verted, either he must get them in without his Father's knowledge, and then where is his omnisciency?) or againit his will, (and then where were his omnipotency), or he must change his will, and then where were his immutability ?)

Sinner, wilt thou not give up thy vain hope of being saved in this condition? Saith Bildad, - Shall “ the earth be forsaken for thee? Or the works is moved out of their place?” Job xxxviii. 4. May I not make much more reason with thee? Shall the laws of Heaven be reversed for thee? Shall the everlafting foundations be overturned for thee? Shall Christ put out the eye of his Father's omnisciency, or shorten the arm of his eternal power for thee? Shall Divine Justice be violated for thee; Or the brightness of the glory of his holiness be blemished for thee? O, the impossibility, absurdity, and blafphemy that is in such a confidence: To think Christ will ever save thee in this condition, is to make thy Saviour to become a finner, and to do more wrong to the Infinite Majesty than all the wicked on earth, or devils in hell ever did, or could do: And

yet

wilt thou not give up such a blafphemous hope!

II: “ Against his word.” We need not say, * Who shall ascend into heaven, to bring down is Christ from above? Or, who shall descend into " the deep, to bring up Christ from beneaths " The word is nigh us, Rom. X. 6, 7, 8. Are you agreed that Chrift shall end the controversy ? Hear then his own words: “ Except you be conso verted, you shall in no wise enter into the king“ dom of heaven,” Matt. xviii. 3. “ You must be " born again,” John ii. 7.- “ If I wash thee not, “ thou halt no part in me," jonn xiii. 8. "Repent,

a

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III. «

" or perish,” Luke xiii. 3. One word, one would think, were enough from Chrift; but how often and earnestly doth he reiterate it! Verily, verily, “ except a man be born again, he shall not see “ the kingdom of God,” John iii. 3. 5. Yea, he doth not only assert, but prove the necessity of the new birth, John iii. 6.; without which man is no more fit for the kingdom of heaven, than a beaft is for the king's presence-chamber. And wilt believe thy own presumptuous confidence, directly against the law of his kingdom and rule of his judgment, to save thee in this state.

Against his oath.” He hath lifted up his hand to Heaven, he hath sworn that those that remain in unbelief, and know not his ways, that is, are ignorant of them, or disobedient to them, « shall not enter into his reft," Psalm xcv. II. Heb. 111. 11. And wilt thou not yet believe, O finner! that he is in earnest? Canst thou hope he will be forsworn for thee? The covenant of grace is confirmed by an oath, and sealed by blood,

Heb. vi. 17. and ix. 16, 18, 19. Matt. xxvi. 28; but all must be made void, and another way to heaven found out, if thou be saved living and dying unsanctified. Men cannot be saved while unconverted, except they could get another covenant made, and the whole frame of the gospel, which was established for ever with such dreadful solemnities, quite altered: And would not they be distracted to hope that they shall?

Against his honour.” God will to fhew his love to the finner, as withal to fhew his hatred to fin; therefore “ he that names the name of “ Jesus muft depart from iniquity,” 2 Tim. ü. 19. and deny all ungodliness. And he that hath hope

IV.

of life by Christ, must “ purify himself as he is "pure,” i Johniii. 3. Tit.ji. 12.; otherwise Christ would be thought a favourer of sin. The Lord Jesus would have all the world to know, that though he pardons fin, he will not protect it. If holy David' fhall say, “ Depart from me, all ye " workers of iniquity," Psalm vi. 8. and fall shut the doors against them, Pfalm ci. 7.; shall not such much more expect it from Christ's holiness? Would it be for his honour to have the dogs to the table, or lodge the swine with his children, or to have Abraham's bosom to be a nest of vipers?

V. “ Against his offices.” God hath exalted him “ to be a Prince and a Saviour,” Aits v. 31. He would act against both, should he save men in their fins: It is the office of a king,

" to be a “terror to evil doers, and a praise to them that “ do well," Rom, xiii. 3, 4.

" He is a minifter “ of God, a revenger, to execute wrath on him " that doth evil." Now, should Chrift favour the ongodly, (so continuing) and take those to reign with him that would not that he Mould reign “ over them,” Luke xix. 27. this would be quite against his office: He therefore reigns, that he may put his enemies under his feet," i Cor xv. 25. Now, should he lay them in his bosom, he would cross the end of his regal power: It belongs to Chrift, as a king, to subdue the hearts and say the lufts of his chosen, Psalm xlv. 5. and cx. 3. What king would take rebels in open hoftility into his court? What were this but to betray life, kingdom, government, and all together? If Christ be a king, he muit have honour, homage, subjection, &c. Mal. i. 6. Now to save men while

in their natural enmity, were to obfcure his dig: nity, lose his authority, bring cortempt on his government, and fell his dear-bought rights for nought.

Again; as Christ would not be a Prince, so neither a Saviour, if he should do this; for his falvation is fpiritual: He is called Jesus, because Ke faves his people from their fins, Matt. i. 21.; so that should he save them in their fins, he would be neither Lord nor Jesus. To save men from the punishment, and not from the power of fin, were to do his work by halves, and be an imperfect Saviour. His office, as the Deliverer, is, “to turn away ungodliness from Jacob,” kom. xi. 26. He « is sent to bless men in turning them “ from their iniquities,” Aets iii. 26. “ To make “ an end of fin,” Dan. ix. 24.; so that he would destroy his own designs, and nullify his offices, to save men abiding in their unconverted state.

APPLICATION. Arise then; What meaneft thou, O sleeper? Awake, O secure finner! lelt thou be consumed in thine iniquities; say 'as the lepers, “ If we sit here we shall die," 2 Kings vä. 3, 4. Verily, it is not more certain that thou art now out of Hell, than that thou shalt speedily be in it, except thou repent, and be converted; there is but this one door for thee to escape by. Arise then, o nuggard! and shake off thine excuses ; How long wilt thou slumber, and fold thy hands to sleep, Prov. vi. 10, 11. Wilt thou lie down in the midst of the sea, or flep on the top of the mast! Prov. xxiii. 34. There is no remedy, but thou must either turn or burn. There is an unchangeable neceflity of the change of thy con

dition, except thou art resolved to abide the worst of it, and try it out with the Almighty. If thou loveft thy life, O man, arise and come away, Methinks I see the Lord Jesus laying the merciful hands of an holy violence upon thee; methinks he carries it like the angels to Lot, Gen. xix. 15, &c. “ Then the angels haftened Lot, saying, « arise, left thou be consumed. And while he

lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, the “ Lord being merciful unto him, and they brought « him without the city, and said, Escape for thy “ life, ftay not in all the plains, escape to the “ mountains, left thou be consumed."

O, how wilful will thy destruction be, if thou shouldest yet harden thyself in thy sinful state? But none of you can say but you have had fair warning. Yet, methinks, I cannot tell how to leave you

fo. It is not enough for me to have delivered my own soul. What! shall I

my errand? Will none of you arile and follow me? Have I been all this while speaking to the wind; Have I been charming the deaf adder, or allaying the troubled ocean with arguments? Do I speak to the trees or rocks, or to men ? To the tombs and monuments of the dead, or to a living auditory? If you be men, and not senseless stocks, stand till and consider whither you are going : If you have the reason and understanding of men, dare not to run into the flames, and fall into hell with your eyes open, but bethink yourselves, and fet to the work of repentance. What! Men, and yet run into the pit, when the very beasts will not be forced in! What! endowed with reason, and yet dally with death and hell, and the vengeance of the