"Ifrael fhall be faved in the Lord, with an everlasting falvation; ver. 25. In the Lord fhall all the feed of Ifrael be juftified, and fhall glory:" and in this 24th verfe; "In the Lord, have I righteousness and strength.” And if you be once brought to this believing thought, "In the Lord have I righteoufnefs; in the Lord have I ftrength;" in the Lord I have falvation; in the Lord I have all; then you will find your work easy, and all going right. Now, you that cannot be brought to think much of Chrift, O pray God, if perhaps the thoughts of your heart may be forgiven you! and whereas you think nothing of him now, O confider what you will think of him in a day of challenges, when confcience awakens! in a day of defolation, Ifa. x. in the day of death, in the day of judgment! What will you think of him, when you fee him mounting the tribunal, and when pronouncing the fearful sentence, "Depart from me ye curfed?" Surely you must have dreadful thoughts of him then, if you cannot be brought to think highly of him now; now, when he is not come to deftroy mens lives, but to fave. But you, believer, that now think highly of him, whatever great thoughts you have of Chrift now, yet what will you think of him in that day, when he who is your life fhall appear, and ye fhall appear with him in glory? O believer, what will ye think of him, when he pronounces the fentence of abfolution, "Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you?" O! what will ye think of his palace, his attendants, his throne, crown, and glory? Sixthly, I would offer an advice to you that think much of Chrift, and have a high efteem of him. Ift, That him; and that, would evidence your hearty efteem of 1. By the degrees of it; fo as to esteem him above all things elfe, above all your relations: "He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me," Mat. x. 37. Our love to them must be hatred, when it comes to compete with Chrift; "If any man come after me, and hate not father and mother, he is not worthy of me." me." Above all worldly advantages; yea, above life; Rev. xxi. 11. "They loved not their lives to the death;" their pangs of love were ftronger than the pangs of death. 2. By the effects of it; fuch as, (1.) Defire of converfe: if you think much of Christ, you will defire his company in all ordinances; you will feek him in the temple, you will feek him in the clofet; in every ordinance, public or private, you will earnestly feek and defire him. (2.) Entertaining no rival that comes in competition with him, but faying, "What have. I to do any more with idols?" giving chearfully up with all other lords and lovers. (3.) Sympathy; grieving at these things that are grievous to him. (4.) Preferving his memory, living upon him: like the woman that drank the powder of her dead husband's body, mingled with her daily drink; fo fhould ye, by faith, daily eat the flesh, and drink the blood of the Son of God. 2dly, A fecond advice is, that you would do all that you can, to make others think as much of him as you do; and that, 1. By commending him, and telling others of his beauty, that they may admire him. See the practice of the fpoufe for this, Song v.; and what influence it had upon the daughters of Jerufalem their beginning to think much of him, and feek after him alfo, Song vi. 1. O then, commend him to your families, your children, and your neighbours. 2. By adorning the gofpel, and walking worthy of him, and wearing his livery. It a master's honour and credit to have a good fervant, and well arrayed; they think much of the mafter that hath fuch a fervant. And how does it proclaim the praises of Chrift, when they that profess him are eminent for piety, 1 Pet. ii. 9. I 3. In a word, Let your light fo shine before men, that others, feeing your good works, may glorify God, and think much of Chrift. O let your hearts be ftill thinking of him, your life praifing, and your tongue fpeaking of him! Here is a fountain for fpiritual difcourfe: if you have an opportunity of converfing with any, concerning the great folemnity you have been witneffes to here; or if any afk you, Where was fuch or fuch a minifter's text? here is a fair occafion for fpiritual converfe; for, you cannot, in a manner, tell them this text, without afking them a queftion, What think ye of Chrift? SERM SERMON LII, LIII. The GRADUAL CONQUEST; or, Heaven won by little and little *. DEUT. vii. 1. And the Lord thy God will put out thefe nations before thee, by little and little. You OU that have been right communicants at this occafion, you have been upon the field of battle, fighting in the name and ftrength of the Lord against your fpiritual enemies; what victory you have got, I cannot tell but fome may, perhaps, be faying, Oh! I find my enemies to be yet ftrong and mighty; "Iniquities prevail against me;" and, I fear, I never get to the full poffeffion of the heavenly Canaan, there are fo many and strong nations of enemies in the way, which I cannot get conquered. To fuch as may be thus exercised, the words of my text may be welcome news, The Lord thy God will put out thefe nations before thee, by little and little. We have here God's promife to Ifrael of old, concerning their being brought to the poffeffion of the earthly Canaan, which you know was a type of the heavenly Canaan; and, left they fhould be difcouraged by the difficulty of the conqueft, fo many enemies being in the way, he animates them against the greatest difcouragement. 1. If they objected the number of their enemies, and their ftrength; he anfwers that objection, ver. 17, 18. He had deftroyed greater enemies than thefe for them; and he that had done the greater, * This fubject was difcuffed in two ferm ns, preached at the facramental folemnity at Carnock, July 3d, 1727. + Bb VOL. III. would would eafily do the lefs; he that began the work, would finish it. 2. If they objected the weaknefs of their own ftrength and forces; he anfwers that objection, ver. 20, 21. Their greateft cacouragement was, that they had God among them, a mighty God, and terrible; and if God be with us, if God be for us, we need not fear the power of any creature against us. 3. If they objected the flow progrefs of their arms, and feared that the Canaanites would never be fubdued, if they were not expelled at the firft; to this it is anfwered in the words of our text, The Lord thy God will put out these nations, by tittle and little. Where you may notice two things. Ift, Ifrael's enemies defcribed; they are called nations, because of their multitude and power. 2diy, Ifrael's conqueft; The Lord thy God will put them out before thee, by little and little. Where you may notice both the glorious Conqueror, and the manner of the conqueft. 1. The Conqueror is God, defcribed by his fovereignty over them, the Lord; and by his propriety in them, thy God. He it is that fights their battles. 2. The manner of the conqueft: he will do it, 1. Effectually; He will put them out. 2. Remarkably; He will put them out before thee. 3. Gradually, which is the fpecial thing here noticed in the manner of the conqueft, namely, by little and little. The fame you read, Exod. xxiii. 29, 30. The wifdom of God is to be remarked in the gradual conqueft of his people's enemies; and it is in real kindnefs to the church, that her enemies are fubdued by little and little. Now, Ifrael, being typical of the church; and the land of Canaan typical of heaven; and Ifrael's conqueft over the nations, their enemies, typical of the fpiritual conqueft of the Lord's people over their fpiritual enemies; and the manner of God's dealing with them for the most part, typical of the way of God's dealing with his people in all ages: therefore I would deliver to you the gofpel of this text, and open it in this one doctrinal obfervation; Docr. That as the true Ifrael of God have nations of enemies in their way to the poffeffion of the beavenly Canaan; |