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men's eyes, or feal them up under blindness of mind.. The word preached will be either a favour of life unto life, or a favour of death unto death. 2 Cor. ii. 16. Men will be made fpiritually: alive: by the word, or will be made more dead in trefpaffes and fins. If they be not made better by the word, they will, through their own fin and folly, be made much worfe by it. If the rain and dew of gofpel-doctrine diftilled upon us, does not caufe us to bring forth good fruits, it will occafion our bringing forth more briars and thorns, more four apd wild grapes. If then we are unconcerned about being fpiritually fruitful under the word, God may be provoked to lay us under a curfe of barrenness, and give us up to our own hearts lufts, and leave us to wax worfe and worfe. And what greater judgment can be inflicted upon us in this world ? No plagues are fo dreadful, as fpiritual plagues. No fuch fearful doom as that, (Joh. viii. 21, 24.) Ye shall die in your fins. To be left to live and die in our fins, is the most awful divine dereliction.

3. Confider, if the word of God have not a good effect upon us, it had been better for us, that we had ne ver enjoyed the word of God. The enjoyment of God's word, is of all outward favours the greatest. On this account the apoftle declares the Jews to have been greatly advantaged above the Gentiles Rom. iii, 1, 2. What advantage then hath the Jew ?Much every way chiefly, because that unto them were committed the aracles of God. But, though the enjoyment of the holy oracles, or word of God, be fo great a privilege, yet if we improve it ner, fo as to get fpiritual good by it, it had been much better for us never to have enjoyed it. For it will prove a great aggravation of our fin, and leave us inexcufable. Joh. xv. 22. If I had not come, and Spoken unto them, they had not had fin but now they have no cloke for their fin. Their fin had not been fo great, and they might have had fome pretence to have allevi ated their fin; but now they have none to make. The more light and means we enjoy, the more will our fins

he heightned, if we profit not thereby. And hence alfo it follows, that our damnation at the laft will be the greater. God will glorify his juftice in punishing us more feverely than others. Matth. xi. 21-24. Wo unto thee Chorazin, wo unto thee Bethfaida: for if the mighty works which have been done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in fackcloth and afbes. But I fay unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou Capernaum, which art lifted up unto beaven, fbalt be brought down to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it› would have remained until this day. But I fay unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. The more advantages we have been partakers of, the more fore will our panishment be, if we perfift in impenitence and difobedience. Lf then we would not, of all men, be made the most miferable, it concerns us to fee to it, that we get good by the word of God fent unto us. Now for direction

in a word or two.

Direct 1 Prize the word of God. Look upon it as a peculiar favour of God, that you enjoy the difpenfation of his word. Set an high value upon it. Efteem it, as David did, more to be defired than göld, yea, than much fine gold: Jweeter alfo than boney, and the honey-comba Pfal. xix. 1o. Unless we thus highly efteem the word of God, we may not expect faving benefit by it. 16 the word of God be contemptible in our eyes, there will be little profpect of our getting good by it. O then let us account the word of God a choice mercy; and let us bless God, and be thankful to him for it: fo may we hope, that he will blefs it, and make it a good word unto our fouls.

Direct. 2. Pray earnestly unto God for a bleffing, to accompany his word unto us. He that fends the word to us, can only fend the bleffing, to make it effectual to us for our falvation. The bare enjoyment of the word of God, will not fave us. We are apt to rest in ordinances;

ordinances; and think, it must needs go well with us, because we partake of them. The Jews of old confi ded in their temple-privileges and worship, and boastingly faid, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord are thefe ! Jer. vii. 4. They thought themselves in a fafe eftate, becaufe God had fet up his temple and the inftitutions of it among them. So we are prone to conclude ourselves in a fafe eftate, because we enjoy the word and ordinances of God. Hence many are brought in pleading their participation in golpel-ordinances, as a ground why Jefus Chrift fhould receive them into heaven. Luk. xiii. 26. Then ball ye begin to fay, We have eaten and drunk in thy prefence, and thou haft taught in our streets. But let us be ware of fuch vain confidence; and let us notrest, till we have felt the fanctifying power of the word of God, upon our fouls. And to this end, we must by: fervent prayer apply ourselves to the God of all grace, that he would make the word of his grace effectual, unto the begetting and increafing grace in us. Let us go to God and pray, that he would fanctify us by his; word of truth. (Joh. xvii. 17.) Such prayer to God, will be fuccefsful prayer. God will not with-hold his bleffing from his word, when we humbly and earnestly follow him with our prayers for his bleffing. Ifai. xliv. 3. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and foods upon the dry ground. Those that thirst after, that earneftly defire and pray for, a bleffing on the word of, God, fhall have it fall upon them as a refreshing rain to their fouls..

USE 2. Of encouragement to repenting finners: for, the word of God is fent to you in mercy, to do you good, and it fball attain its end. The words of the text are given as an encouragement to the penitent, to wait on God for comfort, peace and refreshment by his word, becaufe God will give efficacy to it, fo as that it fhall accomplish that good to the foul of fuch, ich it is fent for. If ever the penitent would have

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a pardon fealed to his foul, and reap the comfort thereof, it must be by the word of God, as a means or inftrument. By the word difpenfed, God gives us to bear, that he will abundantly pardon; and by the fame word he will caufe us experimentally to know, that he does. abundantly pardon. Let all repenting finners then wait by the pool's fide, that their spiritual diseases may fenfibly be healed. Attend on Chrift in the way of his own inftitutions, that fo you may obtain the teftimony and comfort of your being in a pardoned eftate. Here the holy Spirit is wont to come, and with the word to witness to us our being juftified and adopted ones. Here let us alfo come, and be found in the way of the holy Spirit; believing in God, who has promifed, that his word fhall effect and accomplish this good, even, that it fhall refresh and comfort the broken, contrite and penitent foul. Remember that fcripture Ifai. Ixvi. 2. To this man will I look, even to him. that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word.

Repenting Sinners brought out of piritual Bondage, with fpiritual Joy and

PEACE.

DISCOURSE XII.

IS AI. LV. 1 2.

For ye fhall go out with Joy, and be led forth with Peace: the Mountains and the Hills fhall break forth before you into Singing, and all the Trees of the Field ball clap their Hands.

***** N this verfe there is a further encouragement ***** given unto repentance, taken from the bleffed **I** ***** effects and confequents of it; which are ***** three.

1. Deliverance from 1piritual bondage.-Ye ball go out,-Ye fhall be led forth. The Egyptian and Babylonian captivities were types of our fpiritual captivity; and the deliverance of God's people out of thofe captivities, was a type of our deliverance from fpiritual captivity. And this is one of the bleffings here promised to all repenting and returning finners.

2. Spiritual