that original corruption, from whence the innumerable evils of the life do fpring, James i. 14, 15. and, which is yet more, the Lord fhews the man, whom he is bringing to Christ, the finful and miferable eftate which he is in by reafon of both, John xvi. 9. And now all excufes, pleas, and defences of fin are gone, he fhews them" how their iniquities have exceeded," Job xxxvi. 8, 9. exceeded in number, and in aggravation of finfulness; exceeding many, and exceeding vile; no fuch finner in the world as I can fuch fins as mine be pardon'd? The greatness of God greatens my fin; the holiness of God makes it beyond measure vile; the goodness of God puts unconceivable weight into my guilt. O can there be mercy for fuch a wretch as I! If there be, then there will not be a greater example of the riches of free grace in all the world than I am. Thus God teacheth the evil of fin.

Leffon 2. Secondly, God teacheth the foul, whom he is bringing to Chrift, what that wrath, and mifery are which hang over it in the threatnings, because of fin. Scripture-threatnings were formerly flighted; now the foul trembles at them: They once apprehended themselves fafe enough, Ifa. xxviii. 15. Pfal. 1. 21. They thought, because they heard no more of their fins, after the commifion of them, that therefore they should never hear more; that the effect had been as tranfient a thing as the act of fin was; or if trouble must follow fin, they fhould speed no worfe than others, the generality of the world being in the fame cafe; and befides, they hoped to find God more merciful, than fowre and precife preachers reprefented him. But when a light from God enters into the foul, to discover the nature of God, and of fin, then it fees, that whatever wrath is treasured up for finners, in the dreadful threatnings of the law, is but the juft demerit of fin, the recompence that is meet: "The wages "of fin is death," Rom. vi. 23. The penal evil of damnation is but equal to the moral evil of fin: So that in the whole ocean of God's eternal wrath, there is not one drop of injustice; yea, the foul doth not only fee the juftice of God in its eternal damnation, but the wonderful mercy of God in the fufpenfion thereof fo long. O what is it that hath with-held God from damning me all this while! How is it that I am not in hell! Now do the fears and awful apprehenfions of eternity feize the foul, and the worft of fenfitive creatures is fupposed to be in a better condition than such a foul. Never do men tremble at the threatnings of God, nor rightly apprehend the danger of their condition, until fin, and wrath, and the wages of fin be discovered to them by a light from heaven.

Leffon 3. Thirdly, God teaches the foul whom he brings to Chrift, that deliverance from fin, and wrath to come, is the greatest and most important business it hath to do in this world. Acts xvi. 30. "What must I do to be saved ?" 9. d. O direct me to fome effectual way (if there be any) to fecure my poor wretched foul from the wrath of God. Sin, and the wrath that follows it, are things that fwallow up the fouls, and drink up the very spirits of men: Their thoughts never conversed with things of more confeffed truth and awful folemnity: these things float not upon their fancies as matters of mere fpeculation, but fettle upon their hearts day and night, as the deepest concernment in all the world: They now know much better than any mere fcholar, the deep sense of that text, Mat. xvi. 26. "What is a man profited, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own "foul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his foul?"

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Five things fhew how weighty the thoughts and cares of falvation are upon their hearts.

Firft, Their continual thoughtfulnefs, and follicitude about these things; if earthly affairs divert them for a while, yet they are ftill returning again to this folemn business.

Secondly, Their careful redeeming of time, and faving the very moments thereof to employ about this work: Those that were prodigal of hours, and days before, look upon every moment of time as a precious and valuable thing now.

Thirdly, Their fears, and tremblings, left they should mifcarry, and come short at laft, fhew how much their hearts are fet upon this work.

Fourthly, Their inquifitivenefs, and readiness to embrace all the help and affiftance that they can get from others, evidently discovers this to be their great design.

Fifthly, and lastly, The little notice they take of all other troubles, and afflictions, tells you, their hearts are taken up about greater things. This is the third leffon they are taught of God.

Leffon 4. Fourthly, The Lord teaches the foul that is coming to Christ, that though it be their duty to frive to the uttermost for falvation; yet all strivings, in their own ftrength, are infufficient to obtain it. This work is quite above the power of nature: "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of "God that fheweth mercy." The foul is brought to a full conviction of this, by the difcovery of the heinous nature of fin, and of the rigour and feverity of the law of God. No repentance, nor reformation, can poffibly amount unto a juft fatisfaction, nor are they within the compass and power of our will. It was a faying that Dr. Hill often ufed to his friends, speaking

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SERM. XXII. about the power of man's will; he would lay his hand upon breaft, and fay, "Every man hath fomething here to confute "the Arminian doctrine :" This fully takes off the foul from all expectations of deliverance that way; it cannot but firive, that is its duty; but to expect deliverance, as the purchase of its own ftrivings, that would be its fin.

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Leffon 5. Fifthly, The foul that is coming to Chrift by faith, is taught of God, that though the cafe it is in be fad, yet it is not defperate and remediless: There is a door of hope, a way of efcape for poor finners, how black and fearful foever their own thoughts and apprehenfions are: there is usually at this time, a dawning light of hope in the foul that is under the Father's teachings and this commonly arises from the general, and indefinite encouragements, and promifes of the golpel, which though they do not prefently fecure the foul from danger, yet they prop, and mightily fupport it against despair: For though they be not certain that deliverance fhall be the event of their trouble; yet the poffibilities, and much more the probabilities of deliverance are a great stay to the finking foul: The troubled foul cannot but acknowledge itself to be in a far better cafe tan the damned are, whofe hopes are perished from the Lord, and a death-pang of defpair hath feized their confciences. And herein the merciful and compaffionate nature of God is eminently discovered, in hafling to open the door of hope, almost as foon as the evil of fin is opened. It was not long, after Adam's eyes were opened to fee his mifery, that God opened Chrift, his remedy, in that first promife, Gen. iii. 15. And the fame method of grace is ftill continued to his elect offspring, Gal. iii. 21, 22. Rom. iii. 21, 22. These supporting hopes, the Lord fees neceffary to encourage industry in the use of means: it is hope that fets all the world awork: if all hope were cut off, every foul would fit down in a fullen defpair, yielding itself for hell.

Leffon 6. Sixthly, The Lord teaches those that come to Chrift, that there is a fulness of faving power in him, whereby any foul, that duly receives him, may be perfectly delivered fram all its fin and misery, Heb. vii. 25. Col. i. 19. Mat. xxviii. 18. This is a great and neceffary point, for every believer to learn and hear from the Father; for unless the foul be satisfied of the fulness of Chrift's faving power, it will never move forwards towards him and herein alfo the goodnefs of God is moft fweetly, and feafonably manifefted; for, at this time, it is the great defign of Satan, to fill the foul with despairing thoughts of a par don; but all those black, and heart-finking thoughts, vanish

before the discovery of Chrift's all-fufficiency. Now the fin-fick foul faith with that woman, Mat. ix. 21. 66 If I may but touch "the hem of his garment, I fhall be healed:" How deep foever the guilt and stain of fin be, yet the foul which acknowledges the infinite dignity of the blood of Chrift, the offering it up to God in our room, and God's declared fatisfaction in it, niuft needs be fatisfied that Chrift is " able to fave, to the uttermost, "all that come unto God by him;" which is the fixth ksson believers are taught of God.

Lesson 7. Seventhly, Every man that cometh to Chrift is taught of God, that it can never reap any benefit by the blood of Chrift, except ye have union with the person of Chrift, i John v. 12. Eph. iv. 16. Time was, when men fondly thought nothing was neceffary to their falvation, but the death of Chrift; but now the Lord fhews them that their union with Christ by faith, is as neceffary in the place of an applying caufe, as the death of Chrift is, in the place of a meritorious caufe: The purchase of falvation is an act of Chrift without us, whilft we are yet finners: the application thereof, is by a work wrought within us, when we are believers, Col. i. 27. In the purchase, all the e lect are redeemed together, by way of price: In the application, they are actually redeemed, each person, by way of power. Look, as the fin of the first Adam could never hurt us, unless he had been our head, by way of generation; fo the righteoufnefs of Chrift can never benefit us, unless he be our head, by way of regeneration. In teaching this leffen, the Lord, in mer cy, unteaches and blots out that dangerous principle, by which the greatest part of the Chriftianized world do perith, viz. that the death of Chrift is, in itself, effectual to falvation, though a man be never regenerated, or united to him by faving faith.

Leffon 8. Eighthly, God teaches the foul, whom he is bringing to Chrift, that whatever is necessary to be wrought in us, or done by us, in order to our union with Chrift, is to be obtained from him in the way of prayer, Ezek. xxxvi. 37. And it is obfervable, that the foul no fooner comes under the effectual teachings of God, but the Spirit of prayer begins to breath in it, Acts ix. 8. Behold, he prayeth:" Thofe that were taught to pray by men before, are now taught of the Lord to pray: to pray did f fay? yea, and to pray fervently too, as men concerned for their eternal happiness; to pray not only with others, but to pour out their fouls before the Lord in fecret: for their hearts are as bottles full of new wine, which muft vent or break. Now the foul returns upon its God often in the fame day; now it can VOL. II.

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exprefs its burdens, and wants, in words and groans which the Spirit teacheth: They pray, and will not give over praying, till Christ come with complete falvation.

Leffon 9. Ninthly, All that come to Christ, are taught of God, to abandon their former ways, and companions in fin, as ever they expect to be received unto mercy, Ifa. Iv. 7. 2 Cor. v. 17. Sins that were profitable, and pleasant, that were as the right hand, and right eye, must now be cut off. Companions in fin, who were once the delight of their lives must now be cast off. Christ faith to the foul concerning these, as he faid in another cafe, John xviii. 8. "If therefore ye feek me, let these go their way:" And the foul faith unto Chrift, as it is, Pfal. cxix. 115. “De46 part from me ye evil-doers, for I will keep the command"ments of my God:" And now pleasant fins, and companions in fin, become the very burden, and fhame of a man's foul: Objects of delight are become objects of pity and compaffion: No endearments, no union of blood, no earthly interefts whatfoever, are found ftrong enough to hold the foul any longer from Chrift: Nothing but the effectual teachings of God, are found fufficient to diffolve fuch bonds of iniquity as these.

Lefon 10. Tenthly, All that come unto Chrift are taught of God, that there is fuch a beauty and excellency in the ways and people of God, as is not to be equalled in the whole world, Pfal. xvi. 3. When the eyes of strangers to Christ begin to be opened, and enlightened in his knowledge, you may fee what a change of judgment is wrought in them, with refpect to the people of God: and towards them efpecially, whom God hath any way made inftrumental for the good of their fouls, Cant. v. 9. they then called the fpoufe of Chrift, "the faire among wo"men." The convincing holiness of the bride then began to enamour and affect them, with a defire of nearer conjunction and communion: We will feek him with thee; with thee, that haft fo charged us; that haft taken fo much pains for the good of our fouls: now, and never before, the righteous appeareth more excellent than his neighbour. Change of heart is always accompanied with change of judgment, with respect to the people of God: thus the jaylor, Acts xvi. 33. wathed the apostle's ftripes, to whom he had been fo cruel before. The godly now feem to be the glory of the places where they live; and the glory of any place feems to be darkned by their removal; as one faid of holy Mr. Barrington, "Methinks the town is not at "home, when Mr. Barrington is out of town." They esteem it a choice mercy to be in their company and acquaintance; Zech. viii. 23. "We will go with you, for we have heard that

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