perftition come in its room; we and our families must be murdered, or renounce our religion, though denying of Chrift will never altogether please them, for they will especially never trust Scots Prefbyterians, fo that that would be the way to die a double death. Our Protestant King must go, and a Papift afcend the throne, and the covenanted work of Reformation be rooted out, unless that people act for their defence against the Anti-` chriftian party. I know no mids this day, but that every one must be on Chrift's fide, or on Antichrift's. This caufe will bear no neutrality: Mat. xii. 30. "He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, fcattereth abroad."

Never was the cause more favourable; for while our intruders and enemies cannot appear in the field but as rebels and traitors, laying themselves open to all the pains of treafon and rebellion, we have, by the mercy of God, the law on our fide. No doubt, maffes will be faid at Rome for them, and in other parts of the Pope's territory; but the prayers of all the Proteftant churches abroad will be for us and our righteous caufe; and the prayers of all the godly in the land will also be in our favour. It is true, indeed, our God is angry with us; but fure I am, he is not well-pleased with them, he never was nor will be pleafed with the cause they have in hand; and therefore, seeing the caufe is the Lord's, we may be fure, that "though he cause grief, yet he will have compaffion ;" and when he has done his work with his furnace on Mount Zion, he will bring off his caufe and people victorious at length, Ifa. liv. 17. And we have ground to hope, that if the noise of enemies go on, it will raife up at length a ghoft upon the Popifh and malignant intereft in these nations, that

fhall

fhall affright them, and ruin it more than ever; I mean, the ghost of the buried covenants

*

The intelligent reader, who is acquainted with the history of Britain, has only to be reminded, that the period when this difcourfe was delivered was very eventful. An unnatural rebellion was then breaking out, cherished by a Popish faction both at home and abroad, which in its progrefs threatened to overturn our religion and liberties. On this occafion, the worthy Author, as a found patriot for his country's welfare, as a genuine fon of Zion, and a faithful watchman upon her walls, could not fail to found a fuitable alarm. From the deep fense he had of the impending danger, from a clear conviction of indifpenfable duty, and poffeffing a natural warmth of temper, the ftrong expreffions made use of by him in this and other parts of his difcourfes, are eally to be accounted for.

THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED.

SERMON XXIII.

ISA. xxxii. 2. And a man fball be-as the fhadow of a great rock in a weary land.

HAVING, in the preceding discourse, offered

several reasons why this world is to the faints a weary land, I go on now farther to observe, that the world is to them a weary land: For,

6. An ill way makes a weary land to travellers. There is much ill way in the world, that wearies fore them that are travelling Zion-ward. It is true, the way of holiness is a good way, in fo far as it leads to the heavenly Jerufalem; and though it be ftrewed with thorns and briars, it is better to walk in it, than in the way to destruction strewed with roses. But an uneafy way we call an ill way; and fuch is the way through the weary land of the world. It is all up-hill, which scars the moft part of the world. The way to hell is down the hill, but the way to heaven is up the hill: Pfal. xxiv. 3. "Who fhall afcend into the hill of God?" They that would fit at eafe, and fleep through the world,

world, are not meet for heaven; the way will try people's ftrength, and an easy way to heaven no man fhall find. There are ftrong lufts, and temptations, and troubles, which people will have to climb over. But under Chrift's fhadow, the traveller will recover his breath again, and be invigorated for new difficulties, till he come to the top of the hill: Ifa. xl. 29. " He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might, he increafeth strength." Ver. 31. "They that wait upon the Lord fhall renew their ftrength, they fhall mount up with wings as eagles; they fhall run, and not be weary; they fhall walk and not faint.

It is a narrow way: "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life," Matth. vii. 14. Multitudes walk in the broad way, and there they get room enough; but in the narrow way there are few travellers, and they that are on it must take good heed to their feet, or they are apt to catch a fall. And confidering how rafh we naturally are, and how weak headed and falfe hearted we are, and how narrow the road is, and how loose the ground about it is, it is no wonder, that with the Pfalmift we complain of broken bones, Pfal. li. 8. These make a weary way. But under Chrift's fhadow there is light for the blind, ftrength for them that go even on, and medicine to cure them that are bruifed by their falls, if they intend not to lie ftill, but to get up and walk on.

It is a hard and rugged way, and therefore they must have leg-harness, as foldiers have, to preferve their feet from ftones and roughness in the way of their march: Eph. vi. 15. " And their feet fhod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." There are many difficulties to go through, that will need refolution and undaunted courage. The fpies faw fuch difficulties in the way to Canaan, that they brought.

up

up an ill report of the land. But Caleb and Joshua had another fpirit, that fitted them to face all thefe difficulties, Numb. xiv. 24. The fearful are not for heaven, Rev. xxi. 8. But under Chrift's fhadow, there is fweet refreshment in the hardest piece of the way, and nothing is too hard for them whom he bears up: Phil. iv.13. "I can do all things. through Chrift that ftengtheneth me."

It is a way wherein many fnares are laid. The fnares of the world make it a weary land. The way is befet with thorns, and lies through thickets, where on every fide there is fomething to catch a man. There are fnares in every lot, in every condition, in the most innocent things in the world; and there is need of great caution to get through them. How often are men in the fnare ere ever they are aware! Like the poor bird, they find the fare laid where they were not looking for it. But under Chrift's fhadow, there is a fhelter where they may be fafe. It is he that leads them through the wilderness to that place where they will be in no more hazard. Yea, cafting themselves by faith on him, they are in no danger from any quarter whatever.-It may be further obferved,

7.That the country-disease often makes it a weary land; and that in the world is fin. No fooner do any fet their foot in that land, than are they infected with it: Pfal. li. 5. "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive me." Though the power of this disease be broken in the faints at their converfion, yet it hangs about them as long as they are in the land. What wonder, then, that it be to them a weary land?--And there are five things that make it fo.

(1.) The heavinefs of the difeafe. It is called a body of death, Rom. vii. 24. "O wretched man that I am, who fhall deliver me from the

body