SER. LXXXIV. crofs, and contradict the great God by this means: he hath faid of Christ, Pfal. ii. 6. "I have fet my King upon mine holy hill;" I have fet him in the midst of the throne: and, are you faying to your lufts, Be ye king over me? Man, will you live in fin, and fin against him that is in the midst of God's throne? If a thief cut a purfe when the judge is upon the bench, and the sentence ready to pals against him, he is worthy to be hanged: Chrift is on the bench, in the act of judgment; O man, beware of finning against him: be afraid, O ye that are enemies to the Lamb, "Enemies in you minds by wicked works: It is hard for you to kick against the pricks :" Can you harden yourself against God, and profper? Nay, you fhall be fo far from profpering in this way, that the Lamb in the midst of the throne hath a rod of iron, to break and dafh you to pieces. "Confider this, ye that forget God." The Lamb will in a little be a lion, to tear you to pieces, when there fhall be none to deliver. The Lamb is yet upon the throne of grace, inviting you; but it may be this is the laft invitation you fhall have, till you fee him upon a judgment-feat: and what fhall be the effect of thefe gofpel offers you have enjoyed? These folemn feasts will not always laft; and perhaps death will dash you down to the duft before another occafion of this fort. Can ye find in your heart to let Chrift go, and this occafion over, without getting any good of him? Are you content that falvation hath come fo near you, and you lofe it for ever? If not, O will ye take the first opportunity of retiring to fome corner, and cry to the Lamb in the midft of the throne, to come and draw you, and back thefe precious means with his pow. erful bleffing! He that is in the midst of the throne hath been fetting his throne in the midst of Dunfermline, and faying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men!" O let him not lift his tent till you be taken in !

Again, O crown him King whom the Father hath crowned! O might this be his coronation-day! A day of efpoufals with the Lamb is his coronation day: "Go forth, O ye daughters of Jerufalem, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his efpoufals, and in the day of the gladness of

his heart," Song iii. 11. Happy day, if you could go away, faying, Such a day, at the communion of Dunfermline, Chrift was crowned King; I beheld King Jefus with the crown wherewith his Father crowned him, and faw that the Father fet him in the midft of the throne, and I helped to put the crown upon his head; for, through grace, I fet him in the midst of the throne of my heart, and crowned him King there: I found in my heart to dethrone fin, and enthrone Chrift. O is Chrift crowned King here! Hath no virtue come from the throne to draw my heart, as the adamant draws the iron? The clucking of the hen makes the chickens to run; gofpel-preaching is the voice of the Lord Jefus ; and much of this you have had thefe days bygone. O have you run under his wings? See what Chrift fays to Jerufalem, Matth. xxiii. 37, 38. "O Jerufalm, Jerufalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your houfe is left unto you defolate!" May we hope that God will not yet leave Scotland defolate, but that Chrift will be crowned King in the church of Scotland? Though he be robbed of his royalties, and notwithstanding of all unwarrantable Acts that tend to the hurt of his govern.ment, he is in the midst of the throne.

2dly, To you that are the lovers of the Lamb, I offer firft a word of comfort, and then a word of advice.

[1.] A word of comfort. Surely though the earth fhould be removed, and the mountains be caft into the midft of the fea; though external governments fhould be diffolved and overturned, yet, while the Lamb is upon the throne, all fhall be ruled to advantage unto all the lovers of the Lamb. What though ye fhould fee the minifters of Chrift fufpended* or depofed for adhering to the teftimony of Chrift, and endeavouring to keep a good confcience in an evil day? Though they should be reproached and perfecuted, yet ftill "There is a river,

Alluding to the conduct of the Affembly and Commiffion, in the profecution carrying on at this time against Mr. EBENEZER ERSKINE, and his adherents. As this affair is frequently hinted at, it may not be improper here briefly to lay the matter open. The Church, at this time, was not c ly in imminent danger of being over-run with a pernicious fcheme of Arian, VOL. V. t. C c the

the streams whereof make glad the city of God:” and ftill there is this great ground of comfort, that the Lamb is in the midft of the throne, and the chryftal river proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb; and upon this throne the Lamb rules righteously and mercifully, tho' men rule never fo unjuftly and cruelly; and in a little time there will be an end of man's rule and government, but the Lamb's dominion is for ever and ever. God the Father hath proclaimed that he is the everlasting King, faying, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." The followers of the Lamb have unfpeakable ground of comfort in Chrift, whatever trouble they have in the world; "In the world you fhall have tribulation, but in me you fhall have peace, be of good Socinian and Arminian doctrines, as formerly noticed, Vol. I p. 232. Vol. II. P. 304. 466. Vol. IV. p. 146. ; but likewife of being pefted with a corrupt, erroneous, and time-ferving miniitry, for hom a wide door had been opened by feveral violent fettlements on reclaiming congregations: The number of legal fermons and dry moral harangues too evidently evinced the truth of it; and the eager difpofition appearing in many to grasp at Prefentations, and the Act of Aflembly 1732, in favours of them (obferved above, p. 293 351.), put the fact beyond all difpute. This being the melancholy fituation of matters at this time, Mr. EBENEZER ERSKINE, Minifter at Stirling, thought it his duty, in a fermon, at the opening of the Synod of Perth and Stirling, at Perth, O. 10th. 1732, to teftify plainly against fome of the prevailing evils of the times, particularly against the Act of Affembly 1732, and the proceedings of the Ju. dicatories, in the fettlement of minifters over reclaiming and diffenting congregations. This difcourfe fo galled and tormented fome of the minifters then prefent, that they pushed, and obtained of the Synod, an appointment of a Committee to confider the particulars in the fermon, faid to give offence.. The expreffions were condefcended on, and anfwers given to them by Mr. Erine. The Synod, after spending three days on this affair, found Mr. Erskine cenfurable, and refolved to rebuke hima; from which feveral minifters and elders diffented: and Mr. Erfkine and Mr. Fisher protefted, and appealed to the Allembly 1733The Affembly having confidered the Appeal, approved of the proceedings of the Synod, and appointed him to be rebuked and admonished by the Moderator; though neither Synod nor Affembly had fhown his doctrine to be contrary to the word of God and our Standards. Mr. Erfkine protefted again this deed; and his Proteftation was adhered to by Meffrs. Wilfon, Moncrief, and Fisher. The Affembly o dered the forefaid Ministers to appear before the Commission in Auguft; and impowered the Commiffion to fufpend them, if they did not withdraw their Proteftation, and profefs their forrow. They appeared be fore the Commiffion in Auguft, and were fufpended by them. The Commif fion in Nov. 16. loofed their relation to their respective charges, and declared them to be no longer Minifters of this Church. The Affembly 1740, pailed the fentence of Depofition against them, and others who adhered to them, and joined with them and all this, without finding them either erroneous in doctrine, or immoral in practice; but merely for their stedfast adherence to their principles, and minifterial fidelity, in fetting the trumpet to their mouth, and telling the houfe of Jacob their fins, and Ifrael their tranfgreffioas!—These who incline to fee more of this matter, may perufe Mr.Erfkine's printed Sermon, which was the foundation of this process, together with the State of the Procels, and other public papers emitted to the world.

chear; I have overcome the world;" and I am now upon the throne; and ye at lait fhall overcome, and fit down with men on my throne.

1. Here is comfort against defertion. Though the Lord may hide himself, and feem to be far away, yet ftill it is food to your faith, that the Lamb is in the midst of the throne; and, as he never deferts the throne, fo he will never leave you, nor forfake you : Why? The promifes are all Yea and Amen in him who is ever upon the throne, to make out his word.

2. Here is comfort against the crofs. While you have the cross upon your back, you may keep the throne in your eye, and you may be fure of pity and favour thence, because the Lamb is there, who went from the crofs to the throne.

3. Here is comfort againfl the power of fin, corruption, and fpiritual enemies, be they never fo powerful: for the Lamb is upon the throne of power, and all power in heaven and earth is given to him; and he is concerned in honour to deftroy thefe enemies.

4. Here is comfort againft want and weakness. Your ftrength lies in the Lamb, and your fpiritual provifion flows only from him.

5. Here is comfort againft church-tyranny. Times have been, when there was tyranny in the state over the confciences of men; thefe were reckoned very evil days: but, when there is tyranny in the church, over the confciences of men, it is in many refpects worfe: for church-perfecution is a kind of blafphemy; it is in the name of God to perfecute the people of God. But yet here is comfort in this cafe, that church-tyranny cannot keep the throne; "Shall the throne of iniquity have fel-`· lowship with thee, which frameth mifchief by a law?" No, no: "They gather themfelves together against the foul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood,” Pfal. xciv. 20, 21. The Lamb will keep the midst of the throne, and tread down his enemies in due time.

What would make a church-government glorious and eminent? When the Lamb is kept in the midst of the throne, and when his fpiritual kingdom is kept diftin&t from the temporal kingdoms of this world. The government of the church is quite mifmanaged when the Lamb Cc 2

is

is put out of the throne, and temporal heritages are made the foundation of fpiritual privileges: As for example, when in the choice of paftors to any congrega. tion, which is a fpiritual privilege, relating to immortal fouls, the heritors of this earth, the heirs of a little yel low duft, have fuch a privilege and preference given them by virtue of their temporal inheritance, as if they were lords over the confciences of men, and lords over God's heritage furely their fecular advantage in the world can entitle them to no fpiritual privilege in the house of God, no more than an earthly inheritance can entitle them to heaven: but to give them a dominion over the fouls of men in this matter, is a practical dethroning of the Lamb from the midft of the throne. Church-officers themselves are difcharged to ufurp fuch a dominion as to be lords over God's heritage it is unlawful for them to obtrude paftors upon a Chriftian people without their confent; far lefs have they power to put fuch a dominion over mens confciences into the hands of earthly fuperiors. How can they give what they have not themfelves? In fpiritual matters we are to own no man lord, but he that is "Lord of lords, the Lamb that is in the midft of the throne." Churchgovernment is quite overturned, when the throne of Chrift's fpiritual kingdom is poffeft by any other in this world but only the Lamb.

6. Here is comfort against death. Death fhall not reign, because the Lamb is in the midst of the throne, and liveth for ever and ever, and hath the keys of hell and of death; and therefore death fhall be fwallowed up in victory.

7. Here is comfort against the fear of judgment; that awful day needs be no terror to the lovers of the Lamb, because, when the fiery tribunal will be erected, the Lamb will be in the midft of the throne; and the friends of the Lamb will be received into his bofom, while all his enemies will ftand trembling before his throne.

8. Here is comfort in the view of a long eternity, that

Patronage has always been a great grievance to the church, and was carried on at this time with a very high hand, though contrary to Scripture, Rea'on, our Standards, and Acts of the Church; particularly Act of Affembly ai Glasgow, 1638, as obferved above, p. 298. 351.

the