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own accord to his people who are refolute to be through. Unbelief and carnality make difficulties where there are none. "A lion," fays the fluggard, " is in the way." They make real difficulties greater: Exod. xiv. 15. 16. " And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Wherefore crieft thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Ifrael, that they go forward. But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the fea, and divide it; and the children of Ifrael fhall go on dry land through the midst of the fea." See David's experience, Pfal. xviii. throughout.

You fhall know that his goings forth are prepared as the morning. The manifeftations of himself are certain. As the morning will certainly follow the darkeft night, fo the darkest time which a follower of the Lord has, will certainly iffue in a morning-light of refreshment at length. Thefe manifeftations are alfo gradual. There is always more and more of God to be known, to be given out, according to the foul's diligent waiting and following on.

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Mot. 3. You will be great lofers if follow on; you will lofe what facred fire in your hearts will go out, if you do not cherish it, and if this fhould take place, you will be a ftep farther from heaven than you were. Nay, if you lofe it, who knows if ever you will recover it again; if ever the wind will blow as fair for you to Immanuel's land, remember that which is in Luke, xiv. 24. For I fay unto you, that none of thofe men which were bidden fhall taste of my supper." And if it should recover it, you will have to begin again, and it is a fad matter for people always to be but beginning; ever learning, and never coming to the knowledge of the truth, because they forget as fast as they

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learn. You will lofe alfo all the pains you have been at to get what you have: Prov. xii. 27. "The flothful man roafteth not that which he took in hunting but the fubftance of a diligent man is precious." What a fad matter is it to be at pains for fomething, and then when it is got, just to let it flip through our fingers! We have work enough befides. There is no propriety in always doing and undoing again. In a word, you will lofe your fouls, if you do not follow on to know the Lord Luke, ix. 62. " And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of heaven." Heb. x. 38. "Now, the juft fhall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my foul shall have no pleasure in him." And it will be a bitter ingredient of hell in your heart, that sometime you was not far from the kingdom of God, and yet miffed it. To this may be proposed these OBJEC

TIONS.

1. I have met with fo many disappointments, how can I follow on further? Ans. You are not "the firft who have met with disappointments, Job, xxiii. Song, iii. And yet fuch have found him at length. Difappointments are useful to the people of God; they sharpen their appetite; they are neceffary to give us honourable thoughts of, and to learn us to ftoop to divine fovereignty, for our time is always ready, while his time may be not yet come. They make the enjoyment more fweet, when we are favoured with it. And therefore follow on, and wait the Lord's time.

2. My cafe grows worse and worse. Anf. What then? his goings forth fhall be as the morning, and the darkest hour is usually before day-break. I fhall, in conclufion, offer the following Di

FRECTIONS.

1. Look

1. Look to God through Jefus Chrift, from whence must come all your ftrength. Let your refolutions be taken up under a fenfe of weakness, and a perfuafion of the fupply to be had from the Lord himself.

2. Be much in prayer and meditation. These are fuited to keep the impreffions of God fresh upon your fouls.

3. Make confcience of felf-examination, that ye may the better know how it is with you, whether you be going backward or forward.

4. Beware of looking back, much more turning back, to your old fin, especially the fin which has been the great make-bate betwixt God and your foul. Keep fpecial watch against it.

5. Beware of evil company, and follow only fuch as are following the Lord.

6. Live above the world while ye live in it. It will not be poffible to follow on, if we come not to an holy indifference about the world.

Laftly, Keep the prize in your eye, and remember how fhort a time it will be before you arrive at your journey's end. This confideration will animate you to follow vigorously, because the time will not laft, and the work must be done. It will difpofe you to recollect, that ere long you will be at the end of every difficulty, that the days of your forrow and mourning fhall be ended. Amen.

THE

THE ACCEPTABLE MANNER OF DRAWING

NEAR TO GOD *.

SERMON XXXIV.

HEB. X. 22.-Let us draw near with a true heart, in the full affurance of faith, having our hearts Sprinkled from an evil confcience, and our bodies wafbed with pure water.

I

HAVE been, in our laft difcourfes, urging and directing you to evidences for heaven; and we are shortly to celebrate that ordinance which is a fpecial evidence of the Lord's love to his people, and appointed to evidence it to them. That it may be fo in effect to us, let us hearken to the advice in the text; which is an improvement of the doctrine as to the great privileges of Chriftians. They have freedom of accefs to God through Chrift. They have Chrift as an HighPrieft fet over the house of God; therefore, let us draw near, &c.-Here we have,

1. An exhortation and excitement to a duty correfponding to the privileges which are through Jefus Chrift: Let us draw near, that is, to God. Though

Delivered May 1715.

Though he is great, and infinitely glorious, dwells in the highest heavens; yet, feeing he is upon a throne of grace, let us not stand at a distance from him, but draw near to him in the whole of our converfation, and particularly in acts of worship waiting on him. Let us do it, the weak together with the strong; let us prefs in at the door of grace together.- We have,

2. The right way of managing this duty for God's honour and our own comfort. This is laid down in four particulars.

(1.) We fhould draw near to God with a true heart, that is, a fincere heart; with the heart, and not with the lips only; not with a falfe hypocritical heart, but a heart true to God, true to our own real intereft.--We are to draw near,

(2.) In full affurance of faith. Let us come believingly, come in faith, leaning upon his Son, trusting in his blood. Let us not come doubtingly, doubting whether we will be welcome or not, whether there be accefs for us or not; but with full aflurance, like a ship that is carried towards the port with full fail before the wind.— We are to draw near,

(3.) Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil confcience. An evil confcience is a guilty, accufing, and condemning confcience. This vexes, difquiets, and torments the heart. Guilt is the mother and nurse of fears. The fting of guilt in the confcience is like a thorn in a man's foot; when he is called to meet a friend, alas! he cannot go, he dare not fet a foot to the ground, or every step goes to his heart. The way to cure this is, by fprinkling with the blood of sprinkling, that is, by faith applying the blood of Chrift for remiffion of fin. This makes the foul meet to draw near to God, and that with full afsurance, even as the un

clean

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