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hot defign to dip into party quarrels; only I notice, that the voice of these unnatural jars and divifions is, that the city is near a fall and ruin. It is a common and known maxim, and holds true of all focieties, whether of one kind or another, That commonly ruin is the confequence of unnatural quarrels ; that divifions end in defolations." If we bite and devour one another, we shall be devoured one of another," Gal. v. 15. Churches and nations have known this by long experience. God first divided the builders of Babel, and then he scattered them. God fent a spirit of divifion among the inhabitants of Jerufalem, before they were utterly deftroyed by the Roman armies. And feeing divifion and contention has been the common forerunner of ruin, both in cities and kingdoms, we have reafon to think, that the cry of the Angel to us in this city is, that ruin and defolation is near.

4. Another cry that the Angel of God's prefence is fending to this city, confequential to the former, is that which you have, Mark ix. 50." Have falt in yourselves, and be at peace one with another." You know the use of falt is to keep flesh or other things from putrefaction. There are many putrefying lufts in the hearts of men, from whence wars and divifions do fpring, Jam. iv. 1. Now, in order to the cure of these putrefying lufts, let the falt of God's word and grace have room and place within you, and then your contentions will foom cease, and men will be at peace one with another. Perhaps indeed the falt of divine truth may gall and nip corruptions and lufts; but when it doth fo, do not fpurn at the medicine, and him that applies it, but bear it with patience, and let it have its perfect work, until the fore be cured; for better to be falted, and have your fores touched with the word, than to be falted with the fire of God's vengeance, as you see our Lord argues with the Jews in the context. If there be any unmortified luft pointed out to you by the word, take care, and cut it off, and pluck it out, though as dear to you as a right hand or a right eye, for better that, than be caft foul and body into the fire of hell; and therefore hear the voice of the Angel, "Have falt in yourselves, and be at peace one with another." Yea, the voice of the Angel goes a little further, if men were able to bear it, and you will fee what he fays, Matth. v. 44. "Love your enemies, bless them that curfe you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which defpitefully ufe you, and perfecute you." This is a hard faying to corrupt nature, especially when men's fpirits are aloft, pursuing their refentments against one another. But, Sirs, remember that vengeance is the Lord's, and he will repay it and therefore when men bite and devour one another out of refentment,

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and to fatisfy their revenge, they are taking God's work off his hand, and invading his prerogative; and they that do fo, while they avenge themfelves, they are expofing themselves to the vengeance of God, who has faid, Vengeance is not yours, but mine; leave that to me, and I will repay it. But as for us when we are injured, he would have us to follow his own ex ample, and to render good for evil: hence is that reafon that our Lord gives for that hard saying of loving and doing good to our enemies, ver. 45. "That ye may" refemble and prove your felves to "be the children of your Father which is in heaven, who maketh his fun to rife on the evil and on the good, and fendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

And if you would yet know more of the Angel's mind, with relation to your prefent differences, you may read the preces ding part of the chapter, from ver 21. to 26. and from ver. 38. to the clofe of the chapter.i

5. Another ery that the Angel is giving to us in this place, is that which the prophet Zechariah was ordered to cry to Je rufalem in a day like this, chap. viii. 16. 17. “ These are the things that ye fhall do, Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour: execute the judgement of truth and peace in your gates. And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour, and love no falfe oath for all these are things that I hate, faith the Lord." And to the fame purpose is that, chap. vii. 9.-14." Thus fpeaketh the Lord of hofts, faying, Execute true judgement, and fhew mercy and compaffions every man to his brother. And opprefs not the widow, nor the fatherlefs, the ftranger, nor the poor, and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart," &c.

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Thus I have told you what I take to be the voice of the uncreated Angel of the covenant to us in this place: and I take inftruments in every man's confcience, that these presents are intimate in the name of the Lord, without feud or favour, without regard to one side or another..

EVENING EXERCISE.

I THOUGHT to have gone on to tell you what the Angel of God is crying to fome forts of finners among us. I cannot infift on particulars, only in fhort,

1. He is crying to all that turn their back on ordinances, "He that turneth away his ear from hearing his law, even his fhall be an abomination."

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2. He is crying to all prayerlefs perfons and families, and I fear there are too many of thefe, that he will" pour out his

fury

fury upon the heathen, and all the families that call not on. his name."

3. He is crying to ignorant folk under the means of inftruc tion, "It is a people of no understanding; therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will fhew them no favour."

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4. He is crying to. every unbelieving finner, that he is "condemed already, and the wrath of God abideth on him." 5. He is crying to all hypocritical profeffors, that fatisfy themselves with a name to live while dead, "The finners in Zion fhall be afraid, and fearfulness fhall furprise the hypocrite in heart."

6. He is crying to all legalifts that are fitting down upon their morality, civility, or good works done by them, as the foundation of their acceptance before God, that "by the works of the law no flesh living can be justified; that publi cans and harlots shall enter into the kingdom of God before them."

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7. He is crying to all that are refting upon their convictions, their flashes of joy or forrow, their faith, love, joy, repent ance, or any thing within them, as grounds of acceptance, or good claims of eternal life, as If. 1. ult. “Behold all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with fparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the fparks that ye have kindled. This fhall ye have of mine hand, ye shall lie down in forrow."

8. He is crying to all profaners of the name of God, whe ther by a customary fwearing, or by rash or falfe oaths, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." And to these that deal in a ftealing and swearing trade, he is faying, as Zech. v. 2-4. &c.

9. He is crying to all Sabbath-breakers, to "remember his day, to keep it holy, to call it their delight, the holy of the Lord, and honourable."

10. He is crying to all disobedient children, to honour their parents, and to hearken to their good counfel; and they that will not, they shall be "cut off from the land which the Lord God hath given us: The eye that mocketh at his father, and defpifeth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles fhall eat it." The voice of the Angel to every young body is that, Eccl. 1. "Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth."

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II. His voice to murderers, or all thefe whofe hands are dipt in their neighbour's blood, as the hands of fome were of late in this place, is, that, "when he maketh inquifition for

blood,

blood, he will remember them; and that the hands that Qied innocent blood, are an abomination unto him; and that they who thirst after blood, fhall have blood to drink."

12. He is crying to all liars and backbiters, calumniators, who murder the reputation of their neighbours; and a fpirit of lying and calumny is gone abroad at this day: I fay, the voice of the Angel unto you is, "What fhall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, O thou falfe. tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.".

13. He is crying to all fornicators, adulterers, and unclean: perfons, that he himself will "judge them, and they fhall not inherit the kingdom of God," or of Christ.

14. He is faying to all drunkards, epicures, and fenfual perfons, that make their belly their God, that their "end is deftruction; that in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, the wine is red, and full of mixture, and all the wicked of the earth fhall wring out the dregs thereof, and drink them."

To conclude, he is faying to all obftinate, and impenitent, and rebellious finners, that will not obey his voice, or turn at his reproof," The wicked fhall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God ;" and that if they turn not, he is whetting his glittering fword, and preparing for them the inftruments of death. And, Oh! when he whets his fword, and his hand takes hold on judgement, he will render vengeance to his enemies, and a reward to all them that hate him.

If, after all that has been faid, any profane mocker fhould laugh and flout at the warnings given them, and laugh at the thakings of God's fpear, as if this were not the word of the Lord that we have delivered to them; I fhall only fay, that the bands of mockers fhall be made ftrong. We fee fuch a fet of men in the days of Jeremiah, chap. v. 12. 13. But fee what is the voice of the Angel to these men in the following verses, 14. 15. &c. Thus I have done with the Second thing upon this exhortation, and told you what appears to be the voice of the Angel to the prefent generation.

EXOD. xxiii. 21.-Obey his voice: for my name is in him.

TH

THE TENTH SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

HE third thing was, to inquire what is imported in obeying the voice of the Angel. Unto this I answer, 1. Negatively, it does not confift in a bare hearing of the found of words, when a chapter is read, or a fermon preached.

Alas!

Alas! this is all that many know of the voice of Christ in the difpenfation of the gofpel; they hear the minister's voice, and the words they utter, but know no more about the matter; as is evident from the great ignorance of not a few, which cafts up when they are catechifed about the common principles of religion, which they are hearing every day. Neither doth it confift in a hearing the word with some tranfient pleasure, like Ezekiel's hearers, whofe "voice was unto them as a very lovely fong," while yet, though the affections were tickled, yet their hearts were never touched. Nor is it to hear and do fomething, like Herod; or to take up a profession of religion while the power of it is neglected; it is not a crying, Lord, Lord, like thefe, Matth. vii. 22.

Queft. What then is it to obey the voice of the Angel, Jefus Chrift?

Anfu. 1. It implies a knowledge and uptaking of Chrift and of his voice: "My fheep (fays Chrift) they know my voice." There is fomething of a divine light, life, and power, in the voice of Chrift, that the foul is made to feel to its experience, whereby it can diftinguish betwixt his voice, and the voice of a ftranger: "It is the voice of my beloved," fays the spouse; I know it to be his, and not another's.

2. It implies a diligent atttention of mind unto what the Lord fpeaks, either by his word or his providence. "Speak, Lord (will the foul fay), for thy fervant heareth." This is what the Lord requires of us, If. Iv. 2. 3. "Hearken diligently unto me.-Incline your ear :-hear, and your fouls fhall live." While Lydia hearkened diligently unto the voice of the Angel in the miniftry of Paul, the Lord opened her heart. Sirs, do you know what it is to have your minds and hearts fo arrested in hearing of the word, that your ear and mind is as it were tied to the minifter's mouth in hearing? Alas! there are many hearers whofe minds are in the ends of the earth when hearing of the word of the kingdom.

3. It implies a belief and perfuafion of what the Angel fpeaks to be the voice of God. It is faid of the Theffalonians, that they "received the word, not as the word of men, but as it is indeed the word of God." The man he looks above and beyond the earthen veffel through which the word is con veyed, and hears God himself, whole voice is full of majetty and power. Sirs, as long as the devil can perfuade you, that your minifters are only speaking their own thoughts and conceptions, he is easy how much or how frequently you hear the word, for he knows well, that until you hear the word preach ed as the voice of Christ, your heating will do no fervice unto your fouls, or no hurt unto his kingdom. You know that

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