fpoufe, and fhall be as welcome as any unto the embraces of

his love.

CHRIST's invitations of you are frequent: JESUS CHRIST calls on you frequently; he hath waited on you time after time, one year after another; and he doth now invite you, by me this day, to come unto Him. Do not flight this invitation, but receive it with joy and thankfulness. Come, I befeech you, to this JESUS, who thus invites you to be his fpouse. Again,

CHRIST's invitations to be his fpoufe are earnest; he doth call upon you, and not only call, but call earnestly too; yea, he ufeth many arguments with you: he will prefs you to come unto him; he is loth to take any denial from you: he knocks, and knocks hard at the door of your hearts for entertainment; and furely you will not deny the LORD of life and glory who died for you, and gave himself for you: O my dear fifters, let this be the evening of your efpoufals to the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

He invites you freely to be his fpoufe, for all his invitations are free; he doth not expect a portion with you, as worldly lovers do; He wants nothing of you: nay, you must have nothing, if you be efpoufed unto the LORD, JESUS CHRIST. If you be poor, miferable, blind, naked, JESUS CHRIST will fupply all these defects of his own free mercy; he will fill and fupply you with all things out of his treasury; he will make you meet for himself; he will prepare you to live with him for ever.

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Confider, if you be once efpoufed unto CHRIST, if once joined in this relation, you fhall never be separated from him; neither men nor devils fhall be able to feparate you: none, none, fhall disjoin you; and when death doth break all other bonds, it shall not break the conjugal bond between you and CHRIST, but bring you unto the most full and everlasting poffeffion of your beloved.

And what do you now fay, young women? fhall I have a grant for my mafter, or be fent away with a repulfe and refufal; no, I cannot carry fuch a meflage to my mafter; I' hope better things of you, my fifters, and things which accompany falvation: methinks by this time ye should begin to have a mind unto JESUS CHRIST; you look as if you did

defire: ;

defire; you hearken as if you would confent. What do you fay? Shall the match be made up this evening between CHRIST and your fouls? O that I may be inftrumental in joining your hands, or rather your hearts together: O that I may be inftrumental to tie that knot, which never can be unloofed.

"

Some marry in hafte, and repent at leisure; but if you were once espoused unto JESUS CHRIST, you would nev never repent; nothing would grieve you, but that you were not joined to him fooner; and you would not be disjoined again for all the world,,

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Shall this be the day of your efpoufals? Some of you have ftayed a long time; and will you defer any longer? If you will not now, perhaps you may never have another opportunity; this may be the last time of afking; and therefore it is dangerous to refufe: fome of you are very young, too young for other efpoufals; but, none of you, my dear fifters, are too young to be espoused unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST: in other efpoufals, you must have the confent of your parents; but in this you are at your own difpofal; you may give, and ought to match yourselves to CHRIST, whether parents do confent or not. 量

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But if any of you fhould afk, what you must do that you may be efpoufed unto CHRIST? You must be fenfible of your need of being efpoufed to him; and untill you are fenfible of your need of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, you cannot be efpoused to him: You must have defires after this JESUS, and feek unto him for an intereft in him; you must cry nightly unto him to efpoufe you to himself: put off the filthiness of fin and all its defilements; and then, my fifters, put on the white raiment, and clean garments, which CHRIST hath provided for you, the robes of his righteousness ; in these garments you fhall be beautiful; and in these garments you fhall be accepted: you must have the wedding garment on; you must put off all your own good works, for they will be but a means to keep you from CHRIST; no, you must come as not having your own righteousness, which is of the law, but you must have the righteousness of CHRIST. Therefore, come unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and he will give it to you; he will not fend you away without it. Receive

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Receive him upon his own terms, and he is your's for ever: O devote yourfelves to him, foul and body, and all, to be his for ever; and CHRIST will be your's, and then happy, happy you, that ever you were born! But if any of you die before this efpoufal unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST, then woe, woc, unto you, that ever you had a being in life; but if you go to CHRIST you fhall be efpoufed unto the LORD JESUS though your fins have been never fo great, yea, the blood of CHRIST will cleanfe you from them the marriage covenant between CHRIST and your fouls will diffolve all your fins; you will then be weary of your old ways, for all things will become new in your fouls.

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Now, my dear Sifters, I fhall conclude by just speaking a word or two to those of you, who are already efpoufed unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

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O admire, admire the rich and free grace, which hath brought you to this relation: Is not this an inftance of the greateft of love, that you fhould be the fpoufe of the LORD JESUS CHRIST? You that had no beauty, you that had no comeliness, that was full of fin, that He fhould embrace fuch

as

you and I are; that we fhould be taken into the embrace of this LORD JESUS. O infinite condescending kindness ! O amazing love! Reverence, reverence, I befeech you, this LORD JESUS CHRIST.

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He is your LORD, and you must reverence him, love and be faithful unto him, be fubject to him, and careful to please him in every thing; endeavour to keep up a daily communion with him; look, long and prepare for CHRIST's fecond appearance, when the nuptials between you fhall be folemnized, and you live with him in mansions of everlasting joys, where you fhall love and live with this king of glory for ever and ever.

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I know not how to conclude;, methinks I could fpeak to you till midnight, if it would bring you unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and make you be efpoufed to him, for indeed, that will be the efpoufal which will turn to the greatest advantage, as you will find by experience, if you will but make the trial; and that you may do fo, my prayers and my conftant endeavours fhall be used.

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I will,

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will, my dear fifters, spend and be spent for you, and by the affiftance of God, will perfevere in this that I have begun; and as many of you may have opportunity some evening in the week, without breaking in on the business of life; I fhall therefore, my fifters, either be here, or where you fhall be publicly acquainted with: I will not mind being reproached or defpifed: the men of this world may use what language they please; they may fay I am a Methodist. Indeed, my fifters, I am refolved, by the grace of God, to ufe all methods I can, to pluck you from Satan, that you may be as brands plucked from the burning fire: this fhall be my method, which I hope will be the means of effectually faving your precious and immortal fouls.

And if I am the inftrument of this, I fhall rejoice, yea, and I will rejoice in fpight of what men, or devils, can fay or do to the contrary: and may the LORD JESUS CHRIST direct, and affift me at all times, to act what will be moft for his glory, and the welfare of your fouls and may you all fay a hearty Amen thereto.

"Now the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who is GOD over all,

“ blessed for ever, aflift and watch over you, keep you "from all evil and fin here, and prefent you before his

Father faultlefs at the great day of account! To this "LORD JESUS CHRIST, the Father, and the bleffed "Spirit, three perfons and but one eternal and invifible "GOD, be afcribed all honour, power, glory, might, "majefty and dominion, now, henceforth, and for ever "more. Amen, Amen."

"The grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, the love of "GOD, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you all, to comfort under, and deliver you from, tri"bulation; to preferve you to your refpective places of

66

abode; and when there, to keep you in his fear, that "you may live to his glory; that to live may be "CHRIST'S, and to die be your eternal gain; fo that "you may live with him through eternal ages, and fing "Hallelujahs to him for ever. Amen."

SERMON

SERM ON

VI.

Britain's Mercies, and Britain's Duty.

Preached at Philadelphia, on Sunday, August 24, 1746. and occafioned by the Suppreffion of the late unnatural Rebellion.

PSALM CV. 45:

That they might obferve his Statutes and keep his Laws

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EN, brethren, and fathers, and all ye to whom I am about, to preach the kingdom of God, I fuppose you need not be informed, that being indifpenfibly obliged to be abfent on your late thankfgiving-day, I could not fhew my obedience to the governor's proclamation, as my own inclination led me, or as might justly be expected from, and demanded of me. But as the occafion of that day's thanksgiving is yet, and I truft ever will be, fresh in our memory, I cannot think that a difcourfe on that fubject can even now be altogether unfeafonable. I take it for granted, further, that you need not be informed, that among the various motives which are gene rally urged to enforce obedience to the divine commands, that of love is the most powerful and cogent. The terrors of the law may affright and awe, but love diffolves and melts the heart. "The love of CHRIST," fays the great apoftle of the Gentiles, "conftraineth us." Nay, love is fo abfolutely neceflary for those that name the name of CHRIST, that with out it, their obedience cannot truly be filed evangelical, or be acceptable in the fight of God. "Although, (fays the apostle) I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burnt, and have not charity," (i. e. unlefs unfeigned love to Gop, and to mankind for his

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