enough to supply. Come, and lay all my sins on my back, that I may away to Christ with them, and get more mercy and grace; for Christ is the ALL IN ALL of this new covenant: and in this way the prisoner is loosed, to the devil's shame, and to Christ's honour. Stand to your liberty, poor soul, and let your sins and wants hasten, and bring you forward to venture upon Christ, that he may loose you. O that the day of the Son of Man were come, when Zion will get a thousand Atheists at a draught, when Christ will get a multitude of prisoners liberate !

4. It is a glorious covenant, contrived wholly for glorifying God, and debasing self; therefore it follows, "I am the Lord that is my name; my glory will I not give to another, nor my praise to graven images." God accounts it the standing of his glory, to perform, all that is in this covenant, and not to give any creature a share of it; he will not break his credit, having once engaged himself in covenant; and he will not suffer any to gather up the rent and revenue of it but himself; "My glory will I not give to another." It stands on his glory, his word of honour, his word royal; he himself will do all, and no instrument shall have the glory of it. If you give instruments any of the glory, it is the way to blast the instruments; and blasted may they be, rather than that Christ should want any of the glory due unto his name. Therefore, for the Lord's sake, if ye get any thing this day, do not give the glory to any instrument; for, says God, "I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another." And, for his glory's sake, do not think of doing any part of the work yourselves; there shall none get any of his glory but himself. Means belong to you; and, in God's name, I charge you to make use of them; and the obligation to duties lies upon you; but, if you have any regard for the glory of God, let God have the glory of the whole performance: not I, but grace; either the Lord will bring you to this, or he will bring you to nothing. Let it be your maxim in religion, to make always much room for the free grace of God in Christ.

What shall I make of this you have been telling me! Why, have your hearts gone into the covenant of free

grace? Then I call you to a duty, such as you have, ver. 19. "Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praises from the ends of the earth." Whence you may notice, that when God is giving a full and free covenant, then it is a fit time to enjoin a duty; for then the man is at this, O! what shall I render to the Lord? No. thing advances holiness so much as the getting a full and free covenant; and he is the covenant, and the whole of the covenant: why? because Christ walks in the midst of the covenant; and when the covenant comes, he comes; and his very presence warms the heart, and that warmness enlarges it, and then the man is at that with it, "I will run the way of thy commandments, because thou enlargest my heart." Yea, when the free covenant comes to a man, and gets the throne, then holiness will run of course. The narrowness of your thoughts of free grace hinders all your holiness; for Christ will not sit down where the covenant gets not the throne. When the free covenant comes, it makes self go to the door, and bids pride be gone; for holiness hath a charge never to lodge in the same room with pride. When the covenant comes in, pride goes out; and when pride goes out, holiness comes in; for, He gives grace to the humble; and the most sweetly humbling thing in all the world, is a view of the free covenant, where God gets all the glory, and self nothing of it: nay, when the covenant comes, it makes self think shame of itself, and hide its face with blushes. In a word, when the covenant comes, it contains in its bosom all the furniture that is necessary for making a man holy; and also this covenant shews to a man that much is forgiven him; and when much is forgiven him, he loves much. And where there is much love, there is true holiness, for the love of Christ constrains him; therefore, where this covenant never comes, holiness never grows; but when the covenant of grace in its freedom and fulness takes place with a soul, there holiness flourishes. Would you know wherefore there is so much wickedness, and so little holiness in Scotland, for all the talking of holiness, as if the free dispensation of gospelgrace would mar it? The very reason is, little of this

covenant is known; men keep fast hold of their sins, because they will not take hold of this covenant. Where there is nothing of this covenant, there is no holiness; where little of this covenant, there is little holiness; and where much of this covenant takes place, there is much holiness.

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The new covenant brings in the new song, ver. 10. "Sing unto the LORD a new song;" and the new song is the new obedience; and the new obedience is the obedience of faith and love: and that obedience of faith and love is gospel-holiness. O then let the gospel-covenant have room, or holiness will never thrive and increase take in the covenant, and it will make you sing; Sing to the LORD a new song and his praises to the ends of the earth; for he that offereth praise glorifieth God:" and the more you glorify God, the more will your holiness be like that of the redeemed above, who are singing the new song in the new Jerusalem.

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SERMON VI.*

The WORLD'S VERDICT of CHRIST and his FOLLOWERS; or, the Truly Devout Ridiculed and Reproached by the Profane.

ISAIAH viii. 18.

Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel; from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

THE subjects I have lately discoursed upon, compared with this text, will hold forth to us a fourfold verdict concerning Christ, the glorious Redeemer of an elect world. 1. The FATHER'S verdict concerning him, saying, "I have given him for a covenant of the people, a light of the Gentiles." 2. The SPIRIT'S verdict concerning him, witnessing in his behalf; "He shall testify

*This Sermon was delivered by our Author in his own church at Dunfermline, December 16, 1722.

See the preceding Sermon.

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of me." 3. His own verdict of himself, saying, "I and my Father are one." 4. The WORLD'S verdict of him and his followers, Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel." In the first, the Father commends him to us by his approbation; "I will give thee for a covenant of the people." In the second, the spirit commends him to us by his attestation; "He shall testify of me." In the third, he commends himself to us by his proclamation; "I and my Father are one." But in the fourth, the world discommends and entertains him with detestation; Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel."

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-Behold, how the Father's gift is despised, though he gave him for a covenant of the people! Behold, how the spirit's testimony is rejected, while he testifies of Christ! Behold, how his own declaration is neglected, shewing that he and his Father are one! Behold, how unworthily this glorious one is entertained, by the generality who hear of him; even with prodigious marks of reproach and contempt upon him and all his children!

It might have been thought that Christ and his friends should be better entertained, by the people of the world, seeing he is given of the Father to be the covenant of the people: yet the most of people are such strangers to their true interest, such apostates from, and enemies to Christ, that his best friends, are ready to meet with the greatest opposition, when they are most employed in witnessing for him. But that he whom the Father hath given, for a covenant of the people, will still have some friends amongst the people to witness for him, is evident from that word; "He shall testify of me; and ye also shall bear witness." And surely they shall have no reason to be ashamed of their testimony concerning him, seeing he is such a glorious person, that he and his Father are one, in essence: and yet what treatment his witnessing friends are to expect, even in Israel, is declared in this text, by their glorious leader; Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel."

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*These two last subjects have not yet appeared in print..

That you may not apprehend we mistake the scope of the words it may be here asked, "Of whom doth the prophet here speak? of himself, or of another?" We answer, He speaks both of himself and of another. That he speaks of himself, is evident from the context, which you may view at your leisure: and that he speaks of another also, is evident from Heb. ii. 13. where this very text is cited, and applied to Christ: "Behold, I and the children whom thou hast given me." So that here the prophet is the type, and CHRIST the antitype: therefore hence it is evident, that in discoursing upon this subject, I will not deviate from the scope, while I apply it either to Christ, or his servants and friends: and while I consider it either as the language of the prophet, the type, speaking of himself, and his children, converted by his means and instrumentality; and so may be applied to all the faithful ambassadors of Christ, and their converts; or, as it is the language of CHRIST, the antitype, speaking of himself, and of all his friends and followers, who, of his own will, are begotten and regenerated by the word of grace: " Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel."

The scope of this, and several following chapters is to show the great destruction that was shortly to be brought upon the kingdom of Israel, by the King of Assyria, for their sins In these times of public calamity threatened and impendent, the prophet comforts the people of God, ver. 11. with the same comfort, wherewith himself had been comforted of God; " For the Lord spake thus to me, with a strong hand, and instructed me, that I should not walk in way the of this people." Where we may remark, 1. That there is a proneness in men to walk in the way of the people they live amongst, though it be not a good way: the best of men are prone hereto. 2. Those whom God loves and owns, he will enable them to swim against the stream of common corruption, though they should be called singular. In these times of distress, the Lord also cautions his people, by the prophet against all sinful fears, ver. 12. "Say you not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy;