The vig'rous ufe of means is fafely urg'd,
When preffing calls from leg dregs are purg'd;
But most unfafely in a fed'ral drefs,
Confounding terms of life with means of grace;
Oh! dang'rous is th' attempt proud flesh to
Or fend a finner to the law for eafe; please,
Who rather needs to feel its piercing dart,
Till dreadful pangs invade his trembling heart;
And thither fhould be only fent for flames
Of fire to burn his rotten hopes and claims;
That thus difarm'd, he gladly may embrace,
And grafp with eagerness the news of grace.

SECT. V.

The gospel of divine grace the only means of converting finners, and should be preached therefore moft clearly, fully, and freely.

T

HEY ought, who royal grace's herald's be,
To trumpet loud falvation, full and free:
Nor fafely can, to humour mortal pride,
In filence evangelic myft'ries hide.

What Heav'n is pleas'd to give, dare we refufe;
Or under ground conceal, left men abuse?
Supprefs the gofpel-flow'r, upon pretence
That fome vile spiders may fuck` poifon thence?
Christ is a tumbling block*, fhall we neglect
To preach him, left the blind fhould break their
That high he's for the fall of many fet (neck?
As well as for the rifet, muft prove no let.
No grain of precious truth must be fuppreft,
Though reprobates fhould to their ruin wreft..
Shall Heav'ns corufcant lamp be dimm'd, that
Its daily tribute down in golden rays, (pays

* 1 Cor. i: 23.

Because fome blinded with the blazing gleams,
Share not the plere of the-lightning beams;
Let those be hard'ned, petrify'd, and harm'd,
The reft are mollify'd and kindly warm'd.
A various favour*, flowers in grace's field,
Of life to fome, of death to others yield.
Muft then the rofe be vail'd, the lily hid,
The fragrant favour ftifled! God forbid.
The revelation of the gofpel-flow'r
Is ftill the organ fam'd of faving pow'r ;
Moft juftly then are legal minds condemn'd,
That of the glorious gofpel are afham'd:
For this the divine arm, and only this,
The pow'r of God unto falvation is.

For therein is reveald, to screen from wrath,
The righteoufnefs of God from faith to faitht,
The happy change in guilty finners cafe
They owe to free difplays of fov'reign grace ;,
Whofe joyful tidings of amazing love
The miniftration of the spirit prove.

The glorious vent the gofpel-news exprefs, (nefs,
Of God's free grace, thro' Chrift's full righteouf-
Is Heav'n's gay chariot where the Spirit bides,
And in his conqu'ring pow'r triumphant rides.
The gospel-field is ftill the Spirit's foil,
The golden pipe that bears the holy oil ;
The orb where he outshines the radiant fun,
The filver channel where his graces run.
Within the gospel-banks his flowing tide
Of lightning, quickning motions, fweetly glide.
Received ye the Spirit, fcripture faith 1,
By legal works, or by the word of faith?
If by the gofpel only, then let none
Dare to be wifer than the wifeft One.
*2 Cor. ii. 16. Rom. i. 26, 27.
†

+ Gal. iii, 2.

We must, who freely get, as freely give
The vital word that makes the dead to live.
For ev'n to finners dead within our reach
We in his living name may moft fuccefsful preach.
The Spirit and the fcripture both agree
Jointly, (fays Chrift), to testify of me *.
The preacher then will from his text decline,
That fcorns to harmonize with this defign.
Prefs moral duties to the laft degree;
Why not? but mind, left we fuccefslefs be,
No light, no hope, no ftrength for duties fpring,
Where Jefus is not Prophet, Prieft, and King.
No light to fee the way, unless he teach,
No joyful hope fave in his blood we reach,
No ftrength unless his royal arm he stretch.
Then from our leading fcope how grofs we
If, like his name, in ev'ry gofpel-call, (fall,
We make not him the First, the Laft, the All!
Our office is to bear the radiant torch
Of gofpel-light into the dark'ned porch
Of human understandings, and display-
The joyful dawn of everlafting day;
To draw the golden chariot of free grace,
The dark'ned fhades with fhining rays to chase,
Till heav'ns bright lamp on circling wheels be
hurl'd,

With fparkling grandeur round the dusky world;
And thus to bring, in dying mortals fight,
New life and immortality to light †.
We're charg'd to preach the gospel, unconfin'd,
To ev'ry creature of the human kind;
To call, with tenders of falvation free,
All corners of the earth to come and jee ||;

* John xv. 26. v. 39. † 2 Tim i. 10.
Ifa. xlv. 22. John i. 39, 46.

+ Mark xvi. 15.

.. with the blazing gleams. Teeth-lightning beams: c. petrin d. and harm'd, indly warm`d.

Lowers in grace's field,

I other vield.
the lity hid,
God forbid,
e-fowr

BAZE DOWT:

mas condemn'd,

aham'd:

Do cry this,

We muft, who freely get, as freely give
The vital word that makes the dead to live.
For ev'n to finners dead within our reach
We in his living name may moft fuccefsful preach.
The Spirit and the fcripture both agree
Jointly, (fays Chrift), to testify of me*.
The preacher then will from his text decline,
That fcorns to harmonize with this defign.
Prefs moral duties to the laft degree;
Why not? but mind, left we fuccefslefs be,
No light, no hope, no ftrength for duties fpring,
Where Jefus is not Prophet, Prieft, and King.
No light to fee the way, unless he teach,
No joyful hope fave in his blood we reach,
No ftrength unless his royal arm he stretch.
Then from our leading fcope how grofs we
If, like his name, in ev'ry gofpel-call, (fall,
We make not him the First, the Laft, the All S

Our office is to bear the radiant torch
Of gofpel-light into the dark'ned porch
Of human understandings, and display-
The joyful dawn of everlasting day;
To draw the golden chariot of free grac
The dark'ned fhades with fhi
Till heav'ns bright lamp of
hurled,

With sparkling grandeur ro
And thus to bring, in dyin
New life and immortality t
We're charg'd to preach the go
To ev'ry creature of the human
To call, with tende of falvation
All corners of the

rays to

wheel

world

me and

1 Jo

10.

39