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examination. Try whether or not you have been ever brought to this particular application of faith; or to the Me, Me, that is here fpoken of; He loved ME, and gave bimfelf for ME. If fo, then,

1. The time hath been, when the wrath of God, revealed in the law, hath been applied particularly to you, and by you. Have you ever believed the curfe and threatening of the law, faying, "Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them ?" Have you believed that with a Me, Me, faying, I am the man; I am the perfon; the finful, miferable, guilty perfon, that, by fin, am exposed to God's wrath; and, "What fhall I do to be faved??

2. The time hath been, wherein the love and grace of God revealed in the gofpel, hath been applied particularly to you and by you, so far as to give you the hope of relief from the law-fentence of condemnation, and to draw your heart to a particular acceptance of Christ, as offered in the gofpel to you, for falvation from fin, and deliverance from the wrath to come. This imports the Me, Me, in the text, even though you have not been able, in exprefs terms, to fay it in the words of the apofile, He loved me, and gave himself for me.

3. Are the defects of this faith grievous to you? Is it uneafy to you, That you cannot freely come out with the Me, Me? Do you find it matter of grief to you, that, thro' unbelief, you should so much question his love to you; and matter of joy to you, when you get kindly views of him, and can fay with the apoflle, He loved me, and gave bimfelf for me? Know you what it is to believe his love, even when you do not feel it? that is, when you want the joyful fenfe of his love, yet, you hope in his word, and hang upon it, faying, 'I believe; Lord, help my unbelief?' This argues particular application of faith. Know you what it is, notwithstanding of the power and prevalence of fin, yet to maintain fome hope against hope, because his word endureth for ever, and his love endureth for ever; and therefore you are encouraged to return again and again to your firft love? This imports and includes in it the heart, faying, He loved me, even though you dare not, with confidence, exprefs it,

4. Is your public religion founded upon perfonal religion? Public religion, and concern for the ark of God, and the work of God, and the caufe of Christ, and his truth, and reformation principles, is very proper and neceflary in a day wherein truth is fallen in the ftreets. It is fit to appear for Chrift, efpecially, when princes and parliaments are against him; when courts and judicatories are against him; then we fhould cleave to him, and to thefe that are engaged in witnefling work for him. But yet, before our public religion can be probative, or evidential of our true love to Chrift, it will be founded upon perfonal religion; perfonal acquaintance with Christ, perfonal concern about his love to you, and a particular faith of his love conftraining you to that appearance for him. Happy is the foul that can fay, He loved me, and gave himself for me; therefore, it becomes me to love him, his name, his truth, his caufe and intereft; and to give myfelf for him, to act and do for him, to fuffer for him; to fuffer fhame and reproach for him, to fuffer loffes, and croffes, and the fpoiling of my goods, if he call to it; yea, and death itself for him. A public religion of this fort, flowing from the faith of his love, is a practical faying, He loved me, and gave himself for me.

3dly, The doctrine may be applied by way of exhortation or addrefs: and our exhortation fhall be tendered both to unbelievers and faints.

[1] We direct our exhortation to thefe who are unbelievers, and never came to make application of Chrift to themselves, and are strangers to this appropriating faith. O Sinners! if you know yourself to be fo, and have any need of a Saviour, come to him by faith, applying him to yourself in particular, with a Me, Me, of fpecial appropriation. In order to this, I propofe two things to your confideration.

1. Confider, in what capacity you ought to view yourfelf, when applying this giving love of Christ with a Me, Me, to yourfelf in particular.

(1.) It is in view of your being a finner, that you are to make this application: for, "While we were yet finners, Chrift died for the ungodly; and, Chrift died to fave

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finners; and therefore it is as a finner, not as a faint, that you must fhew this love, faying, He loved me, a finner; me, a moft unlovely creature; me, an object of hatred and abhorrence. Unbelief makes a quite contrary improvement of this view, faying, Alas! this love cannot be to me: it must be faints, and holy perfons, and good folks that can fay, He loved me. Nay, but says faith, "He came not to call the righteous, but finners to repentance ;" and his name, as a Saviour, relates to finners: and, in this gofpel, he is manifefting his teaching love, to blind, ignorant finners; his pardoning love, toward guilty finners; and his conquering love, toward captive finners, and fuch an one am I: therefore, as a finner of that fort, I will venture on this love, and conclude, He loved me. Again,

(2.) It is in the view of being, not only a finner, but a chief finner, that the foul applies this love; for, "Chrift came to fave finners, of whom I am the chief; I was a blafphemer, a perfecutor, and injurious; yet, He loved me, fays Paul; for, I obtained mercy," notwithflanding what I was, and what I am; for the gospel makes no exception; Jefus Chrift came to fave finners, and fo proclaims his good-will towards men. Here also unbelief ftarts up, faying, No doubt, if finners may apply this love and grace to themfelves, yet not fuch finners as I am not fuch a guilty finner, fuch a filthy finner, fuch a black finner, fuch a bloody finner, fuch a backfliding finner, that have returned again unto folly. Nay, but fays faith, If he faid to me, when I was in mý blood, Live; and loved me, when I was in my blood before; and made me accept of his love offer, and fay, He loved me; may I not again venture upon his grace and love, when his love is a-new manifefted in his word of grace to me, and fo take it home to myfelf with a Me, Me? The greater my fins are, the greater is his love to me, and the more will I fay, with admiration and aftonishment, He loved ME; even me, the blackeft; me, the vileft; me, a run-away; me, a rebel; me, a dog; me, a devil, a monster!

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2. Confider in what capacity you ought to view Chrift, in order to this applying act of faith.

(1.) You

(1.) You are to view him as one in whom is all divine fulness, for the benefit of poor miferable finners; fulness, not for himself, but for you: fay not, What is it to me, that he is fo full? Yea, it is for thee: "He received gifts for men, even for the rebellious," Pfalm. lxviii. 18. And the reafon of his communicating that fulnefs, is his own free grace; "He hath mercy, becaufe he will have mercy."

(2.) You are to view him as one, whofe glory and perfection it is to give out himfelf and his fulnefs; for, "He is exalted to give repentance and remiffion of fins.” Thus it is his honour and exaltation to give out grace. There is a two-fold glory of Chrift, the glory of his perfon, as the Son of God; and the glory of his office, as Mediator: the former is infinitely complete, admitting of no diminution or augmentation, being unchangeably the fame for ever and ever; but the glory and perfection of his office, as Mediator, is ftill more and more complete, the more finners he receives, and the more grace he gives out: hence the church is called his fulness; and hence, faints are called the glory of Chrift; and hence Chrift is faid to be glorified in them: and John xvi. 14. "The Spirit, fays Chrift, fhall glorify me; for he fhall receive of mine, and fhall fhew it unto you."

(3.) You are to view him, as one, not only ready, but willing to receive finners that come to him, and welcome. them, in coming and applying him to themfelves, by a particular appropriating faith; but alfo rejoicing in nothing more heartily, and delighting in nothing more fweetly, than in finners their coming to him, and matching with him: this is what he rejoiced in the thoughts of from eternity; "I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before. him. Rejoicing in the habitable parts of the earth, and my delights were with the fons of men," Prov. viii. 30, 31. His joy is fresh, when the finner is actually efpoufed to him; "Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him, in the day of his efpoufals, and in the day of the glad nefs of his heart, Seng iii. 11. He fhall fee the travail of his foul, and fhall be fatisfied," Ifa. liii. 11. Yea, he delights and rejoices in this elpoufals for ever: as he

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rejoiced in the thought of it from eternity, fo he will do fo unto eternity; "And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord," Hof. ii. 19, 20. The efpou

fals are everlafting.

(4.) You are to view him as one, that hath no will to take a refulal at the finner's hand; and that will admit of no excufe to hinder your coming to him, and clofing with him for thy felf, as a match for thee, or hinder his accepting of thee. What is it that will hinder? Is it the broken law? No; he hath fulfilled it; yea, magnified the law, and made it honourable.-Is it offended juftice: No; he hath fatisfied juftice: and therefore God fays, " I have found a ranfom."-Is it outward meanness and baseness? No; tho' thou wert cloathed in rags, if thou haft a mind for Chrift, he will accept of thee; for, "To the poor the gofpel is preached:" fee 1 Cor. i. 26, 27, 28.-Is it inward blacknefs and deformity? No; "Tho' you have lien among the pots, ye fhall be as the wings of a dove, covered with filver, and her feathers with yellow gold:" fee Ifa. i. 18. xliii. 24, 25. lvii. 17. Chrift marries none, but these who are finners, that he may have the honour to take away their fin.—Is it former refufals of him? No; tho' thou haft despised many gracious offers: fee Prov. i. 21, 22, 23. They refufed long, and were long fcorners. "How long, ye fcorners, will ye delight in fcorning? &c. Turn ye at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you; I will make known my words unto you.” Is it any backfliding, or revolting of thine from him, after fome kindly working of heart toward him? No; "Thou haft played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again unto me, faith the Lord. Return thou backfliding Ifrael, faith the Lord, and I will not caufe mine anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful, and will not keep mine anger for ever," Jer. iii. 1. 12.-Is it that he never faved the like of you, and that there is no finner like you? No, no; for there is none like him for a Saviour; "Who is like unto the God of Jefurun?" Yea, what if your vileness and unworthiness qualify you for him? as one faid, My wants and unworthinefs qualify me for Christ.

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