is willing to be reconciled, to put you among the children, to hold fellowship with you, to fill your mouths with fongs of falvation, to give you grace and glory, and, in every refpect, to do you all faving good, in the way of his appointment, through Jefus Chrift, to the praife of his grace. Seek him in that channel, implore him for that purpose, and wait upon him, by the mcans, duties and ordinances of his own aftitution, as you would with not to be caft off;

and hope he will not put you to shame.

CHA P. II.

Of the Redeemer's triumph over the hearts of finners upon earth." Many fhall fee it, and shall` fear; and fhall truft in the Lord."

S E C T.. I.

HE fubjects of this promife are men in ge

TH neral, not angels, nor devils. Angels have

nothing in their circumftances, known to us, that renders fuch promifes needful; and the ftate of devils puts them abfolutely beyond the reach of the promife, and renders them incapable of intereft in any word of grace. Befides, as this promife has a particular relation to Jefus Chrift, thofe, of whose nature he partook, can only be confidered as the fubjects of it. Though, in the application of the bleffings promised, it is more restricted: yet, in the revelation and exhibition of the promise itself, the warrant to believe is fo unreferved, that mankind finners in general, may, and should confider themfelves as interested in it: "The promife (faid the "apoftle, to a promifcuous multitude) is unto you "and to your children, and to all that are afar

"off;

"off; even to as many as the Lord our God fhall call," Acts ii. 39. It is impoffible to imagine, how a perfon's putting away the promises from himself, as what he has no right to intermeddle with, can be reconciled with his fuitably attending to that remarkable declaration of grace.

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But the fubjects of this promife are elect men in particular. The oppofition of carnal. minds to the doctrine of election is fuch, that at prefent one labours under confiderable difadvantage, to infinuate any thing in favour of it. But as it is a fcriptural doctrine, a part of the council of heaven, an article of the Chriftian faith; though counted fools for efpousing, we should never be ashamed of it. Did not David fpeak of elect men, when he faid, "Bleffed is the man whom thou chufest and "causeft to approach unto thee?" Pfal. lxv. 4. did not Malachi fpeak of elect men, when by him the Lord faid, "Yet I loved Jacob, and "hated Efau?" Mal. i. 2, 3. did not Paul to the Romans speak of elect men, when he faid, "Whom God did foreknow, he alfo did prede"finate?" Rom. viii. 29. to the Corinthians di he not speak of them, when he faid, "God hath chofen the foolish things of the world; God "hath chofen the weak things of the world, the

bafe things of the world; and things that are "defpifed hath God chofen; yea, and the things "that are not?" 1 Cor. i. 28. and did he not to the Ephefians likewife fpeak of elect men, when he faid, "Being predeftinated according to the pur"pofe of him who worketh all things after the "council of his own will?" Eph. i. 11. But why fpeak of David, the prophets or apoftles? behold, a greater than either, a greater than all, bears teftimony to this doctrine: our Lord himself spoke of elect men, when he said, "All that the Father

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giveth me, fhall come to me," John vi. 37. And again, I pray for them; I pray not for the world, "but for them which thou haft given me," John xvii. 5. Upon these and fuch like grounds, the doctrine of election may be confidered as fcriptural: and, on that fuppofition, elect finners are, in particular, the fubjects of this promise; as it is not only exhibit, warranting them, in common with their fellow finners, to believe and improve it for the ends of infinite wifdom and grace; but, as they shall eventually be brought under the influence of the promise, be made partakers of promifed grace, and inherit the promised falvation. It is for their fakes, and theirs alone, that ever the promise was exhibited; it is owing to them, that ever finners, in general, were bleft with the common tender of mercy; and as foon as they are brought in, as foon as the end of the promife, as to them, is reached, other finners will, at once, but for ever, be deprived of that exalted privilege. Other finners may take hold of the promife; nothing in the external difpenfation of the gospel hinders their doing fo: but elect finners fball take hold of the promife; rather, the grace of the promise fhall take hold of them.

One bleffing here promised is, They shall fee "it." If we confider this part of the promise, as it is rendered in the paffage under view, the particle it must have a refpect to what went before; and the meaning will be, that finners shall fee what the Father hath done to Christ as Man-Mediator, in inclining to him and hearing his cry; bringing "him up out of the horrible pit and miry clay; fetting his feet upon a rock, establishing his go

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ings, and putting a new fong in his mouth;" that the eyes of their understandings fhall be enlightened for that purpose: in other words, that the grace of faith, refpecting Chrift, as once dead, now alive, once humbled, now exalted, fhall be produced, and promoted in them, exercifed and practifed by them. But the particle it, being only a fupplement, the phrafe literally is, "They "fhall fee;" which is peculiarly pithy, emphatical and comprehenfive. It fays, in the strongest terms, that, in a fpiritual view, finners are, by nature blind; and that, until put under the influence of this promife, they fee not. Whence, in the language of infpiration, the unconverted state is frequently reprefented as a ftate of darkness; "For ye were (fays the apoftle, to the believers "at Ephefus) fometimes darkness," Eph. v. 8. not only in the dark, but darkness itself. Whatever men know, however bright their talents, pregnant their genius, accurate their obfervations, curious their difquifitions, extensive their reading, and univerfal their learning; as long as they are unconverted, they are confidered, in the eye of the holy Ghost, as not feeing, and, in that state, incapable of it. But,

This part of the promise respects a positive change to be produced in the finners underftanding, the leading, and most noble power of the mind; the avenue through which all fpiritual light, faving difcoveries, diftinguishing knowlege, enter; evident from the repeated teftimony of infpiration: "The commandment of the Lord is pure (fays "the Pfalmift) enlightening the eyes," Pfal. xix. 8. fpeaking of the Gentles, our Lord faid unto the apoftle, "I fend thee now, to open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light," Acts xxvi. 18. And, as a neceffary pre requifite to men's having

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having faving up takings of the gofpel, Paul mentions "the eyes of their under flanding being enlightened," Eph. i. 18. Whether as to the law or the gofpel, this promife, illuftrated by fuch other fcriptures, fecms to infinuate, that faith is properly and immediately feated in the underflanding.

In the enjoyment of this promife, the eyes of finners fhall be opened as to themselves: they shall fee their natural and practical guilt, their original and actual fin, their total depravity, univerfal corruption, and abfolute difconformity to the image of God: they fhall fee the true demerit of their characters, as guilty finners; rendering them obnoxious to the divine difpleafure, expofing them, foul and body, for time and eternity, to the wrath of God: they fhall fee, not only that they are unworthy of any favour, but that they justly deferve every frown: fhall fee, that they cannot deliver or refcue their own fouls, cannot better their covenant ftate, cannot appeafe the divine wrath, nor acquire and procure the divine abfolution; and fee, that they are spiritually, as well as legally dead; and that, as they have deftroyed, fo, they can do nothing but deftroy themfelves. This much feems implied in what Paul faw of himself, after the grace of this promife took hold of his heart; "When "the commandment came, fin revived and I died," Rom. vii. 9.

Under the influence of this promise, their eyes fhall likeways be opened, with refpect unto God. They shall fee God as abfolute, and shall fee him as gracious: as abfolute, finners fhall fee him, in the demands, penalty, threatenings and curfes of the law; fee him as angry with them, fpeaking words of terror to them, pouring wrath upon them, and pointing the fword of justice against them; because of their breach of his law, and difconformity to it, in

heart