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is, they cannot feparate us from the love of our Lord Jefus Rom. viii. 38. 39. “For I am perfuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, fhall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord." There can be no lot fo hard, but Chrift's prefence can sweeten, and make it defirable.

(2.) The world will have an end, and all its fmiles and frowns alfo will be at length laid by for ever. Why then fhould its fmiles flatter, or its frowns fright us from our Lord's work and intereft? A little time will carry off both the slothful and faithful fervant. But happy that fervant, whom, when his Lord and Mafter cometh, fhall find fo doing. The folid faith of that life and immortality brought to light by the gofpel, which we preach, would, I believe, make us very peremptory in our refolutions of diligence and faithfulness in our work, over the belly of all oppofition in the world.

(3.) Our Lord's work will never lie for want of hands; he will have a church and a ministry to the end of the world. If we lay it by, others will take it up, and write death on our faces, by yoking us to it even in the heat of the day.

(4.) Our Lord and his people fhall stand the laft upon the earth, his enemies will drop off after one another, he will outlive them all, and stand a Conqueror, when they are all routed, and made to quit the field, Lo, I am with you to the end. His cause will always be victorious at length, and bear down all before it. Who knows but the wheels of providence may be in motion towards the total overthrow of Prelacy, and ceremonies in Britain

and

and Ireland? Providence has often gone to work in as unlikely a way.

. II. HAS Chrift promised to be with us in his own work? O! then let us not divide among ourfelves, let us endeavour unity in the Lord with all our might, and cleave to the work of God in this land, as one man, against Popery, Prelacy, fuperftition, error, and profanity, and whatfoever is contrary to found godlinefs, feeing it is the work laid on us by our Lord in his facred word, the book of our instructions, and seeing the land has been engaged thereto by folemn covenants with God. If any thing ruin this work of the Lord amongst us, it will be our divifions. No doubt, there will be means used by our enemies to divide us, knowing well, that if we once break, we are in danger of being broken more and more. Therefore let us pray and act for unity in the Lord; tho', like the builders of the wall of Jerufalem, we be feparated upon the wall, yet being upon the wall, all at our work, the work will go on. But that which will be our ruin, will be one party throwing down what the other builds up; which will be the cafe, if in the anger of the Lord we be divided. If the mountain of the miniftry fall a burning with the fire of divifion, all will quickly fall into the fea; but our unity will be our ftrength; and for as contemptible as the miniftry of this church is at this day in the eyes of many, their unity will make them beautiful as Tirzah, and terrible as an army with banners; yea, even in our evil time, would afford us a glimmering profpect that the Lord would yet fill his house with his glory, Ifa. lii. 8. " Thy watchmen fhall lift up the voice, with the voice together shall they fing; for they fhall fee eye to eye when the Lord fhall bring again Zion ;" Mat. xviii. 19. " Again, I fay unto you, that if two of VOL. I.

Z

you

you fhall agree upon earth, as touching any thing that they fhall afk, it fhall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." Agree, or, as the word is, fympathife, found together. I take both these to be an allufion to that sweet paffage, 2 Chron. v. 13. "It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and fingers were as one, to make one found to be heard in praifing and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals, and inftruments of mufic, and praifed the Lord, faying, For he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the houfe of God." If, then, we have any love to the Lord, to his interefts, to his people, to our own fouls, let us be one in the Lord's work. Curfed will that carnal intereft be, that fhall loose a pin in the tabernacle of Zion.

Let

III. HAS Chrift promised to be with us in his work? Then let us not forget him who is with us, let us love Chrift, let us preach Chrift; this is our great work at all times, Eph. iii. 8. " Unto me, who are less than the leaft of all faints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Chrift." us beware of legal preaching; let that be the fcope of our preaching, which is the great defign of the gofpel, to discover the corruption of men's nature, and to exalt the riches, power, and freedom of grace in Chrift Jefus. We have the more need to take heed to this, because the corrupting of the doctrine of the gofpel is like to be the temptation of our day.

To conclude: As to you, the people, whether

ye be

be in the Lord's interefts or not, ye have heard what ye may apply to yourselves. I think, upon the whole, if ye be wife, ye will fay with these, Zech. viii. "We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." The profane world will be ready to laugh at this, but both minifters and people must lay their account to be fools in the world's eyes, if they will be wife in the fight of God.

Let none think from what I have faid, that I have propofed myfelf as an example, or that I have forgot myself in this matter. God knows, I look on myself as the weakest and most unfit, for a time of trial, of all the servants of my Lord. But let truth ftand and take place, come of the fpeaker what will. I defire, with you, to fix mine eyes on the promife of His prefence, who hath faid, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

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CHRIST'S INVITATION TO THE LABOURING

AND HEAVY LADEN.*

SERMON XVIII.

MATTH. xi. 28. Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft.

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HE great and main object of gospel-preaching and gofpel-practice, is a coming to Chrift. It is the firft article in Chriftianity, according to John, v. 40. "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." It is the connecting chain, 1 Peter, ii. 4. "To whom coming as unto a living stone, ye allo as lively ftones are built up," &c. And it is the laft exercise of the Chriftian; for when finishing his warfare, the invitation is, Mat. XXV. 34. "Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you." It is virtually the all which God requireth of us : John, vi. 29. "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath fent." The words of the

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*This and the following difcourfes on this fubje&t, were delivered in January and February 1711.

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