if ye can find one that died at his door; if that be your lot, you will be the firft; but God's word fays you shall not: John, vi. 37. "Him that cometh unto me, I will in nowife caft out." Beware of hard thoughts of God, whatever your difappointments be; if the devil can get that point wrought up in you, he has you fair before the wind for hell, where the fearful and unbelieving land; and there is not a readier way on earth than that, to create a hell within a man, a hell, I say, where fin and forrow for fin are both at a height. But here fome may propose this

But

Objection, No other perfon's cafe is like mine. Anf. And there is none good as the Lord; he is goodness itself, infinite goodness, and infinitely good to finners in Chrift; and that is fufficient to fwallow up your matchlefs evil. What think ye of Paul, Manaffeh, Adam? But though ye cannot fee a cafe like yours among all the elect of God, you cannot thence conclude your cafe is marrowlefs, more than if ye were in a wilderness where ye could fee no marks of a perfon's foot, ye might conclude never one was there before you. suppose the faints experiences leave you, yet the word will reach you: Rev. xxii. 17. "And the Spirit and the Bride fay, Come; and let him that is athirst come; and whofoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." And if your cafe be quite new, God will do a new thing, according to his word. Some perfon must go foremost in every cafe; venture you, then, on Chrift with that cafe of yours, that others that may be in it after may follow, and ye fhall find a matchless Phyfician for a matchlefs malady.I fhall only add,

2. An ufe of exhortation. Let me exhort all, efpecially communicants, to feck the Lord's prefence

fence and glorious appearances as in former days; and make this your great business, never ceafing till he make himself known, as in the days of old.

(1.) Seek his glorious prefence to the spirits of his people, as in former days. The Lord's work here is at a sad stand; cry, " Revive thy work in the midst of the years," Hab. iii. 2. Their bones are in that refpect lying dry about the grave's mouth. O cry for the Spirit of life to enter into them! Even the trees of God's planting are become mighty faplefs; God's wheat is mighty withered at the root; cry for a shower of influences, that the work within, that is at such a stand, may go on yet, and foul-exercifes may be fet on foot again.

(2.) Seek his powerful manifeftation of himself, to purge the generation's wickednefs, and to make holinefs more common and fhining in our day. There is a deluge of profanity overflowing the land: Where is the Lord God of Elijah? Cry for his appearance, to turn the ftream, to make iniquity hide its head, and holiness to fettle in its room. There is a glorious promise to the gospelchurch, in Zech. xiv. 20. “In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holinefs unto the Lord; and the pots in the Lord's houfe fhall be like the bowls before the altar;" cry for the accomplishment of it, to him with whom is the refidue of the Spirit.

(3.) Seek his glorious appearance in ordinances, as in former days,-that he would beautify the place of his glory by his prefence. Do your utmoft to get him into your mother's house, for it is a heartless house when he is away. We have been in pain, we have, as it were, brought forth wind, we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth: Where is the Lord God of Elijah?

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(4.)

(4.) Seek his glorious appearance for his churches, now when they are fo low, and the hand of the Antichriftian faction is so high: Jer. li. 50. "Remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerufalem come into your mind;" for your mother-church in particular, against which many are gathered, faying, Let Zion be defiled. Behold how pin after pin in her tabernacle is loofed, that it muft quickly lie along upon the ground, if the Lord himself do not appear to hold it up. Seek for the revival and preservation of the covenanted work of reformation, that facred pledge tranfmitted to us at the expence of the precious blood of many of the faints, the bearing down and destroying of which is like to make these nations yet fwim with blood. Our rowers have rowed as into deep waters, where they have funk our nation, and folemnly buried our covenants in the ruins of it: Where is the Lord God of Elijah ?

Cry for their refurrection; and if ye can do no more, ye may do as Martha and Mary, that owned their relation to their brother while in the grave; and fay as Mary, and thefe with her, John, xi. 34. when Chrift afked, "Where have ye laid him ?" "Lord!" say they, "come and fee.”—For motive,

1. Confider, that the Lord's appearances and manifestations of himself as to his people in former days, would make a pleasant change on the face of affairs this day, it would be as life from the dead : Ifa. xxxv. 12. "The wilderness and the folitary place fhall be glad for them, and the defart fhall rejoice, and bloffom as the rofe. It fhall bloffom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and finging. The glory of Lebanon fhall be given to it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they fhall fee the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God."

It would renew the earth's withered and decayed face. If, therefore, you have any respect for the thriving of your own fouls, any pity on the perishing fouls of a graceless multitude, any regard to God's honour and ordinances, any concern for his ark and work, seek his glorious appearance for his church.

2. Confider, that matters are come to fuch a pass with us now, that nothing less than God's gracious appearance for us, and prefence with us, as in former days, can prevent our ruin; we have all grounds to fear an aroufing stroke from the hand of the Lord, by means of a French, Popifh,. and malignant faction, fet to raze our Jerufalem to the very foundation, whofe tender mercies are cruelty; and if we should mifs it, which is not likely by all appearance, there will be a blacker fight feen on this church, and these nations, by reafon of that fpirit of enmity against the purity of religion, and against all practical religion, that has made fuch dreadful advances this day, that, if God do not seasonably ftrike in, will, through time, wear out the faints of the Moft High.

Laftly, Confider the glorious things spoken of the latter times, to which the world feems to be advancing apace. The extraordinary efforts made. this day for advancing the kingdom of the devil in the Christian part of the world, the univerfal decay of piety in the churches look like a critical juncture, when the honour of God is called upon to "arife like a giant refreshed with wine," to purify a people to himself, and to ftrike his enemies on the hinder-parts. Whatever fad work may be made on the churches before that come, O cry, "Awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! awake, as in the ancient days," Ifa. lix. 9.-I fhall close with a few advices.

1. Stir up yourselves to repent and reform: "Strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die," Rev. iii. 2. It is high time we were bending to our feet, when the fire has begun to catch hold of our bed of floth; we have flept long enough, labour now to get and keep matters clear betwixt God and your fouls.

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2. Lament after the Lord: 1 Sam. vii. 2. “ And all the house of Ifrael lamented after the Lord.” Upon that they had occafion to fet up another Ebenezer. The tears of the Lord's people after a departed God are the ready way to bring back their tender-hearted Lord. Mourn over your own fin, and the fins of present and former times.

3. Study unity, and beware of divifion, Pfal. cxxxiii. 3.; be more afraid of your own than of other people's fins. This church at best is but weak; let us not by divifions make ourselves an eafier prey to the common enemy, left God be provoked to caft us into the fire, to make us burn together.

4. Lay out yourselves for the advancement of piety, to ftir up one another to holiness, love, and good works. Put to your hand this way to hold up a ftandard for Chrift in the world; the devil's agents are bufy, not only against the out-works of religion, but to fap the foundations of it. What are you doing to strengthen them? To talk and complain about the defections of the time, will not do it, but apply your main force to advance and strengthen the vitals of religion in yourselves and others.

5. Labour to put yourselves in a posture for fuffering; caft the burden of earth off your back, and let your shoes be on your feet, your eye on the prize; pursue it over the belly of all hardships

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