marks and evidences, it is not to you; it is only upon fuch and fuch terms that it is to you: this is to make the gofpel no gofpel. It is as if Chrift came to fave faints, but not to fave finners. They contradict the very defign of the gofpel, which is a word of falvation to finners of all forts and fizes. To you is the word of falvation fent: to you, O finner, is the door of falvation opened. Whatever ftraitens this door; whatever doctrines you hear, that hamper or limit the gofpel-offer, and tend to make you fuppofe, that there is no room for you, no accefs for you, you may fufpect that to be either no gospel-doctrine, or that has fuch a legal mixture accompanying it, as you ought to fhun like the devil; because it would keep you at a distance from Chrift and falvation.

6. Hence fee the ground of God's controverfy at this day, together with an antidote against the errors and evils of the day. The great ground of God's controverfy, at this day, with the generality we live amongft, is, their rejecting the word of falvation. Wherefore is he now speaking in wrath and war*, but because we will not hearken to his fpeaking in mercy? Scotland hath been long deaf to the word of God, and to the warn ings of God. Judicatories have been deaf to the word of God, to the word of falvation, calling them to reform and return to the Lord; deaf to any Teftimony - lifted up for Reformation. for Reformation. And the whole land hath been deaf to the voice of God in the gofpel. And, what if God now thunder and roar out of Zion, and fay, You fhall hear at the deafeft fide of the head? if you will not hear the voice of the word, you fhall hear the voice of the fword; Oh! what is his quarrel? Why, God fays, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him :" No; but we refufe to hear him. General Assemblies have refused to hear him; they give ear to a patron, or a great man, and give more obedience to him than to the voice of Chrift. He faid, "Feed my fheep, feed my lambs:" No, fay they; let them be devoured and torn to pieces with the wolves, rather than displease inen of rank

*It was formerly obferved, p. 173. that Britain and Spain were, at this time, upon the point of an open rupture.

and

and power *: How justly may God fay to fuch, "Go to the gods whom ye have served," and see if they can deliver you in the day of death, or in the day of wrath?

See here also an antidote againft many errors of the day. Here is an antidote against enthufiaftic delufions, viz. If we take the word of God for the rule and the warrant of faith, and of every particular duty. Some will fay, "We muft wait for the Spirit being poured out; "and till the Spirit come, there is no doing: therefore we may fit till and do nothing, either in the matter of "our falvation-work or generation-work; either in per"fonal or public work." Why, here is a delufion, here is enthusiasm, to make the Spirit the rule of faith and duty, and not the word of God. When God fpake to Mofes at the Red-Sea, faying, "Speak to the people, that they go forward:" What! go forward, might unbelief fay, into the fea, and be all drowned? Nay, ftay till we fee the water divided. No, fays God,

Speak to the people that they go forward;" and in going forward at the word and call of God, making his call and word the rule of faith and duty, in this way they were to find the fea divided before them.To wait upon God's working, either outwardly or inwardly, without answering the call of his word, and going forward in the way of duty, is to wait without a warrant ; it is a delufion, a tempting of God. You are to aim at believing the word of falvation fent to you. The people we call Quakers, fay, They ought not to pray till the Spirit move them; making the inward motions of the Spirit, and not the word of God, the rule of duty. Thus it is no wonder that they be led by a delufive spirit; for the word of God is the word of the Spirit: and though we cannot fight without the Spirit, yet the Spirit will not fight for thefe, or with thefe that will not take his fword in their hand: though we can do nothing without the Spirit, yet the Spirit will do nothing without the word. But if once we take the

The oppofition that the General Affembly made to a Testimony lifted up for Reformation, and the supporters thereof; and the counte nance they gave to Patrons, in oppreffing the heritage of God, may be feen laid open, Vol. V. p. 108. 298. 309, 310, 311. 351. 389. 396. 419

fword of the Spirit in our hand; I mean, take the word for our rule, and effay duty, and the work of believing, which is the work of God, according to the direction of the word of God; then, and not till then, are you to expect God will work powerfully; for, out of his own road he will not,, namely, if you turn away your ear from hearing his word; or, if he do, he will bring you to this road before he do any thing more.

Here alio fee an antidote against all, or most of all the errors of the age wherein we live.-Here is an antidote against all practical error; againft all profanity, loofenefs, and luxury, whoredom, and debauchery, that have been running down, like a mighty ftream, through all ranks of perfons, from the throne to the dunghill, in every corner of the land. What would remedy these evils? Even the receiving of this falvation that is fent in the gospel to us. Unbelief, in rejecting this falvation, which is a falvation from all fin as well as mifery; this unbelief in flighting the Saviour and falvation, is the root of all the loofenefs and profanity in the age. Men do not fee this root that lies hid under ground.-Here is an antidote against the Deifm of the age. Why do men undervalue the fcriptures, and deny the neceffity of divine fupernatural revelation? Even because they reject the word of falvation; they do not fee that the gospel only is the word of falvation; and that there is no falvation but in the faith of it: but the faith of this word would cure the Deifim of the age.-Here is an antidote against Arminianifm; for falvation comes not of the free-will of man, but of the free grace of God in a word of falva-tion fent to us. Here is an antidote against Arianifm. Would any foul deny the fupreme Deity of Christ, and his proper Divinity, if they believed, that with him are the words of eternal life; and that a word from his mouth is a word of falvation?" Look to me and be saved, all ye ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none elfe," Ifa. xlv. 22.-Here is an antidote against Antino. mianifm; for, by this falvation we are not faved to fin, and to work wickedness, and break the law of God, but faved from fin and wickednefs. The gofpel being a word of complete falvation; the grace of God therein appears to all men, teaching effectively what the law does

pre

preceptively, namely," To deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent evil world."-Here is an antidote against Legalifm, or Neonomianifm, as fome call it, which turns the gospel to a new law, and the covenant of grace, as it were, to a covenant of works *. This text and doctrine fhews that we are not saved by á work, but by a word; not by any work of ours, but by a word fent from God to us, even a word of falvation: "Not by works of righteoufnefs which we have done, but according to his mercy he faved us," Titus iii. 5. See 2 Tim. i. 9. Here alfo is an antidote against ignorant preachers of the gospel, that confound the marks of faith with the ground of faith, or the evidences of faith with the warrant of faith, or the condition of the covenant with the qualities of the covenanted, as if the gospel-call were only to faints, or to finners fo and fo qualified; and fo leading men in to themfelves for a ground of faith, inftead of leading them out of themfelves to Chrift, ex. hibited to them in a word of falvation fent to them t. The gofpel-method of falvation is the reverfe of all the legal fchemes in the world. The legal ftrain fuppofes fome good quality about the finner, before he be allowed to meddle with the word of falvation; and fo fhuts the door of the gofpel, which it pretends to open. But the gofpel-ftrain brings the word of falvation freely to every finner's door, and fuppofes him to be deftitute of all good qualities whatsoever, and leaves no room for any finner to fay, I am not allowed to come in.

7. Hence fee how much it concerns all and every one to try and examine what entertainment they have given the word of falvation that is fent them. Have you received it or not in a faving way?

(1.) Have you received it as the word of God; the word by way of eminency; the word of God in Chrift; Theff. ii. 13. and received it not as the word of man,

That these particulars were the prevailing principles of the age, was formerly affirmed, Vol. I. p. 232. Vol. II. p. 304, 305, 466. Vol. III, p. 54. Vol. IV. p. 148. Vol. V. p. 91, 92.

This important point of doctrine is fomewhat more copiously laid apen above, p. 145, 146, 147.

of this or that man, but, as it is in truth, the word of God? (2.) Have you received it as a word of falvation, or as a faithful faying, worthy of all acceptation; both as a truth and as a good? This reception of it fuppofes a view you have of your being a loft finner welcoming a Saviour.

(3.) Have you received it, as the word of this falvation, a prefent falvation, a particular falvation? This particular falvation from fin and wrath, that you need; this near falvation; "I bring near my righteoufnefs to the ftout-hearted and far from righteoufnefs; my falvation fhall not tarry," Ifa. xlvi. 12, 13. This great falvation, this purchased falvation; this promifed falvation, this offered falvation, presently offered. Faith fixes upon fomething prefent. You need not fay, Rom. x. 6, 7, 8. "Who will afcend to heaven, to bring Chrift down? or, defcend into the deep, to bring Chrift up? The word is nigh thee, even in thy heart, and in thy mouth." Again,

(4.) Have you received it as a fent falvation; as God's fend, as God's gift, fent by the hand of Chrift, fent by the hand of his ambaffadors, fent freely and fovereignly, without your feeking after it, fent out of the ftore-houfe of divine grace?

(5.) Have you received it as fent to finners, to fianers in general? For here is glad tidings of great joy to all people: "Upon this mountain fhall the Lord of hos make unto all people a feaft of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined, Ifa. xxv. 6.

(6.) Have you received it as fent unto you in particular? To you, finners, fays the general difpenfation: to thee, finner, in particular, fays the particular offer; "Whofoever will, let him come." Haft thou then received it, as fent to thee, tho' a guilty finner; to thee, though a vile finner? Haft thou entertained it with a me, me, of particular application, faying, Here is an offer to me, a gift to me, a promife from heaven to me? Haft thou found thyfelf called by name, and faid, I am warranted to take hold of Chrift, and the falvation he brings with him, in this word of falvation, and even fo I take him at his word; "Lord, I believe, help thou mine

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