4. Confider, that by fuch horrid fuggeftions as thefe, you are tempted to affume to yourself a prerogative that belongs to God only. It is he that lives for ever and ever that fays, "I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal," Deut. xxxii. 39. Your life is not your own to difpofe of; and as you cannot lengthen your life, fo you may not fhorten it. Therefore,

5. When you are thus tempted, keep not the devil's counfels, nor be thou his fecretary: go to fome faithful minifter, or experienced Chriftian, and tell them how you are tempted; for this temptation is partly conquered, when it is revealed.

6. Thefe who think they fhall be damned, and go to hell when they die, it is the greatest madness in the world for them to haften their death. That the fear of hell thould make them leap into hell, is fo contrary to all common fenfe, that it is a wonder that any one fhould fo much cease to be a man, not to fay a Chrif tian, as to do a thing fo contrary to nature, let be to grace. Let me afk you, Can you endure to be among blafphemers? Can you endure to blafpheme God yourself for a year together, or an hour, and to fpend it all in curfing and blafpheming? If your foul abhor this, why will you leap into hell, a place of everlasting blafphemy? I read of one, who having been a long time tempted to make away herfelf, at laft refolved to do it, for the thoughts of the torments of hell were not prevalent enough to deter her; but as fhe was going to deftroy herfelf, it was brought to her mind, that in hell fhe fhould blafpheme God for ever; which the abhoring to do, upon that very account forbore the wicked action. If you were to be only in a state of horror and torment, it were fad enough; but for to put thyfelf into a flate of blafphemy, how canft thou endure to think of it?

7. Take heed of fighting against Satan with human reafon, for this Leviathan laughs at the fhaking of this fpear his fcales are too clofs to be pierced by it: but take the fword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, which divides between the joints and the marrow; fay to Satan, "It is written, Thou shalt not kill.”

8. Pray,

8. Pray, pray much; for the fword of the Spirit must be wielded by the fkilful arm of the Spirit. If thou goeft out in confidence of thy being able to ma. nage fcripture by thy own ftrength and fkill, it will fare with thee, as it did with thefe, Acts xix. 15, 16. "They thought to caft out devils by the name of Jefus, but the devil rent them and wounded them, and made them to fly, faying, Jefus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?"

The great argument that the devil ufes to perfuade thee to felf-murder, is by perfuading thee that thou art a reprobate; but thou mayeft confider that Satan cannot know that thou art a reprobate: Was Satan, think you, on God's council, when he made his eternal decrees? Satan, who is not fo much as one of God's hired fervants, but a flave and a malefactor kept in chains, he is fo far from being of God's coun cil, that he is not fo much as one of his family. If thou fayeft thy confcience tells thee that thou art a reprobate; know, that no man living can tell who are reprobates; nor can any man know himfelf to be a reprobate, except he hath committed the fin' against the Holy Ghoft, which no man hath committed, that is forry to think he hath committed it: "For it is im poffible that fuch a man fhould be renewed, either by or to repentance," Heb. vi. 6.

Ye that walk in darknefs, and fee no light, that are haunted with thefe temptations, confider what a God we have to do with; we ferve fuch a great Lord, that all the monarchs of the world are beggars to him: and fuch a gracious Father is our God, that the tendereft parents in the world, and your dearest friends, are ty rants, yea, wolves and tygers, compared to him. And if we should provoke them, as we provoke him, and they could as eafily crufh us as God can, we would quickly find that their tendereft mercies are cruelty ; whereas the feveral providences of God will be to thee, not like the gall of afps, bitter and deadly, but like God's rhubarb and aloes, by which thine iniquity fhall be purged, and all the fruit of it fhall be to take away thy fin; and though for the prefent the afflicting hand of

God

God upon thee, is not joyous, but grievous, yet if thou art exercised thereby, it will bring forth in thee the quiet fruit of righteoufnefs. Lay afide therefore your fears of hell, and hard thoughts of God.

But now, to add no more particulars, let me exhort you and all that hear me, to come to our Lord Jefus Chrift, whatever oppofition from hell ftands in your way; and though the devil fhould throw you down and tear you as you are coming, yet Chrift will lift you up, and heal you. Oh! what offends the world. at our Lord Jefus ? Will you tell me, finner, what ails you at Chrift? What difobliges you at his perfon? Is he not the brightnefs of the Father's glory, and the chief among ten thoufand? Is he not the rofe of paradife, the heart of heaven?-What ails you at his offices? Is he not a Prophet, that can teach you; a Prieft, that can atone for you; a King, that can conquer for you?— What ails you at his relations? Is he not a Shepherd, to feed you; a Phyfician, to heal you; a Father, to pity you; a Hufband, to cherish you?-What ails. you at his doing, to fulfil the law for you; or his dying, to fatisfy juftice for you?-What ails you at his yoke Is not his yoke eafy and his burden light? his ways pleafantnefs and his paths peace?—What ails you at his grace and glory?

What ails you at him, Sirs? O! is he not worth your while, though you should run through hell to come to him? Is there not a heart in all this company. that would fain be at him? Alas! would you rather go to the devil than come to Chrift? That a comely Jefus cannot get two or three hearts in all this company, O pity, pity! and a thousand pities that the beauty of the Godhead cannot get a lover! Will you all be fo mad as to run by Chrift to other lovers, while he begs your love, as if he were upon his knees, and fends us to pray you in his ftead to be reconciled with him, and come to him?

And therefore, Sirs, in his bleffed name I pray you, go not by him. I beg it as the best favour you can do to my Mafter and me, that you come to him; I befeech you, by the mercies of God, and by the bowels of VOL. VI.

Chrift,

Chrift, that you come to him. He will welcome the wort of you that will come to him; and if you but endeavour to firetch out the withered hand, or put out the withered heart toward him, he will help you to it, and embrace you with hand and heart both. He is content to come to you on any terms; and, will you not come to him? He flands at the door of your heart, and waits that you will but allow him to come in, and let him have accefs. Have you a hard heart? He would be in to foften it: Are you pleafed? Have you a filthy heart? He would be in to wash it: Are you content? Have you a wicked heart? He would be in to renew it: Are you fatisfied?

If you will not come to him, will you let him come to you, that he may make you willing? Confider what is a-coming. O Sirs, is not a day of calamity coming? And why will you not come to Chrift? Is not a day of death coming? And why will you not come to him? Is not a day of judgment coming? And why will you not come to him? Or, why come you to any thing elle? Why come you to ordinances, if you will not come to Chrift, for he is the life of ordinances? Why come you to fermons, if you come not to Chrift, who is the fubftance of all fermons? Why come you to a communion-table, if you will not come to Chrift: for he is the heart of the communion? Why do you hope for heaven, if you will not come to Chrift, for he is the all of heaven, the heaven of heavens? A thousand heavens are lighter than a feather, when laid in the balance with him. Had I the tongue of a feraphim, I could not commend him enough to you; but, O may he commend himself to your heart, and caufe you to throw your immortal foul into his faving arms, notwithstanding all the down-cafling temptations of Satan, and whatever objections and oppofitions ftand in the way of your coming to him.

SERMON

SERMON

CI.

DARK PROVIDENCES cleared in DUE TIME.*

JOHN xiii. 7.

-What I do, thou knoweft not now; but thou shalt know

MY

bereafter.

Y friends, the invifible God acts like himself, even amidst all the vifible and fenfible tokens he gives of his prefence; fuch as he hath been giving you at this occafion: for, amidst all his ways and workings that are feen and felt, yet ftill his way is invifible, unfearchable, and myfterious. How fmall a portion do we know. of him! What is faid of his prefence and abfence, or of his coming and going fometimes, may be faid alfo of his doing: his coming near once to Jacob, was dark to him; therefore he said, 66 Surely the Lord was in this place, and I knew it not."-His going away from Samfon was dark to him; therefore it is faid, "He wift not that the Lord was departed from him." what is thus faid of his coming and going, may be faid of his doing, and perhaps of his doings among us at this occafion; What I do, thou knoweft not now; but thou fbalt know bereafter.

And

We have here, in this chapter, the remarkable hiftory of our Lord Jefus, his washing his disciples feet while he was at fupper with them. It was great condefcenfion to fup with them; and yet greater to wash their feet. How far Chrift will ftoop down to the neceffities of his people, is amazing! It is obferved, ver. 3.

*This fermon was preached at Dunfermline, on Monday, July 2d. 1736. after the celebration of the facrament of the Lord's fupper there. that

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