Anf. It operates as feed caft into the ground. It operates as rain and dew: "My doctrine fhall drop as the dew" As light; "They that fat in darkness faw a great light; It is a light shining in a dark place:" As fire; "Is not my word like a fire?" As water, as wind, as a feal imprinting the di. vine nature: As a glafs, through which we fee God's glory: As balm for healing; "He fent his word, and healed them." Quest. 4. What are the qualities of this word of falvation?

Anfu. 1. It is a divine word; "the word of God." God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, is the Author of it. Hence the gofpel is called "the gofpel of God," Rom. i. 1. and xv. 2. 16. 2. It is a word of God in Chrift, Heb. i. 1. 2. and ii. 3. It is fecured" in the hands of a Mediator, yea, and amen in him." It is given to us by Chrift, and fealed in his blood; "This is the New Teftament in my blood." 3. It is a gracious word of God in Chrift; it is free; it does not move upon our goodness or badnefs; our goodnefs does not further, nor our badnefs hinder it. It is a word that comes from pure grace, and fprings from his free mercy, who is the God of all grace. It is fuch a gracious word, that it contains all grace. Hence, 4. It is a complete word, containing all our falvation; for it contains God in it, Chrift in it, and the Spirit in it. It contains a righteoufnefs in it, founding a legal title to life eternal, namely, the obedience of Chrift; and a legal fecurity from.eternal death, namely, the fatisfaction and death of the Surety. It contains all the parts of life, and may well be called the word of life; life in the beginning of it in regeneration; "Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth." The life of juftification; we are juftified in believing and receiving of Chrift our righteoufnels, as offered in the word. The life of fanctification, the life of confolation, the life of glory hereafter. 5. It is a fure word; "the fure mercies of David," fure, and more fure than a voice from heaven, such as even that which the difciples heard on the mount, 2 Pet. i. 19. "We have a more fure word of prophecy," &c. 6. It is a gracious, complete, fure word of God in Chrift to finners, as well as to faints; it is to finners of Adam's family, for it prefents a remedy for their malady. This leads to,

III. The third head propofed, namely, to speak of the fending of this word. Here it may be inquired from whom, by whom, to whom it is fent, and for what purpofe.

ft, From whom is it fent? Anf. It is a word of falvation, fent from the God of falvation, to whom belong the issues from death; and it carries the imprefs of himfelf upon it. As

the

the word is God's word, fo it is of God's fending; "He fent his word, and healed them," Pfal. cvii. 20.

2dly, By whom is it fent? Anf. Not by angels, but by men; "We are ambaffadors for Chrift," 2 Cor. v. 20. It is true, God fent his word firft by Chrift; "He fo loved the world, that he fent his only-begotten Son," &c. Then Chrift fends it by men, that we may not be afraid at his appearance, as lfrael were of old; "We have this treasure in earthen veffels," 2 Cor. iv. 7.

3dly, To whom is it that he fent this word of falvation! Anf. To all finners that hear it. Whofoever look to the word of falvation, will find it looking to them, Gen. xii. 3. What was the gofpel preached to Abraham? "In thee, or in thy feed, fhall all the families of the earth be bleffed." Is not this a word of falvation to us alfo? It includes all, fo as every finner may take hold of it. See John iii. 16. 1 Tim. i. 15. Chrift came to call finners to repentance. See Prov. i. 20. Ifa. xlvi. 12. It is a word that fuits the cafe of finners; and therefore, if it be inquired,

4thly, For what purpofe is it fent to finners? Anf. For the fame purpose that a healing remedy is fent to a deadly malady; for Chrift comes in the word, and is prefented there, "for wisdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption;" 1 Cor. i. 30. and Rev. iii. 17. 18. More particularly, it is fent as a word of pardon to the condemned finner; "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy tranfgreffions, for my own name's fake." Hence may every condemned finner take hold of it, faying, This word is fent to me. It is fent as a word of peace to the rebellious finner, faying, "Chrift hath received gifts for men, even for the rebellious." I am a rebel, may the finner fay, here is a word for me: It is fent as a word of life to the dead; "The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear fhall live:" as a word of liberty to the captives; "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath anointed me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prifon to them that are bound," &c.: as a word of healing for the diseased; for the word fays, "I am the Lord that healeth thee:" As a word of cleaning, or a cleaning word for the polluted; "I will fprinkle you with clean water," &c.: As a word of direc tion to the bewildered; "I will lead the blind by a way they know not," &c.: As a refreshing word to the weary; "The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, to speak a word in feafon to him that is weary:" As a comforting word to the difconfolate; it brings in the good news of the river, the ftreams whereof make glad the city of God, and of Chrift

the

the confolation of Ifrael: As a drawing word, and a strengthening word to the powerlefs foul, faying, "He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth ftrength. Thy people thall be willing in the day of thy power. When I am lifted up, I will draw all men after me." It is fent, in short, as a word of falvation, and all fort of salvation and redemption to the loft foul, faying, "Chrift came to feek and to fave that which was loft; and that we are not redeemed with corruptible things, fuch as filver and gold, but with the precious blood of Chrift."

IV. The last head propofed was, to make aplication. Is it fo, that the gofpel, as a word of falvation, is fent to every finner that hears it? Then,

ift, Hence fee the kindness of God in Christ to finners of mankind. Why hath he made fuch a difference between finning men and finning angels? There was never a word of falvation fent to angels that finned; no, they are referved in chains to the judgement of the great day; but to you, “Q men, do I call, and my voice is to the fons of men; to you is the word of this falvation fent.

2dly, See what a valuable book the Bible is, which contains this word of falvation. O how ought we to fearch the fcriptures! for in them we think, and think aright when we do fo, that we have eternal life and falvation conveyed to us. Why? They testify of Chrift; and we ought efpecially to fearch out the words of eternal life, the words of falvation that lie there.

3dly, Hence fee what a valuable bleffing the gofpel is, and the difpenfation thereof, and how welcome a gofpel miniftry fhould be unto us; "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that preach the gofpel of peace!" Rom. x. 15. that publish the word of falvation. How fad is it when the gofpel-minifters have not beautiful feet, when they defile their feet by ftepping into the puddle of defection and corruption, and fo make poor fouls to naufeate the very gofpel preached by them; and how fad is it when thefe that profefs to preach the gofpel of pence, have their feet defiled in the puddle of error! How defirable is it, when they have both the gospel of peace in their mouth, and beautiful fhoes upon their feet, and are fhod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and with a gofpel converfation, declining to walk with others in a courfe of defection!

41bly, Hence fee the inexcufeablenefs of unbelief in rejecting the goipel, fince it is fent to every one that hears it. Men have no cloke for the 'r unbelief, no ground to fay, This word of falvation is not fent to me; yea, it is fent to thee, whofoever

thou

thou art; it is a rope caft down for thy drowning foul to grip

to.

5thly, Hence fee how culpable they are that ftraiten the door, and hamper the call of the gospel, faying in effect, if you have not fuch and fuch marks, it is not to you; it is only upon fuch and fuch terms that it is to you. This is to make the gospel no gospel. It is as if Chrift came to fave faints, but not to fave finners. They contradict the very design of the gospel, which is a word of falvation to finners of all forts and fizes. To you is the word of this falvation fent. To you, O finner, is the door of falvation opened. Whatever ftraitens thi door, whatever doctrines you may hear that hamper the gospel-offer, and tend to make you fuppofe, that there is no room for you, no accefs for you, you may suspect that either to be no gofpel doctrine, or that has fuch a legal mixture accompanying it, as you ought to fhun like the devil, because it would keep you back from Chrift and falvation.

6thly, Hence fee the ground of God's controversy at this day, together with an antidote against the errors and evils of the day. The great ground of God's controverfy, at this day, with the generation we live among, is their rejecting the word of falvation. Wherefore is he now fpeaking in wrath and war, but because we will not hearken to him fpeaking in mercy. Scotland hath been deaf to the word of God, and to the warn ings of God. Judicatories have been deaf to the word of God, to the word of falvation, calling them to reform, and return to the Lord; deaf to any testimony lifted up for reformation: and the whole land hath been deaf to the voice of God in the gofpel. And what if God now thunder and roar out of Zion, and fay, you fhall hear at the deafeft fide; if you will not hear the voice of the word, you fhall hear the voice of the fword. O what is the quarrel? Why, God fays, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him :" No, but we refufe to hear him. General Affemblies have refufed to hear him; they give ear more to a patron, or a great man, and give more obedience to him, than to the voice of Chrift. He faid, "Feed my sheep, feed my lambs :" No, fay they; but let them be worried with wolves, rather than difplease and offend men of rank and power. How justly may the Lord fay to fuch, "Go to the gods whom ye have ferved," and fee if they can deliver you in the day of death, or in the day of wrath.

See here also an antidote against many errors of the day. Here is an antidote againft enthufiaftic delufions, viz. if we take the word of God for the rule and the warrant of faith, and of every particular duty. Some will fay, we must wait for the Spirit being poured out; and till the Spirit comes,"

there

there is no doing; therefore we may fit ftill, and do nothing, either in the matter of our falvation-work, or generation work, either in perfonal or public work. Why, here is a delufion, here is enthufiafm, to make the Spirit the rule of faith and duty, and not the word of God. When God fpake to Mofes at the Red Sea, faying, "Speak to the people that they go forward." What! go forward, might unbelief say, into the fea, and be all drowned! Nay, ftay till we fee the water divided. No, fays God, "Speak to the people that they go forward" and in going forward at the word and call of God, making his call and word the rule of faith and duty, in this way they were to find the fea divided before them. To wait upon God's working, either outwardly or inwardly, without anfwering the call of his word, and going forward in the way of duty, is to wait without a warrant; it is a delufion, a tempting of God. You are to mint at believing the word of falvation fent to you. The people we call Quakers fay, they ought not to pray till the Spirit move them, making the inward motions of the Spirit, and not the word of God, the rule of duty. Thus it is no wonder that they be misled by a delusive spirit; for the word of God is the fword of the Spirit, and though we I cannot fight without the Spirit, yet the Spirit will not fight 1 for thofe, or with those, that will not take his fword in their hand; though we can do nothing without the Spirit, yet the 6 Spirit will do nothing without the word. But if once we take the word of the Spirit in our hand, I mean, take the word for our rule, and mint at duty, and at the work of believing, which is the work of God, according to the direction of the word of God; then, and not till then, are you to expect God will work powerfully; for out of his own road he will not, namely, if you turn away your ear from hearing his word, or if he do, he will bring you to this road before he do any thing more. Here also see an an antidote against all, or most of all the errors of the age wherein we live. Here is an antidote against all practical error, against all profanity, loofenefs, and luxury, whoredom, and debauchery, that have been long running down, like a mighty ftream, through all ranks of perfons, from the throne to the dunghill, in every corner of the land. What would remead thefe evils? Even the receiving of this falvation that is fent in the gospel to us. Unbelief in rejecting this falvation, which is a falvation from all fin as well as mifery; this unbelief in flighting the Saviour and falvation, is the root of all the loofenefs and profanity in the age. Men do not fee this root that lies hid under ground. Here is an antidote against the deifm of the age. Why do men undervalue the fcriptures, and deny the neceflity of divine fuper

natural