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keeps you from concluding in the affirmative, yet, if you fee your need of promifed grace, in order to your being exercised in the manner represented; fee there is nothing in yourselves that can be effectually conducive toward your feeing, fearing and trufting fee, that if the Lord, in a way of mercy, work it not in you, you must continue blind, dead, and unbelieving; that means and ordinances are ineffectual in themfelves; and that, unlefs the Promifer, by the grace of the promife, apprehend you, you can have no hope:-if you are well pleased with the device of infinite wisdom and love; and pleased particularly, that God work all your works in you, and for you, and bear the glory of the whole, in time and through eternity: if this plan appears with fuch beauty and luftre in your eye, that it, not only breeds admiration, commands your attention, and captivates your affections, but, makes you, with chearfulness, defire to be laid under obligations, and become everlafting debitors to grace, for all your falvation: if you find, that fuch views of the divine promises are fo far from fläckening your diligence, that they make you more anxiously concerned, to study the performance of duty,-perfuaded, that grace does not abound, to encourage your continuance in fin: if fuch views of the promife have more influence on your practice, than all the arguments arifing from the danger and con demnation of a natural fate: if you are fufpicious of yourselves, left, after having a promife of entering into God's reft, you should come fhort of it; and if you are deeply concerned, that the Lord would keep you from deceiving yourfelves, and lying down in forrow: if thefe things are fo, it looks as if you were heirs of promife; and, there is, thence, -reason to hope, that, following on to know the

Lord,

Lord, you shall find his goings forth for your falvation prepared as the morning.

Thofe, on the other hand, who are firangers to the exercises mentioned, have no prefent, no fcriptural pretenfions to true religion. If ye were never fenfible of fpiritual blindness and deadnefs; never faw your need of this promife, with the grace contained in it; never prized thefe bleffings for their own worth, as well as their fuitableness to you, in your prefent fituation; if you were never concerned to feek them in the way, and by the means of the Lord's appointment; never found a willingness, through grace, to ly under obligations to him, for accomplishing his words of grace in your experience; never felt fo much of your natural darknefs, as to recommend gofpel-light; fo much legal fear, as to recommend gofpel-liberty; nor fo much of an evil heart of unbelief, as to recommend the precious faith of God's elect: and, if you were never diffatisfied with yourselves, for the want of these things; then, without all peradventure, your hearts are unrenewed, your frames difevangelical, your state perishing, and your danger peculiar however eafy, you have no fpiritual ground for it; whatever peace you enjoy, it is not the peace of God, that paffeth all understanding; and your hopes for eternity are all spurious and delufive. If others may have many hopeful and promifing like fymptoms, while at bottom they are naught, in a faving view; your pretenfions, in the want of these things, to faving acquaintance with the gospel, must be ftill more unwarrantable and vain. Though nothing can excufe your former neglect of fo great a falvation; or justify your conduct in deceiving yourfelves; yet the cafe admits of a cure, the danger of reprieve, and your state

of

of a bleffed and faving change. This promife would lofe much of its beauty and emphasis, if that was not the cafe, for it refpects finners in general, and you, of confequence, among the rest.

Let, therefore, the love and grace of God, in the exhibition of fuch words of grace, have a conftraining influence upon you, especially, fince it is certain, that flighted mercy, provoked goodness, and despised patience, will, in the end, break out, into the more inexorable wrath. Behold, finners, Jehovah Redeemer, in the gofpel, brings, offers, and exhibites his falvation to you. The sheet of covenant bleffings is thereby let down from heaven; and you are called to arife, take and eat. But, continuing to defpife the vifion, the sheet will be taken up, to be let down no more; one or another call, will be our Lord's farewel knock at the door of your hearts: in which event, we would not bear your reproof, at the bar of Jefus Chrift, for thousands, nay, for myriads of worlds. Up, then, shake off these guilty, thofe unhallowed flumbers; hearken, regard, obey, the beavenly call. Awake, awake, there is no time, no room, no reason for delay; the prefent moment flies from you, and the next may introduce the feal of your condemnation. Your duty, intereft and fafety, jointly urge your believing the promife, that God the Saviour will make you fee, cause you fear, and enable you to trust in the Lord.

You fhould aim at believing it, because it is addreffed for that very purpose; because it is the on ly way in which you can put honour upon God, after all the dishonour you have done him; because it is not left, as what you may, or may not do; "For this is God's commandment, (as well as his. "promise

promife) that we fhould believe on the Name of "his Son Jefus Chrift;" 1 John iii. 23. because the Lord, in the free tender of mercy, declares his willingness to fulfil the promise, in your experience; because all other methods for acquiring the exercises represented, than by virtue of the free promife, will be vain; and, because your not believing will iffue in your ruin, and leave your blood upon your own heads.

THE

THE

CHRISTIAN'S DUTY

TOWARD

K I N G $,

AND

THOSE IN AUTHORITY.

SERMON I.

I TIM. ii. 1, 2.

I exhort therefore, that first of all, fupplications, prayers, interceffions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings and all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty.

ΤΗ

HE acceffion of GEORGE III. to the British throne, is the reafon why we have pitched. on these words, as a proper fubject of your prefent attention. The relation between kings and fubjects being mutual, the duties of that relation muft be no lefs fo. Thofe incumbent on the fovereigng. will poffibly be recomended by fuch public teachers as are more immediately intrafted with the care of his foul. These binding upon the subjects, should,

by

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