ing you from your fins, and from the wrath of Ged, that he hath told you before hand what he will fay to you: Because I have called, and ye have refufed, I have ftretched out my hand, and no men regarded; but ye have fet at nought all my counfel, and would none of my reproof: I alfo will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh' Prov. i. 24, 25, 26.

AND your calamity will certainly come ere long, whether ye fear it or no; greater calamity than ye are aware of, greater than ye can yet imagine. For confider, in the next place, that untill ye are reconciled to God, as you are enemies to him, fo he is an enemy to you: he that made you is angry with you, he is incenfed against you. And who can imagine the difmal effects and confequents of his displeasure? If his wrath be kindled, yea but a little, who is able to ftand before it? the thoughts of it are fufficient to make the ftouteft heart among us to tremble: to have Jehovah, the Lord of Hosts, the fupreme governour of the world, to have him angry with us, who can think of it without Horrour and amazement? who then can defcribe the deplorable condition which they are in, that lie under his difpleature? for my part, I am fo far from being able to give you a defcription, that I dread the very thoughts of it; only we know in general that it is a fearful thing to fall into the bands of the living God; that all that he continues to be angry at, will moft cer

tainly

tainly do fo, and by confequence be as miferable as poffible to be for fo long as he who governs all things in the world is angry with you, there is nothing in it can do you good, nothing but what will fome way or other contribute to your ruin and destruction. All things are curfed to you, those alfo which you think are bleffings: and all the Judgments that God threatned in his word against finners, feeing he is angry with you, ftand ready every moment to fall upon you. And if he fhould once open your eyes; to fee him frowning upon you, you would not be able to endure yourfelves, but would wish with all your fouls you could ceafe to be, or be any thing but what you are, the vessels of wrath fitted for deftruction: but all in vain. All the world. cannot help you, unless he that made and go-. verns it be reconciled to you; but ye must be punished with everlasting destruction from the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, when he fhall come to be glorified in his faints and admired in all them that believe in that day; 2 Thef. i. 9, 10. When ye will be caft into hell-fire, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark. ix. 44.

IF these things were laid to your hearts as they ought to be, they would make you very reftless and unealy, untill you have made your peace with God, and done all that ye have heard to be required in order to your reconciliation to him. And how happy would you then be?

as

as happy in the love and favour of God, as the other are miferable under his wrath and fury. For when you are at peace with God, all things elfe will be at peace with you; he that made them, will make them to be fo: You shall be at league with the ftones of the field and the beast of the field fhall be at peace with you, Job. v. 23. Yea, When a man's ways pleafe the Lord, he maketh bis enemies to be at peace with him, Prov. xvi. 7. and not only they, but all things elfe fhall work together for your good, fo long as ye continue in his favour, who governs and difpofeth all things as he pleafeth. For when ye are reconciled to him, he will look upon you as his friends favourites, and his children, and will deal accordingly with you. He will take you into his own particular care and conduct. He will hide you under his wings, that no evil may come near to hurt you. He will blefs and 1anЯify all occurinces to you. He will provide all things neceffary, that you have nothing that is evil, lo ye may want nothing that is good, for you. He will caufe the light of his countenance to shine upon you, and manifeft his fpecial love and favour to you, that you may fee him fmileing upon you,, rejoicing over you, and delighting to do you good, in which bleffed fight our happiness chiefly confifteth. He will guide you by his council, affiftoyou by his grace, protect you by his power, enlighten, quicken, actuate, fupport, and ftrengthen you by his Holy Spirit,

that

that you may pass through all the changes and chances of this mortal life, fo as to come at laft to live with him and his holy angels, in the perfect vifion and fruition of his eternal Godhead.

BUT what do I mean, to offer at defcribing the happiness of thofe who are reconciled to God? when to be in his favour is itfself the greatest happiness that a creature is capable of, and fuch that none can apprehend but they who have it. Yet this is that happiness which the eternal Son of God hath purchased for mankind, and fends his ambafadors about to invite them to it. It is in his name I come to all that are here prefent at this time, and pray you in Chrift's ftead, be ye all now reconciled to God; now while ye may. Bleffed be God, ye all may as yet be reconciled to him, if ye will but take the courfe for it, which hath been now defcribed to you out of his holy word: otherwise he would not have fent me to call upon you, nor brought you hither to be called upon to do it; but if ye turn your backs, and refuse or neglect to hearken to him now, ye know not whether he will ever call upon you any more. Wherefore I pray you again in his ftead, put off this great work no longer, but begin it now. For why will ye die? Why will ye defroy yourselves, when ye need not? Why will ye continue any longer under the dif pleasure of Almighty God, when ye may be reStored to his favour, if ye will but feek it? but then you must feck it in his own way,

in

the

the conftant ufe of the means which he hath appointed, whereby to obtain his Grace and Affiitance to do what is required of you. What they are, ye all know: and therefore I need fay no more. But as I have now prayed you in Chrift's ftead to be reconciled to God, fo in his Name I pray God to be reconciled to you, and to open your eyes, that ye may fee the things that belong to your everlasting peace, before they be hid from you.

SERMON

The

ELEVENTH.

Coming to CHRIST, the only Means of
Salvation.

JOHN V. 40.

And ye will not come to me, that ye might have Life.

TH

HESE words being fpoken by Chrift himself to the Jews, muft needs be true of them and we have too much caufe to fear