any bleffing to fuch, that Jefus Chrift came. into the world to fave finners.

And now, good Chriftians, you see what a merciful regard God has had for his poor creatures in this difpenfation. The most ignorant may know what God expects from them. The greatest finner may be fure of pardon, if he repents, and brings forth fruit anfwerable to amendment of life. The weakest Christian may depend upon all neceffary affiftance. The meaneft fervant of Chrift may be fure not to be overlooked. Laftly; every Christian may be confident, that his labour will not be in vain, but that he may be for ever happy, if it be not altogether his own fault.

These are certain truths, and worthy of all men to be received. How comes it then to pass, that we so often hear these truths without being affected by them? Why, the truth is, we are not well convinced of the danger a finner is in without the help of a Redeemer.

If one talks to a fick man about the cause of his illness, and gives him good hopes that his diftemper is curable, you need not use many words to perfuade him to hear you, becaufe his life is at stake; but if you tell a man that thinks himself well, of a remedy, it is a thousand to one but he forgets it. This is our cafe-the case of the generality of Christians. We, in obedience to our Lord's command, preach faith, and repentance, and obedience;

obedience; we publish in his name a free pardon to all who are willing to comply with the terms of falvation. They that lay things to heart,-that know they are finners, and the danger of being fuch; these gladly hear, and receive, and remember, and obey, the terms of falvation; whilft others are as unconcerned as if they had nothing to fear.

From whence you fee, Chriftians, that your faith and falvation depend very much upon that difpofition with which you hear the gofpel. If you are ferious, and concerned in good earnest for your falvation, it will be no hard matter to perfuade you to look upon the gofpel as the greatest bleffing. But, without thefe difpofitions, the gofpel will be a burthen to you; Jefus Chrift himself no bleffing; nor heaven worth caring for.

You fee who they are, who ought to rejoice upon every return of this feftival, who ought to take comfort; by whom this truth is worthy to be received; even by all fuch as are fincere, fuch as refolve to ferve and to please God to the best of their power. Such may be fure of pardon and acceptance, though they have been never fo great finners. All fuch may and will receive the terms of pardon, and him who has obtained them, with open arms, and with a glad heart; admiring the great goodness of God; adoring the love of their Redeemer; refolving to live worthy of fuch mighty favours. And these paffions

will make as all cheerful, without being foolifhly vain; ferious, without being fad and caft down; fober as Chriftians, though our hearts are full of joy.

Now, unto him, who had mercy upon us when we were in darkness and under the power of Satan; who took our nature upon him, was born an infant, became subject to the law made for finners, offered himself a facrifice for the fins of the whole world, and raised up finful men to the honour of being the children of God: to him be all honour, and glory, and bleffing, and thanksgiving, and power, afcribed by us and by all his faithful fervants, for ever and ever.

Amen.

SERMON

SERMON XVI.

DISPOSITIONS NECESSARY TO MAKE JESUS CHRIST AND HIS GOSPEL THE GREATEST OF ALL BLESSINGS.

MALACHI iv. 2.

UNTO YOU THAT FEAR MY NAME, SHALL THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ARISE WITH HEALING IN HIS WINGS.a

I

Make choice of thefe words, from amongst many other texts of Sacred Scripture declaring the fame thing, to fhew you-what difpofitions are necessary to make Jefus Chrift and his Gospel appear to be, what they really are, the greatest bleffings that God ever bestowed upon mankind.

It is true, all Christians are ready to own this, and pretend to rejoice and to be thankful for fo great a bleffing; when, after all, it is utterly impoffible, that any man fhould from his heart be glad, when he does not feel his own mifery; who does not truly apprehend the mifery of mankind without the bleffing of a Redeemer.

a See Ifaiah Ixi. Matth. xi. 28. Luke iv. 18. v. 31. and xix. 10. Acts xiii, 26, 48,

It was for this reafon, that the Spirit of God, before Jefus Chrift took our nature upon him, exprefsly foretold, who they were to whom the Meffiah fhould preach; who would, and who would not, receive him and his doctrine.

For instance, in Ifaiah, [chap. Ixi. 1.] it is faid, that God anointed the Meffiah to preach good tidings to the meek, for they only would receive his meffage; to bind up the broken-hearted, for fuch only would be glad of his help; to proclaim liberty to the captives, for they only who were fenfible of their bondage would be glad to be fet at liberty. Accordingly; when our bleffed Saviour came amongst men, he invited fuch only to be his hearers, to whom he knew his doctrine would be acceptable: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. And when he was blamed for converfing too freely with publicans and finners, he filenced his adversaries with this reafon and anfwer: They that are whole need not a phyfician, but they that are fick. I came not to call the righteous, but finners to repentance.

Why; are not all men, without exception, finners? Yes. But that which is intimated in these words is this: that there are finners who are not at all fenfible of their bad condition; and their condition is the more deplorable for that: while fuch as are truly fenfible of their own ailments are very thank

ful