fabmiffion and thankfulness of heart, his glorious mercy, and diftinguifhing love to thy foul; that he hath not rejected thee among them that perifh, and given thee up to thy own heart's luft: But hath chofen thee in CHRIST, before the world was; and now hath called thee by his grace, to follow him in the regeneration, as the effect and evidence of his eternal electing love towards thee.

Don't murmur, and fay why hath not God given his Son a raníom for other finners alfo? Remember he was under no obligation, O believer, to give him a ransom for thee. Attempt not therefore, with the fcanty line of thy finite reason, to measure the ways of God, whofe understanding is infinite. Whatever God fpeaks must needs be true, because he speaks it; and whatever God doth must needs be juft and right, because he doth it; altho' to man's corrupt reafon it may appear otherwife: Therefore wait patiently the event, and thou fhalt fee that the ways of GOD are just and equal.-This once relieved, and fatisfied my mind on this very subject. That it was clearly revealed and fet forth in God's Word, I could not deny; and then concluded it to be juft and right, because God had declared it. Which fuggeftion I found had no fmall influence to captivate rebellious reafonings, and bring them into the obedience of CHRIST; who himself, when speaking of this awful myftery, is an example to us; for he faith,

I thank

I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast bid thefe things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes: Even fo, Father, for fo it feemed good in thy fight*.

3. Rejoice, O believer, in GoD, even thy God, thro' our Lord JESUS CHRIST: He that spared not bis own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how fhall be not with him also freely give us all things ?Caft therefore thy burdens upon the LORD, and commit thy way unto him continually; he will lead thee, and inftruct thee in the way that thou fhouldft go, and will defend thee from all thy enemies: All things fhall he make to work together for thy good; for all things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas; or the world, or life, or death; or things prefent, or things to come: all are yours, and ye are Chrift's, and Chrift is God's. He hath loved you, and will love you unto the end: Yet know this, GOD hateth iniquity, therefore depart thou from it; he loveth righteousness, therefore follow after it. Hath the Son of GOD bled to death upon the cross for thy fins, and wilt thou ftill be the fervant of fin? What, fhall we continue in fin that grace may abound? God forbid. The grace of GoD which bringeth falvation to us by CHRIST JESUS, teacheth us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lufts,

+ Matt. xi. 25, 26.

we

we fhould live foberly righteously and godly in this prefent world: For he hath redeemed us from all iniquity, that he might purifie unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And, in the way of righteousness unto holiness, he will bring you fafe, tho' thro' much tribulation, to his eternal kingdom and glory.The mountains, he faith, shall depart, and the bills be removed, but my kindness fhall not depart from thee; neither fhall the covenant of my peace be removed, faith the Lord that hath mercy on thee: Wherefore CHRIST, speaking of his elect, faith; the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them, that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they alfa may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou baft fent me, and haft loved them as thou haft loved me.Shew then thy love to GOD, who hath fo loved thee, by keeping his commandments: For nothing fhall be able to feparate us from the love of GOD, which is in CHRIST JESUS Our Lord.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible; the only wife God, and our Saviour, be glory for ever.Amen.

SERMON

SERMON XI.

2 COR. i. 20.

For all the promifes of GOD in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us.

N the preceding verfe, the Apoftle reminds the Corinthians how JESUS CHRIST the Son of GoD had been preached among them, both by himself and other faithful minifters of the New Teftament: Our manner of preaching CHRIST, faith he, was not yea and nay, at one time affirming, and at another denying the divine purpose and promise of life thro' CHRIST JESUS, to them that believe; but, on the contrary, that the promise of eternal life in him was yea, invariably and unchangeably the fame: For, as he further faith in the Text, all the

promifes