My goodnefs extends unto all and therefore come, come, open thy mouth wide and I will fill it, Pfal. lxxxi. 10. Oh! taste and fee how good I am, Pfal. xxxiv. 8. My treafures are full, and they are open: O, therefore, whosoever will, let him take of my goodness freely. Oh! eat ye that which is good, and let thy foul delight itself in the abundance of my goodness, lf. lv. 2. "I fatisfy the defire of the longing foul," Pfal. cvii. 9.

6. May the poor foul fay, "I can receive no good at the hand of the Lord; for I have an evil heart of unbelief, that calls his truth and faithfulnefs in queftion. I fee indeed great and precious promifes in the word, but I dare not lay claim to them: I doubt and fear that I may not meddle with them; and, when I prefume to meddle with them, my unbelieving heart draws back my hand, faying, "His promife fails for evermore:" and thus I lofe the benefit of God's promise.' Well, fays God, To cure thee, O man, of thy unbelief, I prefent my name to thee, not only as abundant in goodnefs, but IN TRUTH. My name is faithful and true, Rev. xix. 11. "Righteoufnefs is the girdle of my loins, and faithfulness the girdle of my reins," If. xi. 5. "It is impoffible for me to lie," Tit. i. 2. 66 My faithfulness is established in the very heavens," Pfal. xxxvi. 5. Yea, "heaven and earth fhall pafs away; but one jot, or one tittle, of my word shall not fall to the ground," Matth. v. 18. and therefore thou mayeft, with the greateft fafety, truft my word of promife. It is not a thing that I can come and go upon it is not yea to-day, and nay to-morrow; but it is always yea and amen, 2 Cor. i. 17. 18. And therefore believe the promife; fet to the feal to it; for thou canst not put a greater honour upon me, than to set to the feal that I am true, John iii. 33. Therefore, "Believe and fee the falvation of God," If. lii. 10.

7. O, may the poor trembling foul fay, What if God has hut up his tender mercies in wrath, and fo will be favourable no more?' Pfal. lxxvii. 7. 9. Unto this it is anfwered, I KEEP MERCY FOR THOUSANDS, q. d.' I have extended mercy to thoufands, that is, innumerable multitudes; and yet my treasures of grace and mercy are as full as ever, and I am as ready to extend my mercy to thousands of perfons, yea, thousands of generations, as ever: "Whofofoever believes in my name, fhall not perish, but have everlafting life," John iii. 16. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, fo are my thoughts higher than your thoughts,"

If. lv. 9.

8. Might the finner fay, My fins are fo many, they have

been

been fo multiplied and highly aggravated, that I fear he will never forgive me.' Unto this the Lord answers, I PARDON INIQUITY, TRANSGRESSION, AND SIN, i. e. all manner of fin and provocation that can be thought on; and though your fins be red as fcarlet and crimson, I will make them as white as fnow, and as wool, If. i. 18. There is plenteous redemption with me that I may be fought unto; and therefore fear not, only believe; for this is my prerogative, that I love to display, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy tranfgreffions for my own fake, and will not remember thy fins," If. xliii. 25. Thus you see what a wide door is opened in the New Teftament Ark, or what a noble ground of faith is laid in that name of God proclaimed to Mofes.

But now, becaufe finners are ready, like the fpider, to fuck poifon out of this rich declaration of the name of God, merciful and gracious, and to turn his grace unto wantonnefs, faying, If this be the cafe, we will fin, that grace may abound, Rom. vi. 1. We need not fear the wrath of fuch a merciful God:' Therefore obferve what an awful word immediately follows, WHO WILL BY NO MEANS CLEAR THE GUILTY, q. d. The defign of all this grace and mercy which I have proclaimed, is to lead finners to repentance, through an apprehension of my mercy in Chrift; but if any fhall abuse my name, Merciful and Gracious, to encourage themfelves in a way of fin and rebellion againft my authority, let them know that I will by no means clear fuch perfons: No, no, he is condemned already, and my weath abideth on him," John iii. 18. 36. And when "he turns this grace unto wantonness, he but treasures up wrath against the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God," Rom. ii. 5. And therefore, "Let the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts," If. lv. 7. " and let him return unto the Lord," from this confideration, that "I am the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious; fury is not in me," If. xxvii. 4. I do not delight in the death of finners, Ezek. xxxiii. 2. but am ready to fhew mercy to thou fands. But if he will harden himself in fin because I am merciful and gracious, he will do it to his coft; for "who would fet the briars and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together," If. xxvii. 4. "But let him take hold of my ftrength (the man of my right hand), that he may make peace with me, and he fhall make peace with me," lf. lv. 7.

HEB.

HEB. xi.7.-By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not fren as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the faving of his house.

THE FIFTH SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

AM fpeaking of Chrift, the New Teftamemt Ark, into which finners are to enter, in order to their being faved from the deluge of divine wrath and vengeance. Sirs, I would not wish to have the blood of any foul in this audience, or under my charge, upon my head: and therefore I have been ellaying to fhew you a way of efcape; and for this end, I have already eflayed to open seven doors by which yon may enter by faith into this New Teftament Ark. I have yet a few more to open and O that, while I am opening them, God may perfuade and enable you to enter in and be faved.

1ft, then, The commiffion Chrift got from his Father, to fave and redeem loft finners of Adam's family, is a pleafant door by which entrance is to be had into the New Teftament Ark. He did not take this office unto himself, but was called of God, as was Aaron, Heb. v. 4. If. xlii. 6." I the Lord have called the in righteoufnefs, and will hold thine hand, and will help thee." You know, when a man is regularly called or ordained unto any office, it is a fufficient warrant for any man to employ him in his office; and when he is employed, he is obliged to difcharge the duties of his office unto thofe that employ him: Well, Sirs, this is the very cafe with Chrift. And, to clear this, confider these parti

culars.

1. He was elected unto his office as a Saviour, If. xlii. 1. "Behold my fervant whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my foul delighteth." Hence he tells us, Prov. viii. 23. That was fet up from everlafling, from the beginning, or ever

he "

the earth was."

2. He was anointed, fitted, and furnished, with all gifts, graces, and endowments, neceffary for the difcharge of his faving work. Hence he himself declares, If. Ixi. 6. “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek." II. xlii. 5. "I have (fays the Father) put my fpirit upon him,

he

of the Lon" A blee of refer to all the empty in and Samar, and the cay of vergmante of our Ga, vengeance upon the old ferpent wise teid te calac brute; for for tuis purple he was pasteded, that he might delbroy the works of the dev 1, 1. John ia, S

4. He voluntary accepted of his Farmer's comm fios, to come usca our creand, and with alerte and e' certalacts came leaping upen the courtains, and Lippi gupenti hills," Cant. . b. He fet his face like a fist, lil. ~ againit all forms that blew upon him, from heaven, earth, and hell; and never fainted nor was diiccurages, until he had “ ed the work which his Father gave him to do.””

5. He opens his commiffion, and declares himself to be the Seat of God, the great Ambalador of heaven, to negociate in the great affair of peace, pardon, and falvazioa to lost finners. John iii. 17. “Ged fent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be faved." Joln iv. 34. “My ment is to do the will of him that fent me, and to finish his work.” Joba sii, 44, 45. Jefas cried, and faid, "He that believeth ca me, beheveth not on me, but on him that fent me; and he that feeth me, feeth him that fent me.

6. He not only opens his common, but fews his Father's feal appended to his commitior, John vi. 27. “Him hath God the Father fealed." He wes lemnly fealed at his folemu inauguration, when baptifed by 1a in Jordan, Matth. iii. at the clofe, when the heavens opened, and the Spirit of God defcended in the likeneis of a dove, and his Father tedi fied concerning him, with an audible voice, faying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well ple fed." Every miracle he wrought, in railing the dead, opsaing the eyes of the blind, opening the cars of the deaf, curing all manner of difeafes by a touch of his hand, or word of his mouth, his refurrection from the dead, and pouring out of his fpirit upon his difciples in the day of Pentecoft, endowing them with power from on high, &c. all thefe, and many other things, were folemn feals appended to his commition.

7. As he himself was fent and commiffioned by his Father, Lo fends he his apoftles and other minifters to proclaim and publish the gospel of the grace of God unto all the world. "As my Father hath fent me, even fo fend I you," John xx. 21. And what commiffion gives he them? Mark xvi. 15. "Go ye (fays he) unto all the world, and preach the gofpel to every creature," Matth. xxviii. at the clofe. "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptifing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Hence "we are amballadors for Chrift, we pray you in Chrift's ftead, as though God did beseech you by us, be ye reconciled to God," 2 Cor. v. 20. Now, I fay, is there not in all this a clear and fair ground laid for your believing, or entering into the New Teftament Ark?' O, Sirs, ponder Chrifl's commiffion from the Father; for this is the work of God, that ye believe in him whom he hath fent," John vi. 29. See that ye do not refufe him that speaketh, Heb. xii. 25. from heaven, for it is his Father's folemn command, "Hear ye him," Matth. iii. laft, i. e. believe in his name, for they that turn a deaf ear to him fhall perish in the deluge.

66

2dly, Chrift's declared ability and fufliciency to fave is another door for faith to enter into the New Teftament Ark. No man will readily enter into the ocean upon an infufficient bottom. If one that is on a voyage to a foreign country get the leaft notice or advice, that fach a fhip is infufficient, or if he have but a fufpicion that it is fo, he will turn away from her, and will neither venture his perfon nor his goods into her. This is the cafe with every legalift and unbeliever: he has a fecret fufpicion in his heart, that Chrift alone is not fufficient to fave him: And therefore he will rather venture his eternal life upon the general mercy of God, or upon the law, and the works of the law, upon his own inherent grace, his duties and good qualifications, than upon Chrift; or if he does not fet Chrift afide altogether, he will venture partly upon Chrift, and partly upon fomething done by himfelf; Chrift and my faith, Chrift and my works and duties, Chrift and my obedience, Chrift and my tears, prayers, will, I hope, do my buf nefs, and fave me from the deluge of God's wrath.' New, I fay, whence comes all this, but from a fecret jealousy and fufpicion of Chrift's ability and fufficiency, and that he alone is not to be lippened unto? And hence, through an evil heart of unbelief, they turn away from him, and lay the ftrefs of their falvation upon this, and that, and the other broken plank

of