that they are free from the blood of all men ; no fort of men upon earth have more fpurs to diligence and faithfulness than we have.

3d Inference. What a pill is this to purge formality out of all that hear us? Every fabbath, every fermon, is recorded in heaven for or against your fouls; at what rate foever you attend to the word, all that you hear is fet down in the book of your account: think not you shall return as you came, the word will have its effect and end, it fhall not return in vain, Ifa. Iv. 11. but fhall accomplish the end for which it is sent. The decrees of heaven are executed by the gofpel, fome fouls fhall be quickened, and others fhall be flain by the word of God's mouth. The gospel is a river of the waters of life, which quickens and refreshes every thing that lives; but the miry and marthy places fhall not be healed. How weighty therefore is that caution of our Lord, Luke viii. 18. Take heed how you hear! When you come under an ordinance, you are fowing feed for eternity, which will spring up in the world to come. Preaching and hearing may be confidered two ways, Phyfically or morally in the former respect, these acts are quickly over and pafs away. I thall by and by have done preaching, and you hearing; this fermon will be ended in a little time, but the confequences thereof will abide for ever. Therefore, for the Lord's fake, away with formality, no more drowsy eyes or wandering thoughts. O when you come to attend upon the miniftry of the gofpel, that fuch thoughts as thefe might prepare your minds! The word I am going to hear will quicken or kill, fave or damn my foul; if I fit dead under it, and return barren from it, I fhall with one day that I had never seen the face of that minifter, nor heard his voice that preached it.

4th Infer. What a dreadful condition are all thofe in that are real and profeffed enemies to the gofpel; and them that preach it! That inftead of embracing and obeying the meffage of the gofpel, reject and defpife it; inftead of opening their hearts to receive it, open their blafphemous mouths against it, to deride it, and hifs it (if it were poffible) out of the world. Ah, what a book of remembrance is written for fuch men? I fear there never was an age, fince Christianity bleffed this nation, that was more deeply drenched in the guilt of this fin than the prefent age. How are the meffengers of the gofpel flighted and rejected? What have we done to deferve it? Is not our cafe this day much like that of the prophet?" Shall evil be recom "pensed for good? For they have digged a pit for my foul; re"member that I ftood before thee to speak good for them, and

" to turn away thy wrath from them," Jer. xviii. 20. What brutish madness hath poffeft the fouls of these men? But, alas! it is not fo much they, as Satan acting in them; he is a jealous prince, the gofpel alarms him, his fubjects are in danger of re velting from him: no wonder therefore he makes an outcry at. the liberty of the gofpel, as is used to be made when an enemy invades a kingdom. In this cafe Chrift directs his minifters to fhake off the duft of their feet for a teftimóny against them, Mark vi. 11. The fignification and meaning whereof is this, that look as you fhake off the duft of your feet, even so Jefus Chrift will shake off thofe men that defpife the gofpel, and abufe its meffengers.

5th Infer. Hence it likewife follows, That the cafe of the Pagan world will be easier in the day of judgment, than theirs that live and die unregenerate and disobedient under the gospel of Christ. There are more witneffes prepared, and records filled against the day of your account, than can poffi bly be against them: they have abused but one talent, the light of nature; but we thousands, even as many thousands as we have had opportunities and calls under the gospel. Upon this account Chrift faith, "Whofoever fhall not receive

you, nor hear your words, shake off the duft of your feet. Ve"rily, I fay unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of "Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that "city," Matth. x. 14, 15.

Ah, what a fearful aggravation doth it put upon our fin and mifery, that we are not only accountable for all the light we had, but for all that we might have had in the gospel-day! Capernaum was lifted up to heaven in the enjoyment of means and precious opportunities, Matth. xi. 23. and had an answerable downfal into the depth of mifery from that height of mercy; as the higher any one is lifted up upon a rack, the more terrible is the jerk he receives by the fall.

6th Infer. Lastly, Hence it appears, That the day of judg ment must certainly take up a vaft fpace of time: For if God will bring every thing into judgment, Ecclef. xii. 14. not only. finful actions, but words, Matth. xii. 36. not only words, but heart-fecrets, Rom. ii. 16. If all the records and registers now made, fhall then be opened and read; all the witneffes for or against every man examined and heard; judge then what a vaft fpace of time will that great day take up. Some divines are of opinion it may laft as long as the world hath lafted; but this is fure, things will not be hudled up, nor fhuffled over in haste

you have taken your time for finning, and God will take his time for judging.

Confider the multitudes, multitudes without number, that are to be judged in that day, even all the posterity of Adam, which are as the fand upon the fea-fhore; that not only fo many persons, but all that they have done, muft come into judgment, even the very thoughts of their hearts, which never came to the knowledge of men; their confciences to be interrogated, all other witneffes fully heard and examined: how great a day must this day of the Lord then be?

The fecand Ufe.

But the main of this point will be for exhortation, that feeing all the offers of Chrift are recorded, and witneffed, with refpect to a day of account, every one of you would therefore immediately embrace the prefent gracious tender of Chrift in the gospel, as ever you expect to be acquitted and cleared in that great day: take heed of denials, nay of delays and demurs. "For if the word fpoken by angels was ftedfaft, and every "tranfgreffion and difobedience received a juft recompence of "reward; how fhall we escape if we neglect fo great a falvati❝on ?” Heb. ii. 2, 3. The question is put, but no answer made; How shall we escape? The wisdom of men and angels cannot tell how. To enforce this exhortation, I'fhall prefent you with ten weighty confiderations upon the matter, which the Lord follow home, by the bleffing of his Spirit upon all your hearts.

1. Confider how invaluable a mercy it is, that you are yet within the reach of offered grace. The mercies that stand in offer before you this day, were never fet before the angels that fell; no mediator was ever appointed for them. O aftonishing mercy! that thofe veffels of gold fhould be caft into everlasting fire, and fuch clay veffels as we are, thus put into a capacity of greater happiness than ever they fell from; nay, the mercy that ftands before you is not only denied to the angels that fell, but to the greatest part of your fellow-creatures, of the fame rank and dignity with you: "He fheweth his word to "Jacob, his ftatutes and his judgments unto Ifrael, he hath "not dealt fo with any other nation, and as for his judgments "they have not known them: Praise ye the Lord," Pfalm cxlvii. 19, 20. A mercy deservedly celebrated with a joyful Allelujah. What vaft tracks are there in the habitable world, where the name of Chrift is unknown! it is your special mercy to be born in a land of bibles and minifters; where it is as dif

ficult for you to avoid and fhun the light, as it is for others to behold and enjoy it.

2. Confider the nature, weight, and worth of the mercies which are this day freely offered you. Certainly they are, mercies of the first rank, the most ponderous, precious, and neceffary among all the mercies of God. Chrift the first-born of mercies, and in him pardon, peace, and eternal falvation are fet before you: it were astonishing to see a starving man`refusing offered bread, or a condemned man a gracious pardon. Lord! what compofitions of floth and ftupidity are we, that we fhould need fo many intreaties to be happy.

3. Confider who it is that makes these gracious tenders of pardon, peace, and falvation, to you; even that God whom you have fo deeply wronged, whofe laws you have violated, whofe mercies you have fpurned, and whofe wrath you have justly incenfed. His patience groans under the burden of your daily provocations; he lofes nothing if you be damned, and receives no benefit if you be faved; yet the first motions of mercy and falvation to you freely arife out of his grace and good pleasure. God intreats you to be reconciled, 2 Cor. v. 20. The bleffed Lord Jefus, whofe blood thy fins have shed, now freely offers that blood for thy reconciliation, juftification, and falvation, if thou wilt but fincerely accept him ere it be too late.

4. Reflect feriously upon your own vileness, to whom fuch gracious offers of peace and mercy are made. Thy fins have fet thee at as great a distance from the hopes and expectations of pardon, as any finner in the world. Confider man, what thou hast been, what thou haft done, and what vast heaps of guilt thou haft contracted by a life of fin; and yet that unto thee pardon and peace fhould be offered in Chrift after fuch a life of rebellion, how aftonishing is the mercy! the Lord is contented to pass by all thy former rebellions, thy deep-dyed tranfgreffions, and to fign an act of oblivion for all that is past, if now at laft thy heart relent for fin, and thy will bow in obedience to the great commands and calls of the gofpel, Isaiah Iv. 2, &c. and i. 18.

5. Confider how many offers of mercy you have already refufed, and that every refufal is recorded against you: how long have you tried, and even tried the patience of God already, and that this may be the laft overture of grace that ever God will make to your fouls. Certainly there is an offer that will be the laft offer, a ftriving of the Spirit which will be his last striving; and after that no more offers without

you, no more motions or ftrivings within you, for evermore. The treaty is then ended, and your last neglect or rejection of Chrift recorded againft the day of your account; and what if this fhould prove to be that laft tender of grace which muft conclude the treaty betwixt Chrift and you! what undone wretches must you then be, with whom fo gracious a treaty breaks off upon fuch dreadful terms.

6. Confider well the reasonable, mild, and gracious natur? of the gospel-terms, on which life and pardon are offered to you, Acts xx. 21. The gospel requires nothing of you but repentance and faith. Can you think it hard when a prince pardons a rebel, to require him to fall upon his knees, and ftretch forth a willing and thankful hand to receive his pardon? Your repentance and faith are much of the fame nature. Here is no legal fatisfaction required at your hands, no reparation of the injured law by your doings or sufferings, but a hearty forrow for fins committed, fincere purposes and endeavours after new obedience, and a hearty, thankful acceptation of Chrift your Saviour; and, for your encouragement herein, his Spirit ftands ready to furnish you with powers and abilities; "Turn "you at my reproof, behold I will pour out my Spirit unto you, "I will make known my words unto you," Prov. i. 23. And Ifaiah xxvi. 12. "Lord, thou haft wrought all our works ❝in us."

7. Again. Confider how your way to Chrift, by repentance and faith, is beaten before you, by thousands of finners, for your encouragement. You are not the first that ever adventured your fouls in this path: multitudes are gone before you, and that under as much guilt, fear, and difcouragement, as you that come after can pretend unto; and not a man among them repulfed or difcouraged: here they have found reft and peace to their weary fouls, Heb. iv. 3. Acts xiii. 39. Here the greateft of finners have been fet forth for an enfample to you that should afterwards believe on his name, 1 Tim. i. 16. You see if you will not, others will joyfully accept the offers of Chrift; what difcouragements have you that they had not? Or what greater encouragements had they which God hath not given you this day? therefore they fhall be your judges.

8. Confider the great hazard of these precious seasons you now enjoy. Opportunity is the golden fpot of time, but it is tempus. tabile, a very flippery and uncertain thing: great and manifold are the hazards and contingencies attending it. Your life is immediately uncertain, your breath continually going in your noftrils, and that which is every moment going, will be gone