I conclude with a few inferences. Inf. 1. Sad is the cafe of thofe who are in fuch a wilderness, as there are no wells in, nor any of God's ordinances. Where no vifion is, the people perish. This is the difmal cafe of the Pagan world. Which fhould move us to pray that the Lord may fend the light of the gospel to thefe dark places of the earth.

2. The filling up of the wells in a land, by removing ordinances from a people, is a tad ftroke. Where the word and facraments are not, there is no church there; and confequently God has no people to fave there. O let us cry to the Lord, that this may never be our unhappy cafe,

3. The defiling of the wells is a fad matter for thofe who drink of them, whether it be by error in doctrine, fuperftition in worship, or uninftituted government of the church; but worst of all where they are poifoned with damnable herefies and idolatry, as in the apoftate church of Rome, Let us pray for and ftrive to maintain purity of doctrine, worship, and govern

ment.

4. Hainous is the fin of the neglect or contempt of the wells of falvation, which God has opened unto them. Let defpifers and neglecters of ordinances confider this, and what they will anfwer when God rifes up to call them to an account. Alas! this is one of the great grounds of the Lord's controverfy with the prefent generation, which loudly calls to deep humiliation before him.

5. Great is the fin and lofs of thofe who come to the wells, but never draw of the water nor tafte it: who are never bettered by ordinances, but remain as dead and unconcerned about their fouls as if the means of falvation were not vouchsafed to them.

6. Lafly, Prize the ordinances. Prepare for them, and duly improve them. Remember they are the ordinary means of falvation: therefore feek to enjoy God, and to have communion with him, in them, otherwife they will be in vain as to you.

How the Word is made effectual to Salvation.

EPHESIANS vi. 17.

The fword of the 'Spirit, which is the word of God.

IN

N these words we have, (1.) A particular piece of the Christian armour recommended, the word of God, the revelation of his mind communicated to us in the fcriptures, with which every one who minds for heaven fhould be familiarly acquainted. (2.) A particular piece of its commendation; it is the word of the Spirit; i. e. it is that which the Spirit of the Lord ufes in fighting the battles of the Lord, and conquering an elect world to Christ, and bringing them, through all oppofition from the devil, the world, and the flesh, into the heavenly Canaan. And therefore it cannot but be of fingular use to a Christian in the spiritual warfare. It is but the fword, but the Spirit cuts with it. The doctrine of the text is,

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DocT. The word of God is the fword the Spirit makes ufe of for raifing up a kingdom to Chrift. This more fully in the words of the catechifm runs thus: "The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but efpecially "the preaching of the word, an effectual means of "convincing and converting finners, and of building "them up in holiness and comfort, through faith, un"to falvation."

In handling this fubject, I shall shew,

I. In what refpects the word is an ordinance of God, and mean of falvation.

II. What are the ends for which the Lord has appointed these means and ordinances of reading and preaching the word.

III. Confider the efficacy of the word.

IV. Improve the fubject in fome inferences.

I. I am to fhew in what refpects the word is an ordinance of God and mean of falvation.

First, The reading of the word is an ordinance of God, and mean of falvation, of God's own appointment. The Bible is this word, and God has given it to us, and appointed it to be read.

1. The public reading of it in the congregation is God's ordinance, and a mean of falvation. And we find it in fcripture performed by the teachers of the people, Neh. viii. 8. So they read in the book, in the law of God diftinctly, and gave the fenfe, and canfed them to understand the reading. Ver. 2. 3. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both of mer and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the ferventh month. And be read therein before the street that was before the water gate, from the morning until mid-day, before the men and the women, and thofe that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And he reading of the word claims a place among public_ɔrdinances. Hence reading and expounding a paligė of fcripture every Lord's day in the church, is i able and well-warranted practice in this church.

2. The private reading of it in families, Deat. vi. 7. 8. 9. These words which I command thee der, fhall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them didgently unto thy children, and fhalt talk of them ve ibox fitteft in thine houfe, and when thou walkeft by the soug and when thou lieft down, and when thou rifet un r thou shalt bind them for a fign upon thine hand, and shoes fhall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And the pati write them upon the pofts of thy houfe, and on thy

Pfal. lxxviii. 5. For he established a teftimony in gath and appointed a law in Ifrael, which he commandet sur fathers, that they should make them known to their children. Every family ought to be a church; and as they are to fpeak to God by prayer, fo they are to hear God fpeak to them, by reading of his word. And this they ought to do every morning and evening, as well as command their children and fervants to read it by themselves.

3. Secret reading of it by one's felf, Deut. xvii. 19. It [the law or word of God] fhall be with him, and he full read therein all the days of his life. John v. 39. Search the fcriptures. By this means the foul converfes with God in his word. And those who do not make a practice of daily reading the fcripture, are none of the Lord's people, whatever otherwife they may profefs.

Hence it is evident, that the people not only may, but ought to read the Bible, and therefore it ought to be tranflated into the vulgar languages. Which highly condemns the Antichriftian church of Rome, which takes away the key of knowledge from the people, by prohibiting them to read the word of God.

Secondly, The preaching of the word is an ordinance of God, and mean of grace, 1 Cor. i. 21. It pleafes God by the foolishness of preaching to fave them that believe. But though all may read the word, yet none ought to preach it, but thofe who being quali fied for it, are duly called thereto, 2 Cor. iii. 6. Who bath made us able minifters of the new teftament, not of the letter, but of the fpirit. Rom. x. 15. How fall they preach except they be fent? 1 Tim. iv. 14. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the prefbytery. Tho' the reading of the word as well as the preaching is a mean of falvation, yet the preaching of it is the fpeeial means, though a despised ordinance in the world, therefore called foolishness, 1 Cor. i. 21. It is the most ancient of the two. Noah was a preacher, before the Bible was to take his text from, 2 Pet. ii. 5. And fo was Enoch before him, Jude 14. In this work Christ himself spent the time of his making public appearance in the world, viz. preaching the kingdom of God. It is the mercy of the church of God, that they have the word of God as a lamp always burning: but the preaching of it is the fnuffing of the lamp, by which it gives the greater light. And for this reafon the

preaching of the word fhould be attended on by all, if ever they expect to be faved.

II. I proceed to fhew what are the ends for which the Lord has appointed thefe means and ordinances of reading and preaching the word.

First, For finners out of Chrift they are appointed means of two great and neceffary purposes.

1. Of their conviction, 1 Cor. xiv. 24. 25. But if all prophefy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all and thus are the fecrets of his heart made manifeft; and fo falling down on his face, he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. The finner naturally is asleep in fin, and the word awakens him; he is bold and daring, and will not confider his fin, nor duty either; but the word brings him to the bar, judges him, convicts him, and condemns him. And,

(1.) It discovers his fin to him. [1] What are his fins. It comes home fo close to him, as if it faid, Thou art the man. It goes out thro' and in thro' him, and opens up his very heart, tells him of himfelf what none in the world were privy to, but only God and his own confcience, 1 Cor. iv. 25. This is what the spouse means by the watchmens finding her, Cant. iii. 3. Who has told the minifter, fay many, when the minifter drawing his bow at a venture knows not whom it hits, till the party touched cries out, but the minifter directs the arrow, Heb. iv. 12.? And many a time have we feen the reproof laid in feafonably for the fin, that one could not mifs it, if but going on ftraight in the ordinary.

[2] What the hainous nature of his fin is, Heb. iv. 12. God's word pulls off the paint and varnishing from the man's fin, and difcovers it in its loathfome nature, and killing aggravations. It makes him fee the evil in it that he never faw before, Acts xxvi. 18.

(2.) It discovers his mifery out of Chrift, Ats i.