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&c. He has made him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body. " All power in heaven and in earth is given unto me," fays Chrift. "The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto the Son." And feeing he has fuch truft and credit with his Father, what an indignity is done to the Father, and Son alfo, when a finner, through unbelief, declares him to be unworthy of any credit, and fays, practically, that the nail that God has faftened is loofe, weak, or infufficient, and therefore will not venture the weight of his falvation or juftification upon it, but will choose rather to hang upon fome nails of his own faftening, fuch as the nail of an empty profeffion, the nail of God's general mercy, the nail of legal duties and obedience, and the like, which are all but rufty, weak, or broken nails, that will gire way, and ruin all that do depend upon them.

3. See hence what great ground and reafon of the perseverance of the faints, and why they cannot fall totally or finally away from a state of grace; why, they hang upon the nail faftened in a fure place. The great Manager of his Father's family, he has them in his cuftody, and is to give an account of the offspring and iflue, and every veffel of the house unto his Father, and he will make a good account of every one of them, and fay to his Father, that intrufted him with them, "Of all that thou haft given me, I have loft none. Here am I, and the children which thou haft given me." If a believer can fall totally or finally away, it is either because the nail may break or be loofed, or because the bands, by which they hang upon the nail, may be broken or cut. But none of these can fall out. The nail, as you heard in the doctrinal part of this difcourfe, is fixed fo, that heaven and earth will fooner be diffolved than that it fhould yield or give way in the leaft. And as for the bands, by which they hang upon the nail, they are fo firm, ftrong, and well faftened, that the foul, when it has a view of its fecurity in the light of the Lord, is able to give that charge of Paul's, Rom. viii. 35. 37. 38. 39. " Who fhall feperate.us from the love of Chrift? fhall tribulation or diftrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or fword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. For I am perfuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, nor heighth, nor depth, nor any other creature, fhall be able to feparate us from the love of God which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord."

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4. See the great,difference between the ftate of a believer, now under a covenant of grace, and the state of Adam under a covenant of works. Adam, the first covenant-head and re

prefentative,

prefentative, though an innocent, yet was but a fallible creature, and being left unto the liberty of his own will, that nail gave way, and he and all his pofterity, fell into a horrible pit of fin and mifery, from which the whole creation could not recover them. But the case of the believer is not fo, he hangs on a nail in a fure place, he stands on the foundation God has laid in Zion, against which the gates of hell fhall never prevail. Many a pull and pluck has the devil and the world given at the veffels that hang upon this nail, and yet by all their power and policy, they were never able to carry off a cup, let be a flagon, that did hang upon the nail faftened in a fure place. To this purpose is that of Chrift, John x. 28. 29. "None fhall pluck them out of my hand: none fhall pluck them out of my Father's hand."

5. See hence, that the faints have no caufe of boafting or glorying in themselves, but only in Chrift; for he is the nail in a fure place, upon whom all the glory, and all the offspring and iffue do hang. "Where is boafling? It is excluded, By what law, of works? Nay; but by the law of faith." Now, the law of faith is, to lay the whole weight of our falvation and juftification upon Chrift, to receive him, and to rest upon him alone for eternal life, and all the purtenances of it; to "receive out of his fulness, grace for grace." And therefore,

He. that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord," saying, "The Lord is my ftrength and fong, he alfo is become my falvation." When the believer finds pride of gifts or grace begin to ftir in his heart, he should prefently check it, by put ting thefe, or the like queftions, to himfelf, "What haft thou, O man, that thou haft not received? and if thou haft received it, why dost thou boast as though thou hadft not received it?" Let none of the branches that grow upon the true vine boaft, as though they had their ftanding, ftrength, or righteoufnefs in themselves. "If thou boat, remember that thou beareft not the root, but the root beareth thee," Rom. xi. 13. All hang upon the nail.

6. See hence a good reafon for that folemn work and duty of covenanting, by ftretching out the hand unto the Lord, as it is faid of Ethiopia, Pfal. Ixviii. 31. This duty is warranted by fcripture example, and fcripture prophecy concerning the days of the New Teftament, and the example of our worthy forefathers in the three kingdoms, and this land in a particular manner. As God the Father, by folemn oath, has conftitute his own Son the great Manager of his houfe, hanging all the offspring and ilue upon him; fo it is highly reasonable that all the offspring and iffue of the family fhould homologate his deed, by folem oath and covenant, before the whole world,

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because this is for his declarative glory, upon whom all the glory hangs. It is requifite that we not only believe with the heart unto righteoufnefs, but confefs him with the mouth unto falvation, Rom. x. 10. And this is in a particular manner neceffary in a day like this, when the prophets are become fuch fools, and the spiritual men fo mad, as to derogate from the glory of the great Manager of his Father's houfe, both in his prophetical, prieftly, and kingly offices, by tolerating the erroneous, foifting in moral virtue in the room of his everlasting righteoufnefs; and by throwing up his alone headship, and enacting laws, and inflicting cenfures, inconfiftent with his authority in his holy oracles: I fay, what more juft and reasonable, in such a cafe, than that all that love our Lord Jefus Chrift, and regard his honour and glory, fhould, in the most folemn manner imaginable, declare their adherence to him in the prefence of angels and men, faying with Jofhua, "Whatever others do, we and our house will ferve the Lord." There are a generation of men in our day, who fet up only for a private, felfish kind of religion. If they believe with the heart, they think they have done enough. If they enjoy raptures and ecftafies of love to Chrift, they are eafy what come of Jerufalem, what come of the ark of God, or a covenanted refor mation. Let error in doctrine, corruption in worship, tyranny in government, prevail as much as they will, it is all a matter; these are not the effentials; all is well with them if they have what they call the Spirit. But what fort of a fpirit is that which follows, cleaves to, and coalefces with abjured prelacy, a corrupt backfliding miniftry, and judicatories that deny the obligation of folemn covenants, and at the fame time inspire men with enmity againit a teftimony for a covenanted refor mation, and all that own it? Surely fuch a spirit must be the fpirit of the old ferpent transforming himfelf into an angel of light; the old malignant fpirit that perfecuted our forefathers unto death, for cleaving to a covenanted refor mation, although now indeed, it has put on the name and vizard of Prefbyterian. They that boaft of fuch a fpirit, as if it were a fpirit of converfion, they boaft themselves in a thing of nought; yea, in a thing that is worfe than nought, even of a fpirit of trong delufion. A deceived heart, and a fubtle devil, has turned them afide from the truth, that they "cannot deliver their fouls, nor fay, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

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Ufe fecond of the doctrine may be by way of Trial and Examination. Is it fo, that believers are the offspring and iffue of the house of God?hen it concerns every one, to try himfelf, whether he be of that bloffed progeny. We read, Heb.

xii. of baftards in the vifible church, which cannot be reckoned among this number. They are indeed called the children of the kingdom; but they are fuch as do not inherit the kingdom of God, becaufe they will be caft into utter darkness. And therefore it concerns us to fee, whether or not we be the lawfully begotten children of Zion, the true offspring and iffue of God's household and family. I remember, in the doctrinal part, I told you why they are called the offspring and iffue; and now I would offer you two or three marks whereby they may be known.

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1. All the offspring and iffue of God's family, they have paffed through the ftrait gate of regeneration, or the new birth; for, fays Chrift, Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." But, fay you, how may I know if I be a partaker of the new birth? I answer, The new birth brings a new ftate or ftanding with it. You have quit your standing upon the law bottom of works, and all foundations of fand, and taken up your only ftand upon the foundation laid in Zion, which is Chrift Jefus. The new birth brings a new heart along with it: Ezek. xxxvi. 26. “ A new heart will I give them," &c. The new birth brings with it new principles of action, a principle of life, of faith and loves new motives and ends; felf-love conftrains the finner, but the love of Chrift, and the glory of God, constrains the true convert to duty. The new birth makes a man to affect the new covenant, even a covenant of rich grace and promife, "faying, this is all my falvation." The new birth makes a man to affect new laws. He was formerly under the law of fin and death; but now he delights in the law of the Lord, and approves of it, as holy, juft, and good; he delights in the law of the Lord, after the inner man. The new birth brings a new language along with it; the man gets a new rongue; formerly he spoke the language of Ashdod, but now the language of Canaan. The new birth produceth new views, both of things temporal and eternal. So then, try yourselves by thele whether you be among the true offspring and iffue of the houfe of God for "he is not a Jew, who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcifion, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, who is one inwardly; and circumcifion is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter, whofe praise is not of men, but of God."

2. All the offspring and iffue of the houfe have seen their Father's countenance; and they are always glad at the fight of it, like David, "Thou haft put more gladness in my heart by thy countenance, than they when their corn, wine, and oil did abound."

3. All the offspring of God's family, each one of them refembles the children of a king, because they bear a likeness unto their Father, and his first-born Son: "By beholding his glory, we are changed into the fame image." And they hate themselves, because of their diffimilitude through remaining fin and indwelling corruption; faying, with Paul, Rom. vii. 24. "Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of fin and death!

4. All the offspring of God's family, they have great trust and faith to put in Chrift the great Manager of the family: hence called believers, because they believe in, and believe on his name: John i. 12. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his name." The very name of Chrift is so sweet to them, that it is like ointment poured forth; and if they had all the fouls that ever sprang of Adam dwelling in their bodies, they could commit the keeping of them all to him.

5. All the offspring of the house are acquainted with the Manager's voice, the voice of his word, and the voice of his rod, "My fheep know my voice." When they hear his promifing voice, they are filled with joy and peace in believing it. When they hear his commanding voice, they are ready to fay, I will run the ways of thy commandments; only give grace to obey, and command what thou wilt. When they hear his threatening voice, they tremble at his word. When they hear his correcting voice, in worldly trials and croffes, they are ready to fay with David, "I was dumb with filence, I opened not my mouth, because thou didit it."

6. All the offspring and iffue of the family, they love to lifp out their Father's name, crying, Abba, Father, Rom. viii. It is true, through the prevalency of unbelief, and a fense of guilt and filth, they bluth when they speak to him as a Father; but yet, now and then, as faith gets up its head, they will be ready to cry, as the church, If. lxiii. 16. " Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Ifrael acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer, thy name is from everlasting."

7. If you be the true offspring of this family, your Father's prefence will be your delight, and his abfence, hiding, and frowns will be an intolerable affliction. Chrift, the firit-born of the family, he never complained fo much of all his other troubles, as when his Father looked down upon him, Pfal. xxii. 1. "My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me ?" Juf fo is it with all the genuine offspring, as you see in David, Afaph, Heman, and others.

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