souls, who, if it was proper for you to speak, would say, Thanks be unto God, that we can follow Jesus in the character of sheep, though we are ashamed to think how often we wander from thee, and what little fruit we bring unto thee; if that is the language of your hearts, I wish you joy; welcome, welcome, dear soul, to Christ. O blessed be God for his rich grace, his distinguishing, sovereign, electing love, by which he has distinguished you and me. And if he has been pleased to let you hear his voice, through the ministration of a poor, miserable sinner; a poor, but happy pilgrim, may the Lord Jesus Christ have all the glory.

If you belong to Jesus Christ, he is speaking of you; for, says he, I know my sheep. I know them, what does that mean? why, he knows their number, he knows their names, he knows every one for whom he died; and if there was to be one missing for whom Christ died, God the Father would send him down again from heaven to fetch him. Of all, saith he, that thou hast given me, have I lost none. Christ knows his sheep; he not only knows their number, but the words speak the peculiar knowledge and notice he takes of them; he takes as much care of each of them, as if there was but that one single sheep in the world. To the hypocrite he saith, Verily I know you not; but he knows his saints, he is acquainted with all their sorrows, their trials and temptations; he bottles up all their tears, he knows their domestic trials, he knows their inward corruptions, he knows all their wanderings, and he takes care to fetch them back again. I remember I heard good/ Dr. Marryant, who was a good market-language preacher, once say at Pinner's-hall, I hope that

pulpit will be always filled with such preachers) God has got a great dog to fetch his sheep back, says he. Don't you know that when the sheep wander, the shepherd sends his dog after them to fetch them back again? so when Christ's sheep wander, he lets the devil go after them, and suffers him to bark at them, who, instead of driving them farther off, is made a means to bring them back again to Christ's fold.

There is a precious word I would have you take notice of, I know them; that may comfort you under all your trials. We sometimes think that Christ does not hear our prayers, that he does not know us; we are ready to suspect that he has forgotten to be gracious; but what a mercy it is that he does know us. We accuse one another, we turn devils to one another are accusers of the brethren, and what will support two of God's people when judged by one another but this, Lord, thou knowest my integrity, thou knowest how matters are with me?

But, my brethren, here is something better, here is good news for you; what is that? say you; why, I give unto them eternal life, and they -shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. O that the words may come to your hearts with as much warmth and power as they did to mine thirty-five years ago. I never prayed against any corruption I had in my life, so much as I did against going into holy orders, so soon as my friends were for having me go; and bishop Benson was pleased to honor me with peculiar friendship, so as to offer me preferment, or do any thing for me: my friends wanted me to mount the church betimes, they wanted me to knock my head against the pulpit too young; but

how some young men stand up here and there and preach, I don't know how it may be to them; but God knows how deep a concern entering into the ministry and preaching was to me: I have prayed a thousand times till the sweat has dropped from my face like rain, that God of his infinite mercy,. would not let me enter the church before he called me to, and thrust me forth in his work. I remember once in Gloucester, I know the room, I look up at the window when I am there and walk along the street; I know the window, the bedside, and the floor upon which I have laid prostrate: I said, Lord, I cannot go, I shall be puffed up with pride, and fall into the condemnation of the devil; Lord, don't let me go yet; I pleaded to be at Oxford two or three years more; I intended to make an hundred and fifty sermons, and thought I would set up with a good stock in trade however; but I remember praying, wrestling, and striving with God; I said, I am undone, I am unfit to preach in thy great name, send me not,. pray, Lord, send me not yet. I wrote to all my friends in town and country, to pray against the bishop's solicitation, but they insisted I should go. into orders before I was twenty-two. After all their solicitation these words came into my mind, nothing shall pluck you out of my hand. O may the words be blessed to you, my dear friends, that I am parting with, as they were to me when they came warm upon my heart; then, and not till then, I said, Lord, I will go, send me when thou wilt. I remember when I was in a place called Dover-Island, near Georgia, we put in with bad winds; I had an hundred and fifty in family to maintain, and not a single farthing to do it with, in the dearest part of the king's dominions; I re

member, I told a minister of Christ now in heaven I had these words once, sir, Nothing shall pluck you out of my hand. O, says he, take comfort from them, you may be sure God will be as good as his word, if he never tells you so again. And our Lord knew his poor sheep would be always doubting they should never reach heaven, therefore, says he, I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish.

Here are in our text three blessed declarations, or promises:

First. I know them.

Second. They shall never perish: though they often think they shall perish by the hand of their lusts and corruptions; they think they shall perish by the deceitfulness of their hearts; but Christ says, they shall never perish. I have brought them out of the world to myself, and do you think I will let them go to hell after that. I give to them eternal life; pray mind that; not I will, but I do. Some talk of being justified at the day of judgment, that is nonsense; if we are not justified here, we shall not be justified there. He gives them eternal life, that is, the earnest, the pledge, and assurance of it; the indwelling of the Spirit of God here, is the earnest of glory hereafter.

Third. Neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. He holds them in his hand, that is, he holds them by his power, none shall pluck them thence; there is always something plucking at Christ's sheep, the devil, the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life, all try to pluck them out of Christ's hand. O my brethren, they need not pluck us, for we help all three to pluck ourselves out of the hand of Jesus; but none shall pluck them out of my hand, says Christ. I give

to them eternal life. I am going to heaven to prepare a place for them, and there they shall be. O my brethren, if it was not for keeping you too long, and too much exhausting my own spirits, I could call upon you to leap for joy; there is not a more blessed text to support the final perseverance of the saints; and I am astonished any poor soul, and good people I hope too, can fight against the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints ; what if a person say they should persevere in wickedness? ah! that is an abuse of the doctrine what, because some people spoil good food, arè we never to eat it? But, my brethren, upon this text I can leave my cares, all my friends, and all Christ's sheep to the protection of Christ Jesus's never failing love.

I thought this morning, when I came here riding from the other end of the town, it was to me like coming to be executed publicly; and when the carriage turned just at the end of the walk, and I saw you running here, O thinks I it is like a person now coming just to the place where he is to be executed: when I went up to put on my gown, I thought it was just like dressing myself to be made a public spectacle to shed my blood for Christ; and I take all heaven and earth to witness, and God and the holy angels to witness, that though I had preferment enough offered me, that though the bishop took me in his arms, and offered me two parishes when I was but twenty-two years old, and always took me to his table; though I had preferment enough offered me when I was ordained, thou, O God, knowest, that when the bishop put his hand upon my head, I looked for no other preferment than publicly to suffer for the Lamb of God; in this spirit I came out, in this