fealed pardon of all your crimes; I will give you all the good things of the land, far excelling the richest fruits of Egypt, even my own body and blood, with all the fpiritual and eternal bleffings purchased thereby.

Object. But alas! I have dealt fo bafely and treacherously with my brother Jofeph, I have no confidence to go and meet him, I am afraid he frown on me. Anf. He has indeed good ground to do it, but he is full of bowels, tendernefs, and pity to penitents, and most ready to forgive. Let me advife you to imitate Jacob when going to meet his brother Efau, whofe wrath he very much dreaded: He carried prefents along with him to his brother. In like manner do you take prefents along with you, fuch as, 1. A broken, contrite and humbled heart, a broken heart he will not defpife. 2 Take faith with you, and the fronger it is, it will be the more agreeable prefent to Chrift; put a firm trukt and confidence in his blood and bowels, bode and threap kindness on him, like the woman of Canaan, Truth, Lord, I am a dog; but dog as I am, I may plead for a crumb, feeing thy faithful word warrants me to do it; this prefent from that poor creature was fo acceptable to Chrift, that he immediately answered, O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt, Matth. XV. 28. 3. Take with you a firm purpofe and refolu tion, in the ftrength of your brother, not to betray or wound him any more, and feal a covenant with him upon these terms. 4. Take with you a fincere heart and purpose of imitating your brother, and studying conformity to him. Learn of me, faith he, for I am meek and lowly in heart. Thefe prefents would be moft acceptable to your grieved and offended brother. But feeing you have nothing of your own, cry, Lord, give them first to me, and I'll offer them unto thee.

What condefcenfion is this, that Chrift, the King of kings, fhould fay to all believers, Ye are my brethren and fifters: Who would not defire to ftand in this honourable relation to an earthly king, and far more to the King of Glory! Would ye have him then for

our brother to own us, fuccour and fympathife with us in all our troubles, let us forthwith embrace and elofe with him by faith, as he is tendered to us in the rich, large, and free offers of the gofpel, and then the relation is prefently made up. Ŏ how inviting and alluring is that word, I am Jefus your brother! It fhould conquer the most ftubborn will, and make every unbelieving heart to receive him like Thomas, and fay, My Lord and my God.

Let every believer in diftrefs come like the bee, and fuck honey from this flower, I am Jefus, your brother; Be not afraid, it is I. Do not miftake me for an enemy in any of my dealings with you; it is I, your brother, that means you no harm. It is I that loves you, and laid down my life for you; it is I, who by my blood purchased and fanctified afflictions to you, to work for your good. It is I that doth all things well, and hath infinite wifdom and love to order and direct every dif penfation for your interest and benefit. It was I that fweat blood for you in the garden, was fpit upon and buffeted in the high prieft's hall, and nailed for you to the cross, and all to purchafe eternal happiness and glory for my afflicted brethren. I am Jefus your brother, Behold my hands and my feet. It is I that died and rofe again for you, and have afcended to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God; and have gone up to prepare a place for you. It is I that fit at the helm, and have all power given to me. It is I that am faithful and true, I have the fame tender heart and yearning bowels for you I had on earth. It is I that never failed any that trusted in me. It is Jefus your brother, who am ftill the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Be not afraid in trouble, it is I your dear friend and brother; come near to me in the daily exercife of faith. Come near and clofe to me at my table, and take a narrow look to my five big wounds, and draw confolation from them. Behold the two wounds in my hands, and the two wounds in my feet, which were made to bring you back from hell to hea ven. Behold a fifth wound in my fide, and look into

my heart, and fee it panting with love, and do not queftion your brother's love to you any more.

ADVICE VI.

From Matth. xxii. 2. A certain king made a marriage for his fon.

THE gofpel covenant, or covenant of grace, is a marriage covenant betwixt Chrift and believers; a furprifing marriage this is, and yet a marriage of God's making. Wonderful! The great God is content to give his dear Son in marriage to fallen Adam's daughter, that was become a flave to the devil! Yea, he hath drawn up the contract, and all the articles of it. Chrift the bridegroom hath cheerfully fubfcribed the contract, he dipt the pen in his own blood on the cross, and put his hand to it in the view of God, angels, men, and all the world. Now the bridegroom wants your confent to the marriage contract, and he hath long been courting you to fubfcribe it: Some of you have often been purpofing to do it; yea, taken the pen in your hand; but, upon some small temptation, have ftopt and thrown by the pen. This day Chrift hath fet a tryft with you to conclude the bargain, and his ambaffadors are come, in his name, to fpread the contract before you with all its articles. Well then, Will you go with this man? Will you put your hand to the contract?

O finners, you have no reason to be shy in this matter, you have nothing to be vain of, you are mean born, of low extract; you are loathfome lepers, you are deformed, black, and have no beauty; you are cripples, cannot walk, unless Chrift lift you; you are drowned in debt, many old fcores hath Chrift to clear for you, if he match with you. O, who could make love to fuch a wretched creature. Yet, behold, here is one that is fairer than the fons of men, of the blood-royal of heaven, the heir of all things, courting you. Be aftonifhed, O ye heavens, at this match! One infinitely

rich with a beggar, the heir of heaven with the heir of hell, the beauty of heaven and earth with a deformed negro But if the bridegroom be content, why fhould you ftick? Can you give any reafon for your refufal or delay? Now the God of heaven is fetting tryst with you to conclude this bleffed bargain with you at his table, and calling you there to fign and feal a marriage contract with his Son, and that before all the perfons of the glorious Trinity, before the elect angels, before Chrift's ambaffadors, and before all the congregation, witneffes thereto. There have been many meetings heretofore, about this grand affair, to no effect: The world, Satan, and the fleth have formerly broke off the treaty; forbid it, Lord, that they do it this day. O, that the long fpoke of match, betwixt a crucified Jefus and loft fouls, may hold at last. This may be the last tryft, the last offer Chrift will make; it may be now or never with you. Lay your hand to your heart then, and confider well before you refufe.

Come, take another view of this beautiful bridegroom, that is in your offer. Behold how delicate his complexion is, He is white and ruddy; white in regard of his innocence, ruddy in his bloody paffion. O how peerless is his perfon! how ravishing his beauty! how charming his voice! how ftately his goings! how fragrant his garments! They fmell of aloes, myrrh, and caffia! Search all the world, you cannot find his equal. One glimpse of him is enough to ravish men and angels: His locks are black and bushy as the raven, his lips are like lillies, dropping fweet fmelling myrrh; his legs as pillars of marble, fet upon fockets of fine gold; his counte nance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars yea he is altogether lovely! Now, can you refufe fuch a lovely perfon, efpecially when you think he loved you, fo as to fuffer a cruel and bloody death for you, and to fend his portraiture with the marks of his wounds to be put in your hands at his holy table, and all to win your heart! Come view, and remember the many wounds he received from you, by the thorns which pierced his

head, by the pincers that plucked his hair, by the fcourges that tore his back, by the nails that pierced his hands and feet, and by the fpear that opened his fide! Surely thefe wounds do not mar his beauty to the eye of faith; nay, though he be all over wounded, mangled, and bleeding, yet to a believer he is ftill white and ruddy, the chiefeft among ten thousand, fairer than all the fons of men, nay than all the fons of God too.

Certainly the bridegroom must be in earnest, when he comes in his marriage robes to win backward hearts; when he puts on his dyed garments, and is red in his apparel; when he difplays his glory, brings the marriage contract in his hand, fpreads it on the communion table, and calls all who love him to fign it. O that many were made willing in a day of his power, to go into all the articles of his marriage covenant, faying, My heart is now content to go with the man Christ, that wonderful man; I confent to all his terms, he is my Lord and my God; my glorious Emmanuel; my beloved is mine; and I am his. Queft. I would know particularly what he requires on my part of the contract, that I may diftinctly clofe with him? Anf. He would have you, 1. Convinced of your finking and perishing ftate, while you ftand upon the old bottom of a covenant of works, and willing to leave it, and leap from it, and cleave to a covenant of grace, and a borrowed righteoufnefs, for all the ground of your hope. 2. He would have you humbled and grieved for your long flighting his kind offers by your unbelief, and for your preferring Satan's drudgery to his fervice. 3. Give up with all other lovers, and those that would rival it with Chrift, fuch as fin, the world, and the law; felf-rightcoufnefs must be renounced and parted with; you must break league with all Chrift's enemies. 4. Accept of Jefus Chrift as your husband, receive him in all his offices, reft and depend on him alone for righteoufnefs, ftrength, and falvation. 5. Give away yourfelves, foul and body to Chrift, refign your will to his will, and furrender all you have to his difpofal. 6. Refolve and vow, in