the Lord, nor to give up wholly with his lufts; sometimes he is almoft perfuaded, but never altogether. So there comes ftill one off-put on the back of another; and when the finner has been at the advifing and deciding this bufmess days and years, he is as far from a point the last day as the first.-I am now to propose fome considerations,

II. FOR Confirmation of this point.-Confider, 1. That there is no competition here in point of real value. What is the dead idol Baal, in comparifon with Jehovah, the living God? What are our filthy lufts, in comparifon with Chrift? Jer. xxiii. 28. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him fpeak my word faithfully; what is the chaff to the wheat? faith the Lord." It is a difgrace on our reafon, to put them in the balance together, and argues a fearful blindness with which mankind are feized, once to entertain a doubt which to chufe.--Confider,

2. That it is ingratitude of the deepest dye, not readily to fall in with the offer. When the potter is making suit to his own clay, the mighty God to his own creature worm man, to put off his offer, because of the craving of the heart after filthy lufts, these brats of hell, and spawn of the old ferpent, is certainly ungrateful. The Lord might have left us with them, to have made the best of them we could, which would have been no better than death; for what else could have resulted from our drinking that cup of poifon? But now, when he comes to offer us life, how horrible is it to be wavering and undetermined, whether we will accept of the Lord and life, or not!--Confider,

Lafly, That this warning is on a matter of the utmost weight, and what we have not one to-mor

row

row allowed us to advise upon. Our fouls lie at stake, eternal falvation or damnation depend on our choice; if we make the Lord our choice, we are happy for ever; if do ye not, we are ruined for ever; it is, To-day, if ye will hear his voice," Pfal. xcv. 7.; fo that, if death carry you. off undetermined, your cternal deftruction is unalterably fixed; and what an abominable thing is it then, to be ftill wavering -I now proceed,

III. To make fome application of the fubject. And with this defign, I would expoftulate with you halters and undetermined finners, who are not yet come to a point in the matter of your choice betwixt Chrift and your lufts, in the words of the text, "How long halt ye betwixt two opinions ?" How long will it be ere you come to a point how to dispose of that heart of yours? You have had many rich gospel-calls from the Lord, and many communion-calls, and yet you have not freely abandoned your idols, and made choice of the Lord, to this day. Still you are halting, undetermined, and wavering. How long fhall it be thus ?-In managing this expoftulation, I would ask,

1. Who are the wavering, undetermined halters betwixt the Lord and their lufts? I anfwer,

(1.) Ye who to this day never found the time to break your covenant with your lufts, and to enter into covenant with God, either in pretence or reality. Are there not some here, who never gave their personal confent to the baptifmal covenant, who are utter ftrangers to personal covenanting with God in Chrift? they have not even exprefsly in words renewed the covenant made for them in baptism, much less have they ratified it with their own folemn confent before the Lord; they are woful halters, but without making this,

choice they can never fee heaven: Eph. ii. 12. "Strangers from the covenants of promife, having no hope, and without God in the world."-Ye are the wavering,

(2.) Who time after time flight the facrament of the Lord's fupper, not preparing yourselves to partake of it. What makes you always and constantly mere spectators and onlookers of the feal of the covenant, and that folemn engagement to be the Lord's, but that you are halters betwixt the Lord and your lufts? Were there a bargain in your offer, of which all the partners were obliged to ftrike hands with the party that makes it with them, and you stood by, and would not give your hand; would not that prove you not to be determined as yet for the bargain? You would be glad to have the bargain ratified betwixt God and you, if you were really for it: Pfal. lxviii. 31. "Ethiopia fhall foon ftretch out her hands to God."-To this fome may object,

We would fain take the facrament, but they will not give us tokens of admiffion. -To this I anfwer,

What hinders your receiving them, but your grofs ignorance, or your ungodly and fcandalous life, which certainly ought to do it: Matth. vii. 6. "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs." But why do not ye get the knowledge of God and religion, and reform your lives, that ye may fit down at the Lord's table? And here lies the matter, you are not fo far determined yet as to quit your lufts, for all the communion with God that is to be had in the facrament.-Such of you are halting,

(3.) Who have had your convictions of fin, and are in fo far satisfied, that you should have given up with it, but your hearts were never brought

to

to part with it to this day. Are there not many who are ftanding undetermined this day on the carcafes of their murdered convictions? Acts, xxiv. 25. "Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time, when I have a more convenient season, I will call for thee." They have been lafhed by their confciences, to drive them to the Lord from their lufts; nay, they had much ado to refift these lashings; but, after all, these impreffions are worn off, and they are not yet determined.-Such are wavering,

(4.) Who have (often perhaps) been aiming at the covenant, but always stuck at one thing. You have been brought to a point in many things, but one thing you could never yet get over. O miferable halter betwixt God and the idol of jealousy! fhall that one thing mar the winning of thy foul? you be not content with all the articles of the covenant, without exception, you have your choice to make, yet you are not determined: Mark, x. 21. "Jefus faid unto him, One thing thou lackeft," &c.--Such are halting,

If

(5.) Who are ftill at faft-and-loofe with God, and whom nothing can bind, who do with their vows, as the dog with his collar, that flips it off and on as he pleases : Pfal. lxxviii. 36. 37. “Neverthelefs, they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they ftedfaft in his covenant.' There are many of our communicants of this fort, who come under the Vows of God very lightly, and as lightly foon after flip out from under the tye; the truth is, they never confider the matter with due ferioufnefs. They make choice of the Lord, but, in very deed, their hearts were never in earnest determined.Such of you are wavering,

VOL. İ.

Lafly, And in a word, who have not expressly embraced God and Chrift, but cleave to your lufts. Our Lord has often come to you in the gofpel, requiring your last answer, but you have neither yet given it, nor will you either plainly fay ye will betake yourselves to your lufts and idols for altogether, nor are you come the length of an honest refolve to give over with them for altogether. Ye are undoubtedly woful undetermined halters.

2. I must ask at you, How long will ye halt, and be undetermined?

(1.) Have ye not halted long enough already betwixt God and your lufts? 1 Pet. iv. 3. " For the time paft of our life may fuffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles." Have ye not often enough fent away the Lord in his messengers groaning from you, because ye could not be won yet? (1.) Young halters, may not ye, after ten, fifteen, and twenty years, or more, be at a point whether ye will be the Lord's or not? I affure you, God has been at a point with many one in that time, who never got your length, but their states are determined in another world already, without poffibility of alteration. Every feven years ye have been in the world, ye have had an year of Sabbaths, in these Sabbaths many, many a call. will ye yet be undetermined? (2.) Old halters, may not ye be at a point, after thirty, forty, fifty, or fixty years; ye have taken to advise in? will ye halt on, till ye flip into a grave, into hell, undetermined. All the fermons ye have heard, the communions ye have waited on, even all the rods and the mercies ye have met with, have left you where they found you, as undetermined as ever, and will ye ftill go away this day as undetermined as ye came? 2dly, How can you be at eafe as long as fuch

And