fign the covenant anew, put your name farther down, below his who is the covenant of the people: let him be the all of the covenant to you; the worker of all your work, and you but an on-waiter; for his glory he will not give to another.

Perhaps fome may be faying, O Sir, the thing that fears me at this occafion, is this, I am put all in confufion with the differences that are among you that are minifters *. What do I know, but the reproach of a new scheme does juftly belong to fome of you, and that I may be in a delufion? What do I know, but your way of opening the covenant of grace may be fuch as others will call an enemy to the law, and to holine's? Why, what fhall I fay to you, poor creature? Let God' be true, and every man a liar. The Lord forbid that we fhould fpeak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him. If there be any perfon here, that never found this doctrine of grace have any other tendency than to lead them to licentioufnefs, I will pledge my life, that he is not a believer, but a perfon ignorant of the myftery of the gofpel. But what fay you, believer? cannot your experience bear witnefs for God, and his gracious covenant, that however vile and unholy you find yourfelf to be, yet when the new.covenant cord of free grace is wrapt about your heart, does it draw you to the love of fin, or to the love of holinefs? The more lively faith you have of Chrifl's being your treafure, your righteoufnels, your covenant, your ALL for debt and duty both, do you not find holinefs the more lovely to you, and his love constraining you the more to delight in his fervice? Let the word of God, and the experience of

all

At the time when this Sermon was preached (viz. Auguft 19. 1722.) the contest about the Marrow Doctrine was upon the field: First occafioned by a new impreffion of a book, intitled, The Marrow of Modern Divinity, with a recommendatory preface, by the Rev. Mr. James Hog, minilter of Carnock, as a book deligned to vindicate the doctrine of Free-Grace; which book the General Affembly 1720, by their fifth Act, leverely animadverted upon, and condemned ieveral precious important truths, through the fides thereof: And though a Reprefentation was given in by fome minifters (among whom our Author was one) to the Affembly 1721, laying open the dangerous confequence of the faid Act, yet the Affembly 1722, by their feventh Act, farther explained, corroborated, and confirmed the faid fifth A&t.- As this affair occafioned a very confiderable difference, both among minifters and people; fo this much may ferve as a key to this passage.

all the faints, in an agreeablenefs thereto, decide matters of this fort. But, O poor believer, do not fall out with Chrit, though even many of his friends fhould differ with one another; be not ftumbled in a day of reproaches and offences: "Bleffed are they that fhall not be offended at Chrift." Let your hearts go in to the offer of Chrift as a covenant, to make you both holy and happy.

Now, if you have got little this day, leave the com plaint upon yourfelves, for God and his ordinances are not to blame; your iniquities do fepirate betwixt you and your God; and yet, fay not you have got nothing, if you have got but a crumb; for a crumb is fomething that indicates that there is yet more coming in the Lord's time and way, Why, what is a crumb? If you are made more humble than you was, that is a crumb, Have you got more infight into the covenant? that is a crumb. Have you got more defire after Chrift? That is a crumb. Are you longing more to be free of fin, and like unto Chrift? that is a crumb. Have you got fo much as gives you a ftomach for another marriage. fupper? that is a crumb. If you have not got fo much as a crumb, believer, it may be waiting for you in a clofet, or a fecret corner; and in the inean time, the Lord may be calling you to reflect upon fome old bypast experience, when you got a more fenfible hold of the covenant than now; and to live by faith, and wait at wisdom's door. And you that have been fed, and feafted this day, O refolve, through grace, henceforth, a flated war against all Christ's enemies within you and without you; and do all you can, to keep the ground you have gained upon enemies; and fit not down fecure, otherwife Satan will foon trip up your heels: ly not down to fleep after meat; for God hath fed you, to run the race that was fet before you, and to firive who shall run fafteft in the way to heaven, following Chrift the Forerunner. You are to follow' none, but as they follow Christ the moft godly minifters are but limited examples; you are to follow them fo far as they follow Chrift, but no further; "Be ye followers of me, faid, Paul, as I am of Chrift." Take the word of God for your rule, and gofpel-truth for your ftandard, and the

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rather that there are many in this generation, who would be content that fome gofpel-truths were fcratched out of the Bible; but let your prayer be, "Lord, Send forth thy light and thy truth, that they may guide me."

In a word, your life must be a living by faith upon the covenant, the unchangeable parties, the Father and the Son. Here is a fure ground of faith; whereas the rea fon of your staggering is, becaufe you put in yourself as the one party, who are but a changeable creature, that alters every moment: but it is concluded betwixt two unchangeable parties, whereof none of them ever repents the bargain. O, fays, the poor foul, though I have been helped to confent to this covenant, and subfcribe it with all my heart, yet I fear I play the devil, and my heart break loofe again. Yea, it may be fo, but this covenant fays, I will draw you to heaven, if you were a devil: I will draw you back again though you were even in the very mouth of hell. And I think, you will find he hath done fo heretofore, believer, when you thought you was fo far down in the pit, that the Lord would never return again to lift you up: he hath returned, and furprifed you; and, it may be, hath done. fo, at this occafion. Qblefs him, and ferve him, and improve his covenant; yea, let me tell you, believer, you having embraced the covenant, it lies upon God's honour to keep you, because he ftands engaged to his Son; his word of honour is paft.

Some, it may be, are fill queftioning their right to believe, their right to take Chrift, their right to fub fcribe to this covenant; they ftand, as it were, at the back of the door, faying, What right have. I? Indeed, if you were a party and actor in this covenant, you might fpeak at that rate; but that you are not: you are only to be affenter and consenter. Your legal heart dreams always, that God will not accept of you, unless you do fo and fo: but know that God and Chrift do all here; and they have bound themfelves, by this covenant to do all and if you do any thing, ftay till you be able to do more than God hath done, than Chrift hath done; and that will never be. God engaged, in this covenant, to hold Chrift's hand, and to uphold him

in the work of redemption: the Father bears equal burden in the work; and all the three perfons of the glori ous Trinity had an equal will to it; and therefore, fee.. ing a Trinity hath done it, the work is completely done. O what fools are they then, that refufe to join in with this covenant, because of their own fhort-coming, and becaufe they cannot do fo and fo? Why, you can do alt that you are bound to do in this covenant, and that is juft nothing at all; for Chrift is the covenant, and the ALL IN ALL of it. If ever you do any thing in God's fight acceptable, it is the covenant of grace that does it in you. But now, as to your right to come to this covenant; what right would you have, but mifchief and mifery to be a right on your part; and the offer, call, and command of heaven to be a right on God's part? There is all the right to believe that I know. You would have a a right founded upon fome righteoufnels of your own: you would have in your clouted cloke with his fair robe; but God will have none of your blackened righteoufnels. The right is now, welcome a hard heart, to get foftening grace out of this covenant; welcome, guilty foul, to get pardoning grace out of this covenant: welcome, filthy finner, to get fan&ifying grace out of this covenant: welcome, chief of finners, finner above all finners, welcome to come and get falvation out of this covenant. Will you then object, and fay, QI cannot turn from fin, and I muft do that before I come? Why, man, wit you tell me, who but the devil taught you to take Chrift's room, and to take his work and employment out of his hand? His name is Jefus, becaufe he faves from fin." Q let him in, and he will speak for himself; he will fpeak to the devil, Stand by, for I have broken your head; he will fay to fin, Stand by, for I have condemned you by the facrifice of myself; "He condemned fin in the flesh" yea, he will fay to juftice, Let me through to heaven, with all my ranfomed at my back; for I have given you full fatisfaction. O let him fpeak for himfelf. Chrift hath got the guiding of all about the covenant; and when we take him, we take holinefs" with him; we take perfect holiness in him for juftifica

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tion; and we get an imparted holinefs from him for fanctification. What is the reafon of your want of holinefs? Becaufe you do not take Chrift: what is the reafon that fome who take Chrift, have little holine fs about them? Even because they take him very aukwardly, if I may fo call it; they take him backwardly. If we were better at taking what God gives, we would find more holinels fpringing up; whole taking of him would make whole holiness to you; but your broken taking of him, makes broken holiness. O! he is the Performer of the covenant, and the performance itfelf; the Doer of all our work in us and for us. And if our taking him, and believing on him were more perfect, our holinefs would be more too; for faith purifies the heart; a poor lean faith makes poor lean obedience and fanctification. O if you could Chrift once in your arms, you get all that the Father hath promifed: but poor foul, the best way for you, when you find your own weaknefs and wickednefs, and fear the Father's wrath, is to take Chrift, as it were, and hut him into the Father's arms, and that will pleafe him: when you get Chrift in your arms, you want no more, you have all you need; and when God the Father gets Chrift in his arms, he wants no more, he hath all that he feeks; "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Know this covenant, as it is enlarged upon, in the text and context.

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1. It is a covenant for light; a light to the Gentiles, Chrift is the wifdon and light of poor fouls, and teach, es them all the good leffons that they learn: what lef fons does he inftruct them in? Why, he tells them what is the way to heaven, faying, "I am the way :" he preaches himself, and it well becomes him to do so.---He fhews them how a man is made full by emptying himfelf; "When I am weak, then am I ftrong." If any fay, I will do my part of the covenant, he his part; why, that is all wrong: if you make him not the ALL of the covenant, you make him nothing. He teaches a man how to difcern his voice, "My fheep hear my voice." He caufes them to difcern a fpiritual preaching, a gofpel preaching; a fpiritual prayer, a fpiritual exercife.

Some