derstand the fame thing with the gofpel-lamp, by which we enter into the kingdom of grace here, and of glory hereafter. Now, fays Chrift, this fhall be taken from you, and then the door of the kingdom of God will be fhut up against the Jewish nation, and given unto the Gentiles, which accordingly was done. The Jews were cut off for their unbelief, and the gospel church and lamp fet up among the nations of the earth. Now, If God fpared not the natural branches, we need to take heed left he treat us after the fame manner, who are wild olives of the Gentiles by nature, Rom. xi. 21. You have a word to the fame purpofe, John xii. 35. 36. "Then Jefus faid unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you: walk while ye have the light, leaft darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darknefs, knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light." By all which you fee that we are in hazard of lofing the light of the gofpel-lamp, and of being left in darkness, if we do not come unto God's Anointed.

And here I will tell you of feveral kinds of darkness that will follow upon the removal of the gospel-lamp.

14, The darkness of grofs ignorance; which is fo far from being the mother of devotion, as the Papifts teach, that it is the mother of deftruction; "My people are deftroyed for lack of knowledge," Hof. iv. 6. If we but look through the world, or through this island, or the land wherein we live, and take a view of thefe corners of it where the gofpel-lamp does not shine, or where another thing is fubftitute in the room of it, we shall find nothing but grofs ignorance of fupernatural truths, and the people no better than a company of baptized Heathens.

adly, The darkness not only of unbelief, but of infidelity, follows upon the removal of the gofpel-lamp. Unbelief may be, and, alas! too frequently is, where the gofpel-lamp fhines: "Who hath believed our report?" But when the gospellamp is taken away because of unbelief, then the people turn Infidels. An unbeliever may come to be a believer, because the object of faith is ftill revealed and prefented unto him by the gofpel-lamp; but an Infidel cannot become a believer, becaufe the object of faith is removed; the things that belong to his peace are hid from his eyes and ears. "How fhall he believe in him of whom he has not heard? (as the apoftle argues); and how fhall they hear without a preacher?" Rom. When both lamp and lamp-bearers of God's fending are taken away, how then fhall they believe? Men in that cafe can no more believe, than the eye of the body can fee without the light of the fun in the firmament.

3dly, The

3dly, The darkness of idolatry and fuperftition in wor fhip, follows upon the removal of the gospel-lamp, as we fee in these lands or nations where the gofpel-lamp once was, but are now covered with Popifh and Mahometan delufions and abominations.

4thly, As the gofpel-lamp removes, fo gradually the darkness of error prevails. Deiftical errors, rejecting fupernatural myfteries in the word; Arian and Socinian errors, derogating from the glory of God's Anointed, either in his perfon, offices, or fatisfaction; Arminian errors, ftriking at the freedom and sovereignty of the grace of God both in election and effectual calling, and the perfeverance of the faints; legal errors, overturning the doctrine of juftification by the righteousness of Chrift alone, and foifting in fomething elfe in its room, that men may have fomething to glory in: thefe and the like errors prevailing in a land where the gospel has been preached in purity, argues a fetting, not a rifing fun, because the fhadows are growing long.

5thly, The darkness of a dead, lifelefs, blafted, profane, or ignorant miniftry, prevails upon the withdrawing of the lamp of God's Anointed. Indeed God may leave fomething in the land called the gospel, and a fet of men who call themselves minifters of the gofpel. But what fort of a lamp is it that is left, when the true gofpel-lamp is taken away? It is the devil's lamp; it is not the narrow way, but a broad-way lamp, to fet folk ftraightway to the bottomlefs pit. And what fort of minifters or lamp-bearers are left? Why, they are blind guides leading the blind, and both fall into the ditch together.

6thly, The darkness of a departed God and glory follows upon the removal of the gofpel-lamp. The name of that nation or congregation then becomes Ichabod, i. e. "The glory is departed." And then innumerable woes take place: "Wo alfo unto them, when I depart from them." Utter deftruction and defolation takes place: "Behold your house is Jeft unto you defolate," Matth. xxiii. 38. "And now go to ; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it fhall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it fhall be trodden down. And I will lay it wafte: it fhall not be pruned, nor digged, but there fhall come up briers and thorns: I will alfo command the clouds, that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hofts is the house of Ifrael, and the men of Judah his pleafant plant: and he looked for judgement, but behold oppreflion; for righteousness, but behold a cry," If. v. 5. 6. 7. Thus you fee what darknefs follows upon the removal

of

of the gofpel-lamp for rejecting and refufing to come unto God's Anointed. Oh then let me befeech you, as though God did befeech you by me, "be ye reconciled unto God," by receiving him, refting upon him alone for falvation from fin and wrath, as he is offered to you in the gospel.

Oh that I knew how to prevail with you to accept of God's Anointed! Come and let us reafon together upon this important matter. Sirs, when you reject God's Anointed, you reject God himself, that God in whom every moment you live, move, and have your being; for God is in Chrift his anointed dear; but when you receive him, you receive God to be your God and portion in time and through eternity; his Father becomes your Father, and his God your God.

Pray tell me, What ails you at God's Anointed, that you will not come unto him? Do you reject him because he is an infufficient Saviour? Why, the gofpel-lamp discovers the contrary, and that the very reverfe is true: "I have laid help upon one that is mighty," fays God. Do you reject him on a pretence that he is unwilling to receive you? The gofpel lamp confutes this thought; for you may fee him complaining of finners, that they will not come unto him; fwearing by his life, that he is willing, and has no pleafure in the death of the wicked; appealing to the heavens and earth, to bear teftimony for him against finners for their folly and obftinacy, Be aftonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very defolate, faith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils: they have forfaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cifterns, that can hold no water," Jer. ii. 12. 13. And again, he fays," Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath fpoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me," If. i. 2. Do you ftand off from God's Anointed, because you have no claim or right to him? Let not this be pretended; for you have as good a right to him, and as good a warrant to employ him for your falvation, as any of the faints, either in heaven or earth, ever had, before they actually believed in him. Ye have a right to him by virtue of the human nature that he wears, whereby he is related to all the human kind. Ye have a right and claim to him by virtue of his office; he is the Saviour of all men that are willing to be faved every man in Ifrael had access to the brazen ferpent, which was a common good to all the camp; fo has every finner a right to look unto Chrift, and be 1ved. Ye have a right to him by the revelation, the offer, the gift, and grant, of the gofpel: "Then Jefus faid unto them, Verily, verily, I fay unto

As

you,

lv. 1.

you, Mofes gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world," John vi. 32. 33. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given," If. ix. 6. And again, "Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters," &c. If. "And the Spirit and the bride fay, Come. And let him that heareth fay, Come. And let him that is athirst, come: And whofoever will, let him take the water of life freely," Rev. xxii. 17. Do ye ftand off from God's Anointed for want of power and ability to come to him? Why, God's Anointed in the gofpel is reaching forth his faving arm to help every impotent foul, faying, "I give power to the faint, I increase strength to them that have no might." Do you decline to come to God's Anointed, becaufe you are uncertain if God ordained him for you, or you for him, in his eternal purpose or decree? Why, Sirs, I have often told you, and now I tell you again, that in the matter of believing, you have nothing at all to do with the decrees of God: "Secret things they belong unto the Lord; but things revealed to us, and to our children." Now, it is among things revealed, that ye fhould believe in God's Anointed, "This is the work of God, that ye believe in him whom God has fent ;" and that moment you believe with the heart, thou mayft read thy name in the Lamb's book of life; and never can or fhall any man find out the decree of God as to himself in another way or method. Oh then come and close immediately with God's anointed Saviour, and the way of falvation through him, whereby you fhall at once both give glory to God in the higheft, and fecure your own falvation for ever. But if you continue to reject God's Anointed, and the lamp he has ordained for him, your light fhall be put out in obfcurity, and you fhall lie down in everlasting forrow with hypocrites and unbelievers. "Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with fparks; walk in the light of your fire, and in the fparks that ye have kindled. This fhall ye have of mine hand, ye fhall lie down in forrow," If. 1. ult.

Query, What advice do you give us, in order to our right improvement of the gofpel-lamp as to win a faving inte reft of God's Anointed? Unto this I anfwer in these particulars.

1ft, Be much in viewing yourfelves in the light of the holy law of God, which requires no less than an abfolute and fin lefs perfection in every man and woman fprung of Adam, in order to fix a title to life and glory, and which dooms every one to hell and deftruction from the prefence of the Lord,

who

who cannot produce a perfonal and perfect obedience thereunto. The language of the law is, "He that doth these things fhall live by them.:" but "Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

2dly, Confider feriously whether you be capable to produce what the law requires of you. There are three things demanded of you by God from the bar of the law, to which, if you cannot give a fatisfying answer, fentence mult pafs against you. (1.) God will demand of you, Where is that innocent nature you received from me at your creation: for I made you upright? (2.) Where is that finle fs obedience of life which the law requires? Have you done all that the law requires? None of Adam's race can anfwer thefe two; for "all have finned, and come fhort of the glory of God." And therefore, (3) A third demand follows: What fatisfaction do you give unto my justice? To this the finner, ignorant of the gospel, is ready to anfwer, "Oh will God be pleafed with thoufands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? will he accept of our first-born for our tranfgreffion, or the fruit of our body for the fin of our fouls ?" But will God be pleased with this? No, he no more values all these large proffers, than the cutting off of a dog's neck, or the offering of fwines blood upon his altar: Such "facrifice and offering 1 defire not," fays God. Well, feeing the finner cannot give a fatisfactory answer to thefe questions, feeing his nature is vitiate and corrupted, every thought of his heart is evil, feeing he has broken the law, in thought, word, and deed, times without number, what must follow on this, according to the tenor of law and justice, but that the fword of juftice awake against the criminal, and that he be hewn in pieces before the Lord, like Agag? Now, I fay, my advice unto you is, Oh take a ferious view of this ftate of matters between God and you. While you are upon a lawbottom, "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, unto every foul of man that doth evil.”

3dly, Having thus pondered how matters ftand between God and you in the light of the law, I advise you next to take the lamp of the gofpel, and fee what relief is provided by God in his Anointed for you in this difmal fituation. See if there be not a fuitable and fufficient anfwer to thefe pofing and filencing questions in God's Anointed as a fecond Adam, a new covenant-head. When the queftion is put, Where is that pure and holy nature that we had from God at our first creation? view God's Anointed by the lamp of the gofpel, and you will hear him anfwering, Here it is in my perion as their public head and reprefentative, and I prefent their nature to

God