fo to be established in the prefent truth, 2 Peter i. 12. Otherwife, you cannot contend for the faith in your day, if you ftand not up for the truth that is oppofed in your time.

3. Study, in order to be faithful unto death, to hold the mystery of faith in a pure confcience, 1 Tim. i. 19. which fome, having put away, concerning the faith, have made fhipwreck; for, if a man make a gap in his confcience, by finning against light, and act unfaithfully, éfpecially in public matters, .that relate to the declarative glory of God, if it be not fpeedily healed by the application of Chrift's blood, it is hard to tell where it may land. The gap that is once opened that way, may let in a devil of apoftacy from the faith; and then a devil of enmity against the faithful; and then a devil of open perfecution of them: and, alas! it is too evident, that fuch devils have entered and taken poffeffion of many of this generation.

4. To name no more particulars, fludy to have from the Author and Finifher of faith a fulness of faith; for, I thind, faithfulness just imports a fulness of faith: the more faith the more faithfulnefs. Endeavour to be much in the prayer of faith, for the Spirit of faith and the life of faith; you cannot be faithful unto death, unless you live and die in the faith; and to live a life of faith is to live a life of diffidence in yourfelf, and of humble confidence in the Lord, trufting in him at all times, and pouring out your heart before him, believ ing the promifes and refting upon a promifing God for furniture to qualify and enable you to be faithful unto death. Your promifing God is a giving Ged in Chrift: and what does he give? "He gives grace and glory," Pfal. lxxxiv. II. What is that? He gives grace to be faithful; and then he gives the crown of life. In this covenant of grace both the work and the reward is freely given, upon the price of Chrift's blood, fully paid down upon the crofs; and, upon this ground, grace to be faithful is as freely given now, as the crown of ife is freely given hereafter.-Therefore, live by faith; and depend upon a promifing and giving Ged both. for

grace

grace to be faithful unto death, and for the crown of life at the clofe of the day.

I might fpeak a word now to you that are in a flate of fin and unbelief. You that are in a flate of nature and unbelief, and confequently of unfaithfulnefs: know, if you remain in that ftate, what is awaiting you; not a crown of life, but the wages of your fin, which is eternal death: you muft die in your fins, and die under God's everlasting wrath. You remain unfaithful in your duty, unfaithful in your day; and, if you be unfaithful unto death, he will give you a cup of wrath: the unfaithful fervant is to be caft out into the lake of fire, the place of utter darknefs; there fhall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But if But if you would yet be among the faithful in Chrift, then you muft get in to Chrift: therefore, in order to your being capable of faithfulness, let me exhort you to faith, or believing; for, this is the way alfo, and the first flep to the crown of life: "He that believeth hath everlafling life." O then, Sirs, come to our Lord Jefus Chrift by faith, and hear his voice to you, faying, "Come unto me," Mat. xi. 28. "Look unto me," Ifa. xlv. 22.

Queft. Who is he that is faying, "Come to me;" and, "Look to me?"

Anfo. Even he that gives you fo many of his names and defignations in thefe epifiles to the feven churches. of Afia.It is he that holds the feven flars in his righthand, Rev.. ii. 1.; and is the minifter above all miniflers: we cannot fay, Come to us, but to our Mafter, who fays, "Come to me."-It is he that is the first and the laft, ver. 8. that was dead and is alive; even he that is Alpha and Omega.-It is he that has the fharp fword with two edges, whofe word is like a fharp two edged fword; that hath both a cutting and a quickening edge, to be a favour of life or death; it is he that fays,. "Come to me."It is he that has eyes like a flame of fire, and has feet like fine brafs; pointing out the omnifcience of his eyes, and stability of his ways and counfels; it is he that fays, "Come to me."It is he that has the feven

D 3

feven fpirits of God, and the feven ftars; that has all the gifts and graces of the Spirit to give out as he pleafeih.

It is he that is holy and true: he that hath the key of David, that openeth and none fhutteth, and fhutteth and none can open: that has the opening of the gates both of hell and heaven; that is able both to damn and to fave: it is he that fays, "Come to me."It is he that is the Amen, the faithful and true witnefs, the beginning of the creation of God, the author both of the old and new cre ation; he that can create faith, and turn grace, in his word, to grace in your heart.He it is that is faying, "Come to me, look to me: Ho, every one that thirfteth, come to the waters; come to me, without money, and without price."

Why, lay you, "I am not faithful; I am not yet "qualified with faith and faithfulnefs; therefore I "fhould not come yet, till I be better qualified." Why, man, do you think to have faith or faithfulness either, before you come to Chrift for them: he is the author of both and because you have nothing, you are invited to come to Chrift for all that you want. If you flay away from the market of free grace, till the day you have a price in your hand, or till the day that you have faith and faithfulness to bring with you, you will come too late; you will come the day after the market, and the door will be fhut upon you. Therefore, Come, poor foul: come juft now, as you are; for, "Now is the accepted time; now is the day of falvation." Now, now, he is faying, "Come to me, look to me, believe on me:" tho' you have been never fuch a defperate finner heretofore, and tho' you be this moment a dead finner, with a heart as dead as a ftone within you; yet," Hear, and your foul thall live:" hear who is fpeaking to you, and faying, "Come to me; I am the refurrection and the life; he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet fhall he live." O look to the God of all power and grace that he may put power in his word; he that fays, Be thou faithful, is the God that faid in the first creati"Be thou fruitful and multiply ;" and as he faid, he hath made it come to pafs to this day fo he here fays, as the author of the new creation, Be thou

on,

faithful

faithful. O fay you,

66

AMEN, be it fo, Lord; turn the grace that is in thy word, to the grace in my heart "and life." And for this end, O dear foul, hear and confider who it is that is fpeaking to you from heaven, and calling you first to faith, and then to faithfulness; even he that hath both to give, and that is more willing to be a giver than you are to be a receiver: put not the gift and the giver both from you, faying, It is not to me he is fpeaking; yea, it is to you, man; you, woman; it is to thee in particular; to young and old. Well, what is he saying? Why, would you know what I would have you to do?" This is the work of God that ye believe;" therefore, Come to me; come to me to do all for you: and would you know what I would have you to be? Be thou faithful, even thou, and thou, and thou; Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. May the Lord enable you to anfwer his call: this is his will; therefore, fay thou, Thy will be done.

SERMON

CXXVIII.

THE BUILDER's ARMOUR; Or, The WORK and WARFARE of SPIRITUAL BUILDERS.*

NEн. iv. 18.

For the builders, every one bad bis fword girded by bis fide, and fo builded.

THE

HESE that have been folemnly giving up themfelves to God in Chrift, as his friends and followers, have a twofold work lying upon their hand, which they ought to be daily employed in, through the grace and ftrength of the Lord Jefus Chrift; one is a building, which they are concerned to have carried on, Jude, ver. 20. " Building up themfelves in their molt holy faith;" another is, a battle, which they are concerned to fight under the banner of the Captain of falvation;

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art alfo called, and haft profeffed a good profeffion before many witneffes," 1 Tim. vi. 12. Somewhat relating both to this building and this battle is reprefented here to us.

In the words which I have just now read, we have an account, how the Jews in Nehemiah's time carried on the work of rebuilding the walls of Jerufalem, that were gone to ruin, as you fee, chap. i. 3." And they faid unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction and reproach; the wall of Jerufalem is broken down, and the gates

*This fermon was preached at Stirling on Monday, June 31. 1743. after the celebration of the facrament of the Lord's fupper there.

thereof