your renowned King of Zion, is, to furrender rebellious arms, and fubmit unto his royal authority: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in." By way of motive, I need only put you in mind of fome things that have already been infifted on; as, 14, Confider the difmal wrath and danger abiding all his enemies. See the use of terror. 2dly, Confider what for a King he is to whom ye are called to fubmit. See the properties or qualities of Zion's King, spoken to on the firft head of doctrine. 3dly, Confider the advantages of his government. Spoken to in the use of confolation. 4thly, Confider how earneft he is with the rebellious finners, to come in under his rule and administration. (1.) He invites the rebels to fubmit, If. lv. 7. “Let the wicked forfake his way," &c. (2.) He befeeches finners to be reconciled to him, and to God in him, 2 Cor. v. 20. (3.) He promises welcome with the golden fceptre of peace in his hand; "Come to me who will, I will in no wife cast out.” (4.) He is grieved at the obftinacy of finners, who will not submit, as in the cafe of Jerufalem, Luke. xix. (5.) He reasons with finners, and expoftulates the matter, If. i. 18. Jer. ii. (6.) He fwears that he has no pleasure in their death and ruin, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. "As I live, I have no pleasure in your death," &c. (7.) When there is no perfuading of them, he takes away his kingdom with regret, Matth. xxiii. at the close. (8.) Confider how glad he is when a rebel finner submits to him, as the father of the prodigal, &c. I conclude with two or three advices, in order to your becoming his fubjects. 1. Be convinced that ye are by nature enemies, yea, enmity itfelf; and do not deceive yourselves, by imagining that you have good hearts toward God; for they are desperately wicked. 2. Meditate much on your miferable thraldom and bondage to fin, Satan, and the world, until the Son make you free, &c. 3. Attend carefully on the ordinances of the King of Zion, particularly that great converting ordinance of the preaching of the word; for this is "the rod of his ftrength, and it pleases him by the foolishness of preaching to fave them that believe;" and liften carefully to hear the voice of the King of Zion in that ordinance, as Lydia, who attended on the miniftry of Paul. See If. lv. 2. 3. &c. 4. With hearing of the word join a diligent reading of it: "Search the fcriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and these are they which teftify of me." The Bible is God's God's record concerning him whom he has fet King in his holy hill of Zion; there his glory and beauty is decyphered with his own hand; there you have the will of the King, the latterwill of the King fealed with his blood. 5. Be importunate fupplicants at the King's throne for grace and mercy. Zion's King is a merciful King; his work is to "fave the poor and needy," Pfal. lxxii. &c. He is liberal; "If any man lack wifdom, let him afk of God," &c. 6. In the use of other means, fee that ye effay the great work of believing; for without this it is impoffible to please the King, or his eternal Father; "This is his commandment, that ye believe on the name of his Son Jefus Chrift." Do what you will, you will be held as rebels till you believe: "He that believeth fhall be faved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned." And therefore, I fay, in obedience to the commands of God, and in a dependence on his grace and Spirit, effay the work of believing: "This is the work of God, that ye believe on his Son whom he hath fent." 7. Pray much for the purchased and promised Spirit from the King who is in the midst of the throne; plead the promise, "I will put my Spirit within you," Ezek. xxxvi. 27. and that promife, Pfal. cx. 3. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." 8. Caft out a red flag of war against all the enemies of the King of Zion, whether within or without you. Begin the war against his enemies in your own hearts, in your walk, and in your families; begin reformation there: and having begun the war within, carry it abroad in your profeffion; and take up the cause of Chrift in the land, his public intereft, and do what in you lies to oppofe and discountenance those who are attempting to ruin his kingdom and intereft in the world, particularly in the land wherein you live; for if his kingdom be taken from us, if he remove the doctrine, difcipline, worship, and government of his house, wo to our land; then the songs of our temple fhall be turned into howlings, and our poor pofterity fhall, in a few years, be a company of Pagan and Popish idolaters. Well, then, let me renew my call and invitation unto all ftrangers, foreigners, and rebels, to come and fubmit to the government of him whom God has fet King in his holy hill of Zion. It was foretold by Jacob, on his death-bed, that "the gathering of the people fhould be to him," and by Ifaiah, that "unto him fhould the Gentiles feek." O that this may be the day and time where in this prophecy fhall be fulfilled! This time hundred years, viz. 1638, there was a ftrange gathering of the whole land unto the Lord Jefus, as their glori ous ous Head and King. When his work feemed to be buried, and his friends were reckoning that they were like a company of dry bones, it pleafed the Lord to breathe upon the dry bones, by the wind of his Spirit, and prefently a great army ftood up, and gathered life and ftrength to fight his battles, infomuch that the whole land, in a little time, was brought under the oath of a covenanted allegiance to the King of Zion; and fuch a vigorous ftand was at that time made for the royalties of his crown, that these very powers then in being, which had been attempting to bury his caufe, were obliged to give way to it. Although the kingdom and intereft of Christ be brought low at this day, yet let us not lofe hopes of its refurrection, but "remember the years of the right hand of the Moft High;" let us "remember the works of the Lord, and his wonders of old; for the refidue of the Spirit" is ftill with him; "his hand is not shortened, that he cannot fave; neither his ear heavy, that he cannot hear." A nation can be born to him at once, juft by the fwaying of his royal fceptre, the found of his voice in the difpenfation of the gofpel. O that this may be the hour or year in which the dead through Scotland may hear the voice of the Son of man, and live! Mean time, I fay, I defire, as one of the meaneft of his heralds, to invite and call, to intreat and beseech, yea, in his name and authority, I require all hearing me this day, to believe in his name, to truft him for falvation from fin, Satan, wrath, and hell, and to fubmit to his authority, to receive the law at his mouth, and to own him as their alone Judge, King, and Lawgiver: "Thou art my King of old, working falvation in the midst of the earth." Object. 1. I have been in rebellion against the King of Zion, he will never fhew favour to me. Anfw. All Adam's pofterity are rebels; and if he did not receive fuch, he fhould have no kingdom on earth. But fee what is faid of Zion's King, Pfal. lxviii. 18. "He gives gifts unto men, yea, even to the rebellious." And therefore let not this stand in the way; break your covenant with hell, and submit. Object. 2. My acts of rebellion draw deeper than can be fuppofed to be forgiven. Anfw." Though your fins be as fearlet and crimson, he will make them white as fnow, and as wool." The King ftands with an indemnity in his hand to the greatest of rebels, faying, "1, even I am he that blotteth out all your tranfgref fions," &c. Object. 3. I am fuch a miferable, wretched, and worthless creature, that the King of Zion will never look upon me. Anfr. Though Zion's King be high, yet fo condefcending is he, that he regards the most worthlefs and wretched finner that is out of hell, that will fubmit to his righteoufnefs and fceptre. His cry is, "He that hath no money, let him come and buy without money, and without price." Object. 4. I am a poor blind creature, I was born blind, and continue blind, like a mole, to this day, in the things of God; what will the King of Zion care for mc? Anfw. The King of Zion he "opens the eyes of the blind," and he counfels the blind to come and "buy of him eyefalve." Object. 5. I am ftark naked of all good qualifications, I have no holiness, no righteousness, no goodness, to recommend me to the King of Zion, as one of his fubjects. Anfw. Zion's King calls the naked to come and "buy of him white raiment, to cover the fhame of their nakedness.". He clothes all his fubjects with change of raiment, yea, with the King's own robe; only caft away your own filthy rags, the works of the law, and all qualifications of felf, and come to him as you are, for he fays, " Come to me who will, I will in no wife caft out." Object. 6. I am fo polluted and defiled with the uncleanness of fin, and have followed fo many idols, that the King of Zion will never own me. Anf. Ezek. xxxvi. 25. "I will fprinkle them with clean water, and they fhall be clean: from all their filthinefs, and from all their idols will I cleanse them." "Though ye have lien among the pots, yet fhall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with filver, and her feathers with yellow gold." The King wathes the fubjects with his own blood, and ye shall be made to fing, Rev. i. "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood ;-to him be glory," &c. Object. 7. I have a heart of ftone like the adamant in my breast; will ever the King of Zion receive me? Anfi. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. "A new heart alfo will I give you, and a new fpirit will I put within you, and I will take away the ftony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.' The King of Zion cries, " My fon, give me thine heart," hard as it is, and I will foften it. Object. 8. I am unacquainted with the kingdom of the King of Zion, and know nothing of the fecrets of his kingdom and government. Anfw. Well, be it fo, the King of Zion hath "pity on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way;" he will let you into his fecrets, and "to you it fhall be given to know the myfteries of the kingdom." Zion's King is alfo a Prophet to VOL. II. 4 B reveal reveal fecrets, and his "fecret is with them that fear him, and to them he will fhew his covenant." Object. 9. I am a ftranger to the laws and government of the King, &c. Anfw. He will "write his law in your heart, and put it in your inward parts: I will put my spirit within them, and cause them to walk in my ftatutes." Object. 10. If I should own the King of Zion for my King, I will prove a deferter, and turn back again unto the devil's camp, and then my latter end will be worse than my beginning. Anfw. It is the promise of Zion's King to all that believe in him, "I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will never turn away from them to do them good: but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they fhall not depart from me." Object. 11. I am a dead finner; what cares the King of Kion for the dead? Anfw. Zion's King quickens the dead, and commands "things that are not as if they were." His voice raises the dead; and therefore I cry, "Awake, thou that fleepest, and arife from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Object. 12. What if I be not among those that are given to the King of Zion by his Father? in that cafe he will never receive me among his fubjects. Anfw. That is none of your bufinefs, at the first instant to leap in among things fecret, which belong unto the Lord; "Things revealed belong unto us, and to our children." The voice of the King of Zion, in his word and miniftry, is unto you, "Unto you, O men, do I call, and my voice is to the fons of men." And therefore come in upon the King's proclamation, for that is your warrant, and not the fecret thoughts of the King's heart Object. 13. I am a prifoner to fin and Satan, my bonds are fo ftrong, that I cannot ftir myself to come to Zion's King. Anfw. Zion's King comes to prifoners, because they cannot come to him, and fays to the prifoners of fin and Satan, Come forth; unto you that fit in darkness, Show yourselves. It is juft the work of the King of Zion to loose prisoners; and therefore fubmit to him, that he may loose your bands, and "whom the Son makes free, they are free indeed," &c. CHRIST |