faved from the wrath of God, and the curfe of the law, in a confiftency with the justice, holiness, truth, and faithfulnefs of God. The whole creation cried, Your help is not in us. Well, but God devises a way; the Son of God fhall be incarnate, and be substitute in the room of finners; and, by his obedience to death, juftice fhall be fatisfied, and the honour of the law repaired, and "whofoever believeth in him fhall not perish, but have everlasting life," John iii. 16. Pfal. cxviii. 23. "This is the LORD'S DOING, it is wondrous in our eyes." We find God glorying in it as the chief of his ways, Pfal. lxxxix. 19. 20. "I have laid help upon one that is mighty, I have found David my fervant," &c. 2dly, The ark was very large and capacious, as is clear from the account that we have of it, Gen. vi. 14.-19. And it was neceffary it should be fo, confidering that it was the common receptacle, not only of Noah and his family, but of all forts of beafts, birds, and living creatures, that were upon earth, and neceffary provifion for their fubfiftence, for the space of about a whole year. But, Sirs, the New Teftament Ark is far more large and capacious than Noah's ark; for he is none other than the infinite and incomprehenfible God, in the perfon of the eternal Son, who made all things, John i. 3. compare with Heb. i. 3. and upholds them by the word of his power. As there was room and provifion in the ark for all the living creatures of every kind that entered into the ark; fo there is room in Christ for all that will come, be they Jew or Gentile, Barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, male or female, it is all one. Ye are welcome to enter into the New Teftament Ark, John iii. 16. and x. 9. 3dly, All that entered into the ark were faved, but all that did not enter in perifhed, Gen. vii. 21-23. Just so is it here, Mark xvi. 16. " he that believeth in Chrift fhall be faved, but he that believeth not fhall be damned." 4thly, Noah's ark was a piece of grand folly to the wits of VOL. III. Q ૧ the the world: no doubt they would flout him and mock him as a fool, while he was a preparing the ark, to the faving of his house. Juft fo Chrift, and the way of falvation through his death, "is to the Greeks foolishnefs, and to the Jews a ftumbling block," I Cor. i. 23. 5thly, Hence it came that few, only eight fouls, entered into the ark, and were faved, Gen. vii. 18. Just fo is it here, Chrift" is defpifed and rejected of men," If. liii. 3. and therefore few come unto him. Matth. xxii. 14. "Many are called, but few are chofen." Chap. vii. 14. "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." 6thly, Although there were but few faved in the ark, yet it was a great evidence of God's love and kindness to man, that any of them were fpared, when they all deferved to die, Gen. vi. 5. 2. 12. Juft fo here, although there are but few that are faved, yet his providing a Saviour, and faving a remnant of mankind by Chrift, is a wonderful instance of his love and kindness to mankind, 1 John iv. 9. "In this was manifefted the love of God towards us, because that God fent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." See John iii. 16. "God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perish, but have everlasting life." 7thly, The ark, after it had been toffed upon the waters for about feven months, at length rested upon the mountains of Ararat, Gen. viii. 4. So Chrift, our New Teftament Ark, after he had been toffed in this world, and torn in his name, perfon, miracles, and miniftry, he refted from his work and warfare, in his refurrection and afcenfion; after he had fuffered, he entered into his glory, Luke xxiv. 26. having finished the work the Father gave him to do, he rested in heaven, and is repoffeffed of that glory he had with the Father before the world was," John xvii. 4. 5. Sthly, They that were faved in the ark (viz. Noah and his children) became heirs of a new world, Gen. ix. 1o. &c. So all that are faved by faith in Chrift become heirs of God, and of glory, and are "begotten into the lively hope, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, 1 Pet. i. 3- 4. 9thly, Noah and his family, after they were faved by the ark, got a promife, That the water should never more destroy the earth, Gen. ix. 9-11.; and, in token thereof, the bow was set in the clouds, ver. 12—17. So all that fly to Chrift are fecured by God's covenant and promife promife from the wrath and curfe of God, Rom. viii. 1. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Chrift Jefus." See If. liv. 10-12. "For the mountains fhall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither fhall the covenant of my peace be removed. O thou afflicted, toffed with tempeft, and not comforted, behold I will lay thy ftones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with fapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant ftones." We read, Rev. iv. 3. of a rainbow about the throne of Chrift, which alludes unto the tranfaction with Noah anent the flood. 1othly, All forts of creatures, clean and unclean, were admitted into the ark, without distinction, Gen. vii. 8. 9. The ark was open to them all. Juft fo is it now, under the New Teftament, fince the coming of Chrift in the flesh, the gospel of the grace of God is preached promifcuously unto Jews and Gentiles,. without any diftinction. It is true, before the death of Chrift, and during his personal miniftry on earth, the poor Gentiles were excluded, and the difciples, when fent to preach the gospel, it was only to the cities of the Jews, but they were discharged to go into the way of the Gentiles, or to enter into any of the cities of the Samaritans, Matth. x. 5. But after his death and refurrection, their commiffion is enlarged, and the door is caft open unto all nations, Mark xvi. 15. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." It is true, the apoftles, even after the refurrection of Chrift, and the down-pouring of the Spirit in his extraordinary gifts, could not receive this commiflion of preaching the gofpel to every creature; they continued preaching it to the Jews only, Acts x. 19. until they were cured of their mistake, by Peter's vifion of beafts, clean and unclean, A&ts x. 11-16. and the Holy Ghoft his falling down upon the Gentiles, as well as upon the Jews, ver. 44.; and thereupon they began, according to their commiffion, to preach the gofpel to all without any diftinction; and when the Jews refufed the gofpel, the apostles turned themselves unto the Gentiles, Acts xiii. 43-49. So that I fay, as Noah admitted of beafts clean and unclean into the ark, in order to their being faved from the deluge; fo our great New Teftament Ark is opened to finners of all forts and fizes; if they be defcended of the firft Adam, they are all welcome to a fecond Adam, Prov. viii. 4. Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the fons of men." But this leads me to IV. The fourth thing in the method, which was to fpeak a little of the door of accefs unto the New. Teftament Ark. Noah's ark ftood open until all the creatures that could not fubfift in the waters had entered in, and until the deluge broke out, Gen. vii. 7—9.; for, if it had been shut, no creature could have entered into it, or been faved. Juft fo, if there were not a way or door of access unto Chrift, no flesh could be faved. But we bring you good tidings of great joy, Luke ii. 10. Chrift is a common Ark, a common Saviour, to finners of mankind: And to encourage poor perishing finners to come to him, I will tell you of feveral doors by which entrance by faith is to be had into the New Teftament Ark, that you may not perish in the deluge. ift, The door of the revelation of Chrift, as a Saviour come into the world. What is the defign of the whole fcriptures of truth, from the beginning to the ending, but to make Chrift known to the fons of men, in order to their believing in him, that they may be faved from the wrath to come, John xx. laft, "These things are written, that ye might believe that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of God, and that believing, ye might have life through his name." John v. 39. "Search the fcriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which teftify of me." Sirs, Chrift is evidently fet forth before you in the word read and preached, his whole righteoufnefs and falvation is fet before you, and brought near to you; and, pray, for what end? but that you may improve him to all the ends of his faving offices. They that want the Bible and a preached gofpel will have far more to fay for themfelves, than you unto whom the word of God and the gospel of salvation is fent, John xv. 22. compared with Matth. x. 15. Rom. x. 14. for "how fhall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how fhall they hear without a preacher?" For this is not the cafe with you; for Chrift is nigh to you, in your mouths and hearts, even in this word of faith which we preach, Rom. x. 8. So that the very revelation of Chrift is a door of faith, especially when we declare to you, from Chrift's own mouth, "that he came not into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be faved," John iii. 17. 2dly, The incarnation of the Son of God, or his affuming our nature into a perfonal union with his divine nature, is a bleffed door of faith for any poor perifhing finner of Adam's family. This we find is fet forth for a ground of faith though |