for an interest in this privilege, the hearing of terms of peace once more between God and them. But their time is past, their house is left unto them desolate. As the tree falleth, so it must lie: It is appointed unto all men once to die, and after that is the judgment;' Heb. ix. 27. After death there are no terms of peace, nothing but judgment. The living, the living, he alone is capable of this advantage.

It is not so with them to whom the gospel is not preached. God suffers them to walk in their own ways, and calls them not thus to repentance. The terms of reconciliation which some fancy to be offered in the shining of the sun, and falling of the rain, never brought souls to peace with God. Life and immortality are brought to light only by the gospel. This is your privilege who yet live, and yet have the word sounding in your ears.

It is not thus with them who have sinned against the Holy Ghost, though yet alive, and living where the word of forgiveness is preached. God proposeth unto them no terms of reconciliation. Blasphemy against him, saith Christ, shall not be forgiven;' Matt. xii. 31. There is no forgiveness for such sinners. And we, if we knew them, ought not to pray for them; 1 John v. 16. Their sin is unto death. And what numbers may be in this condition God knows.

This word then is unto you: these terms of peace are proposed unto you, This is that which in an especial manner you are to apply yourselves unto. And woe unto you, if you should be found to have neglected it at the last day. Wherefore consider,

2. By whom these terms are proposed unto you, and by whom they were procured for you. By whom are they proposed? Who shall undertake to umpire the business, the controversy between God and sinners? No creature doubtless is either meet or worthy to interpose in this matter. I mean originally on his own account. For 'who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsellor?' Wherefore it is God himself who proposeth these terms; and not only proposeth them, but invites, exhorts, and persuades you to accept of them. This the whole Scriptures testify unto. It is fully expressed, 2 Cor. v. 18-20. He hath provided them, he hath proposed them, and makes use

only of men, of ministers to act in his name.

And excuse

us if we are a little earnest with you in this matter. Alas, our utmost that we can by zeal for his glory, or compassion unto your souls, raise our thoughts, minds, spirits, words unto, comes infinitely short of his own pressing earnestness herein. See Isa. lv. 1-4. Oh infinite condescension! O blessed grace! Who is this that thus bespeaks you? He, against whom you have sinned, of whom you are justly afraid. He whose laws you have broken, and whose name you have dishonoured; he who needs not you, nor your love, nor your friendship, nor your salvation. It is he who proposeth unto you these terms of reconciliation and peace. Consider the exhortation of the apostle upon this consideration, Heb. xii. 25. See that you refuse not him that speaketh from heaven.' It is God that speaks unto you in this matter: and he speaks unto you from heaven. And he doth therein forego all the advantage that he hath against you for your destruction. Woe would be unto your souls, and that for ever, if you should refuse him.

3. By whom were these terms procured for you? and by what means? Do not think that this matter was brought about by chance, or by an ordinary undertaking. Remember that the proposal made unto you this day cost no less than the price of the blood of the Son of God. It is the fruit of the travail of his soul. For this he prayed, he wept, he suffered, he died. And shall it now be neglected or despised by you? Will you yet account the blood of the covenant to be a common thing? Will you exclude yourselves from all benefit of the purchase of these terms, and only leave your souls to answer for the contempt of the price whereby they were purchased?

4. Consider, that you are sinners, great sinners, cursed sinners; some of you, it may be, worse than innumerable of your fellow-sinners were, who are now in hell. God might long since have cast you off everlastingly, from all expectation of mercy, and have caused all your hopes to perish. Or he might have left you alive, and yet have refused to deal with you any more. He could have caused your sun to go down at noon-day, and have given you darkness instead of vision. He could respite your lives for a season, and yet 'swear in his wrath, that you should never enter into his

rest.' It is now otherwise. How long it may be so, nor you, nor I know any thing at all. God only knows what will be your time, what your continuance. We are to speak 'whilst it is called to-day.' And this is that for the present which I have to offer unto you. God declares that there is forgiveness with him; that your condition is not desperate nor helpless. There are yet terms of peace proposed unto you. Methinks it cannot but seem strange, that poor sinners should not at the least stir up themselves to inquire after them. When a poor man had sold himself of old, and his children to be servants, and parted with the land of his inheritance unto another because of his poverty; with what heart do you think did he hear the sound of the trumpet, when it began to proclaim the year of jubilee, wherein he and all his were to go out at liberty, and to return unto his possession and inheritance? And shall not poor servants of sin, slaves unto Satan, that have forfeited all their inheritance in this world, and that which is to come, attend unto any proclamation of the year of rest, of the acceptable year of the Lord? And this is done in the tender of terms of peace with God in this matter. Do not put it off; this belongs unto you; the great concernment of your souls lies in it. And it is a great matter; for consider,

5. That when the angels came to bring the news of the birth of our Lord Jesus, they say, 'We bring tidings of great joy to the whole people;' Luke ii. 10. What are these joyful tidings? What was the matter of this report? Why, 'this day is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord;' ver. 11. It is only this; a Saviour is born; a way of escape is provided, and farther they do not proceed. Yet this they say is a matter ' of great joy,' as it was indeed. It is so to every burdened convinced sinner, a matter of unspeakable joy and rejoicing. Oh blessed words! a Saviour is born.' This gives life to a sinner, and opens a door of hope in the valley of Achor.' The first rescue of a sin-distressed soul. Upon the matter, it was all that the saints for many ages had to live upon; and that not in the enjoyment, but only the expectation. They lived on that word, 'the seed of the woman shall break the serpents head; that is, a way of deliverance is provided for sinners. This with all diligence they inquired into; 1 Pet. i. 10—12. and improved it to their eternal ad

vantage. As of old, Jacob, when he saw the waggons that his son Joseph had sent to bring him unto him, it is said his spirit revived: so did they upon their obscure discovery of a way of forgiveness. They looked upon the promise of it as that which God had sent to bring them unto him; and they saw the day of the coming of Christ in it, and rejoiced. How much more have sinners now reason so to do, when the substance of the promise is exhibited, and the news of his coming proclaimed unto them? This then is a great matter; namely, that terms of peace and reconciliation are proposed; in that it is made known, that there is forgiveness with God. Upon these considerations then we pursue that exhortation which we have in hand.

If any of you were justly condemned to a cruel and shameful death, and lay trembling in the expectation of the execution of it, and a man designed for that purpose should come unto him, and tell him that there were terms propounded on which his life might be spared, only he came away like Ahimaaz before he heard the particulars; would it not be a reviving unto him? would he not cry out, Pray inquire what they are, for there is not any thing so difficult which I will not undergo to free myself from this miserable condition would it not change the whole frame of the spirit of such a man, and, as it were, put new life into him? But now if instead hereof, he should be froward, stubborn, and obstinate, take no notice of the messenger, or say, Let the judge keep his terms to himself, without inquiring what they are; that he would have nothing to do with them; would not such a person be deemed to perish deservedly? doth he not bring a double destruction upon himself; first of deserving death by his crimes, and then by refusing the honest and good way of delivery tendered unto him? I confess it oftentimes falls out, that men may come to inquire after these terms of peace, which when they are revealed, they like them not, but with the young man in the gospel they go away sorrowful. The cursed wickedness and misery of which condition, which befalls many convinced persons, shall be spoken unto afterward. At present I speak unto them who never yet attended in sincerity unto these terms, nor seriously inquired after them. Think you what you please of your condition, and of yourselves; or choose whether you

will think of it or no, pass your time in a full regardlessness, of your present and future estate. Yet indeed thus it is with you, as to your eternal concerns; you lie under the sentence of a bitter, shameful, and everlasting death; you have done so in the midst of all your jollity, ever since you came into this world: and you are in the hand of him, who can in the twinkling of an eye destroy both body and soul in hell fire. In this state and condition, men are sent on purpose, to let you know that there are terms of peace, there is yet a way of escape for you: and that you may not avoid the issue aimed at, they tell you, that God that cannot lie hath commanded them to tell you so; if you question the truth of what they say, they are ready to produce their warrant under God's own hand and seal; here then is no room for tergiversation or excuses. Certainly, if you have any care of your eternal estate, if you have any drop of tender blood running in your veins towards your own souls, if you have any rational considerations dwelling in your minds, if all be not defaced and obliterated through the power of lust, and love of sin, you cannot but take yourselves to be unspeakably concerned in this proposal; but now if instead hereof, you give up yourselves unto the power of unbelief, the will of Satan, the love of your lusts, and this present world, so as to take no notice of this errand or message from God, nor once seriously to inquire after the nature and importance of the terms proposed, can you escape? shall you be delivered? will your latter end be peace? The Lord knows it will be otherwise with you, and that unto eternity.

So the apostle asures us, 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine into them.' If you receive not this word, if it be hid from you, it is from the power and efficacy of Satan upon your minds. And what will be the end? Perish you must, and shall, and that for ever.

Remember the parable of our Saviour, Luke xiv. 31, 32. 'What king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? or else while the other is yet a great way off, he