wouldst use it, the Lamp the Lord has lighted in thee, not utterly extinct, it may evidently appear, firft, How great and foul thy Backfliding has been, who, from the Temple of the Lord, art become a Cage of unclean Birds; and of an House of Prayer, a Den of Thieves, a Synagogue of Satan, and the Receptacle of every defiled Spirit. Next, that under all this manifeft Defection, thou haft nevertheless valued thy corrupt Self upon thy Profeffion of Chriftianity, and fearfully deluded thyfelf with the Hopes of Salvation. The fift makes thy Diftafe dangerous, but the last almost incurable.

Luk. 1.77

§. II. Yet because there is Mercy with the God of Bowels, that he may be feared, and that he takes no Delight in the eternal Death of poor Sinners, no, though Backfliders them- Ezek. 18. felves, but is, willing all fhould come to the 20,23,24Knowledge and Obedience of the TRUTH, and be faved. He has fet forth his Son a Propitiation, and given him a Saviour to take away the Mat. 1.2 1. Sins of the whole World, that thofe that believe and follow him, may feel the Righteouf- Heb.9.24, nefs of God in the Remiflion of their Sins, and to 28. 1 John 2. blotting out their Transgreffions for ever. Now, 1, 2. behold the Remedy! An infallible Cure, one of God's appointing; a precious Elixir indeed, that never fail'd; and that univerfal Medicine which no Malady could ever efcape.

Rom.3.25

§. III. But thou wilt fay, What is Chrift, and where is he to be found? And how received and applied in order to this mighty Cure? C

I tell

I tell thee then: Firft, He is the great fpiritual Light of the World, that enlightens every one that comes into the World; by which he manifefts to them their Deeds of Darkness and Wickedness, and reproves them for commitActs 17. ting them. Secondly, He is not far away from thee, as the Apostle Paul faid of God to the Rev. 3.20. Athenians: Behold, fays Christ himself, I ftand

27.

at the Door and knock; if any Man hear my Voice, and open the Door, I will come in to him, and fup with him, and he with me. What Door can this be, but that of the Heart of Man?

§. IV. Thou, like the Inn of old, haft been full of other Guests: Thy Affections have entertained other Lovers: There has been no Room for thy Saviour in thy Soul. Wherefore Salvation is not yet come into thy House, though it is come to thy Door, and thou haft been often proffered it, and haft profeft it long. But if he calls, if he knocks ftill, that is, if his Light yet fhines, if it reproves thee ftill, there is Hopes thy Day is not over, and that Repentance is not yet hid from thine Eyes; but his Love is after thee ftill, and his holy Invitation continues to fave thee.

Wherefore, O Christendom! believe, receive, and apply him rightly; this is of abfolute Neceffity, that thy Soul may live for ever with John 8.21, him. He told the Jews, If you believe not that I am he, ye fhall die in your Sins; and whither I go ye cannot come. And because they believed him not, they did not receive him,

24.

nor

nor any Benefit by him. But they that believed him, received him: And as many as re-John 1.12, ceived him, his own beloved Difciple tells us, 13. to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God, which are born not of Blood, nor of the Will of the Flesh, nor of the Will of Man, but of God. That is, who are not Children of God after the Fashions, Prescriptions, and Traditions of Men, that call them felves his Church and People, which is not after the Will of Flesh and Blood, and the Invention of carnal Man, unacquainted with the Regeneration and Power of the Holy Ghoft, but of God; that is, according to his Will, and the Working and Sanctification of his Spirit and Word of Life in them. And fuch were ever well verfed in the right Application of Chrift, for he was made to them indeed, Propitiation, Reconciliation, Salvation, Righteoufnefs, Redemption and Juftification.

So I fay to thee, unless thou believeft, that he that stands at the Door of thy Heart and knocks, and fets thy Sins in order before thee, and calls thee to Repentance, be the Saviour of the World, thou wilt die in thy Sins, and where he is gone, thou wilt never come. For if thou believeft not in him, it is impoffible that he should do thee Good, or effect thy Salvation: Chrift works not against Faith, but by it. 'Tis faid of old, He did not many mighty Mark 6.5. Works in fome Places, because the People believed not in bim. So that if thou truly believeft in him, thine Ear will be attentive to his Voice

in thee, and the Door of thine Heart open to his Knocks. Thou wilt yield to the Discoveries of his Light, and the Teachings of his Grace will be very dear to thee.

§. V. It is the Nature of true Faith, to beget an holy Fear of offending God, a deep Reverence to his Precepts, and a most tender Regard to the inward Teftimony of his Spirit, as that by which his Children, in all Ages, have been fafely led to Glory. For as they that truly believe, receive Chrift in all his Tenders to the Soul, fo, as true it is, that thofe who receive him thus, with him receive Power to become the Sons of God: That is, an inward Force and Ability to do whatever he requires : Strength to mortify their Lufts, controul their Affections, refift evil Motions, deny themfelves, and overcome the World in its moft inticing Appearances. This is the Life of the bleffed CROSS of CHRIST, which is the Subject of the following Difcourfe, and what thou, O Man, must take up, if thou intendeft to be the Difciple of JESUS. Nor canst thou be faid to receive Chrift, or to believe in him, whilft thou rejecteft his Crofs. For as receiving of Chrift, is the Means appointed of God to Salvation, fo bearing the daily Croís after him, is the only true Teftimony of receiving him; and therefore it is injoined by him, as Mat. 16. the great Token of Difcipleship, If any Man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his Crofs, and follow me.

2.4.

This,

This, Christendom, is that thou haft fo much
wanted, and the Want of which has prov'd
the only Cause of thy miferable Declenfion
from pure Chriftianity. To confider which
well, as it is thy Duty, fo it is of
great Ufe to

thy Restoration.

For as the Knowledge of the Cause of any Distemper, guides the Physician to make a right and fafe Judgment in the Application of his Medicine, fo it will much enlighten thee in the Way of thy Recovery, to know and weigh the first Cause of this fpiritual Lapse and Malady that has befallen thee. To do which, a general View of thy primitive Estate, and confequently of their Work that first laboured in the Christian Vineyard, will be needful; and if therein fomething be repeated, the Weight and Dignity of the Subject will bear it, without the Need of an Apology.

§. VI. The Work of Apoftlefhip, we are told by a prime Labourer in it, was to turn Acts 26. People from Darkness to Light, and from the 18. Power of Satan unto God. That is, instead of yielding to the Temptations and Motions of Satan, who is the Prince of Darknefs, or Wickedness, the one being a Metaphor to the other, by whofe Power their Underftandings were obfcured, and their Souls held in the Service of Sin, they should turn their Minds to the Appearance of Christ, the Light and Saviour of the World; who by his Light shines in their Souls, and thereby gives them a Sight of their Sins, and difcovers every Temptation