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them frong delufion, that they should believe a lie. This calls aloud to you to redeem the time; and,

ift, To labour to get the knowledge of the truth, to know what we believe, and to understand the principles of the religion which we profess; and for this caufe to improve the means of knowledge. Ignorance is dangerous at all times, especially in fuch evil days.

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2dly, To ftudy to know why you believe, and to understand the reasons of your principles. Hence the apostle Peter exhorts, Be ready always to give an anfwer to every man that afketh you a reafon of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, Pet. iii. 15. Many have been too eafily fatisfied with the principles which they have learned, without inquiring into the fcripture-grounds of them: but furely this calls aloud to the practice of the Bereans, who were more noble than thofe in Theffalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and fearched the fcriptures daily, whether those things were fo, Acts xvii. 11.

3dly, Labour to be experimental Christians, to feel the power of truth in your own fouls; to know Christ, and the power of his refurrection, and the fellowfhip of his fufferings, being made conformable to his death, Phil. iii. 10. Raw unfelt notions in the head are easily parted with in a day of trial; but experience of the power of truth rivets it in the heart: which is the true reason why many fimple men and women hold faft the truth, when learned divines let it go; for all the human learning in the world will not give men fuch a hold of the truth as Chriftian experience will give. These duties the case of our day calls for at all hands.

But for your further direction, as to what is your duty at this day, when the harmony in the fong of the watchmen is marred, and fome are deftroying what others build up, and a spirit of error is undoubtedly gone forth, I would fay,

(1.) Be

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(1.) Be not ye unconcerned with the public ftate of affairs in that point. For the honour of God, and the cause of truth, lie at ftake: and there is a wo denounced against fuch careless ones, Amos vi. 1. Wo to them that are at eafe in Zion. Some, if they get their own worldly affairs right, they are little concerned to know what way it goes with the church and interest of Chrift; they think it none of their bufiness, Phil. ii. 21. For all feek their own, not the things which are Jefus Chrift's. Some, from a profane and wicked principle of looseness, look on the confufions of the day with fatisfaction, faying in their hearts, Aha, so would we have it, like the children of Edom, who faid in the day of Jerufalem's distress, Rafe it, rafe it, even to the foundation thereof, Pfal. €xxxvii. 7. Others fhew concern about them; but the great thing with them is, thereby to gratify their curiofity, or fome particular humour of theirs; but their hearts are not affected with them as kindly children of Zion.

But I would advise you to a cordial concern, in your most fecret retirements before the Lord, in these matters. Take to heart the difhonour done to God thereby, the wounds given to truth,, the ftroke renched to true religion, and the danger to the foul of men. Shew fuch fympathy with God's interefes, as you may be capable to fay before the Lord, The zeal of thine houfe hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee, are fallen upon me, Pfal. lxix. 9. If I forget thee, O Jerufalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerufalem above my chief joy, Pfal. cxxxvii. 5. 6. Mourn over thefe things in fecret, as the felect few in Jerufalem did, Ezek. ix. 4. forecited. Wrestle with God in prayer for his appear. ance, for his return to the land, to ordinances, and to the spirits of his minifters and people. Hear what the Lord fays, I have fet watchmen upon thy walls,

Jerufalem, which fhall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not filence; and give him no reft, till he establish, and till he make Jerufalem a praife in the earth, If. Ixii,

6.7.

(2.) Let your hearts be impreffed with awful thoughts of the anger of God against the generation, appearing in that matter, Hab. iii. 16. It is an awful thought, that Zion-builders are now turned like Babel-builders, through the anger of God, that they cannot understand one another. It was a fad fign to Jerufalem, when coals of fire were taken from between the cherubims, and scattered over the city, Ezek. x. 2. And when the angel took fire off the altar, and caft it on the earth, Rev. viii. 5. fearful confufions enfued. Thefe coals of fire are scattered amongst us, and the profpect of the iffue may cause a ferious obferver to tremble.

(3.) Be duly affected with the hazard of your own fouls in fuch a time. There is danger on every hand, when the anger of the Lord feems to be against the whole multitude of us. Let no man adventure to lodge the caufes of wrath in one party. Some may be deeper than others in the finful courfe; but all have a deep hand in the provocation. Hear what the Lord fays to Ifrael, Ezek. vii. 12. 13. 14. The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the feller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. For the feller fhall not return to that which is fold, although they were yet alive: for the vifion is touching the whole multitude thereof, which Shall not return neither fball any firengthen himself in the iniquity of his life. They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready, but none goeth to the battle for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. There is a danger of ftraying both to the right and left hand in this time of the Lord's anger. And if the Lord do not pity, there may be frightful monu

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ments of the Lord's anger on both hands, giving up men to strong delufions.

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(4.) Give yourselves folemnly away to Chrift, te be by him carried fafely through the wilderness in the dark and cloudy day. Say with the prophet, Therefore I will look unto the Lord; 1 will wait for the God of my falvation, my God will hear me, Micah vii. 7. In confideration of your danger, take him anew for your guide and leader, faying with the spouse, Cant. i. 7. Tell me, O thou whom my foul loveth, where thou feedeft, where thou makeft thy flock to reft at noon: for why fhould I be as one that turneth afide by the flocks of thy companions? Our own wisdom is not to be trufted at any time, efpecially when the days are evil. Now when you fee the mist arifing, take faft hold of him; when you fee the ftorm a-coming, chufe him for your pilot, and commit yourselves to his conduct through the waves.

(5.) Keep up habitually a holy jealousy over yourfelves, and confidence in the promise of direction, and a confcientious believing ufe of the means of his appointment. That holy jealoufy is neceffary in refpect of the fnares in the evil day, and the corruption of our hearts fo ready to entangle us in them. He that trufteth in his own heart, is a fool, Prov. xxviii. 26. The promises are many on which faith is to be exercifed; as, The meck will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way, Pfal. xxv. 9. Į will inftruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou balt go: I will guide thee with mine eye, Pfal. xxxii. 8. Thine ears fhall hear a word behind thee, faying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left, If. xxx. 21. And you must use the means in confidence of the promife, Cant. i. 7. 8. When the fpouse prayed for direction, Tell me, &c. quoted above, the Bridegroom replied, If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids befide the Shepherds tents. Go ye and de

Likewife.

(6.) Beware

(6.) Beware of thofe things particularly, which leave men to be a prey to delufion in evil days, and for which God leaves them to be carried away with the torrent. And these are,

[1] Worldly-mindedness, denoted, Rev. vii. 3. by the earth. Carnak earthly profeffors are ready to get a caft in such a day; they whofe God is the world, will be fure to hold by it, when Chrift and the world. part. Why has the caufe of God fo few friends, but because the world has fo many? The world's eafe, advantage, good word, and its multitude, have a great fway with men, to the prejudice of their duty, as in the case of Demas, 2 Tim. iv. 10. who forfook the apoftle Paul, having loved this present world.

[2.] Inftability and wavering, denoted, Rev. vii. 3. by the fea. They that have itching ears after novelties, are ready to be caught in the fnare. And hence: it is, that at this day old folid truths are loathed and difrelished, and the land-marks fet by our fathers are removed..

[3.] Pride and self-conceit, denoted, Rev. vii. 3. by the trees. None are readier to fall into the fnare. than those who are high in conceit with themselves. The humble foul lies faireft to make its way fairly through, while the ftormy wind blows, and cafts down many tall cedars.

[4.] A fecret difguft of the truth, through a love to unrighteousness, 2 Theff. ii. 10. forecited. When practical religion decays in a generation, and fin abounds, the truth cannot long mifs to be departed from. Lufts fecretly entertained in the heart, prepare men for quitting of truth in their judgements.

[5.] Formality, Rev. xi. 2. Those that worship in the outer court, are ready to become a prey to delusion. (7.) Be much converfant in the fcriptures; Search · the fcriptures, fays Chrift, John v. 39. and there notice what the Spirit of the Lord teaches. The fcripture is the reed for measuring the fanctuary; it is the infallible word, the only foundation of divine faith.

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