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pel preachers and profeffors fuffered a hotter perfecution
of the tongue, than in this apoftate age, wherein, if
fome ministers fall foul upon the fins and errors of the
times, the very naming thereof is enough to offend,
though yet the nation be finking under the weight there-
of. Never was a gofpel miniftry more contemptible
than in our day: Satan hath ufed many inftruments,
and most of them have had their effect, to bring the dif-
penfers of golpel-ordinances into contempt: and it is ftill
more lamentable, that many have had a finful hand in
bringing their own miniftry under a reproach, and
laying ftumbling-blocks in the way of the fuccefs of
the gofpel, and marring the edification of fouls, by fad
compliances with the public defections of the day, and
errors of the age.

It is a day wherein the gospel of Chrift is contemned.
The time has been, when fome have thought it worth
crolling the feas to enjoy the everlafting gofpel: but
now, that it is become fo plenty and cheap, many are
loth to cross the streets to hear it upon a week-day,
unless they have fome other errand, perhaps to compli-
ment a neighbour with their prefence, at a baptifm or
a marriage. How much are we fouring upon the gof-
pel, and loathing the honey-comb!

It is alfo a day wherein fome of the friends of Christ are openly bantered, and lampooned, and gazed upon as figns and wonders; and wherein many facred truths are publicly defamed and ridiculed; and heart-enemies. to revealed religion, and to the gofpel in its purity, in the mean time, taking occafion utterly to run down the gofpel. What am I faying! In the name of the great God, I defy all the powers of earth and hell to run it down they may fooner run down the flowing tide, or the fun rifing in his ftrength, than run down the least of the dictates of eternal truth; "Not one jot or title thereof fhall fall to the ground." Dagon fhall fall before the ark; and the rod of Aaron fhall fwallow up the rods of the magicians.

It is likewife a day wherein providence is fhaking both church and ftate; and particularly the ark muft needs hake, when they who carry it are ftricken at with axes

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and hammers, and many are knocking at all the four corners of it at once, namely, the doctrine, worship, difcipline, and government, to get it broken to pieces, while. open enemies, (viz. curfed Popery and abjured Prelacy) are making inroads upon all corners of the land, in the public view of the church: fhe, in the mean time, unthoughtful of her danger, feems to be doing nothing, but, by inteftine broils, cutting off her right-hand with her left.

In a word, it is a day wherein that word feems to be made out, that there fhall be fcoffers, walking after their own lufts : drunkards, whoremongers, atheills, blafphe mers, debauchees, and profane fcoffers of the age, now have their day: it is now their hour, and the power of darknefs. This is matter of lamentation, and deep lamentation. But, however, God will have his day ere long; and it will be a glorious day when Chrift will appear, in all the glory and grandeur of the upper world, to the everlafting terror and confufion of all his adver faries, and to the eternal joy and honour of all his friends, who, though now they are for figns and wonders, by way of reproach, will then be for figns and wonders by way of renown; when Chrift will prefent them blamelefs unto his Father, faying, "Behold, I and the chil"dren whom thou haft given me, who, as they have fuf"fered with me in my reproach in time, muft now reign "with me in my glory through eternity.”

O Sirs, let us feck, above all things, to be on Chrift's fide, on the fide of truth now, and on the right-hand road to heaven, whatever rubs we may meet with by the way, fo as we may come to be on the right-hand of the throne, in the day of the manifeftation of the fons of God.

May the Lord bless what hath been faid; and to his name be praife.

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SERMON

VII.*

The VANITY of EARTHLY Things and WORLDLY Enjoyments.

ECCLES. i. 2:

Vanity of panities, faith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

T HE words of a king are commonly reckoned very witty the words of a wife king, speaking by experience, deferves fpecial confideration; and much more the words of a wife king, fpeaking by divine inspiration, deferve the greatest regard, attention, and credit: all thefe do here concur. The words of our text are the words of Solomon, king of Ifrael; the words of the wifeft of mere men; the words of one who fpoke from his own experience; and, moreover, who fpoke by the infpiration of God,

The fum of the difcourfe ftands in thefe two particu, lars. I. That the chief good, and chief happiness of the fons of men, is not to be had in the creature, or in any worldly thing. And, 2. That it is only to be found in God in Chrift, and in the true knowledge of him, and gofpel-conformity of heart and life unto him; which he expreffeth by fearing God and keeping his commandments; which prefuppofes a gospel-ftate of union to Chrift by faith, and communion with him in his merit, for the juftification of our perfons; and of his Spirit, for the fanctification of our hearts and lives.

The first verse gives us an account of the penman of this book. Where we have a threefold defcription of him; from his prefent office, his pedigree, and his royal dignity,

This Sermon was preached at Broomball, January 1723.

1. He

1. He is called the Preacher; and commentators ob ferve, that it comes from a word that fignifies to 'gather;' intimating, that now he was a penitent foul, gathered in from his wanderings, gathered home to his duty, and come at length to himself; and that now he was a preach. ing foul, gathering in ftraying fouls to God: feeing he himself was reduced, here was his penitential fermon, his recantation fermon; wherein, from the bottom of his foul, he fadly laments his own folly, in promifing himself fatisfaction, in the things of this world, and in the forbidden pleafures of fenfe: which now he finds more bitter than death. And hence two things fhould be learned,

(1.) We fhould be perfuaded here of Solomon's repentance after his fall. Those who think he fell totally and finally, are not only refuted by this, but by all the arguments which prove the perfeverance of the faints, which are many and impregnable: and also by other ar. guments, which concern Solomon himself, viz. the name that he gets, Jedidiah, 2 Sam, xii. 25. which fignifies, "Beloved of the Lord." Now, whom God loves, he loves to the end. And more especially the teftimony of Christ, that all the prophets are in heaven, Luke xiii. 28. Now, Solomon was a prophet, feeing the whole fcriptures were penned by no others than prophets and apofles, 2 Pet. i. 19, 20. Eph. ii. 20.

(2.) We fhould hence learn to accept of this book with the greater regard. The fun never fhines more gloriously, than when it breaks out of fome dark cloud; nor yet the graces of God's Spirit, than when broken forth out of the clouds of fins and temptations, into repentance. And thus it was with David alfo, Pfalm li. 2. The penman of this book here is called, The Son of David, And his calling himself the Son of David, teaches us, That he looked upon it as his great honour, not only that he was the fon of a Prince, but the fon of fo good a man, a man after God's own heart; and that he looked upon it as a great aggravation of his fin, that he had fuch a father, who had given him fuch good education, and put up many prayers for him.-Again,

his calling himself the son of David, faith, that he looked upon this as an encouragement to his repentance, and a ground of his hope of mercy, feeing though David fell into fin, by which he fhould have been warned not to fin, yet David repented; and therein he took example from him, and found mercy as he did.-But there is more here. His calling himself the fon of David, intimates his faith, that as he was the fon of the promise; he was the fon of David, concerning whom God had faid, that though he would punish his iniquities with the rod, yet he would not break his covenant with him, Pfal. Ixxxix. 32, 33, 34. It was comfortable to Solomon, that he was the fon of David, both for the fake of the covenant and the promise made to David and his feed after him, 2 Chron. vii. 17, 18.-In a word, he calls himself the fon of David, to procure the more reverence, that he was a prophet, the fon of a prophet; and it fhould procure the more reverend acceptance of the doctrine of this book, for the penman's fake: for, though it is little matter what the pen be, whether it be the pen of a goose, or a fwan, or a raven; yet when God makes ufe of fuch an inftrument, fo richly adorned, it challenges from us, the more due refpect.

3. The penman of this book is here called, "King of Ifrael." This intimates, that his fin was greatly aggra vated, feeing God had raised him to a throne, and yet he had fo ill requited him his dignity alfo, in being king of Jerufalem, the holy city, where God's temple was, made the ill example of his fin, and the influence it would have upon others, the more dangerous. It intimates alfo, that being fuch a one as king in Jerufalem, what he preached and wrote, was to be the more regarded; for," Where the word of a king is, there is power." He thought it no difparagement to him, though he was a king, to be a preacher. If men of honour would lay out themselves to do good, what a vast deal of good might they do! Solomon looked as great in the pulpit, preaching the vanity of the world; as in his throne of ivory, ruling the people.

Here we may learn, that God ufes inftruments of all forts in penning the fcriptures; Kings, as David and

Solomon;

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