Let me then befeech you now, without a moment's delay, to confider your ways. Oh, liften to the Lord's. invitations, believe his felf-giving declarations and promifes, which, times without number, have, with fome. measure of earneftnefs, been founded in your ears! For the Lord's fake dare not, at your infinite peril, to fee me again in your fins, and refufers of my glorious Redeemer and Mafter.Oh, give him your hearts! Give him your hearts! I never complained of your giving me too little. Nay, I thought myself happier than most of my brethren, as to all outward matters. But I always thought and complained, that you did not use my Mafter, CHRIST, as I withed, in your hearts, lives, and houses. And now, I afk nothing for myfelf, or any of my family; but make this my dying requeft, that you would now receive my Mafter, CHRIST, into your hearts and houses, Could my foul fpeak back to you from the eternal ftate; could all my rotten bones and finews, and every. bit of my body, speak back to you from the grave, they should all cry, OH THAT YOU WERE WISE, THAT YOU? UNDERSTOOD THIS, THAT YOU WOULD CONSIDER YOUR LATTER END! Oh that you would give my Master, CHRIST, these ignorant, guilty, polluted, and enflaved hearts of yours, that he, as made of God, to you wifdom, and righteoufnefs, and fanctification, and redemption, might enter in and fill them for ever with his grace and truth!-Oh fay not á dying, a dead minifter, yea rather, Oh fay not a living Redeemer, and his Father, and bleffed Spirit, Nay. Dearly beloved, whom I wish to be my joy and crown in the day of the Lord, fuffer me to fpeak from the dead to you. Let me obteft you, by all your inexpreffible finfulness and mifery,-by all the perfections, words, and works of God,-by all the excellencies, offaces, relations, labours, fufferings, glory, and fulness of Christ, by all the joys of heaven, and horrors of hell, now to make serious work of the eternal falvation of your fouls. Try what improvement you have made of all my miniftrations. Call to mind what of my texts, fermons, or other inftructions, you can; and pray them over before the Lord, applying them clofely to your own confcience and heart. Wash yourselves thoroughly, in the blood of Jesus Christ, from all the fins of holy things, fince you and I met together. 1 I recommend to you, young perfons, my two Addreffes annexed to my Catechifms; and to you, parents and masters, my Address in the Awakening Call, and my Sermons on the raifing up Children to Chrift, as a part of my dying words to you. They will rife up in judgment against you, if you contemn them. With refpect to your obtaining another minifter, let me befeech you, by much fervent prayer, to get him first from the Lord. And let it be your care to call one whose fermons you find to touch your confciences. May the Lord preferve you from fuch as aim chiefly to tickle your fancy, and feek themfelves rather than Jefus Chrift the Lord. Let there be no ftrife among you in calling him. And when you get him, labour, at his entrance, to receive his meffage from Chrift with great greediness. Let your vacancy make you hungry and thirsty for the the gofpel. And, let all hands, and all hearts, be intent on raifing up a feed for Chrift in poor withered and wicked Eaft Lothian.. O how it would delight my foul to be informed, in the manner of the eternal ftate, that Christ had come along with my fucceffor, conquering, and to conquer. How gladly fhould I fee you and him, by hundreds, at the right hand of Chrift, at the great day, though I fhould scarcely have my ten! O if Christ were so exalted, fo remembered among you, as to make me fcarcely thought of! I defire to decrease, that he may increase. Now, unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his blood, and hath given us everlasting con-folation, and good hope through Chrift, be honour, and glory, and dominion, and bleffing, for ever and ever. This is a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave finners, of whom I am the chief. YOUR ONCE AFFECTIONATE PASTOR, JOHN BROWN. Y 2 ΜΑΤΤ. MATTH. XV. 21,-28. WHEN guilt torments, and fears opprefs, And yet his help denies. "How canft thou afk the children's bread, "Unworthy as thou art ?” When thus he speaks, what wilt thou plead ; Plead this: thy misery confess: 'Tis all he wants to hear. So wilt thou all his power engage, For he is ftill the SAME; To ev'ry foul,-in ev'ry age, The SAVIOUR is his name. DIVINE 1 DIVINE WARRANTS, ENDS, ADVANTAGES, AND RULES, OF FELLOWSHIP-MEETINGS, FOR PRAYER AND SPIRITUAL CONFERENCE, FELLOWSHIP-MEETINGS are regular focieties of Chrif- tians, who have voluntarily agreed to affemble, at stated times and places, for promoting of holy friendship, by joint prayer and fpiritual conference. Reafon itself dictates, that perfons who are focial in their nature, and have their valuable interefts mutually connected, ought, by every proper method, to cultivate the highest friendship, and promote their most valuable and lasting advantages. The divine warrant for fuch meetings is still more evident from fcripture. 1. It represents Christians as fellow-citizens, who have the fame privileges and interefts, Eph. ii. 19.; as fellow-foldiers, who have the fame enemies, allies, and warfare, Phil. ii. 25. and i. 27.; as fellow-fervants, who have one mafter, work, and reward, Rev. ii. 2.; as children of the fame father, Gal. iii. 26; heirs of the fame inheritance, Rom. viii. 17.5 brethren of the fame family, Matth. xxiii. 8.; members of the fame body, and of one another, 1 Cor. xii. 12. Rom. xii. 5. Since, therefore, their connections are fo clofe |