It will endear the Bleffed JESUS in every Capacity; as the Stings of the fiery flying Serpents, and the Dearth of the waste howling Wilderness, endeared to the Ifraelites both their miraculous An'tidote, and their Bread from Heaven. They who believe this Truth, muft fee their inexpreffible and inceffant Need of CHRIST's Spirit. The Protestation of Mofes, on a particular Occafion, will be the daily, the hourly Breathing of their Souls ; Carry Us not up hence, unless thy Prefence, thy SPIRIT, go with Us*. For without this Aid, We can discharge no Duty aright, nor successfully refift any Temptation.-They will be exceedingly cautious, not to grieve + that facred Gueft, left He depart from them, and abandon them to the Power of their lurking Corruptions. Knowing, that if He abandon them, when fuch Foes are within, and fo many Snares without; their Cafe will be worse than Samfon's, when his Locks were shaven, and the Philistines all around Him.

How highly will fuch Perfons value the Blood of the Covenant, and the Interceffion of their great HIGH-PRIEST!-They will no more prefume to enter into the Presence of the most High GOD, without a fiducial Reliance upon the atoning and interceding SAVIOUR; than the Sons of Jacob would have ventured to appear before the Viceroy of Egypt, without the Company of their younger Brother ‡. In all, in all their Intercourfe with Heaven, the great PROPITIATION will be their Plea, and the great ADVOCATE their

Exod. xxxiii. 15. + Eph. iv. 30.

xliii. 5.

4

Con

Gen.

Confidence. The impotent Man waited at the Pool of Bethesda, and the Syrian General dipped seven Times in Jordan. These Perfons will not only wait, but live by the Fountain opened for Sin and Uncleannefs *. They will wash in the facred fanctifying Stream, not feven Times only, but seventy. Times feven.

When fuch Sentiments poffefs the Mind, how dear! O how dear and defirable will our LORD's Obedience be! Convinced that We are corrupt, univerfally corrupt in the very Conftitution of our Nature, nothing will quiet our Confciences, or fatisfy our Souls, but the Righteousness of JESUS CHRIST.-I called, fometime ago, our own Works Worm-eaten Things. And must not these Corruptions, if they remain ever fo little in our Hearts, depreciate and defile whatever proceeds from them? Muft they not be, in all our Works and all our Duties, like corroding Vermin, in the Subftance of our Timber, or at the Core of our Fruits? Should We not then renounce, utterly renounce, what is tarnished and debased by the Poifon of Hell? And rely, wholly rely, for everlasting Acceptance, on our Divine HIGH-PRIEST? Who, in his mediatorial Works, as well as in his wonderful Perfon, is altogether Light and Perfection ; and neither in Him, nor in them, is there any Deficiency or any Darkness at all.

*Zech. xiii. 1.

Excufe

+ Light and Perfection-This is the Meaning of that myfterious Ornament, which, in the grand officiating Robes of the Jewish High-Pricft, was annexed to the Breaft-plate, and ftiled Urim and Thummim. Only the

Excufe me, Theron; I fear, I have been preaching. The Importance of the Text, muft form my Apology. It is an Introduction, not to the Records of Hiftory, or the Tranfactions of Philosophy, but to the Knowledge of Salvation, and to the Riches of CHRIST.

Ther. If my Afpafio has been preaching, I can affure Him for his Comfort, that his Audience has been very attentive; and though the Sermon was fomewhat copious, the Hearer neither slept nor gaped.

However, I fhould be glad to have the Whole reviewed, and fummed up: that, if it has been large as the Pyramid, it may, like the Pyramid, terminate in a Point.

Afp. This then is the State of our Nature.-The Image of the CREATOR is effaced. Wisdom, Righteoufnefs, and true Holinefs are loft.-View the Understanding; it is Blindnefs and Stupidity.View the Affections; they are Disorder and Rebellion.-View the Will; it is Enmity against GOD, the fupreme Good; averfe to Things fpiritual; but fond even to Dotage, of Things earthly

and

Hebrew Words are in the plural Number, and denote every Degree of Illumination, and all Kinds of Perfection.

Does not this very fignificantly teach Sinners, Whence to feek their Wisdom, and Where to look for their Perfection? There never was, in all Ages, more than one Urim and Thummim; and only one Perfon, in each Generation, was appointed to wear it. And Who is there, in all Worlds, that can give Us heavenly Knowledge, but the SPIRIT of CHRIST? What is there, in Ourselves or all Creatures, that can prefent Us unblameable before GOD, but the Righteoufness of CHRIST?

and fenfual.-The whole Soul is deformed; diftempered; and, to every good Purpose, dead.

Mortifying, abafing Views! Methinks, they fhould be like Medusa's Head *, or like Michael's Sword t, to all Self-füfficiency and all Self-dependence.-Shall fuch a Creature pretend to be poffeffed of thofe facred Endowments, which may conftitute a proper Recommendation to infinite Holinefs? Is fuch a Creature qualified to perform those righteous Acts, which may bear the Teft of inflexible Justice? Can fuch a Creature fulfil that extenfive and exalted Law, which allows of no Failure; which demands perfect Obedience; and denounces a Curfe on every Tranfgreffion?

Should he conceive the vain Hope, or make the vainer Attempt, I would now address Him, as Jehoash formerly answered Amaziah.-Amaziah King of Judah, elated with the little Victories he had obtained over the Edomites, began to fancy Himself invincible. Prompted by this foolish Imagination, He challenges Jehoash King of Ifrael, to meet Him in a pitched Battle; and receives this ironical Apologue by way of Reply.-Which, for Gallantry of Spirit and Delicacy of Wit, for Poignancy of Satire and Propriety of Application, has feldom been equaled, perhaps never exceeded.-The Thistle that was in Lebanon, fent to the Cedar that was in Lebanon, faying, Give thy Daughter to my Son to Wife: T 4 and

Medufa's Head, the Poets tell Us, was fo monArous and horrible, that the very Sight of it congealed the Blood. Nay; turned every Beholder into Stone.

+ Michael's Sword, Milton informs Us, was fo keen and forcible, that nothing could refift its Edge; whatever it fmote, was cut in Pieces.

and there paffed by a wild Beaft that was in Lebanon, and trod down the Thistle *. What are We-when

We offer to establish our own Righteousness, or presume to justify Ourselves before the most High GOD-but defpicable Thifles, that fancy themselves ftately Cedars? And are not various Temptations, is not every Corruption, a wild Beaft of the Defart, which will trample on the impotent Boafter, and tread his haughty Pretenfions in the Dust?

2 Kings xiv. 9.

DIA