foul enquire of them of the certainty of their doc trine, they can anfwer, "We are witnelles of thefe, things," we have been loft, but are now found, we have been dead, but are alive again, and fhall live, because Jefus is our life for evermore.

The Ifraelites had been dejected, and thought, as for us, we are cut off, and God has caft us away, we have no hope," therefore was Ezekiel fhewn this vifion, and ordered to say to that poor difconfolate houfe of Ifrael, that though there was. no more likelihood of their deliverance than of the refurrection of dry bones, yet would God furely vifit them, and bring them up out of their graves, that is, the low estate in which they were like men: dead and buried, "then will I put my Spirit in you, and you fhall live, faith the Lord God!"

In this way a poor troubled finner may think to himself, I am dead and like one gone down to the pit; my hope leffens, and my heart and foul is dead and heavy to the laft degree; I am afraid I am gone: too far to be faved, and that, for my part, I am cut off as a dry branch and withered, and fit for nothing but to be caft into the fire. Such thoughts oftem: occur, where a perfon gets awakened and is much alone, or who has not understood, though they were: dead, who believe in Jefus, yet they fhall live. Here the gofpel is of the utmost weight and importance, it is of real fervice, and fets before the foul ready to perifh a crucified Saviour, a dying and bleeding Lamb, the fight of which revives the heart, and begins a new and everlasting life. The feet of them who bring the glad tidings are beautiful to fuch, for of them they hear that "the dry bones can live." In this refpect, therefore, we must admire the wisdom of our dear Saviour, in fending men with the gofpel rather than angels; for though many may think, If I could have an angel appear

to

to me and tell me of falvation, it would at once fatisfy me; yet in great measure fuch, who have fo thought, had their wishes been granted, would be mistaken; for fhould an angel or bleffed fpirit announce the death and merits of our Saviour, and declare his love and mercy, it is easy for a foul convinced of fin to think, Alas! thou art an angel, and one who kept his first estate, thou haft never finned, nor been difobedient, nor felt a heart cold and dead like mine, to thee therefore it may be right and just to believe fo well of the Redeemer, but I am a finner, a poor, loft, helplefs, and dead finner, and have no right to venture to the Saviour like thee. In this cafe, I fay, a minifter of Chrift can be of more ufe than a vifion of angels, for he is a witnefs of the grace and pardon of God our Saviour; he was once in the fame deep mire and clay, and convinced of his fad condition by nature, but found mercy and everlasting life in the wounds of Jefus Chrift: But there is a greater witness than men or angels, and that is the Holy Spirit, who is the "Lord and Giver of life, and who beareth witnefs with our fpirits that we are the children of God." He will not commit this most important and weightieft work to any minifter, however trufty or faithful, nor to any of the most dear angels, but is himself the ascertainer and witness of our adoption and fonfhip, that we need not be left to reafon and queftion of the truth of an angelical vifion, or be at the uncertainty of the meffage of a man, or be exposed to doubt and fear in their abfence, fuppofing we could be well perfuaded of their veracity and faithfulness; but we have the Spirit of truth with us, who cannot lie, and whofe conviction in the heart is more folid and fure than if all heaven was opened, and every angel affured us of our part in Chrift; yea, more folid and certain than if all the prophets, apostles, mar

tyrs,

tyrs, and witneffes of every age ftood before us, and preached to us how we were beloved of God, and confeffed by our Saviour, in prefence of all his holy angels. This witnefs remains, when vifions cease, when we do not dream bleffed dreams any more, when preaching is over, and time is no longer. "He will abide with us for ever. He will never leave or forfake us," and in our last moments, when our strength fails, and our friends and nearest relations can comfort us no more, then he will continue "the faithful and true witnefs," in whom, till then, we live in peace here, and fhall live to all eternity, through the death of Jefus, who is "the refurrection and the life." To whom be glory and thanksgiving for evermore. Amen.

DISCOURSE

DISCOURSE XXXV.

THE SAFETY OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN.

EZEK. ix. 6.

Come not near any man upon whom is the mark.

THES

HESE words are part of the charge which God gave to the deftroying angels whom the prophet, in a vifion, faw ftanding in the Lord's prefence, each with his deftroying weapon in his hand; and who were waiting at his word to flay without mercy all but fuch as were diftinguifhed by a hidden or fecret character, called, in the text, "the mark." Ezekiel relates the manner of the fealing fome to be faved, and the order to flay utterly all the reft, with an uncommon and ftriking folemnity. "He fings of mercy and judgment, of the goodnefs and feverity of God," before the whole rebellious house of Ifrael: nor was the vision intended for their fakes only to whom at that time the oracles of God were fent, but the whole, like most of the other infpired writings, concerns the race of mankind in general, and particularly those who are called by the Lord's

name.

It was undoubtedly fent to warn men of an approaching day, wherein all who have fatisfied themfelves without "the power of godlinefs, the one thing needful," fhould weep and wail bitterly, and be cut off and destroyed from among the people of

God; and to infpire all who are any ways difpofed to be faved, to make their election fure, and to get their intereft and part fecured in the book of life, as well as to fhew forth their fafe and happy condition "who are fealed to the day of redemption," and who have obtained of God our Saviour the witnefs of the Spirit, that they are the children of God." N

The bleffings as well as curfes made to the Ifraelites under the law have been obferved chiefly to relate to things temporal, but then they were thadows of eternal things, and of which now the gofpel treats plainly and without a veil. Hence we may innocently conclude, that how far foever this vifion might relate to the overthrow and rejection of the Jews, on account of their unbelief, idolatry, and perverse behaviour, yet it certainty had respect to a time of greater defolation than that of cutting off the Ifraelites, or difperfing and fcattering them among the nations: For St. John, in his book of Revelations, mentions of the things which thall come to pass in the laft day, in much the fame manner as in this part of Ezekiel's prophecy.

He faw that fome angels, who had power to hurt the earth and the fea, &c. were charged not to do it till the fervants of God were fealed in their foreheads," and then to hurt and torment fuch who had not received that feal. Thus Ezekiel fays, "There stood a man by the brazen altar, cloathed in white linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his fide," who was appointed to fet a mark on all that were mourners in Ifrael, and who fighed because of the abominations of Jerufalem; and when he had done this, then the other angels, who had deftroying weapons in their hands, were commanded "to go out after him and spare not, neither fhew pity, but kill utterly old and young, women, maids, and little

children,