ing what he hath spoken: and therefore, let it not hinder your believing that he will do what he hath fpoken to you of. Hath he fpoken to you of pardoning your fins? And hath he fpoken to you of fubduing your corruptions? Hath he fpoken of fupplying all your wants? Hath he fpoken to you of bearing your burdens? Hath he spoken to you of healing your difeafes? Hath he fpoken to you of your provifion and through-bearing in the world? Hath he fpoken to you of your protection in time of danger? Hath he fpoken to you of fatisfying your defire? Hath he fpoken to you of guiding you by his counfel, and bringing you to his glory? Hath he fpoken to you of your trials, that he will fupport and uphold with the right hand of his righteoufnefs? Hath he spoken to you of your feed, that he will be your God, and the God of your feed? Hath he fpoken to you of your death, that death fhall be fwallowed up in victory? Hath he spoken to you of eternal life, that you fhall be for ever with him? Hath he spoken to you of his love, that he hath loved you with an everlasting love? Hath he fpoken to you of his Spirit, that his Spirit fhall be in you as a well of water, fpringing up unto everlasting life? Hath he fpoken to you of his bleffing, that he hath bleffed you, and ye fhall be bleffed, and that in bleffing he will blefs you? Hath he fpoken to you of his prefence, that he will never leave you nor forfake you; that he will be with you in trouble? Hath he spoken to you of his care about you, that he will make all things work together for your good? Hath he fpoken to you of his abfence, that he will return, that he will fee you again, and your heart fhall rejoice? Hath he spoken to you of his anger, that it endureth but a moment, and that with everlasting kindnefs he will have mercy on you. Whatever he hath spoken, O give him the glory of his truth, by believing that whatever he feems to be doing by outward frowning providences, yet he will never leave you, till he hath done what he hath fpoken to you of.—It is your duty to keep your eye fhut upon dark providences, and to keep your eye open upon the clear promife?

Has

Has he faid, he will not leave you, till he hath done' what he hath faid?--Then wait upon him in the due ufe and improvement of all means, till he do his work, and do not leave him. Return his promife by your practice, faying, Lord, haft thou faid, I will not leave thee, until I bave done that which I bave spoken? Behold, through grace, I refolve I will not leave thee, until thou haft done what thou haft fpoken: "He is a God of judgment, and bleffed are all they that wait for him." Hath he said, and promifed to this effect? Then, O put a favourable conftruction upon all his frowning difpenfations! According to your faith of his promife, and of his favour therein, fuch will be your faith of his favour amidst all afflicting providences.Whatever diftrefs and difficulty you meet with; yet let faith ftill fay, for all this, I hope he will do as he hath spoken: for all this I will not quit my hold of him, but hope in his word.

O believer! remember that whatever God hath faid to thee, he hath faid it with a furely, as he faid to Jacob, Gen. xxxii. 12. "I will SURELY do thee good." And when Jacob came to a strait, he put God in mind of it, "Thou didst fay, I will SURELY do thee good;" and therefore let your faith be acted with a furely, grounded upon the truth and veracity of God, faying with David, Pfal. xxiii. 6. "SURELY goodnefs and mercy fhall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the houfe of the Lord for ever. We live by faith, and not by fight;" and therefore, though dark days fhould come, you ought to believe when you cannot fee, "And bleffed is fhe that believed, for there fhall be a performance of these things which were told her from the Lord, Luke i. 45. The word of the Lord endureth for ever,"

Pfal. xix. 9.

Let the faith of the promise appear in your fanctification, holiness of heart, fpeech, and behaviour. " Having thefe promifes, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthinefs of the flesh and fpirit, perfecting holinefs in the fear of God," 2 Cor. vii. 1. Let it be evident to all the world you converfe with, that now you

are

are clean, through the words that he hath spoken to you. He that hath this faith and hope, purifieth himself; for faith brings all its purity out of Chrift; or, which is all one, out of the promife, which is Yea and Amen in Chrift. The faith of God's love will work by love to a holy God, and his holy ways: therefore, O believer! let your life be a life of faith; and refolve, through grace, to live and die in the faith of his love, which he himself expreffeth in this promife, "I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."

SERMON XC.

THE COMBINATION AND CONJUNCTION of JOYS; or, the JOYFUL APPROACH of the SAVIOUR, chearfully Welcomed by the CHURCH'S ECHO OF FAITH. *

PSALM xl. 7.-Lo, I come!-

SONG ii. 8. The voice of my Beloved! bebold be cometh!

WE have a communion-folemnity in view but if

the question be propofed, How fhall we have communion with God at this occafion? Two things are neceffary to it. 1. His coming to us gracioufly: there is no communion with him to be expected, unless he come fo he faith in the firft text here, Lo, I come! 2. Our apprehending his approach, and giving him welcome entertainment, upon his coming: then, and not till then, have we communion with God, when we hear his voice, and fee him, as it were, on the tops of the mountains, and fay, The voice of my Beloved! bebold, be cometh!

In the words complexly viewed, we have two things more generally. 1. Here is intimation given to the church, by the Lord Jefus; Lo, I come! 2. Here is notice taken by the church; Bebold, be cometh! Here is the joyful voice of the Son of God; Lo, I come! And here is the joyful echo of the church; The voice of my Beloved! bebold, be cometh! Mark the frame NE is in when he speaks of his coming; it is a joyful frame;

* This Sermon was preached on Saturday the 27th of April, 1734being the preparation-day before the celebration of the facrament of the Lord's fupper at Abernethy, upon the 28th. tE

VOL. VI.

“ Lo,

"Lo, I come! I delight to do thy will, O my God." And obferve the franie sur is in, upon the intimation of his coming; it is a joyful frame; Bebold, be cometh! He fpeaks with a joyful Lo; Lo, I come! and the speaks with a joyful Behold; Behold, be cometh!

Thefe two words being all the fubject I propofed to fpeak of, at the time, I fhall refer the further explication of them to the profecution of this doctrinal obfervation.

DocT. That Chrifl's coming to his people graciously, in their time of need, is a joyful and delectable coming, both to him and them.

The time wherein CHRIST faid here; Lo, I come! was a time of great need, even when facrifice and of fering would not; when there was no hope of falvation from any other quarter, unless he himself had undertaken it: then faid he, Lo, I come! ----The time wherein the CHURCH here faid, Behold, he cometh! was a time of great and felt need.; for the Lord, had withdrawn himself behind mountains of fin and guilt, till he paid a new vifit, that made her cry out with joy, -Behold, be cametb!

ر

J., That Chrift's gracious coming to his people, is joyful both to him, and them, will appear in the fequel; only it is enough here, to demonitrate it, that as HE is a joyful proclaimer of his own approach, faying, Lo, I come!-So SHE is the joyful beholder thereof, faying, Bebold, becometh!

The method I would here endeavour to cbferve, as the Lord fhall be pleafed to affit, fhall be the following.

I. To obferve what comings of Chrift to his people
are joyful to him and them.

II. Show what makes his coming joyful to him.
III. What makes his coming joyful to them.

IVE What expreffions of joy in him are imported in

I his, Lo, I come!

v. What