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you from fin as well as from hell, if it be fuch as makes you come out of yourself, faying, I dare engage for nothing, but my beart goes into Chrift, as engaging to God for all; Then, in God's great name, I will fay, it is a good flash indeed, even a flash of heavenly fire, kindled at Chrift's warm heart towards you, which will never cool to eternity, tho' your live-coal fhould come under the afhes again.

What shall I say? O, is there any here, whofe hearts are not yet engaged to Chrift? O many, many; but wo is me that there fhould be any. any. O drunkard, fwearer, fabbath-breaker, whoremonger, mocker, here is a good bargain for you, even you whom we cannot allow to come to a communiontable; yet we allow you, yea God allows you and commands you, and we in his awful name and authority command you to come to Christ, and take a full pardon of all your fins, and fubfcribe to Chrift's whole engagement; and you fhall have a title not only to the communion-table below, but to the communion-table above that fhall never be drawn. Away, man, away with all objections against Chrift: Let your objections be ten thoufand times more and greater than they are, there is no room for one of them here; for Chrift's engagement to do all things for you, anfwers all difficulties to you: And therefore, be ye never fuch an incarnate devil, there is no objection you can make, but it is answered here, if your heart be not engaged to fome other lovers. O, fay you, I have not power, I cannot get my wicked heart engaged to him. O doleful and miferable cafe! What is this, that infinite love and everlasting kindness, flaming out of Chrift's heart upon you, cannot en

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heart unto him! O, is there no power gage your in this love? Is not love ftrong as death, and the coals thereof coals of fire, which have a most vehement flame? O here is a strong flame that is able to melt the hardest heart to the sweetest compliance; and therefore, O will you bring these strong cords of death by which your heart is held, bring them to this fire, and it will burn and burst them afunder. Do not refift the powerful love and precious grace of God, but be content to let it into your heart, and it will draw and engage it. And therefore feeing no argument will do but an argument of power, and feeing almighty power ufes to ride in the chariot of this gofpel of grace;

then, will you join with me, and fay, O powerful arm of JEHOVAH, come and draw, come and draw; Ŏ exalted JESUS, come and draw, by the power of thy fpirit. Awake, O arm of the Lord, and put on ftrength, and let the right hand of the Lord do valiantly. Let all heart-leagues with fufts and other lovers than Chrift be broken this day, and Christ alone have the whole heart engaged to him; and let all the people fay Amen, fo be it, Lord. And if your heart fay Amen, I hope, your heart is engaged and made willing in a day of power; and being made willing to come to his Christ, you shall be made welcome to come to his table; having figned his engagement to approach to God in your flead to do all for you, you may approach with boldness to God in him, and expect the fame welcome with your cautioner that goes before you. Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me, faith the Lord?

A DIS

A DISCOURSE after the folemn

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work.

OW, my friends, after the great work is w, over, I would ask you, (whether you have been communicants or not) have your hearts been engaged to Chrift this day, as the glorious engager and approacher to God for you? I would tell you, if your hearts have been engaged to him, then your hearts have been difengaged from all things befides him: Ye have been brought to forfake your father's houfe, and the people that are yours, and to fay, What have I to do any more with idols? There hath been a mutual donation betwixt Christ and you, as man and wife give up themfelves to one another. Ye have rendered up your love to him, inftead of all other lovers to whom your hearts were engaged before; and ye look upon yourselves as bound in love and gratitude, never to give a back-look to any other lover, fo long as your present husband lives; and behold he lives for ever and ever; Whereas your former husband, particularly the law, is dead, and ye are dead to it, Rom. vii. 4. and are to expect nothing from it, because you have all and more than all, in him to whom ye are now engaged, and whofe heart is engaged to you. Yea, as ye have rendered up your love to him as your husband, fo ye have rendered up your arms to him as to your Lord: Ye have furrendered all the weapons that have been weapons of unrighteousness, to be weapons of righteousness unto holiness, never to fight against him any more, but rather to fight under his banner against all his enemies,

enemies, especially under his banner of love; for the Love of Chrift, will constrain you both to work and war. Now,

First, A word to you whofe hearts have never yet been engaged to Chrift. O do ye know what for a cafe ye are in? and whence is it that your hearts are not engaged to Chrift? Why, ye are even ignorant of glorious Chrift: For they that know his name will love him, and put their trust in him but you are alienated from the life of God thro' the ignorance that is in you, and enemies in your minds by wicked works: Your carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not fubject to the law of God; and your darkned mind is enmity against Christ, and is not fubject to the righteoufnefs of Chrift. Thus ye are enemies to the Lord of life, and care not for him to be your Lord: Ye are enemies to the word of life, and care not for that word to be your rule: Ye are enemies to the fpirit of life, to the grace of life, the light of life, and the way of life: Ye are dead, and under the power of death and of fin, under the power of fecurity and heart-obduration, having no favour of Chrift about you; under the power of a fordid choice, whereby ye fet up the bafeft of objects above our Lord and Mafter, whom yet the tongues of Seraphims are not worthy to adore: Behold, ye are choofing fome bafe lufts and idols in his room, or elfe infolently capitulating with him upon the most ignoble and ignominious terms, to engage your heart to him and to your lufts, both to him and to the world, to him and to other lovers to be hugged in your bofoms with him, as if he were a minifter of fin, and a flave to ferve your lufts; or at beft, ye put him off with trifling delays from your heart, and let him ftand at the door and knock,

without

without ever having your heart engaged to come to him, or to let him come to you. Well, is that the matter with you? What is this that thou art doing, poor foul? Shall there be no gathering of the people to Shiloh for your part? Shall never our Lord's train and retinue be any whit the more for you? What, fhall he have no train? Glory to him, that he will have a retinue to attend him, and no thanks to you; there fhall be a number to follow the Lamb to heaven, tho' ye should follow the Devil to hell. But O, may I yet befpeak you in the name of Jefus? And, O Jefus, may I beg thy leave to be thy spokesman, to tell them thy words? And now, fince he hath fet me here, and given me leave to speak for him, I must tell you fome of his words to you.

And, First, I will tell you what is his complaining word upon you; Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life: All day long have I ftretched forth my hands to a difobedient and gainfaying people.

Again, I will tell you what is his lamenting word over you, O Jerufalem, Jerufalem; O Dumfermline, Dumfermline, how often would I have gathered you as a ben doth her chickens under her wings, but you would not, you would not!

Again, I would tell you what is his aftonishing word, Be aftonished, O heavens, at this, and be borribly afraid; for my people have committed two great evils, they have forfaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewn out to themselves broken cifterns that can hold no water: They reject fulnefs itself, and turn to an empty world, as if it were their heaven and their happiness.

Further, I must tell you what is his weeping word, and O fhall he weep alone, and none drop a

tear

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