this word, not as the word of men, or of the poor worm that is fpeaking to you, but as it is indeed, the word of God; if you can believe, that God is fpeaking to you, then the word will work effectually in you that so believe. O Sirs, could you believe, that this Almighty Speaker is prefent, fpeaking to you, you would hear a found of omnipotent power in his word going through your heart.

What is the power of the Spirit to be expected to go along with the word, in this day of clouds and darknefs, in this day of fhaking and commotion? Yea, he can make the clouds his chariots, for riding in to your heart. He hath faid, He will shake all nations, and the defire of all nations thall come. And, even in the midst of these fhaking times, he is coming to you in this kind offer of himself; and fhall we not hope he is coming to fome in the power of his Spirit? For the gracious offer of the gofpel is the channel, wherein the powerful influences of the Spirit run. Oh! fhall any heart here refift the grace and kindness of Chrift, faying, Come in. He doth not fay, Go in without me, but come in to me; importing, if you would gladly come, and want my help, there is my helping hand.

May the Lord himself effectually perfuade you, and Compel you to come in, That his boufe may be filled.

APPEN

APPENDIX,

Directed more especially to the united Societies in and about Morbottle and Stitchel, upon occafion of the much lamented Death of the Rev. Mr. JOHN HUNTER, lately ordained Minifter among them; and at whose Ordination the foregoing Sermon was preached.

MY DEAR FRIENDS,

THIS awful difpenfation of providence, in the fpeedy removal of this worthy paltor, cannot but be most afflicting to all the Lord's people through the land, that ever enjoyed the benefit of hearing the joyful found of the glorious gofpel out of his pleasant, edifying lips; but more especially to you, that had the profpect of enjoying the advantage of his fixed ministry among you, and who are fo quickly bereaved of fuch a bleffing. To you the ftroke muft be very heavy and fmarting.

He was indeed a burning and shining light, that burnt To faft, and fhone fo bright, it is the lefs to be wondered at that he did not burn and fhine long. The precious oil that was in this lamp, being once lighted, by a licence to preach, burnt fo intenfely, that the lamp itfelf behoved to wafte: for, befide the appointments that were laid upon him, after his licence, and be, fore his ordination amongst you, which appointments he might have accomplished more eafily, confidering his great abilities; befides thefe, I fay, his heart was fo much fet upon the great work of feeding Chrift's lambs, that he could not refufe the conftant folicitations of poor ftarving fouls, crying for more and more of the bread and water of life from him, in the feveral corners

of

of the land where he went; infomuch that, as I am informed, he would have preached upwards of thirty times in the space of fourteen days. And though what was the gain of others, may be fuppofed to be your lofs, that this bright candle was fo far burnt and wasted, in this manner, before it was fet up amongft you; yet you alfo fhared as liberally as others, of that circumambient bleffing, fo as to enjoy more of it before than fince his ordination: however, you ought to adore that holy providence, that made fuch a bright ftar to fhine among you, though but a little. He that hath the ftars in his right hand, may give or take them when he pleases.

It was, no doubt, a great lofs to the generation, that fuch a gracious person, endued with fuch great and ufeful gifts, as he was, fhould have lived fo long in fuch a retired and obfcure way: and, as this was mostly owing to the corruptions of the times, with which his zealous foul could never mingle itself, and against which he always, in his ftation, teftified; fo, having once joined himself with the Affociate Prefbytery, and having been once licenced by them to preach the gospel, it may be matter of conviction to the corrupt age, by which fuch excellent talents were fo long fmothered, that, whenever they came to be occupied, they were univerfally taking and edifying, infomuch that he became the darling of the little flock, the followers of the Lamb. His preaching and praying gift was reckoned, by many, to come neareft, of any we have heard of, to that of the great and eminent Mr. Samuel Rutherford, being fo full of homely fimiles and metaphors, tending to convey the truth with fuch pleasure and evidence into the hearts of hearers, that few or none who heard him once, but were fond to hear him again. These things confidered, together with his holy, humble, and meek converfation, his great learning, profound judgment, aptnefs to teach, and ability to convince gainfayers, with other great and excellent endowments, wherewith he was bleffed of God, contribute, no doubt, to heighten your grief, that have loft fuch an eminent, well-qualified paftor, and that in fuch a fudden manner, which fcrews up the trial to a very great

height,

height, in the holy, wife, and adorable providence of God.

It is more than probable there will be various commentaries upon, and interpretations people will make of this trying, and afflictive providence, according to their various fentiments concerning the public differences of the times. Many are apt, too foon, too rafhly and haftily, to explain the works of the Lord, which yet remain inexplicable, till the vifion, which is for an appointed time, fpeak out the mystery, and explain the mind and defign of God therein: "What I do, thou knoweft not now, fays Chrift; but thou fhalt know hereafter."

Mean time, till the mind of the Lord more fully appear, let all, murmuring and mutinous thoughts be filenced by these two following confiderations.

Ift, Confider the fovereignty of God, and his abfolute dominion over you, and all his creatures, as the potter hath over the clay. It is the Lord that giveth, and the Lord that taketh; and therefore we are to say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." It is the Lord, who can do us no wrong, and who hath undefervedly done us much. good; "Let him do to us what feemeth good in his fight." Let not too much thoughtfulness about your af fiction and lofs, divert you from an humble enquiry at this fovereign Lord, what he aims at by this difpenfati on? What he would have you to learn out of it? What he reproves and contends with you for? What he would have amended in you? What he would have you weaned from, and mortified to? You may humbly afk him, What he would have you to do? And what he means by this hard beginning; that you, who were first provided in this manner, fhould be firft laid defolate? That the Lord fhould feem to give you, in his providence, a deliverance from the bondage and oppreffion of churchjudicatories, and yet, on a fudden, withdraw the deliverance, and increase your grief. You may think, Can fuch a cafe be exemplified in fcripture? While many, through the land, are of the mind, that the Affociate Prefbytery are raised up of the Lord, in his holy providence, to give fome relief to his oppreffed people

in Scotland now, here is one inftance, in the entry of their ordaining work. Some relief was thought to have been given, but behold it is blown up; we are in as great ftraits as ever, and our grief is doubled. God hath not fmiled upon the means of deliverance that have come this way.

My dear friends, if you fearch your Bible, you will fee how God may, by fuch fovereign fleps as this, be even carrying on his great work of delivering. Mofes was fent to deliver Ifrael out of their Egyptian bondage, Exod. iii. 7,-10.; but, behold, instead of prefent deliverance, on a fudden, their hopes are dafhed, their bondage is increased, and they come crying to Mofes and Aaron, faying, "The Lord look upon you, and judge, &c. Ye have put a fword in their hands to flay us." Wherefore Mofes returned to the Lord, faying, "Wherefore haft thou fo evil entreated this people? Why is it that thou haft fent me? Thou haft not delivered thy people at all," Exod. v. 21, 22, 23. Yet how glorioufly God delivered in the iffue, the facred history fhews.Now, after this one inftance is adduced, let none, in their commenting upon the providence that hath befallen you, conclude, that your cafe is defperate, and that the work, which the Lord wrought among you, in beginning your deliverance, was not of God; because your hopeful profpect was fo fuddenly dafhed. Nay, what if, from fuch inftances as that I have mentioned, it look more like the very way of our fovereign God, in delivering his people from their thraldom.

2dly, Confider the infinite wisdom of God, that knows much better what is good for you, than you yourselves do. He knows what to be moft needful for you, which you may judge to be moft hurtful and dreadful: to this purpose you may put a remark upon the words of Chrift to his difciples, John xvi. 7.; where, having spoken of his leaving them, upon hearing of which, forrow had filled their heart; he fays, "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away." What! (might the fhallow wisdom of the difciples fay) can that be true, that it is good and expedient for us, that our great Lord and Mafter go away from us? This is a thing that bath

the