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the Lamb, that is for ever in the midst of the throne, will for ever feed you, and lead you unto living foun- . tains, and wipe away all tears from your eyes. O! who can tell the happinefs of the higher houfe, the glorious feeding and leading you fhall have there, the everlasting and ever living fountain of divine confulation, wherewith ye fhall for ever be refreshed! The fountain is God, and his glorious attributes; Chrift, and his inexhaustible fulnefs; the Spirit, and his everlasting confolation; a glorious Trinity: God, who is now a promifing God, will then be a performing God. Who can tell the fweetnefs of that blefling, his wiping away all tears from your eyes? He that hath a bottle for your tears now, hath a napkin to wipe them all away then; for, Ye fhall obtain joy and gladnefs, and forrow and fighing fhall flee away. Secondly, I offer a word of advice to you. O Sirs, if the Lamb be in the midft of the throne,

1. Then be quiet amidst all the mal-administrations of men, amidst all the mifmanagements of church-men and church-judicatories; becaufe, though men cannot be juftified in their church-ruining projects, yet the Lamb being in the midft of the throne, hath a juft, holy, and fovereign hand in ordering thefe evils, when he hath a controverfy to plead with us. Let us fee the hand of God in leaving men to themselves, to rob the church and people of God of their rights and Reformation-privileges. What was the hand of Pilate against Chrift, the cruelleft act that ever was done? Why, it was the hand of God himfelf: for it is faid, when Pilate fpake, faying, "Doft thou not know that I have power to crucify thee, or to fet thee at liberty?" Chrift anfwered, "Thou could't have no power, except it were given thee of my Father." Even fo fay I, church-men or churchjudicatories, courts or affemblies, could have no power to break down any of the carved work of Reformation; no power to harm the liberties of God's people in chufing their paftors; no power to obtrude t no power to obtrude miniflers on Chrif tian congregations, willing to chufe faithful paftors; no power to pafs fentence againft fuch as oppofe that fpeat of defection, except it were given them of our Father; and therefore, let us be quiet and fober: we have fome other

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thing ado than to break out in a paffionate refentment against poor mortal men; the finful inftruments of the church's confufion and disorder. When Shimei railed upon David," Let him alone, fays David, may be the Lord hath bidden him." The Lord, for our trial and chaftifement, perhaps hath required fome in our day, Go and tread upon the rights of thefe people; go and reproach and perfecute, fufpend and depofe thefe minifters, for keeping a good confcience in an evil time: I fay, it may be the Lord hath bidden; yea, "Is there evil in the city, and the Lord hath not done it?" Is there evil in the church, and the Lord hath not done it? No, no: Well, what of that? This does not justify evil inftruments, no; but it fays, we are to be fober, and lay our hand upon our mouth, and bear the indignation of the Lord, becaufe we have finned against him: We are to be dumb, and not to open our mouth, because he does it.

The Lamb in the midft of the throne hath the government upon his fhoulders, and he is righteously ordering and over-ruling thefe matters for the profitable trial of his people, and the glorious praife of his name in the iffue" The wrath of man fhall praife thee, and the remainder of his wrath wilt thou reftrain." The Lord hath his own time and way of retraining his enemies, and his own time and way of reforming his church; and when the Lord fhall appear in his glory, he will build up Zion. Sometimes he fees fit to appear in his wrath, and then he lets out the wrath of man, the enmity of man, to the breaking down of Zion, and of his carved work: but there is another time, when he fees fit to appear in his glory, and then to retrain the wrath of man, and reform his church. And fince he is appearing in his wrath in our day, letting out the reins of man's wrath, to the ruining of Reformation-work; O be fober and humble; and depend upon him as the Lamb in the midst of the throne, who hath the reins in his hand, to let them out, or take them in, as he pleases. Inftruments are but his fword, his hand, by which he does as he pleafes, Pfal. xvii. 13, 14. "Deliver my foul from the wicked, from men which are thy hand, O Lord." Think not then the government is out of Chrift's hand, when men are doing many fad things, and giving many

heavy blows to the work of God: No, no: men are but his hand; and it is the hand of God that juftly and righteoufly is lying heavy upon his people.Look above men then; you have not to do with them; there is a turn of matters just as he is pleafed to turn his hand; the Lamb is in the midst of the throne, and in the midst of heavy clouds hanging over Scotland; therefore look to him, that he may turn away his wrath; Pfal. ii. 12. "Kifs the Son, left he be angry, and ye perifh from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little: bleffed are all they that put their trust in him." Again,

2. If it is only the Lamb that is in the midft of the throne. O then be tender of thofe that are followers of the Lamb, while they are yet upon the footftool, and not yet fet down with Chrift upon his throne. They are in danger in an evil day, wherein they are called to give teftimony against the evils and corruptions of the day, to go afide to fome extreme or other. There are many thoughts of heart, and many needlefs words among people at prefent about the manner of teftifying. Some are accufed as if they were too forward; others are accused as if they were too far behind, in their teftimony. Well, not to meddle with mistakes people may be under, it may be both thefe are true: for, who can fay, I am clean, and do not err toward the right or left hand, when they would appear for Chrift and bis caufe? But, O'be tender of the militant followers of Chrift. I hope you will remember, that it is only the Lamb that is able to keep the midst of the throne; and, I hope, we are all willing to fubfcribe to this, that this honour only belongs to him, that he was able to keep the midft of the way to the throne, without going to one fide or other: none but himself was ever able to do fo; let him alone have all the glory.

3. Let me fay to you that have become the bride, the Lamb's wife, If the Lamb be in the midft of the throne, O then fee that ye frequent the throne. What more inviting argument than this can there be, that the Lamb is in the midft of it? And the farther forward you ap proach, fo much the better. Never reft till you be in the midft of the throne, where the Lamb is. You may have boldness to go as far as the Lamb goes; and you

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will find this the most pleafant exercife in the world, and the most profitable alfo: for grace and mercy is about the throne of grace; it is a mercy-feat, because the Lamb is there.

4. O believer, if the Lamb be in the midst of the throne, even the Lamb, your Head, your Husband, fee that you live upon him by faith; let the Lamb be your feeder, and the Lamb your food every day and beware you do not difgrace your honourable Hufband. Are married to the Lamb in the midft of the throne? you We read that Bathfheba faid to her fon, Prov. xxxi. 4. "It is not for a king, O Lemuel, it is not for a king to drink wine, nor for princes to drink ftrong drink." So it is not for believers in Chrift to drink and tipple, to fwear and cheat; the gracelefs world do fo. But, O believer, have you been at a communion-table? Hath the Lord graced and honoured you with marriage to the Lamb in the midft of the throne? Do not disgrace yourfelf; it is below your rank: fee that you live as becomes thefe that are matched and married to the Prince of the kings of the earth.

I remember fome years ago, after certain difputing in the Church about the doctrine of the gofpel, we had a folemnity here, on which occafion I was led to fpeak of the fubflance of gofpel-doctrine, Chrift given of God to be a covenant of the people *; and now I am obliged to remark, That after fome contendings, or rather, in the midst of fome contendings in the Church, about the government of his houfe, I have been led, without any defign in me, but only as the text was pleasant to my own foul, to fpeak of the very fum and centre of ecclefiaftical government, the Lamb in the midft of the throne. I remember, at that former occafion the Lord was prefent by his Spirit, and gave evidence thereof unto many; and now, I hope, at this occafion alfo there fhall be fome bleffings dropt down from the throne. And, O to be going away from this place, with this truth fealed upon our heart, concerning the Lamb's being in the midst of the throne: Come what will, there is no fear of the followers of the Lamb, and the fufferers for him; for, The Lamb is in the midst of the throne.

* See this elaborate difcourfe in Vol. I. p. 162.

SERMON LXXXV.

STABILITY IN THE FAITH, THE CHURCH's

STRENGTH *.

Is A. XXX. 7.

-Their Strength is to fit ftill.

EVER fince man departed from God, the only refting place, he has been, in vain, rambling among the creatures for fafety and fatisfaction; whereas, if we believe the word of God, we will fee our only strength and fafety is to return to God in Chrift, as the centre of reft; and to fit fill and reft upon him, and put confidence in him; as faith the prophet here, Their firength is to fit ftill. These who have been fitting down at a communion-table, by profefling to fit down under the fhadow of the Almighty by faith, are to remember that it is their firength to fit ftill; as they are well fet, who can say with the church, "I fat down under his fhadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my tafte;" for, to fit down, is to believe: fo it is yet better, if, by unbelief, they do not rise again; for, it is their ftrength to fit ftill.

Jerufalem and Judah were here threatened with fome approaching dangers and defolations, and it is thought to be by Sennacherib; and this peoples fin, for which they are here reproved, was their trufting to the Egypti

* This fermon was preached in the year 1733.; but at what place, we are uncertain: However, from fome paffages in the difcourse, it appears to have been delivered on the Monday after fame facramental folemnity.

ans;

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