bulwarks against it. God, in his awful juftice; the devil, in his defperate malice; fin, in its deftructive fubtilty; and death, in its dreadful terrors. A great king raising great bulwarks against a little city, and few men in it, they must be in a very difmal fituation. But, 3dly, Here is the little city delivered, and the fiege raifed; There was found in the city a poor wife man; and be, by bis wisdom, DELIVERED the city. Where notice alfo two things, namely, How the deliverer is defcribed; and how the city was delivered by him. (1.) How the deliverer is described; There was found in the city a POOR WISE MAN. I think it is not only highly agreeable to the analogy of faith, but very probable to be the intent of the words, to give a defcription of Chrift, the Deliverer and Saviour of his church; whom we may here view as defcribed, 1. By his humanity, a MAN; for, "He was a man of forrows: The Word was made flesh." 2. By his divinity, a wise man: for, he was, and is, the effential Wifdom of God. 3. By his humiliation; a POOR man: for, "Tho' he was rich, yet for our fakes he became poor." 4. By his destination to this work; he was FOUND in the city: Who found him? God, who fays, "I have found a ransom; I have found David my fervant." Where was he found? Even in the city among men: "I have laid help upon One that is mighty, fays God; even One chofen out of the people," Pfal. lxxxix. 19. (2.) How and in what manner he delivered the city, even by his WISDOM; He by his wisdom delivered the city: By his Deity; for, if he had not been the infinitely wife God, he could never have relieved the city; even he who, by his wifdom, ftretched out the heavens, when he made the world; by his wifdom, fulfilled the law, and appeafed the wrath of God; by his wifdom, outwitted the old ferpent, and deftroyed the works of the devil; by his wifdom, finifhed tranfgreffion and made an end of fin, and vanquished death: and fo by his wifdom delivered the city from juftice, Satan, fin, hell, and death; in his wifdom he delivers the church, the city of God, by the the price of his blood, and by the power of his Spirit.— Thus the city is delivered, and the fiege raifed. 4thly, And laftly, Notice in the words the ingratitude of the citizens: or the citizens upbraided for their unkindness; Yet NO MAN remembered the fame poor man. Where you have, 1. The nature of their fault, and the aggravation of their ingratitude; they were fo far from requïting him kindly, faying, "What thall we render to the Lord, for his benefits towards us?" that they did not remember him: they never fo much as minded him. Their difeafe was that of finful oblivion; they forgot him, and his kindnefs: " They foon forgot his mighty works." 2. The univerfality of this ingratitude, No man remembered the fame poor man; none remembered, no not one: they are altogether become ungrateful.—Thus you have the history opened, and a short hint at the mystery contained in it. From the words, thus opened, we may lay down this doctrinal propofition. OBSERV. That though the work of redemption, or the deliverance wrought by Chrift for finners, be a very great and memorable work, like the raising of a great fiege against a little city; yet there is a proneness in man to forget the Redeemer or Deliverer, and all his work of kindness toward them. We need go no further for the confirmation of this doctrine, than the inftitution of the Lord's fupper, which you have been celebrating, "Do this in remembrance of me;" as if it had been faid, Ought you not to remeniber me, your Redeemer; me, your Deliverer, that hath raised the great fiege that was laid against you; yet you are prone to forget me, and all the kindnefs that I have done to you; therefore, I have inftituted this ordinance to keep you in mind, "Do this in remembrance of me." But I fhall refer the farther confirmation, to the profecution of the doctrine, in the following method, according to the former divifion. I. I would I. I would fpeak fomewhat concerning the little city, and the few men in it. II. Concerning the great fiege laid against it. III. Of the deliverance thereof, and the reafons of the fiege. IV. Of the ingratitude of the citizens; and their pronenefs to forget the Deliverer. V. Make application of the whole. I. I am to speak of the little city; There was a little city, and few men within it. There are four things remarkable concerning the church, which this part of the text presents to us. Remark 1. "That the church of God is comparable "to a city, and often compared thereto in fcripture, " Pfal. xlvi. 4. "There is a .river, the ftreams whereof "make glad the city of God *." The church, in allufion to a city, is a place of fecurity and defence; "We have a strong city, falvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks:" and it hath watchmen upon the walls. It is a place of fociety; where the faints have fellowship one with another, exhort and comfort one-another, It is a place of unity; where they are to maintain the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace.-It is a place of trade and traffick; where we may trade with heaven, and buy gold tried in the fire; white raiment, and eye-falve expofed freely there to fale.-It is a place of freedom and liberty; where all the true citizens are freed from the law, as a covenant; from the curfe of the law, the wrath of God, and all fubjection thereto; alfo from the guilt of fin, and the rule of it.—It is a place of order and regularity; where men are regularly entered burgeffes, and are to come in by the gate of the city, even by Chrift, who is the door. It is a place of reft, commodious to live in ; and there is no refting-place for the foul but here.-It is a place of pleasure and joy; "Beautiful for fituation, the joy of the whole earth." There is the joyful found, thro' -- See the Author's fermon on this text, Vol. VII. Sermon 108. where he, at length, ftates the comparison, and runs the parallel, between the church and a city. + Y VOL V. the the filver trumpet of the gofpel; and the fong of Zion. -It is a place of pomp and fplendor, the feat of the King; where is the King's court, the King's throne, the throne of grace, and daily accefs to fee the King in his beauty. It is a place of privileges, a privileged place; where there are privileges belonging to the church vifible; they have the fountain open to them; they have a fealed right in baptifm to the covenant; having the promife, they have right to the feal of the covenant of proniife; and thus a fealed warrant to come to Chrift, a general adoption, and thereon many fatherly acts of pity fhewed to them; God inftru&ts them, by his word; corrects them, by his rod; reproves them, by his fervants; and, when they go.afide, directs them, by his word, faying, This is the way." They have ordinances, facraments, minifters, and a right to choofe the minifters and officers of the city: this is the privilege of every city, much more of the city of God; and if the city want this, it is fo far a city robbed and fpoiled.-There are privileges belonging to the church invifible; fuch as, pardon of fin, peace with God, fan&tification, eternal life, accefs to the King's table, the Lamb, the light of the place, and the temple; the Lord himfelf is the temple they come to; they have a title unto the new Jerufalem, the King's pass for heaven; "I appoint unto you a kingdom." 66 Remark 2. "That the church is a little city, it is a "little flock, Luke xii. 31. It is but a finall spot, com"pared with the valt wildernefs of this world; it is an "inclofed garden, Song iv. 12." The church is compared to a little city, in comparison of this world; and but a little city in the eyes of the world; little and contemned. And indeed, the true citizens are but little in their own eyes; "Lefs than the leaft of all faints; lefs than the leaft of all faints; lefs than the leaft of all God's mercies;" yea nothing in their own account and lefs than nothing, worfe than nothing. The church is a little city; a little ftone cut out of the mountain; yet many great cities and kingdoms have fallen before it. This little city has outlived the great city Nineveh; the magnificent Tyrus; and trampled upon the graves of many famous famous and remarkable cities, becaufe tho' it be a little city, yet it is the city of the great God; and, "Glorious things are spoken of this city of God," Pfal. lxxxvii. 3. Remark 3. That it is a city of men; a little city and "MEN in it." The infinite wifdom of God hath feen fit to make this famous little city confift, not of fallen angels, but of fallen men; "Wisdom crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, faying, To you, O men do I call, and my voice is to the fons of men," Prov. viii. 3, 4. And happy we the men whom wifdom determineth and prevaileth on to enter themfelves burgeffes of this little city, by coming not only into the fuburbs thereof, by a profeflion of Chrift; but enter in through the gates into the city, while the King of the city ftands at the door of our hearts, and knocks, and affures us that he is the door of the city; "I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he fhall be faved; and fhall go in and out, and find pafture," John x. 9. It is a city of men, a city for mankind, a city of refuge for mankind finners; therefore, let none ftand without, faying, It is not the like of me that God is calling to come in. If you be of the posterity of Adam, and of the children of men, Chrift is of fered unto you, and you are called to accept of the grant of freedom and liberty; the grant of all the privileges and immunities of God's city, and of being free men there O Sirs, "If the Son make you free, then are ye free indeed." But yet we have it to remark, 4. "That this little city hath but few men in it, even "the vifible church." I mean, thefe that have a visible and credible profeffion of faith are few in comparison of the rest of the world; and the invifible church, who have the power of religion, and the truth of faith, are but very few in comparison of the bulk of profeffors. This little city then, has but a few men within it, as the text fays; many are without the city, and many are about the city, but few are within the city, and they only, are fafe; for," Without are dogs, and lorcerers, and whoremongers, idolaters, murderers, and whofeoever lov. eth or maketh a lye," Rev. xxii 15. Without are drunkards, fwearers, fabbath-breakers, profane perfons; yea, befide the openly profane, without are formalifts, hypo Y 2 crites, |