covenant of the people, a contemptible thing? and is this a gift not worth the taking? O no, no, say ye; furely it is a worthy offer. Why then, by the awful authority of the eternal God, and by the blood and bowels of his eternal Son, I adjure you to take him and his Father's bleffing; and all the bleffings of the everlasting Covenant with him. O fay you, I think I am gained and overcome by this offer and propofal; but I know not if it be a paffing thought that will vanifh, or a real faith that will abide the trial; I fear it be but loofe work and a temporary flash. Why, man, the covenant can refolve you in that difficulty; and it fays, "Fear not for I am thy God; I will ftrengthen thee; I am thy falvation." Are you content to take the covenant for this end, to discover the defects of your faith, and to work in you the faith of God's elect? Can you fay, that it is not in your faith, but in Chrift himself, that you are feeking falvation; that you are not building your faith upon your faith, nor your hope upon your hope, but both your faith and hope upon the covenant? Can you fay, that whatever be wrong about you and your faith, yet you fee there is nothing wrong about Chrift and the covenant, but that it is well-ordered in all things and fure, and fuch as can right all that is wrong about you? Can you fay, however I am in the dark about my faith, yet I have fometimes found out my unbelief; and, that I could no more believe than I could move the earth from its centre; but yet the joyful found of gofpel-grace hath touched my heart, and made me take up fo much glory and excellency in Christ, that I think all the world nothing in comparison of him; and I think my heart's defire is, O to have him for my Prophet, to take away the darkness of my mind; as a Prieft, to take away the guilt of my fins; and as a King, to take away the power of my lufts! Gladly would I have him, that thus my foul may be bleft in him, and his name may be glorified in me. Why then, whatever you think of your faith, and of yourself, as the blackest monster of guilt that ever was out of hell, yet it seems you have the faith of God's elect.

I would very gladly hope, that fame fouls in this af fembly are taken hold of by the hand of grace, and content to fign this covenant with their heart; and woe's me that there fhould be any here that would let all this love and grace, and this good prize go by them, and they never have a heart to it. But yet fome that have a heart to fign, may be faying, O I cannot write, I cannot believe, I cannot fubfcribe, though I think I could do it with a thoufand good-wills. Say you fo, man? Į will tell you good news, Chrift hath the book of the covenant in the one hand, and the pen in his other hand, ready to fet down your name, and to fubfcribe for you; only declare before witneffes that you cannot write, and do you touch the pen, faying, Lord, fet down my name, confenting to every article of the covenant, and pleased with the whole frame of it. Say you fo? Well, it is done, for he hath the pen of a ready writer; your name is within the bond already. But if grace will help you to a new act of faith, a ftronger act, read over the covenant again, and hear how the great JEHOVAH is fpeaking, and not I; and fpeaking to his only begotten Son that lies in his bofom, faying, "I give thee for a covenant of the people." Now, let faith fay, Lord, I take thee at thy word; I hear thee fpeaking to thy beloved Son concerning me a poor, dark, blind, and bonnd Gentile; wilt thou ever go back of thy word to thy Son? No, in defpite of the devil, I think that is the fureft word that ever was spoken; it is to him thou fpeakeft, and to me in him; and therefore, behold, I take thee at thy word; black and ugly as I am, the covenant can make me fair and clean; thy grace hath conquered me, thy love hath drawn me, and I am pleafed with the bargain; and I fee it is the beft bargain that ever was made, for advancing thy eternal glory, and my eternal good; I fee it is all my falvation, and all my defire; I fee it is wellordered in all things, and fure. Why then, the Lord be thanked that it is a done bargain, and that God's gift is taken off his hand. And therefore, having taken then the covenant, never ftand to take the feal in the facrament of his fupper.

The

The SUBSTANCE of fome DISCOURSES after the Sacrament, on the fame Subject.

NOW, my friends, it were not fit I fhould detain

you, by fpeaking to the feveral forts of people here; I fhall only drop a few words in the general. I think, if my heart deceive me not, the great thing I was helped to feek, fome time before this folemnity, was not only affittance to minifters, and to myself, so, as to be carried through the work, for I thought that would foon come to little account; but I would have had a day of power among you that are the people, that the glory of the Lord might fine among you. And now, what fhall I fay? O! "To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" Hath the right hand of the Lord done valiantly, even the man of his right-hand, whom he hath made ftrong for himfelf? Hath the Lord appeared, as yet, for as much of the work as is over? Or, fhall we expect that he will appear in the work that is yet to follow? Or, fhall our prayer juft only turn to our bofom again? I would afk you, What welcome entertainment hath Chrift, the Father's gifted covenant, got among you this day? He hath given him for a covenant of the people; and who of all the people have welcomed the Father's gift? I fear there are many fools here, that have a price in their hand, but no heart to the bargain. But to all the defpifers of Chrift, and all the refufers of Christ, in Dunfermline this day, in cafe the Lord may feize you with a word yet before you go, I have a word to fay to you, whether you have been at the Lord's table or not, although the facrament-table be drawn, yet the covenant-table is not drawn, it is covered yet, and Chrift is fet upon it, and you are all welcome; for all that have. eaten, there is bread enough, and to fpare, in his Father's houfe Chrift, as the covenant, is offered to you, man; to you, woman; to you that are before me, and behind me, and round about me, in every corner of this place, though I do not fee you, yet God's eye is upon you, and his word is directed to you: yea, this

covenant is directed and offered to you, he is the people's covenant, let the people come, be who they will, even the vileft monster of fin out of hell; God's giving him in this gofpel, is your warrant for taking him: and if you will not hearken to this gofpel-offer of Chrift for a covenant to you, I charge you, in God's name, and as you will anfwer at his tribunal, to declare before him and your own confciences, what ye have to say against him; is it that you are not holy? Nay, you fhall ot have that to fay, for to the unholieft foul here, this covenant is offered, for this end, to make you holy; and never fhall you be holy, till you come and accept of it. Is it that you have not grace to come? Why, man, when this covenant is offered, Chrift and all the graces in him is offered, and among the reft, grace to draw you: and if you will not put away this grace from you, it will take hold of you. Is your objection this, I fear my unbelief, enmity, and ill-will, put away all that grace? Why, that is the thing moft to be feared; and yet, if that be indeed your fear, there is the lefs ground of fear; for this covenant is offered to you, to take away your ill-will and enmity. Are you content to have God's gifted covenant for that end? Really I know not what good thing it is in all the world that you want or need, but what is offered to you in this covenant: for Chrift is the all of the covenant; and he who is the ALL of it, is ALL IN ALL and therefore, I charge you again, before you bid him farewel, to declare what you have to fay against him, whom God is giving for a covenant: Shall I take your filence for a confeffion, that you have nothing to fay against him? Then, by the glory of God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, by the eternal falvation of your immortal fouls, by all the joys of the redeemed, and torments of the damned, I charge you all, and every one of you, to welcome the covenant of the people that God is giving, and that by your hearty faying, Even fo, I take him, as the Father offers him in the gofpel, to be a whole covenant to me, to do all my work` in me, and for me. What fay you, drunkard, fwearer, whoremonger, fcarlet-coloured finner in Dunfermline? What fay you, communicant and fpectator? It may be,

the

the thing that keeps you back, is, O I am unworthy to have him; true, but unworthy moniter of hell as you are, if you think him worthy to be received, I charge you again, by all the blood that he fhed at Jerufalem, and by all the bowels of compaffion that move within him, that you do not refufe him, but welcome God's gift, welcome God's Send, faying, "Bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." If, after all, you are faying, Stay a little, Sir, let me take it to advisement for fome days: No, no, man, woman; I have no commiffio à to allow you a day, or an hour's delay; "To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart,:" If you refufe to-day, I know not but you may be in hell to-morrow. What if the next hour the breath fhould go out of your body and if your foul fhould flit out of your body before it flee in to Chrift, you are gone, you are undone for ever: if God's omnipotent grace and almighty power, which only can make you willing to accept of his offer, be not accompanying this call, he needs not our apology; he is the Sovereign, that is obliged as a debtor to none but himself, and his own pleafure, and his Son's righteoufnefs; yet ftill you are obliged to obey his call, and your wilful rejecting, is inexcufable. And therefore, if, after all, this gift of God for a covenant of the people, be flighted by you, you not being content that God fhould rent and tear the old contract that was betwixt you and your lufls, but efteeming it above this covenant, betwixt God the giver, and you the refufer, be it; let him and you reckon together, I hope I am free of your blood this day, for there will be blood in the cafe: if you will not have the blood of the everlasting covenant to wash you, to justify you, to fanctify and save you, nor believe that God gives it to you to be received for that end, then there will be blood for blood; "He that believeth not fhall be damned." Remember what a free offer of Chrift you have got this day; you have nothing to pay for this covenant; "I will give thee for a covenant:" you have nothing to pay for a pardon; the condition of the covenant is fulfilled by Chrift, and in it is a full payment of all debt; and therefore, fo freely is the pardon, and life offered to you, that you cannot