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Lord fitteth King for ever; and therefore let the earth rejoice, and let the multitude of the ifles be glad."

Object. 9. Jacob is brought low, the ark of God is in a great measure taken, the hedges are broken down, violence is done to God's heritage, wolves in fheeps clothing have got in to the fpoiling of the tender vines; the authority of Chrift, and the facred liberties of his crown, trode under foot, which makes me to "weep, and hang my harp upon the willows;" how then fhall I rejoice and glory in this name? Anfw. Indeed these things have a very melancholy afpect, and we have reafon to join trembling with our mirth, because of these fins that have provoked the Lord to fmite and cover the daughter of Zion with a cloud. But yet there ftill remains ground of triumph and gloriation in the name of a God in Chrift, because by this name all Zion's enemies fhall be confounded; the terror of it will at length make Zion's proud enemies and oppreffors, whether they be men in civil or ecclefiaftical authority, to enter into the rock, and to hide themselves in the duft, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majefty. This name cuts off the fpirits of princes, and is terrible to the kings of the earth, that invade or trample upon his authority. It is the eternal joy and comfort of all the true children of Zion, however oppreffed and borne down, Zion fhall yet be built up by the mighty God, when he appears in his glory, and in his majefty; and therefore there is still ground of glorying in his name.

By the downcafting of Zion, he is but making way for her upbuilding; and though the may be "afflicted, toffed with tempefts, and not comforted," yet he will lay her ftones with fair colours, and her foundations with fapphires;" and though all fhould go to all, the Lord will take care of his remnant of mourners, "I will gather them unto me that are forrowful for the folemn affemblies, to whom the reproach of it is a burden."

The fifth thing in this ufe was to offer a few advices. If you would rejoice and glory in the name of God as manifested in Chrift, then,

1. Write your own name in the duft, and learn to be de nied to your own character and reputation in the world; for while our name bulks in our eye, we will never venture much for the name of Chrift.

2. Get faith in his name, and keep in it a lively exercise, and live by faith on the Son of God; for we are “filled with joy and peace in believing."

3. Study integrity and uprightnefs in your heart and way:

Pfal

Pfal. Ixiv. 10. "The righteous fhall be glad in the Lord, and fhall trust in him: and all the upright in heart shall glory."

4. Mourn for your own fins, and the fins of the generation wherein this name is dishonoured. For "they that fow in tears fhall reap in joy. Bleffed are they that mourn, for they fhall be comforted" in the name of a God in Christ.

5. Whenever you lofe fight of this name, run to his word and ordinances to find it again, for there it ftands registrate your use; and "whatever ye do in word or in deed, do ali in the name of Christ," for the name of God is in him.

for

Exon. xxiii. 21.-Beware of him; provoke him not, for my

name is in him.

THE SIXTH SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

IGO on now to a fourth word of exhortation from this doc

trine. Seeing it is fo that the name of God is in Chrift, then beware of him, and provoke him not. This is an exhortation, or a caution here given to Ifrael, in the words of my text, Beware of him, provoke him not: for he will not pardon your tranfgreffions: for my name is in him. We have it frequently obfer. ved in the hiftory of the children of Ifrael, to whom this advice was immediately given, that they had but little regard to this awful caveat given them, with reference to the Angel of the covenant, Pfal. Ixxviii. 56-58. ; and fee how he refented it in the following verfes. Pfal. cvi. 7. 23. 43. Now, let us not follow the example of the wicked Ifraelites in this matter, Pfal. xcv. 8.-11. "Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me," even when they "faw my works. Forty years was I grieved with this generation, and faid, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways. Unto whom I fware in my wrath, that they should not enter into my reft." Let, I fay, the example of the wicked and rebellious Ifraelites be a beacon unto us to avoid the fame rocks upon which they were ruined: let us be aware of him, and be afraid to provoke him · as they did.

Now, that I may illuftrate and enlarge this branch of the exhortation, I fhall take notice of fome of the fins of Ifrael, whereby they provoked the Angel of the covenant; and I fear

that

that many of them fhall be found in our own skirts. Let every one apply, as they are guilty before God and confcience.

1. then, Ifrael provoked the angel of the covenant by their ignorance of God, and of his mind and will. "He gave his ftatutes unto Jacob, and his teftimonies unto Ifrael, when he dealt not fo with any nation under heaven;" and yet the great things of his law and covenant were ftrange things to them, they did not apply their hearts unto wifdom; and therefore the Lord complains of them by the prophet, If. i. 3. "The ox knoweth his owner, and the afs his master's crib: but Ifrael doth not know, my people doth not confider :" and the prophet, Hof. iv. 1. declares, that "the Lord had a controverfy with the inhabitants of the land, because there was no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." Now, apply this to yourselves. God has fet forth his name and glory to us in Chrift, he has made a more glorious and bright revelation of his mind by the gofpel to us in this land, than to many nations of the earth, and you in this place have been in a particular manner privileged this way: but, alas! "the light fhineth in darknefs, and the darknefs comprehendeth it not." What lamentable ignorance, even of the first principles of religion, is to be found among many? And among these that have fome light in their head, how few have taken it into their heart? I am jealous the Angel of the Lord is provoked by the ignorance of many in this place, and that he is faying of not a few, "It is a people of no underftanding; therefore he that made them, will not have mercy on them."

2. Ifrael provoked the angel of the covenant by their unbelief; they believed not in God, they trufted not in the Rock of their falvation. When Moses told them the mind of God, they did not give it credit; and for their unbelief their carcafes were made to drop in the wilderness and Heb. iii. we are told, that they could not enter into the promifed land be caufe of their unbelief. And when the prophets came preaching and publishing the mind and will of God unto them, one after another, till Chrift and his apoftles, every one of them lift up this melancholy complaint againft them, "Who hath believed our report ? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" And at laft, for their unbelief, in rejecting the promised Meffiah, they were cut off, both from being a church and nation, and scattered through all the earth, with a mark of the divine vengeance fet upon them. Oh Sirs! be aware of the Angel of the covenant, and provoke him not after the fame example of unbelief, and "let us fear, left a promife of reft being left us, any of us fhould feem to come short of it,

as

as Ifrael did. Alas! how many unbelievers are there under the drop of the gofpel? How few have really received Chrift, and lifted up the everlasting doors of their hearts unto him? Many indeed profefs to believe in him, but evidence the quite contrary by their daily walk and conversation. A lying, stealing, drinking, whoring, fwearing believer, is a contradiction; for we must prove and evidence the reality of our faith by our works: "Shew me thy faith by thy works: Faith without work is dead" a barren faith is no faith at all; for "faith worketh by love," by repentance, by obedience, by holiness, and tenderness in all manner of converfation: it fets folk a-work to "cleanse their hands, and purify their hearts," to commence a war against all known fin, to avoid the appearance of evil, and "to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather to reprove them." And Oh how few fuch believers have we among us? Sirs, for the Lord's fake, be aware of deluding yourselves with a mere shadow for the folidity of faith. You fee that folks faith will be tried by their works at the day of accounts, Matth. xxv. at the close.

3. Ifrael provoked the Lord by their perjury and treachery, and breach of folemn covenant. God had feparated that people from among all the nations of the earth, and taken them. for his covenanted people, and they had avouched the Lord for their God, and promised, under the folemnity of the oath of God, that they would do his commandments, and obferve his ftatutes and teftimonies; but "they quickly turned afide like a deceitful bow;" on which account God fays, that he would fend a fword among them, to avenge the quarrel of his covenant. Now, let us apply this to ourselves in the days of our reformation. These lands, and particularly this, entered into folemn leagues and covenants, for preferving and carrying on a work of reformation, in oppofition to Papifts, Prelatifts, Eraftians, Sectarians, and all malignants, or enemies of the work of reformation under whatever denomination, and to adhere to the doctrine, difcipline, worship, and government of the church of Chrift; but alas! how treacheroufly have we and our fathers dealt with the great God, with refpect to these covenant-engagements? How fhamefully was the obligation of them refcinded by act of parliament; and not only fo, but difgracefully and ignominioufly burnt at the public cross of the capital city of the nation, and that by the countenance of authority? And, as if that had not been enough in oppofition to the royal authority of the Son of God, our covenanted Head and King, the prerogatives of his crown, by act of parliament, were taken from him, and a finful mortal

vested with one of the jewels of his mediatory crown, and de clared head in all causes, civil and ecclefiaftic. And how many finful compliances (with thefe ufurpations) have there been both before and fince the revolution, contrary to thefe folemn covenant-engagements? We have reason to fear that God is at this day upon his march to avenge the quarrel of his holy name, that was folemnly interpofed in thefe covenants by all ranks. Ezek. xvii. from ver. 12. and downward, we read there of an oath taken from the king of Judah by the king of Babylon, that he and all the land fhould be tributaries unto him: Well, though the oath was extorted, although it was made to a Heathen; yet because the name of God was interpofed, God avenges the quarrel of his name upon Zedekiah for the breach of it, as you fee, ver. 16-19. &c. How much more will not God avenge the breach of that oath, that was made to himself as the immediate party by king, nobles, gentry, commons, and all ranks in the land, efpecially when in terpofed for no other end but to maintain the doctrine, wor fhip, difcipline, and government of his house, according to his word? How little regard has been or is had to these solemn covenants? How little perfonal, family, church, or ftate reformation doth appear among us, when all manner of blafphemy, error, profanity, and wickednefs of all forts, is abounding without any check? yea, when ecclefiaftic judica tories themselves have been, and still are, acting the very re verse of these covenants, in violating the rights and liberties of the Lord's people? Oh Sirs! wrath from the Lord is hovering over our heads for the profanation of that great and dreadful name of the Lord, in the matter of folemn oaths and covenants, both of a more public and of a more private kind. The children of Ifrael were feparated from the rest of the nations, and God declares them to be "a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, an holy nation," and discharged them from making any league, or entering into any affinity with thefe abominations; and yet they went a-whoring after the idols and abominations of the nations round about them, worshipped their gods, and learned their finful customs, which made the Lord to abhor them, and to write their fin upon their punishment, by fcattering them among the nations. And is not this the cafe with us? By folemn covenant we were engaged never to join with malignants, or any enemies of the reformation, and to improve our endeavours for the reformation of Britain and Ireland; but how are thefe things obferved, when, contrary unto these engagements, the public confent is given, that abjured Prelacy and fuperftition fhall continue in England;

and

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