From Sinai's mount he founds a loud alarmn;
And next poor fouls with gofpel-tidings charm.
He could the faints perplexities well trace,
And in all ftraits afford them great folace.
Souls exercis'd concerning fin or grace,
May in his works find what will fute their cafe.
There he propounds and folves each cafe he heard;
To faints a mighty cafuift appear'd.

A fkilful counfeller in each dark cafe;
A hearty fympathizer in diftrefs.

Was ready ftill at hand, without request,
To ferve the fick, and fuccour the diftreft.
His doctrine ev'ry gloomy fhade dispell'd;
His exhortations more and more excell'd.
This ministerial grace to him was given,
To leave on many hearts a feal of heaven.'

Death! thou devourer of the human race!
Must such a champion great to thee give place!
May't thee fuffice fome leffer light to quell,
Than ftrike the pillars of our Ifrael?

Muft ERSKINE too! that man of great renown,
Be foil'd by thee, and to the dust brought down?
Must fuch a light, that blaz'd fo far abroad,
Be made to yield to thy fuperior nod!
Muft fuch a Chriftian herald too give place,
So well acquainted both with law and grace?
Divinely taught in all the truths of God,

And did with freedom publifh them abroad?

Yes, yes! He muft!-He's gone!-Erfkine's no more! Grim death hath fnatch'd him to the diftant fhore !These hands, elated oft to heav'n in purity,

All filent in the tomb now stretch'd doth ly.-
Is't poffible for our rude quill to tell,
How Scotland fhook when this great pillar fell?
"Heav'n fure defign'd by fuch a dreadful blow,
No perfonal, but public overthrow.

Lo! now his death has hid the fulgent light,

And wrapt us in the fhades of gloomy night!'-

IS ERSKINE dead! No, fure: the man of God ftill Poffeffes heav'n, in glory ftill furvives.

[lives

The blifs and glory he proclaim'd around,
Both now concentre to compofe his crown.
Immortaliz'd, he fhines above the sky;
Regal'd with heav'nly cheer must fumptously.
The bleffed Jefus in those regions high,
He views, not vail'd; but moft confpicously.
Eternal bleffedness he reaps in ftore;
With heav'nly pleafures cherish'd evermore;
With endless wealth, and righteoufnefs divine,
A glorious crown, moft brilliantly to shine,
He now enjoys, with robes moft pure and fine:
Yea, GoD himself, with fulness all-complete,
Compose that happiness to him most sweet.
Delightful portion! from all harm fecure,
Refresh'd with rivers chryftaline and pure.
Such foul-delights to him fhall ever last;
These joys for which he did so strongly thirst.

An ACROSTI C.

MUCH fam'd on earth, renoun'd for piety;
A midft bright feraphs now fings chearfully.
Sacred thine anthems yield much pleasure here:
These fongs of thine do truly charm the ear*.
Each line thou wrotft does admiration raife;
Roufe up the foul to true feraphic praise.

Religiously thy life below was fpent:
Amazing pleasures now thy foul content.

Long didit thou labour in the church below,

Pointing out Chrift, the Lamb who faves from wo,

Heav'n's bleffednefs on finners to beftow.

ERSKINE the great! whose pen spread far abroad,
Redeeming love; the fole device of God.
Substantial themes thy thoughts did much purfue;
Kept pure the truth, efpous'd but by a few.
Integrity of heart, of foul ferene ;

No friend to vice, no cloke to the profane:
Employ'd thy talents to reclaim the vain.

*Alluding to his poetical pieces.

The CONCLUSION.

Is this the Man whom Heav'n defign'd,
With honours full to load?
With what enliv'ned fouls fhould we
Adore and ferve our God?

And if we would thofe bleffings fhare, Which makes the faints rejoice;

All vice abstain, all virtue love,

And make this God our choice.

Let us for ever bless the name
Of this exalted King,

That any of the human tribe
Heav'n's anthems high do fing.

GLASGOW, April 15th, 1765.

THE

CONTENTS.

SER RMO

N

I.

25

The Sword of Juftice awakened against God's Fel-

low,

ZECH. xiii. 7. Awake, O Sword, against my Shepherd

and against the man that is my fellow, faith the Lord

of hofts.

After a brief introduction, clear analization, and fuccinct explica-
tion of the words, the following general topics of discourse are
treated of, viz.

1. The character of the person against whom the sword doth awake,

enquired into,

29

44

2. The nature and quality of this fword opened up.

3. The manner how this fword did awake, and the import of it, 52

4. The fpecial hand Jehovah had in calling this fword to awake

against this glorious perfon evinced,
54

5. The reafons of the doctrine adduced, why the Lord of holts

ordered the fword of juftice to awake against his Shepherd, 56

6. The application of the fubject in fundry inferences,

(1.) The nature of the facrament opened,

(2.) Who ftand debarred from it,

(4.) Who are invited to it,

64

83

ibid.

89

96

II.

(4.) In what manner believers should come to it,

104

The Rent Vail of the Temple; or, Access to the Holy
of Holies by the death of Chrift,
MAT. XXVii. 15. And, behold the vail of the temple

was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom.

The words being analized and explained, and their proper figni-
fication being afcertained, the following general heads of method
are illuftrated, viz.

1. What that vail is that interpofed between God and us enquired

into,

2. How the death of Chrift hath rent that vail,

3. In what manner the vail is rent,

4. For what end the vail is rent, narrated,

108.

ΠΙΟ

113

114

120

SERM III.

The SECOND doctrine is, That purity is an excellent thing and of
obfolute neceffity to denominate a true faint, a true Chriftian. And
from this propofition the following general heads of method are
profecuted, viz.

1. The nature of this purity, opened up,

2. Some of the qualities of it, mentioned,

3. The neceffity thereof, enquired into,

4. The excellency of this purity, pointed out,

5. The application of the whole fubject effayed,

335

337

342

345

351

(1.) The difference between juftification and fanctification, ibid.

Their agreement pointed out,

(2.) The evils of impurity pointed out,

(3.) The evidences of it condefcended on,

(4.) Some kinds of it specified,

(6.) The impure generation delineated,

368

354

356

360

(5) Witneffes adduced to prove the great want of purity, 365

(7.) Evidences of purity condefcended on,

(8.) The mifery of thefe who are impure pointed out,

(9.) Motives adduced to excite to purity,

(10.) Directions offered how to attain it,

The THIRD doctrine is, That felf-conceit is incident to a multitude
of profeffors. In the illuftration of which propofition, the follow-
ing general heads of method are handled, viz.

1. The truth of the doctrine cleared from fcripture and example. 441

2. The nature of self-conceit, a little opened,

3. The grounds, causes, and springs of it, enquired into,

443

danger of it,

4. The evil of it pointed out, both in refpect of the finfulness and

448

453

457

5. Inferences deduced for the application of the whole,

Non-conformiry to the World injoined; or, the Evil

and Danger of Symbolizing with the Wicked, o-

pened,

476

ROM. xii. 2. Be not conformed to this world.

The connexion, fcope, and explication of the words being difcuffed,
and a doctrinal obfervation laid down, the following heads of
method are proposed,

1. To prove and clear the truth of the doctrine,

479

2. To enquire what it is in the world we are not to be conformed

to,

485

3. To point out what this difconformity to the world imports, 484

4. To affign the reasons why we are not to be conformed to the

world,

5. The application of the fubject in feveral uses,

485

495