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feek to keep them looking at comforts, enlargements, and upliftings, that fo they may withdraw their eye from Chrift: or he will put them in remembrance of their deadness and formality in duty, bring home their fins, reminding them of them, or bring the Scripture to their memories with a view to legalize their hearts; it being impoffible he fhould have any other aim or end in view. Thus it is often the cafe, that the believer who is higheft advanced into perfonal communion with God, has the foreft conflicts with his own heart, and is moft befet, oppofed, and affaulted by the devil. You may place grace in what you will, but it confifts not in unspeakable comforts and confolations, but is chiefly expreffed in high eftimations and valuations of Chrift, who exceeds all your fpiritual graces and comforts as much, yea, infinitely more than the heavens do the earth. You may think as you please; but if God is carrying you on in a conformity to Chrift, you are not always then brimful of joy in the Holy Ghoft: but you are sometimes in the valley of desertion, and alfo of temptation, and have the fame experience, in your measure, that your head had, when he faid, But I am poor and forrowful : let thy falvation, O God, fet me up on high. Pfalm lxix. 29. As it is good to have the heart established with grace, in the belief of God the Father's everlasting love, God the Son's complete falvation, and God the Holy Spirit's teftimony thereof, fo the fruits of it redound to God's glory, and to the benefit of ourselves and others alfo. They will redound to the Lord's glory, inasmuch as the established believer, having

views of each of the divine persons in the uncreated effence, his intereft in them, and of the intereft the whole elect have in Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, will be led to give that tribute of glory to them according to their diftin&t perfonalities, and offices in the covenant, as is their due. In doing which there will be an actual perfonal intercourfe held with each of them in their divine economical offices. The Father's love and perfonal acts of grace will be recounted and acknowledged. The Son's ancient love and engagements, his work of falvation and mediation, will be confeffed, and his name will be celebrated on account thereof. The Holy Spirit, who is the efficient of all grace and glory in us, will be worshipped in his perfonality, and have his diftinct praise and glory rendered to him. In which most holy exercises, we fhall receive confirming evidence to establish us more and more in our most holy faith. So that this benefit will redound to us, that as we know the trinity in unity by the doctrines of grace, and worship and praise them in confequence hereof; fo we fhall have the benefit of experiencing grace communicated abundantly from the Father and the Son, through the Spirit, by means of the word of grace dwelling in our hearts. This benefit alfo will redound to others herefrom; they will be encouraged from the grown believer, to hope in the Lord. And the effects of it, in the life, will be divine; for perfons under fuch influence will feek to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Is peace to be obtained and promoted by a mutual forgiveness of injuries? Such will not forgive injuries and offences

merely for the fake of peace in a family, or church; but they will do it upon gospel motives, because Chrift has freely forgiven them. By being established in Chrift, and by having their hearts established with grace, they, from the doctrines of grace, derive their motives and ends, through the whole of their Chriftian walk and warfare. God's love is their motive. Chrift's death, made known in its efficacy, and felt in its virtue, is the mortification of fin in them, and they die to the love, guilt, power, and life of it, by having communion with their Lord. The communion of the Holy Ghoft gives them spiritual life and energy to perform duty in faith, and to fight manfully against fin and the devil. Their end is the glory of God, and their hope eternal glory; which, when their race is run, will be their portion for ever. May it be your's. Amen.

SERMON XV.

CHRIST THE CROWNED CONQUEROR OF SIN, SATAN, DEATH, AND HELL.

REVELATION, Chap. v. Ver. 12.

Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and ftrength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

IN

'N this chapter we are prefented with a fight of Jefus Chrift, the illuftrious, great, and glorious conqueror of fin, Satan, death, and hell, about to be feated upon his mediatorial throne, and the holy and joyful triumph and welcome given unto him, by all the hofts of heaven on his triumphant entrance into the holy of holies, as the great high Priest of his church and people.

If it be given unto us, to attend in a believing manner to what in this paffage of facred Scripture is set before us, it will be a means of warming our hearts with fresh love to the immaculate Lamb, and will excite us to fall down before him, crying, Thou art worthy. The evangelift John is here, in a vifion, pre

fented with a view of Chrift, and fees him as a Lamb newly flain. He had before been thrown into deep furprise and confternation on account of the proclamation which had been made with a loud voice, by a ftrong and mighty angel, crying, Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the feals thereof? Which book was in the right hand of him that fat on the throne. The book itself was no other than the Apocalypfe, which contains an orderly account, and fets forth a long feries and chain of things refpe&ting the world, and the state of Chrift's church in it, from his afcenfion to heaven, until his coming again.

Proclamation having been made throughout all God's dominions, No man (rather, no one) in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. Upon this, John falls a weeping; but is comforted from what follows: And one of the elders faith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven feals thereof. John, thus hearing of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who is none other than King Jefus the Conqueror, looked, and to his aftonishment, he with grace and joy inexpreffible and divine, beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beafts, (or, living creatures) and in the midst of the elders ftood a lamb as it had been flain, having feven horns, and seven eyes, which are the feven Spirits of God fent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that fat upon the throne. Which book, as fuggested before, was this revelation, which contains God's

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