from whence it follows, that the publick worship of the evangelical church, comprehends and involves in it, all the defign, nature and folemnity of an oath; taken in the immediate prefence of God. The contents of this oath are here specified in four particulars.

1. A perfon is to fwear to his own falvation in particular. Surely fhall one fay, in the Lord have I righteousness and ftrength. The juft, and holy and unblemished life of Jefus is mine. All the virtues, the equity, juftice and goodness of his life is mine. All the power that is in him, is mine for all the purposes of helping me through dangers and difficulties, and raising me to glory in heaven.

2 In the evangelical worship, a perfon fwears to the falvation of all men in general, as well as his own in particular. His worshipping openly is an oath taken that in the Lord all the feed of Ifrael fhall be juftified and fhall glory. The oath here adminiftered and taken, does not relate to fome particular part of the feed of Abraham and Ifrael, but the whole. In Genefis and Galatians

3. 8. and Romans 4. 17. 18. it appears, that Abraham became not only the father of the Jewish nation by his diftinguishing faith and zeal, but the honorary and reputed father of many nations, that is, as it is afferted, of all the nations and families of the earth. Ifrael his grand-fon, poffeffing the fame faith, inherits the fame honor after him, All the feed of Ifrael then are the nations of the earth, and all the individual families whereof these nations are compofed. This oath therefore is an affidavit made with relation to every kingdom, province or diftri&t of the habitations of the fons of men. That in God, every individual of human nature shall be justified and fhall glory.

3.

That men fhall come to him. That they fhall have leave and liberty to come; they fhall be called; they shall be helped, and the gospel preached unto every creature under heaven. The apoftles did preach and proclaim that the gospel is the gofpel of every nation, of every family and every human human creature. This is the nature of the oath administered, that all men, all the feed of Ifrael, all the nations and families of the earth fhall come unto him.

4

4 And that if they are incenfed against him, and refufe to come, they fhall be clothed with fhame; because they will have nothing to fay to vindicate their conduct. They will appear so inexcufable and foolish, that they will never be able to hold up their heads, nor show their faces. That there fhould be fuch a Savior, and fuch a falvation propofed for them and proclaimed, and they called upon to own it, and refufed, and counted themselves unworthy of eternal life, and rejected fuch a gracious counfel of God against themselves, will put them for ever out of countenance. The matter of the oath is, an affidavit made, that it is, and will be an everlasting shame for any perfon in the world not to be faved and go to glory. For there is nothing in nature more certain than that they ought, and may.

The evangelical worfhip then is in its own nature and defign, a direct oath that Jefus is the perfect, exclufive and univerfal Savior. That is, that our falvation is wholly and entirely of him, and not of us; that he alone is the Savior without another: and that he is the Savior of all men without exThis oath therefore clears the divine character

ception.

character, that he has not given any perfon a ftate of existence, without a fair opportunity of making it an everlasting privilege and bleffing to himself that he has not treated any perfon with neglect and indifference; that he has done with every one, as justice and goodness required; that he is not partial, refpecting perfons; fent no one into the world under the disadvantages of the fallen ftate and condition, without an ample provifion against the evil, and a certain way to escape all its miferies.

This oath afferts, that whoever eventually goes to glory, he goes there wholly and entirely by the grace of God. And whoever perishes, it is not by the will and counsel of God; it is not through his negligence or paffing by fuch, or omitting to provide for their fafety; but it is through an abfolute refufal to be faved, and being incensed against falvation. If God decreed any perfon out of the falvation, or never prepared any falvation for him, or paffed by and left him alone, it could never be either his fin or his fhame that he was not faved; if any thing it would be his credit; because he has done as God intended him to do.

God

God intended that he fhould mifs heaven, and he miffed it, and did exactly as he would have him do. But the evangelical worship is an oath taken, that it is a fhame for any man not to be faved.

Here is alfo the form and manner of it expreffed. Surely fhall one fay. He that takes this oath fhall fay, furely, verily or truly it is fo. The Lord who adminifters it, faith, He fhall, i. e. he muft, he fhall be obliged to fay, Surely; or most certainly there is in Jefus falvation for and all the human race; and all men may come, and fhall come to it if they are not incensed against it; and if they are, and fhall mifs, that will be a fhame, and

me,

cufable. Surely it is fo;

will render them inex

furely, this is the truth,

do fwear, this is the meaning and language of my worshipping and confeffing Jefus in publick, that no perfon is faved but by him, and no person perishes through the divine decrees, or by his being neglected, or left unprovided or unpitied, but wholly through a wilful neglect or refufal.