xvi. 22.

;

Death cannot kill the believer's joys; the rave cannot bury them ; millions of ages cannot end m; “God hath given us everlasting confolation, and

hope thro' grace,”! 2 Theff. ii. 16. It is not a mugood that the believer rejoices in, but in an im

good, an immutable Cod, in the immutable God, the immutable promise of the covenant,

the hope of the kingdom that cannot be moved; e are pleasures for evermore, Psal. xvi. 11. But caral joy and gladness is of a short duration; it cannot stand before a serious thought of death. How fuolish are they that chuse the pleasures of sin, that are but for a season! Heb. xi. 25.; the joy that will be quickly crowned in everlasting forrow! If folly and stupidity were not predominant, it would be a wonder that ungodly men can be merry, when their conscience tells them, that they are not sure if they shall stay one hour out of hell, and that they are fowing the feed of everlasting furrow; whereas the gladness watered with the streams of this river, is the seed of everlasting joy, The bones of thousands ly in the church-yard, that have had many a merry, wanton day; but now what better are they of it? Yea, how much worse, that, they have lived in finful pleasures, that are now turned to everlasting flames? Whereas these spiritual consolations, that are bred by the streams of this river, they carry all the dead in Christ into the ocean of everlasting joy: right-hand are rivers of pleasures for evermore.”

At his

IV. The fourth head proposed was, To make application of the subject : and this we shall essay in an use of information, examination, and exhortation.

The first use may be for information; and what I say here, shall be according to the three heads I have been insisting upon.

Ift, Is it so, that the church of God is a city? Then we may infér,

1. That the church is an orderly fociety, and that there is a form of government therein. There is a settled forin of church-government, and Jesus Christ is the Head and Lord of it: neither dare any presume to alter it,

fare of Wildom's ways are fure, and accompanied with the holy fear of God; they walked in the fear of God, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghoft, Acts xix. 31. They are warranted by his command, and promoted by his promife; whereas the pleafures of the ungodly are im pure, finful, and forbidden pleafures; "There is no peace faith my God, to the wicked:" he calleth them to weeping and mourning, and renting of heart, Joel ii. 12, 1.3. James v. 1,5. This gladaefs gives fpiritual and holy reft in the midit of trouble: "In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my foul:" it gives relief from prefent fear of danger and diftrefs, and from future fear of death and judgment; whereas thefe fears will foon mar all worldly mirth. This gladness is a purifying gladnefs. No man hateth fin fo much, as he that tafteth of this joy; and he that rejoiceth moft, duth alfo work righteousness moft; "The joy of the. Lord is his ftrength;" whereas flethly pleafures are putrifying inftead of purifying. Oh! how little of God is in the midst of mens hunting and hawking, dicing and carding, drinking, dancing, ranting, and revelling? How little of heaven is in their mind? The heart is thereby not only putrified, but petrified, and hardened against the word and warnings of God; then it is that they are foolish, difobedient, deceived, when they are ferving divers lufts and pleafures, Tit. iii. 3. Such are unwilling foberly to confider the things that concern their everlafting peace; and hence f frequently grow up to be flighters and fcorners of the means of falvation. This gladness is fed and maintained by fpiritual, heavenly, and lofty things. The carnal man's pleafures are fed with trifles, like that of children playing with toys and trifles; but, O! this fpiritual pleasure is maintained by the love of God, and the hope of the glory of God.

4. This gladnefs is lafting, yea, everlafting. Indeed, the believer's joy in this world is often interrupted by the neighbourhood of the flesh, the prevalence of fin, and the hidings of God's face: yet ftill he keeps their comforts alive, at least in the root, and will make them fpring up as we need them, and are meet for them; and they are joys that no inan can take from them, John

xvi. 22.

Death cannot kill the believer's joys; the grave cannot bury them; millions of ages cannot end them; "God hath given us everlafting confolation, and good hope thro' grace," 2 Theff. ii. 16. It is not a mutable good that the believer rejoices in, but in an immutable good, an immutable Cod, in the immutable love of God, the immutable promife of the covenant, and in the hope of the kingdom that cannot be moved; thefe are pleasures for evermore, Pfal. xvi. 11. But carnal joy and gladnefs is of a fhort duration; it cannot ftand before a ferious thought of death. How foolish are they that chufe the pleasures of fin, that are but for a feafon! Heb. xi. 25.; the joy that will be quickly crowned in everlafting forrow! If folly and ftupidity were not predominant, it would be a wonder that ungodly men can be merry, when their confcience tells them, that they are not fure if they fhall stay one hour out of hell, and that they are fowing the feed of everlafting forrow; whereas the gladnefs watered with the ftreams of this river, is the feed of everlasting joy. The bones of thoufands ly in the church-yard, that have had many a merry, wanton day; but now what better are they of it? Yea, how much worfe, that they have lived in finful pleasures, that are; now turned to everlafting flames? Whereas thefe fpiritual confolations, that are bred by the streams of this river, they carry all the dead in Chrift into the ocean of everlasting joy: right-hand are rivers of pleasures for evermore."

(6

At his

upon the highest peril. Chrift is the foundation of the city; And other foundation can no man lay, than that which is laid."

2. If the church be a city, then it is the duty of all the citizens to advance the common intereft of the whole. There is one common intereft, which they should jointly promote, namely, the glory of the founder of the city, and their own eternal happinefs. Let us join together, Sirs, in oppofing, by our prayers and endeavours, any thing that may tend to the prejudice of the welfare of the city.

3. If it be a city, then all the citizens fhould love one-another. Let us live, Sirs, in unity and peace, unanimity and concord. Why," A city divided against itself, cannot ftand.-O how pleafant a thing is it for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

4. If it be a city, then thefe that go about to disturb the comely order of this city, are to be looked upon as fire-brands and incendiaries therein; "Mark these that caufe divifions, fays the apoftle, for they ferve not our Lord Jefus Chrift, but their own belly; who, with good words and fair fpeeches, deceive the hearts of the fimple."

Queft. Who are thefe that caufe divifion, and difturb the peace of the city? Is it Elijah, that is the troubler of Ifrael? No; though he be called fo. Is it Micaiah, who would not run with the current of the times, nor join with the four hundred prophets that flattered the king and court, but behoved to be fingular? No furely. Nor is it Chrift and his apoftles, who were called the men that turn the world up-fide-down? No. Who then are these that caufe divifions? I love not to fpeak in the clouds. I think,

(1.) Thefe who come not in by the gate of the city, but climb up fome other way, whom the fcripture calleth thieves and robbers, look like the difturbers of the peace of the city.

(2.) Thefe who affume offices in the city, from selfish ends, for a piece of bread, not for the good of the city; not for feeding of the flock, but feeding themselves; who feek the fleece and not the flock.

(3.) These who break down the walls of the city, and

(6.) Thefe who are wholly filent, when the city is in danger; "Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not filence." What! fhall all be hushed, even when the city is in extreme danger? This looks not like our Reformation-days, wherein there were acts of Affembly for sufpending and depofing minifters who fpoke not to the fitua tion of the times *. We may allude to Efther, to whom Mordecai faid, "If thou altogether hold thy peace at this time, then fhall there enlargement and deliverance arife from another way, but thou and thy father's houfe fhall

(4.) These who wound the citizens: and, indeed, many of the people of God, at this day, have occafion to fay of the watchmen, "They fmote me, they wounded me, they took away my vail from me."

(5.) These who are like Gallio, indifferent and easy whether the walls be broken down or not. We need to be zealous in the caufe of Chrift and his church what would have become of us, if Chrift had not been zealous in our caufe? When, in the counfel of peace, it came to the yote, Save them or damn them? if Chrift had not voted, or if he had been a non liquet, damnation would have carried it: we fhould therefore fee how we do with his caufe.

66

* See Act of the General Affembly 1596, revived by the Affembly at Glafgow, 1638, and the Act of Affembly 1646, Seff. to. And particularly the A&t of the Affembly at Edinburgh, August 3d, 1648. Seff. 26. wherein, INTER ALIA, They appoint and ordain, that every minifter do, by the word of "wifdom, apply his doctrine faithfully against the public fins and corrupti. “ons of these times;-that fuch perfons as fhall be found not applying their "doctrine to corruptions, which is the paftoral gift, but cold and wanting of

Spiritual zeal, Hatterers, and diffembling of public fins, and efpecially of "great perfonages, fhall be cenfured according to the degree of their faults; "that filence or ambiguous fpeaking, be timely cenfured; that if any be found

too fparing, general, or ambiguous in the forefaid applications and reproofs, that they be fharply rebuked, dealt with, and warned to amend, under the pain of Suspension from their miniftry by the Prefbytery or Synod: but if there be any who neglect or omit fuch applications or reproofs, and con. tinue in fuch negligence, after admonition and dealing with them, they are to be cited; and, after due trial of the offence, to be Depofed, for being plealers of men, rather than the fervants of Chrift; for giving them"felves to a deteftable indifferency or neutrality in the caufe of God; and for "defrauding the fouls of people; yea, for being guilty of the blood of fouls, "in not giving them warning."

VOL. VII.

+ F

be

lift up hammers and axes upon the carved work, to demolish the doctrine, worship, difcipline, and govern. ment thereof.