but for his lake, it was bound and wrapt up in an affidavit added to the decree, that there might be two impoffibilities to be urged against every objection, furmise or fufpicion upon the subject.

Yet notwithstanding all this, it appears that mankind were divided and unfixed in their minds. Some attributing falvation to wooden gods; fome to fun, moon and ftars; fome to themselves, and some to a partial decree which favored a few and neglected all the reft. Thefe provocations prevailed, and it was feen that they would ftill more. God therefore told Ifaiah, that to put an end to this idolatry and flanders thrown upon him, he had made another oath more folemn than the former. Says he, I have fworn by myfelf, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and fhall not return, that unto me every knee fhall bow and every tongue shall swear. And each fhall be bound to declare upon oath, There is for me in God, and for all the feed of Jacob, righ. teousness and ftrength, and matter of glorying and boafting. Surely it is fo. They muft fay fo upon oath. I have decreed the falvation of all, and am upon oath to perform it. And now I am upon

oath

oath alfo that every man and woman shall swear it too. I have no pleasure in the death of a finner; am not willing that any one should perifh: I have loved the world: I will all men to be faved. By myfelf I have fworn that I do. I have never bestowed existence and fuftenance as mock bieffings and hypocritical favors upon any one. I have never offered heaven and grace, and at the fame time intended hell and damnation for any one. I have never made offers of mercy and pretended pity, and meant the contrary. I have never out of ill will sent any man into the world. I have never neglected or paffed by, and rendered perdition unavoidable to any one. I have never been partial, regarding the perfon of any one. I never meant a curfe but a bleffing; even the bleffing of Abraham. By myself, by my eternal Godhead and power it is fo. And as I am yet trifled with, and wickedly fufpected and flandered, I have again fworn by my whole felf, that every one fhall upon the bended knee of adoration, fwear what I have fworn, and clear my name from murderous and blafphemous charges. I conftitute and appoint fabbaths and publick worship to be a conftructive oath, that I am not willing that any fhould perifh, and

that

earth.

that the bleffing of falvation is bound up in the decree and oath of God for all the families of the The word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness: fince fuch constructions are put upon my dispensations, it is just in me to interpose and make fuch affidavits, and therefore it is irrevocable. The word is gone in righteousness and shall not return. And nothing lefs than this fhall be deemed confeffion and worship.

God therefore giveth faith unto falvation to all men, and calleth them all every where to repents Acts 17. 30. 31. That is, a power and capacity to believe unto falvation. Where the truth is declared and opened, every perfon is able to believe. For faith is the gift of God to all men, and no man under heaven is bound to unbeliever. Some hold that this cannot be the truth, for if fo, every man would be a believer, and eventually faved.-- But it does not follow.

be an

God gives eyes to a man, yet he may fhut them

He

or put them out and make himself blind. gives life, and yet a man may kill himself. He gives reafon to a man, and yet he may abuse it and make himself a fool; he may, I fay, do

this, and many do. So alfo he gives faith, which may be exerted and improved unto falvation; but this may be neglected and buried, and a man may make himself an unbeliever.

Every man therefore is bound to fwear that he has in God, not only righteousness, but strength to believe and practice it; and to come into the glory to which it leads. The fabbath is therefore neceffary, that we might confefs the redemption of the world, and fwear to the truth, certainty, extent and impartiality of it. And as God is himself upon oath, and as there are innumerable lies forged and circulated against him in this particular, fo much more preffing is the neceffity of a weekly worship, which in its nature is a publick affidavit against them all. Be admonished then, ye tribes and families of human nature; ftrenuously keep the fabbaths, and cry aloud and fwear with God upon the mountains of Ifrael, that tranfgreffion is finished, fin ended, reconciliation made, and life and immortality brought to light. Say with the prophet, Sing O heavens and be

and break forth into finging O

joyful O earth,

mountains: for

the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have

mercy

mercy upon his afflicted.

He has redeemed us and

blotted out as a thick cloud our tranfgreffions, and

as a cloud our fins.

Sing O ye heavens for the

fhout ye lower parts of the

Lord hath done it, earth, break forth into finging ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein; for Jefus is become a ranfome for all, and the reconciliation of the world.

5. The publick worship and fabbath must be continued to keep up a houfe for God on earth. He rejoices in the habitable parts of the earth, and his delights are with the fons of men. This is what few people believe or confider, even of those who give themselves fome little concern about religion too. That it is fo with profeffors, and was formerly, appears from the apoftle's vehement interrogatories. 1. Corinthians 3. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God? What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghoft? 1. Peter 2. Ye alfo as lively flones are built up a fpiritual houfe.In whom you also are builded together for a habitation of God through the fpirit. Ephefians 2. Hebrews 3. But Chrift as a fon over his own house: whofe houfe are