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as fcarlet, they fhall be as white as fnow; though they "be red like crimfon, they fhall be as wool." I Tim. i. 15. "This is a faithful faying, and worthy of all accep"tation, that Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave fin"ners; of whom I am chief." The offer is alfo free as to the terms, without any coftly or meriting condition. Ifa. lv. 1. "Ho every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters, "and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; i yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money and "without price." Rev. xxii. 17. "And the fpirit 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." Can there be any thing more encouraging than thefe gracious invitations? Here it is that we ought to take in the wife and happy conftitution of the Redeemer's perfon, as the fon of man, as well as the fon of God, and the meeknefs and gentleness of his difpofition, this was prophefied of him of old, Ifaiah xlii. 1, 2, 3. "Behold my fervant whom I uphold; mine "elect, in whom my foul delighteth: I have put my spirit " upon him, he fhall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. "He fhall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be "heard in the street, A bruifed reed fhall he not break; "and the fmoaking flax fhall he not quench: he fhall "bring forth judgment unto truth." This was beautifully and admirably fulfilled by his appearance in the flesh, by the meannefs of his birth, though not of his parentage, by the poverty and self-denial of his life, by the meeknefs and lowlinefs of his carriage, not only through life, but in the last and fuffering ftage of it; for he endured the contradiction of finners against himself; when he was reviled, he reviled not again. So that he might with the greatest juftice fay as in the context, take my yoke.

5. The Redeemer's yoke is eafy, and his burden light, because he hath made abundant provifion of divine ftrength, to enable us to keep his commandments. How gracious these laws, when the law-giver communicates ftrength for performance? This takes away all objection, and removes every difficulty. What is impoffible with man, is poffible with God. There is no heart fo hard, but

omnipotence is able to foften it; no temper fo depraved, but the Creator is able to renew it. The converfion of a finner is always confidered in scripture as the work of God. "God who at firft commanded the light to shine out "of darkness," &c. The promise of the new covenant is thus defcribed by Ezekiel xxxvi. 25. "Then will I

sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye fhall be clean: "from all your filthinefs, and from all your idols, will I "cleanfe you." And in the New Teftament, faith which unites us to Chrift, and every other good difpofition, is reprefented as the gift of God, Eph. ii. 8. "For by grace "are ye faved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: "it is the gift of God."

And as the conversion of finners to the daily growth of the fpiritual life, in believers, is to be imputed entirely_to the fame caufe, for this end it was, that it pleased the Father that all fullnefs fhould dwell in Chrift; and we have this teftimony from the apostle John i. 16." And of his "fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."

THE GLORY OF THE REDEEMER IN THE PERPETUITY

OF HIS WORK.

SERMON 35.

PSALM 1xxii. 17.

His name shall endure forever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun and men shall be blessed in him; all nations shall call him blessed.

ACTION SERMONS

MY BRETHREN,

T

HE whole fyftem of Providence and grace was fixed in the eternal purpose of God, before the foundation of the world. Hence he is represented, If. xlvi. 10. as, "declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient "times the things that are not yet done, faying, My coun"fel fhall ftand, and I will do all my pleasure." The writings of the Old Testament give us the hiftory of the feveral openings of this plan, during that difpenfation, in which we may obferve almost continual references to the appearance of an illuftrious perfon, at a certain important period, called the fulness of time.

The appearance of the Saviour in our nature, including his obedience, his fufferings and death, his triumphant refurrection and afcenfion, was an event fo aftonishing

in itself, and fo great in its effects, as being the means appointed of God for the redemption of a loft world, that we need not be surprised at the great care taken in the Old Teftament church, to keep it always in view. It was natural for holy and good men, who had so many intimations given them of it, to think on it with pleasure; and when they were led to fpeak of future times, to bring in this remarkable period, and mention it with rapture.— And when God infpired his fervants to prophefy of the profperity and happinefs of his church and kingdom, he could not fail to raise their defcriptions, and lead them to give fuch views of things as were fuitable to that great event, which was to be fuch a fignal illuftration of his glorious goodness, and fo great a bleffing to mankind.

Hence it is, that we find several prophecies begun, in appearance, to celebrate fome public bleffing, at or near the times in which they were delivered, gradually fo heightened by feveral expreffiona, as we may perceive that in their full extent they could only relate to the times of the Mefliah. Such, for inftance, is that in my text: for if we lay together the accounts we have of Solomon, in fcripture, and the felicity of his reign; if we remember the fcandalous fteps he made in the latter part of his life, the dreadful rent that happened in the reign of his fon and immediate fucceffor; and that after the course of a few ages, Judah was carried into captivity-we must be fenfible, that the expreffions in my text, are by far too much exalted, if nothing elfe was intended by them. But if we confider them as relating to Meffiah the Prince, then we fee every thing literally fulfilled to the utmost import and extent of the prophetic language, "His name fhall "endure forever: his name fhall be continued as long as "the fun and men fhall be bleffed in him; all nations "fhall call him bleffed."

It is below the majefty of the fcriptures, to make ufe of ftrong and lofty expreffions to denote a very common and ordinary event, to which they cannot be applied without making great abatements. This is a fault men often fall into; but it would be very unjuft to impute it to perfons fpeaking under the immediate influence of the Spirit of