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3. There are many who have taken up the name, but have nothing of the reality of religion, having gathered like fummer's vermin in time of the church's peace; it is but reasonable to expect a ftorm for the difcovery of fuch, by the lofs of whom the church may turn to lefs buik, but not be lefs worth.

4. The case of the generation cries for a stroke, in regard of the horrid contempt of Christ and his gofpel at this day. The preaching of the gospel has for feveral years been a weary work, and very fruitlefs; and the truth is, we have, as it were, been weary of God. Atheism and horrid profanity abound, and are on the growing hand; thefe cry for vengeance; enemies have a cup to fill up, they have filled it well formerly, it is like, they have more to do to prepare them for an overthrow. So we have reafon to lay our accounts with hardships in our work, and that we may have the walls to build in troublous times; and readily judgement begins at the house of God, end where it will. But let us faithfully follow our Master's interests and work, and not faint.

And that we may be stirred up hereunto, let us confider,

1. Our Lord Chrift will be with us in the faithful discharge of his work, Go ye, and lo, I am with you. A believing fight of this would steel your foreheads in the Lord's work, with courage and holy refolution, Ezek. iii. 9. "As an adamant, harder than flint, have I made thy forehead." Will Christ be with us in the difcharge of his work? Then,

(1.) We fhall have furniture for our work: Ifa. xli. 1o. " Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not difmayed, for I am thy God; I will trengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will

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uphold thee with the right hand of my righteouf nefs." 2 Cor. iii. 5. 6. «Not that we are fufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of felves; but our fufficiency is of God, who alfo hath made us able minifters of the New Teftament.' No man goeth a warfare on his own charges, neither fhall our Lord fend his foldiers tofight his battles without furniture, more efpecially when he is upon their head himself; and if our work be more than ordinary, he will make the furniture proportionable: Acts, iv. 13. "Now, when they faw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled, and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jefus." May be, we have much ado to get a fermon, when we have all time for study and meditation; what fhall come of us then, if we be hurried? Truly, if we have the call, we may look for it being given us in that hour: Matth, x. 19. "For it fhall be given you in that fame hour, what ye shall speak,' with more heavenly oratory in it than at other times. Be it doing-work or fuffering-work, he allows furniture, Phil. i. 29. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Chrift, not only to believe on him, but also to fuffer for his fake." Ifa. xl. 30. 31. "He giveth power to the faint, and to them that hath no might, he increaseth ftrength. Even the youths fhall faint and be weary, and the young men fhall utterly fall; but they that wait upon the Lord fhall renew their strength, they fhallmount up with wings as eagles, they fhall run and not weary, they fhall walk and not faint.”

(2.) We fhall have fuccefs in our work, that is, the word in our mouth fhall accomplish that which Chrift pleafeth, Ifa. lv. 2. So fhall

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my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth, it fhall not return unto me void, but it fhall accomplish that which I please, and it fhall profper in the thing whereunto I fent it." As to the elect of God, "As many as are ordained to eternal life, believe, however the ftream of a graceless generation may go." As to believers, they fhall be edified and bettered by it, Mic. ii. 7. "Do not thy words do good to him that walketh uprightly ?" and very ordinarily the gofpel is like a fire, that fpreads moft in a windy day. Nay, the Lord being with us, it will not be abfolutely without effect on these that are not one whit bettered by it. It will be at least for a teftimony to be produced against them, for our Lord, at the laft day. If ye go where they are, the dust of your feet will witnefs against them. Salvation was in their offer it will manifeft their unfoundnefs. The gofpel will hang the fign of folly at every wicked man's door, let them entertain it as they will: Mal. iii.2. "But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's foap." It will torment them that dwell on the earth. Chrift's fword is two-edged, if it do not execution on men's lufts, it will do execution on their fouls: Hof. vi. 5. "Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets, I have flain them by the words of my mouth." The word will never leave them as it finds them, but will either make them better or worse.

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(3-) We shall have protection in our work; Rev. ii. 1. "Saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right-hand, that walketh in the midft of the feven golden candlesticks." If earth and hell fhould confpire against us, as long as our Lord

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has any fervice for us in the world, we fhall be protected. Every one has their day of working, let them trust the Lord as long as that lafts, let them go on in their work, they fhall be protected. But when the night comes, appointed by the Lord, wherein he has no more fervice for us, then, and not till then, fhall we be called off; and that night will carry us off, whether, we be idle or at work.

(4.) We fhall have provision: Heb. xiii. 5. 6. "Let your converfation be without covetousness, and be content with fuch things as ye have, for he hath faid, I will never leave thee nor forfake ́ thee; fo that we may boldly fay, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man fhall do unto me." Let us be at our work, and God will fee to our provifion: Pfal. xxxvii. 3. Truft in the

Lord, and do good, fo fhalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou fhait be fed." Bread has been an old temptation to minifters: Amos, vii. 12. 13. "Amaziah faid unto Amos, O thou feer, go flee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread. But prophecy not again any more at Bethel, for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court." But fuch as were faithful to the Lord have always hazarded the bread, rather than a good confcience: confult ver. 14. to the end of the chapter. Nature is content with little, grace with lefs; if we cannot truft Chrift for our bread, I think we will scarcely be able to truft him with our fouls. Miferable is that bread which cannot be got down without ftraining of our confcience; but little bread will go far with a good conscience and God's bleffing: let us mind that, Dan. i. 15. "And their countenance did appear fairer and fatter in flesh, than the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat."

(5.) Then,

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(5.) Then, as Elifha faid to his fervant, 2 Kings, ii. 16. Fear not, for they that, be with us, are more than they that be with them." Pfal. xciii. 3.4. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice, the floods lift up. their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noife of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the fea." The faith of the Lord's prefence in our work would make all the oppofition of our enemies very contemptible; feeing he is with us that hath the devil in chains, and who fets reftraining bounds to the fea, and to the wrath of man, and can in a moment overthrow all the enemies of his work.

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(6.) Then he will be against them that are against us in our work: I am with you. If the world will make themselves parties against you in your work, then, Lo, I am with you, on your fide against them. A faithful miniftry has always been the great eyefore of the world; and none can at any gage in that work, but muft lay his account with oppofition. But fooner or later it returns on the heads of their enemies, according to that prophetic prayer, which is an awful hedge about Chrift's minifters: Deut xxxiii. 11. "Smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them, that hate him, that they rife not again."

2. Further to engage us to cleave to the Lord's work, let us confider, God will be with his minifters and his church always, even to the end of the world. Then,

(1.) Lofe what we will in the faithful discharge of our work, we will never lofe our God: Lo, I am with you ALWAYS. There is nothing we have in the world, but enemies may get their hands upon; but there is one thing which they cannot reach, which is better than all goods, liberty, life; that;

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