unbelief?"-Have you hereupon found the virtue of this word, as a word of falvation, faving you from your doubts and fears, faving you from your bonds and fetters, faving you from your helplefs and hopeless condition, and making you to hope for complete falvation from fin and mifery ?-Have you found falvation begun in the faith or the word of falvation, and been begotten to a lively hope thereby? And does this hope begin to purify your heart, and this faith begin to work by love to God and hatred of fin, and of yourfelf for fin? And is your continual recourfe to this word of falvation, or to the promise of God in Chrift, for all your falvation?

8. Hence fee what matter of joy and praise believers have, who have been determined thus to entertain the word of falvation: for, when the word of falvation is received through grace, then the work of falvation is begun: and you need be in no uneafinefs now, though you be called to work out the work of your falvation with fear and trembling; because it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do. "He that hath begun. the good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of the Lord." The word of falvation may be to thee, O believer, the word of confolation all the days of your life for, it is a word of falvation, not only from the finful ftate, and miferable ftate you was in, but is a word of falvation also, bringing the good news of falvation in every cafe; falvation from the devil, the world, and the flesh; falvation and deliverance from the hands of all your enemies; falvation from the fling of death; falvation from the terror of judgment; falvation from the curfe of the law, and from the guilt of all your fins; falvation not only from all evil, but falvation to eternal life; for the word of falvation, which you have received and entertained through grace, contains all the words of eternal life. The word of falvation is the word of life for you, when under deadnefs, and the word of liberty for you, when under bondage; a word of reft for you, when under wearinefs, a word of relief for you, when under diftrefs of whatfoever fort. It is a word of falvation confirmed with the oath of God,That by two immutable things, in which it is impoffible for God

to

to lye, they might have ftrong confolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope fet before them."

9. Hence fee matter of terror to those who neglect this great falvation that is fent to them by this word: "How fhall they efcape, who neglect fo great falvation," and fo near to them? O finner, it is a falvation fent to your house; and will you reject it? Salvation fent to your foul; a word of falvation fent to your hand to receive it, and will you reject it? A word of falvation fent to your ear, faying, "But hear, and your foul fhall live." A word of falvation fent to your heart, and by it God is knocking at the door of your heart: O Sirs, will you refufe him that fpeaketh from heaven?" See that ye refuse not him that fpeaketh; for if they escaped not, who refufed him that spake on earth, much more fhall not we escape, if we turn away from him that fpeaketh from heaven," Heb. xii. 25. If you will not hear God's word of grace in the gofpel, faying, To you is the word of this falvation fent; you must lay your account to hear his word of wrath in the law, faying, yea, fwearing in his wrath, "That you fhall not enter into his reft." If you have no fear of God, as it is in the verfe where my text lies, if you fhall never be perfuaded to fear the Lord and his goodnefs, manifested in the word of falvation, fent to you, you must lay your account to fear the Lord and his wrath, manifefted in the word of condemnation, which the law pronounces against them who believe not the gospel: "He that believeth not, is condemned already," John iii. 18. And there is no escaping this fentence of condemnation, but by receiving the word of falvation.

10. Hence fee how much it is the intereft of every one to receive, and entertain, and welcome this word of falvation. O Sirs," Hear, that your fouls may live." Hear the joyful found of falvation, O loft perifhing finner, before the door of mercy be fhut, and the day of grace be over. To perfuade you hereunto, we shall lay before you the four following confiderations.

(1.) Confider what fort of a falvation is offered to you. It is a fpiritual falvation; the falvation of the immortal foul: "What shall a man profit, tho' he gain the whole world, if he lose his own foul?" If you would not

lofe

lofe and ruin your fouls, O receive the word of falvation. It is a coftly falvation; it comes running in the channel of the blood of Chrift. It is bought to your hand, and free to you, however dear bought by the Redeemer. You have nothing to pay for it; the price of it is paid already; the condition of it is fulfilled.— It is a complete falvation; falvation from every thing you need to be faved from: falvation from unbelief, enmity, atheism, heart-hardness, heart-deadness, and every thing that you make an objection against receiving of this falvation. You fay you cannot believe, you cannot repent; but would you be faved from your unbelief and impenitence? This, and all the other branches of falvation is fent to you, when the word of falvation is fent. Will you welcome a Saviour to fave you from all, to be wildom, and righteousness, and fanctification, and redemption, and all to you? It is an everlasting falvation. Would you be happy after death, and have an eternity of happiness? "Life and immortality is brought to light by this word of falvation." O poor dying finner, confider what an everlasting falvation this is.

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(2.) Confider what need thou haft of this falvation. Thou haft a dark mind; and needeft falvation from that darkness and ignorance. Thou haft a guilty confcience; and needest salvation from that guilt. Thou hast a hard heart; and needeft falvation from that hardness. Thou haft powerful and ftrong corruption; and needest falvation from that. Thou haft a corrupt nature; and needeft falvation from that. Thou haft many heart-plagues ; and needest salvation from thefe plagues, and healing. Behold, all this falvation, and infinitely more, comes with the word of falvation; no falvation thou needeft is excepted. Thy need is great, death is at hand, judgment at hand : Now is the accepted time, now is the day of falvation." There will be no word in the day of judgment to finners, but a word of condemnation; "Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" but now, in the day of falvation, is fent to you this word of falvation; now, now is the day; and, perhaps, now or never.

(3.) Confider what a firm ground this word of falva

tion is for faith to build upon. It is the word of God; the God that cannot lye. It is ratified by the oath of God. It is a word confirmed by the blood of the Son of God.

It is a word attefted by the Three that bear record in heaven. It is a word ipoken by the infpiration of the Spirit of God, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit faith to the churches. The Spirit and the bride say, Come;" come and hear this word of falvation; come and believe; come and apply to thyfelf what is offered to thee.

(4-) Confider the good warrant you have to intermeddle with this word of falvation. It is fent to you on purpose that you may believe it with application to yourfelf; and that every one of you, thou man, thou woman, may take it home to thy own heart; for, To thee is the word of falvation fent. To thee is this love-letter fent from heaven. Read the indorsement, and fee if it be not to thee.—It is backed to thee, O guilty finner, faying, "Chrift came to fave finners."-It is backed to thee, O inhabitant of the earth, that art not yet in hell; "Look to me and be faved, all the ends of the earth."-It is backed to thee, O fcorner, that haft hitherto been a mocker of God and godliness; "Wisdom crieth without, fhe uttereth her voice in the treets: How long, ye fimple ones, will yè love fimplicity and the fcorners delight in their fcorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold I will pour out my Spirit unto you; I will make known my words unto you," Prov. j. 20. 22, 23.-It is backed to thee, O rebellious finner. If thou wert excepted, all mankind would be fo: behold, Chrift bath afcended up on high, led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, even for the rebellious, that God the Lord might dwell among them."It is backed for thee, O black and bloody finner; "Come now and let us reafon together, faith the Lord; tho' your fins be as fcarlet, they fhall be as white as fnow; tho' they be red like crimson, they fhall be as wool," Ifa. i. 18.-It is backed to thee, Ó finner that art thirsting after other things than Chrift; Ifaiah lv. 1, 2. "Ho, every one that thirfteth, come. Wherefore spend you your money for that which is not

bread?

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bread? &c. Wherefore do ye thirft and pant after other things that cannot give you fatisfaction?"-Yea, it is backed for thee, O unhumbled, unconvinced finner. Say not that it cannot concern thee, becaufe thou art not convinced of thy fin: O! the word of falvation comes even to thee alfo; Rev. iii. 18. "I counfel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayft be rich; eyefalve, that thou mayft fee; and white raiment that thou mayit be clothed." Even to thee that, as in the preceding verfe, art faying, that thou art rich and increafed with goods, and ftandeft in need of nothing, and knoweft not that thou art wretched, and miferable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Unconcerned finner, to thee, even thee, is the word of this falvation fent. Is this love-letter backed for thee? O then know, that tho' you have : no will, you have a warrant to receive it, and Chrift in it. If you reject this word of falvation, it is either becaufe you will not, or dare not, or cannot receive it.

If you fay, you will not take it to you, then remember you are fubfcribing your own doom. And I take inftruments against you, that you will not have falvation; you will not come to Chrift that you may have life; you are preferring fome base luft to the Lord of glory, and fo preferring, of confequence, damnation to falvation, death to life.

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If it be not a will of obftinacy, but of impotency, faying, Oh! if my will were fubdued; behold, the word of falvation comes with falvation from that plague of unwillingness, faying, Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power:" and, To you is the word of this fal· vation fent, that you may welcome it; and fo far as you welcome it, fo far are you willing.

If you fay you dare not take the word to yourfelf, as the word of falvation to you: why dare you not do what God enjoins you? Why dare you not take what God offers you? How durft you fin against God, when he forbad you? And now you dare not take his word for your falvation, when he requires you! How durft you venture on his fury againft his command? And now you dare not venture on his favour, through Chrift, at his call and command? Was it not enough to

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