himself sure of falvation, begins to cry out with the jailer, "Men and brethren, what fhall I do to be faved?" The man finds himself to be dead in law, condemned already, yea, to be not only legally, but fpiritually dead, under the power of fin and Satan, and his bonds to be fo ftrong, that neither he nor the whole creation is able to loose them; and this fills him with fuch anxiety and trouble of fpirit, that he is even at his wits end, that he does not know what to do. O! whether fhall I flee for help, where fhall I leave my glory? O that I knew of a refuge in heaven or earth, to which I might run for fhelter !

2. In the beginning of this year the dead foul is raised upunto a new fpiritual life: "You hath he quickened who were dead in trefpaffes and fins." The great Redeemer, who hath life in himself, and received it for men, yea, for the rebellious, he comes to the finner's grave of fin, in which he was buried, and ories to him, as he did to Lazarus, "Come forth, O finner;" and immediately the bars of fpiritual death are broken, the bonds of death are loofed, and the law of the Spirit of life. which is in Chrift Jefus enters into him, whereby he is made free from the law of fin and death.

3. In the entry of this year, the Redeemer recovers fight to the blind. The poor creature was fo blinded by Satan the god of this world, that though the light of the Sun of righteousness, had been fhining upon him, and about him in a gofpel-difpenfation, yet he did not behold it, the enemy had done with him as the Philiftines did with Samfon, put out his eyes; but now the glorious Redeemer with his eye-falve touches the eyes of the understanding, whereby the blind eyes are opened; God who commanded the light to fhine out of darknefs, fhines into his heart, and gives him the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift, he is tranflated out of darkness into a marvellous and furprising light. And now he begins to fee things in another view; and the firft fight that he gets of Chrift, he is even surprised and overjoyed at the fight, crying, O!" this is my reft for ever; here will i dwell, for I have defired it." I have been feeking rest, but could not find it, but now I have found it, "To him fhall the Gentiles feek, and his reft fhall be glorious." Once in a day I could fee no form nor comeliness in him, why he fhould be defired; but now I fee him to be "white and ruddy, the chiefelt among ten thoufand."

4. In the beginning of this year, the man is entered into the kingdom of heaven, even upon this earth, he enters into the new heaven and the new earth, the kingdom of God is reared up in the foul, and fin and felf are dethroned. The

glorious

glorious Redeemer, who is the Lord of hofts, by the power of his eternal Spirit, he makes his entry at the everlasting gates of the foul, faying, This foul is mine; it was given me by my Father, I redeemed it with the price of my blood; and therefore fin, and Satan, and felf, refign your government, and render up this foul and all its powers and faculties unto me; and he binds the strong man, fpoils him of his goods; the batteries of the gofpel, and ordinances thereof, are fo well managed in the hand of the Spirit, that the ftrong-holds of Satan, and the high and towering imaginations of the foul, they fall down at the feet of the glorious Redeemer, and every thought of the heart becomes a captive unto the obedience of the great Captain of falvation, and the foul becomes a volunteer in the fervice of Chrift.

5. In the beginning of this year, the prodigal ftraying-fon is brought home again; that wonderful queftion is answered, How fhall I put thee among the children, who had wandered away into a far country? and the Father and all the family rejoice and make merry at his return; and no fooner doth he enter his Father's threshold, but his filthy rags are caft away, and he is clothed with the best robe of the Son of God, whereby he is made to look like his Father's fon. Which leads me alfo to tell you, that this year the righteousness of the law is fo fulfil led in the guilty finner, that was ftanding condemned at the bar of God and confcience, that now there is no condemnation for him; yea, he can lift up his head with courage, and say, "Who is he that condemneth? It is God that juftifieth; it is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is rifen again," &c.

6. Again, this year King Solomon is both crowned and married; a match is made up and concluded between the Prince of life and heir of hell. In the former year the purpose of marriage was proclaimed, faying, "I will betroth thee unto me, in righteoufnefs, mercy, faithfulness, and loving-kindness, yea, I will betroth thee unto me for ever;" and this year the bride gives her confent unto the bargain, faying, "I am the Lord's" and that day that the bride gives her confent, the Bridegroom reckons it his coronation day : " Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his efpoufals, and in the day of the gladnefs of his heart."

7. This year the poor foul finds the pearl of great price in the field of the word, whereby it is made up and enriched for ever. It discovers a mine of unfearchable riches of grace, riches of wisdom, riches of righteousness, riches of glory, and claims all as its own upon the grant made thereof in the word, or in the record of God, in which he gives us that eter

nal

nal life, which is in his Son. This year the foul fets to its feal that God is true, acquiefcing in it as a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave finners. This year the foul enters into the holeft by the blood of Jefus; enters upon a state of fellowship and communion with God, in his light, in his life, in his love, and is put in a capacity to fay, "Verily our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift. This year the vesfel of mercy is plucked as a brand out of the fire, and hung upon the nail faftened in a fure place, from whence all the powers of hell fhall not be able to pull it down again; for "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, fhall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord." This year the foundation of a new and fpiritual temple is laid for God to dwell in: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ?" This year the branch of the old Adam is cut off, and grafted into the true vine, the plant of renown, and thefe who were limbs of Satan, are made members of Christ, and to hold that new head, from which the whole body by joints and bands having nourishment miniftered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Thus you fee what great things are done in the very beginning of this year of applied redemption.

I might here alfo tell you, that in the progrefs of this year, the Redeemer doth many great things for the redeemed. The great work of the remaining part of this year, is to advance, and carry on the good work of fanctification or holiness in their fouls, whereby they are more and more ripened for the year of everlasting life and glory. For which end he trysts them with a variety of difpenfations, both as to the outward and the inward man; fometimes with health, fometimes with fickness; fometimes with profperity, fometimes with adverfity; fometimes he fmiles, fometimes he fmites; fometimes the candle of the Lord fhines on their heads, and they behold the glory of the Lord, fometimes they go mourning without the fun, crying, "O that I knew where I might find him!" fometimes he pinches them with hunger and thirst, at other times he anoints their heads with oil, and makes their cup to run over; fometimes they ride upon the high places of Jacob, at other times they drive heavily like the chariots of Pharaoh; fometimes they are plunged in a ditch of fin, so that their own clothes do abhor them, at other times he takes them up from among the pots, and makes them to fhine like the wings of a dove covered with filver, and her feathers with yellow gold:

and

and this way the remaining part of the year is fpent: by all which variety of difpenfations, he is ftill advancing the foul in grace and holinefs, till it be ripe for glory; according to his promise, "All things fhall work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." And fo much for the fourth year, of applied redemption. I come now to

The fifth and last year, and that is the year of confummate and perfected redemption. This is an everlasting year, which never, never ends. All the former years are already come, with refpect to every believer; but this year is not yet come, but is faft a-coming, Behold, I come quickly, fays the Lord : and therefore I may fay, Lift up thy head, believer, for the year or day of thy redemption draweth nigh. Now, this year of perfected redemption has a twofold period, the one at death, and the other at the refurrection, or the day of Christ's second coming.

If it be afked, first, What is done for the ranfomed of the Lord at death?

Anfw. 1. In the beginning of this year Jordan is divided, the waters thereof file off on every hand, that the redeemed of the Lord may have a fafe paffage to the promised land of glory. Poor believer, thou haft many a weary thought about thy paffage, left the waters of the Jordan of death fwallow thee up; but do not fear, that moment thou fets thy foot within the brink of this river, thou wilt fee the ark of God before thee, and multitudes of thy fellow-travellers on the other fide, and nothing but dry ground between thee and them, where there is no manner of danger.

2. In the very beginning of this year Chrift comes, according to his promise, John xiv. 2. 3. to receive his ranfomed ones to glory, that where he is, they may be alfo. And when he comes, he comes with the keys of hell and death in his hand, faying, Fear not, for I was dead, and I am alive, and I live for evermore; I am the Lord and Mafter of death, I open the grave, and fhut it at my pleasure; I have ranfomed thee from the power of the grave, I have redeemed thee from death; I have plagued death, I have deftroyed the grave; and therefore do not fear.

3. In the very beginning of this year the believer flits from his houfe of clay, into a "houfe not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Perhaps, believer, thou pays a dear housemeal for thy lodging in this tabernacle of clay, "We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened; but up the hearty thou shalt have a better lodging ere it be long, where all the rent thou wilt pay for thy quarters will be to fing hallelujabs

Ι

of

of praise to the glorious Redeemer, and to join in that heavenly choir, "Salvation to him that fits on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever."

4. In the very beginning of this year, the believer goes to his bed to rest him till he awakes in the morning of the refurrection. The poor man has toiled himself all the day, and herhaps his day has been fixty, seventy, or an hundred years long; but at length he falls afleep in Jefus: may be, like Job, wearifome days and nights were appointed to him, he could not get rest upon his other beds, his couch could not eafe, or comfort him; but this year he enters into peace, he refts in. his bed, fleeps on a foft pillow, fleeps in Jefus, lays his head down upon the warm bofom of Jefus, where he fleeps found without disturbance from hell or earth, till that voice come. from heaven, " Awake and fing, ye that fleep in the duft,"

In fo

5. In the very beginning of this year, the believer is gathered unto his own people, even unto the general affembly and church of the firft-born. It is faid of Jacob, when he died, "he drew up his feet in his bed, and was gathered unto his people:" A ftrange expreffion! Jacob, when he died, was in the midst of his children and family, and a goodly family he had about him, children and grandchildren; he was dying in honour, and in favour and refpect with the king of Egypt; one would think that he was but departing from his people; but it is called a "gathering unto his people," because death brought him to far better company, even "to the fpirits of juft men made perfect, and the general affembly of the first-born." All the company above are the firft-born, because every one is an heir, not one of them miffes the inheritance. many words, not to inlift on particulars: In the beginning of this year the believer drops the body of fin, which made him to go with a bowed-down back, and is made perfect in holinefs, presented without fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing. This year the believer drops mortality, and enters upon immortality, comes to the poffeffion of that life everlafting, which fhall run parallel with the life of God. This year the believer leaves the wilderness of this world behind him, bids it adieu for ever, and comes to his own country, the "inheritance of the faints in light;" he was a ftranger and a pilgrim, but now he comes to his own home. This year his warfare with fin, Satan, and the world is ended, and he comes off the field like a victorious conqueror, with the palm of victory in his hand, finging that fong, "Thanks be to God, that giveth me the victory, through Jefus Chrift our Lord." In the beginning of this year he ends his race, and comes at the mark VOL. II.

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