(5.) What though you have been guilty of the most provoking and grievous backfliding, yet there is place in him for your gathering unto; "Return, ye backfliding children, for I will heal your backflidings; yea, I will heal your backflidings, and love you freely," Jer. iii. 14. 22.

(6.) What though your outward circumftances in the world be never fo mean and contemptible, fo as no perfon cares for you, more than the mire of the ftreet, and you are caft out at all hands; yet there is place in him for your gathering to; for, "He gathers the out-cafts of Ifrael." And, James ii. 5. "Hath not God chofen the poor of this world, to be rich in faith, and heirs of a kingdom ?”

(7.) What though many have gathered in to Shiloh already, yet there is room enough, and place enough for you to gather in alfo; for, as it is faid in the parable, Luke xiv. 22. though many were gathered in to the fupper, yet there was room; fo here, tho' thoufands, and ten thoufands have been gathered to Shiloh, fince he came, and before he came, yet there is room; there is place for you: as he fays, " In his Father's houfe are many manfions;" fo fay I of Shiloh's houfe, that there are many manfions therein; with him there are multitudes of mercies for multitudes of finners. O! who can reckon the multitudes of his tender mercies? Who can comprehend the vaftness of this gatheringplace? It would hold thousands of worlds, let be one world therefore let not that ftand in the way of your gathering unto Shiloh.

(8.) What though you could never think that there was any place in him for you, nor any mercy for the like of you; yet nevertheless there is a gathering-place in him for you, Ifa. Iv. 8. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts: for, as the heavens are higher than the earth, fo are my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

(9.) What though you be unworthy to come to him, yet there is place in him for unworthy finners to gather in to. Are you unworthy of him? Sure I am that is true; as true a word as ever you fpake: but the more unworthy you are, the more welcome to him,

who

who hath worth enough for you and himself both: he expects no worth to be in you, till once you come to him. What is it that makes you unworthy? Is it, that you are poor, miferable, wretched, blind, and naked? Or, is it, that you are ftupid and fenfelefs, and know not that you are in thefe circumftances? Why, he makes that the very reafon of his inviting you to gather in to him; "Because thou fayeft, I am rich, and knoweft not that thou art wretched, and miferable, and poor, and blind, and naked; I counfel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayeft be rich," &c. Rev. iii. 17, 18. Unworthy finners, gather in to that well-furnished houfe, where all that you need to make you happy and holy is to be had: and fay not you are unfit to come; for there you fee, that even impotent and unfenfible finners, whom we are ready to fhut out, grace is ready to take in. Yea,

(10.) What though you be unable to come to him, and gather in to Shiloh, yet there is place in him for your gathering in to him; Ifa. xl. 29. For, " He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might, he increafeth frength." If you would be gathered, he ftands ready to reach you his helping hand, and injoins you to take hold of his ftrength, that you may make peace with him, and you fhall make peace with him, Ifa. xxvi. 3.-Yea, what though you have been unwilling all your days, till this very moment unwilling to be gathered? Yet he who fays, "How oft would I have gathered you, and you would not;" is now faying, If you would be gathered, I am here, and my power and grace is at your fervice, for drawing you nearer.-Yea, what tho' you find much unwillingness and enmity this moment in your hearts against him; yet if you would be content that he break your enmity, and make you wil ling, O there is place, there is place in him for you to gather in to. Yea, what fhall I fay? Though you be as unwilling as ever you was, and your ill-will against him is ready to land you in the burning lake; yet know, O wretched enemy to God and Chrift! he is calling you to come to him, faying, "Whofoever will, let him come." Oh! will you not be gathered? "Why

will you die? As I live, I have no pleafure in your death" I have infinitely greater pleasure in your gathering to Shiloh, in whom all my attributes are glorified and well-pleafed. And if this call do at laft kindle a fecret with and defire in your foul, faying, O that he 'would come and gather me! Behold his gathering arms are ftretched out towards you, and you fhall be as welcome to him as ever any foul was fince the world began. Well, is there fuch a gathering-place for the people here, fuch a gathering-houfe, with fo many What tho's written on the fign of the house, or the face of the door, to invite all paffengers that are travelling to eternity, to come in, and be happy for ever? And fhall there be no gathering of the people to Shiloh? May we hope, that divine power hath made fome to be willing, and that they are either faying, "Behold we come to thee, for thou art the Lord our God;" or elfe, Lord, come and draw; come and gather, and get the glory to thy name for ever.

Having offered thefe motives and confiderations; I fhould next offer fome directions. It is divine power only that does the bufinefs; and therefore, I fhall only give you those two directions, in cafe you would know how to manage, fo as you may not be deceived in this matter. If I could help you to heaven, I think, I would defire to do it; and, for your help and direction, in order to your right gathering to Shiloh, I would fay to you.

1. Never fatisfy yourselves with gathering about him and his ordinances, without gathering to himfelf. Many, like the multitude in the gofpel, may gather about him, yea, fo near as to prefs upon him, while there was but one poor woman, that was gathered to him, and touched him; "Some body hath touched me," fays Chrift: Why, fays the difciples," The multitude prefs upon you; and what mean you, Lord, by that, Some body hath touched me." Nay, but as one of the Fathers faid, Turba premit, fides tangit; "The multitude prefs, but "faith toucheth." Satisfy not your felves then, I fay, with a gathering about him, unless you be gathered to

him. People may gather about a tree, to pluck the fruit thereof, but it is another thing to be gathered to it, fo as either to become a branch, or have an intereft in it; even fo, may fome people eat of the fruit of the tree of life, in refpect of common providence, common graces, common influences; but it is another thing to have an intereft in the tree, and union to it: fo here, many may be gathered to ordinances, and even to folemn ordinances, and partake of the external privileges thereof; and yet not first gathered to the God of ordinances, nor having any intereft in him, or union unto him, have no right confequently to intermeddle with the children's bread. O Sir! fay you, that is a hard note that cafts me all down again. Why, may the Lord himself bring down all falfe refuges: but in cafe it perplex any poor foul, that hath been fitting under Chrift's fhadow at this occafion, and his fruit hath been sweet to their taste, and they may think, that all they got, is but only the fruit, while they have no union to, or interest in the tree: Well then, fay you, How fhall one know if he only eats of the fruit, and hath no intereft in the tree? In answer to which, I will endeavonr to illuftrate by this plain fimile: You know, when a man hath no intereft in the tree of a garden, if he gets the fruit, he cares not what come of the tree, though the branches of it were all broken down: he loves the fruit, and takes it; but the tree is not his own, and therefore he hath no concern about it: but, the man that hath an intereft in the tree, though he loves the fruit, yet he loves the tree better than the fruit; and therefore he would rather that people fhould take away all the fruit from him, than break and destroy the branches of the tree; for he esteems the tree better than all the fruit that grows upon it. The application thereof is easy; for, even fo the hypocrite that eats of the fruit of the tree of life, as it were, but hath no interest in the tree; the fruit, viz. the frame, the enlargement, or the like, is all that he wants; the gifts and common graces he gets, is what he folaces himself withal; he refts there, and fits down fatisfied, without Chrift himself, or any true love to him, and unfeigned concern for his glory and interest ;

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felf is upmoft with him, and therefore he pleafes himself with the fruit, and loves it more than the tree. But the true believer, that is gathered to Chrift, he loves the fruit indeed, and takes pleasure in the communication but the tree itself is above all things to him; and the fruit he tafted fill the more recommends the tree to him. O Chrift's gifts are fweet, but himself sweetest of all! The believer's frame is like the frame of a picture; he is not taken up with the frame, but with the picture that is within the frame, even Chrift, who is the picture of God, the image of the invifible God. See, I fay, that it be Chrift himself that you are ga

thered to.

2. Be fill about his hand, in the ufe of appointed means; but with a conftant eye to divine power. Let means and ordinances be ftill ufed; for though, as they are your performances, they cannot be profitable; yet, as they are his ordinances, he may put a bleffing in them. Therefore be ftill in the King's high-way, in the use of means; for, though the natural use of means and God's faving grace have no connection; yet there is far lefs a connection betwixt that grace, and the neglect of means. The poor beggar, that needs an alms from the king, goes to the king's high-way, where he paffes and furely he is nearer his purpose, than if he fhould go to the top of a mountain, where the king never comes: fo, be you fill in the ufe of means, in the Lord's way; but reft not there, left you be like one, that, upon pretence of feeking a treasure on the other fide of a river, fhould come to the boat, which is the mean, and reft there, without going further; why, he may thus lofe the treafure for ever. In your use of the means, look beyond the means, and cry for almighty drawing power, without which it is fimply impoffible you can make cue ftep towards Shiloh. God knows you can do nothing this way yourfelf, and he does not expect it of you, that you fhould come to him in your own ftrength: nay, if you effay to do fo, you but affront him, who is the ftrength of Ifrael; and ye difparage his power, as if a creature, far lefs a filthy finful creature, dead in trefpaffes and fins, would a&