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"Can a man (fays he) be born when he is old? can he enter the fecond time into his mother's womb, and be born?" John iii. 4. The cafe is juft the fame with a great deal of men in our day, who fet up for wits. They are ready to brand the doctrine of converfion and regeneration with the character of enthusiasm: but let fuch remember, that the God of truth has faid it, with a verily, verily, except they know and feel it on their own fouls, they "cannot enter into the kingdom of hea

ven."

12. The gofpel-lamp difcovers the way of juftification for an ungodly finner, by an imputed righteoufnels. This difcovery is wholly fupernatural, which the apostle Paul valued fo highly, and gloried fo much in, that when compared with the knowledge hereof, he reckoned every thing else as so much droís and dung, &c.

13. The mystery of fanctification is difcovered by the gospellamp; how Chrift is made of God unto us fanctification; and how, by the great and precious promifes, we are made partakers of the divine nature; and by beholding the glory of the Lord in the glass of the gospel, we are changed into the fame image; how the heart is purified by faith in Chrift, our old man crucified in him, and the body of fin deftroyed, &c.

In a word, to shut up this head, by the light of the gospellamp, we may fee in through the vail of death and mortality, and behold life and immortality brought to light: "For (fays the apostle), we look not at the things which are feen, but at the things which are not feen: for the things which are feen are temporal; but the things which are not feen, are eternal." By the gospel-lamp, and the eye of an enlightened understanding, we may fee the Jordan of death divided, and a paffage opened for the Ifrael of God into the promised land of glory, where we shall be for ever with the Lord, By this lamp we may look to the end of time, and fee Chrift coming to judge the world. He will "defcend from heaven with a fhout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye fhall see him, and they alfo which pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth fhall wail because of him. Verily, verily, I fay unto you, The hour is coming, in the which all that are in their graves fhall hear the voice of the Son of man, and shall come forth," &c. By this gofpel-lamp we may fee all that fleep in their graves raifed up again, fome to the refurrection of eternal life, and others to the refurrection of ever!afting damnation; fome are feen like condemned prifoners, brought out of goal unto the place of execution, and whenever they fee the Judge upon his white throne, crying to the rocks and mountains to fall on them, to

1ide them from his angry face; wtomers are beheld lifting ter bead, becile the day of meir redemption is come,

ng to one another, Let us be glan and rejoice; for the mumage of the Landis core," Rev. xx. -. By this lamp we may ice the retros se fo marvízes thoning in the kingdom of their Father, with robes made white in the blood of the Lamb, crying, Salvation to our God that its apon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever."

Thus I have told you offome great and glorious discoveries that are made by the night of the lamp of the everlasting gospel. I came now,

Thray, to give you a few of its properties and quali

ties.

1. then, It is a divine lamp, a lamp of God's making and preparing, hence the gripe is called "the gofpel of the bleffed God. It comes down from the Father of Fights. All scripture is given by inspiration of God; hence we are to receive it with a divine farth, &c.

2. It is a 4 coleg lamp. There are fech things in the gripel, or difcoveries made by it, as cazzle the eyes of men. Some are totally truck blind with it: "For judgement I am (lays Chrit) come into this worlds that they which fee not, might fee, and that they which fee (or imagine they fee) might be made bind," John is 30. As for real believers, when comet-light thines into their hearts, and difcovers the method of falvation through Cerit, they fail a wondering at every thing they behold, crving, “O the depth of love, grace, and wildom! Without controverfy, great is the mystery of godlintis, God manifest in the eth But why do I fpeak of man? The clear lighted angels, ther cover their faces with their wings at the brightnets of that glory that shines in the perfon and mediation of Christ, "which things the angels de Ere to look into ;" and one crics unto another, and fays, “Holy,

lv, holy is the Lord of betts, the whole earth is full of his glory," If. vi. 3. 1 far, it is a dazzling lamp; and, like hight, it is of a porcing and penetrating nature. Both the Jaw and gofrel light of the word are penetrating; “For the word of God is quick and powerful, and tharper than any to-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of foul and spirit, end of the Joints and marrow, and is a difcerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart," Heb. iv.

2. thines in through the head, down into the heart, and, like the candle of the Lord, picrces into the belly or bottom of

the foul.

3. The light of this lamp is of an aiħimilating nature. “But we all with open face (fays the sportie), beholding as in a

glafs

glafs the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." It purifies the foul, and makes it holy: "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you," John xv. 3.

4. It is a glorious lamp; hence called "the glorious gofpel of the bleffed God." The author of it is the God of glory; the object of it is Chrift the brightness of the Father's glory; and the end of it is the glory of all God's attributes in the everlafting falvation of the loft finner, &c.

5. It is a moft pleafant lamp; truly the light of it is sweet; when it shines into the heart, it fills the foul with the light of knowledge, the light of joy and comfort; the confolations of it are ftrong, and fill the foul with "joy unfpeakable, and full of glory," &c.

6. It is the moft profitable lamp that ever the world faw, because it fhews unto us the path of life, and leads the foul into an immense treasure of foul-riches, that makes the man up for an endless eternity, even the unfearchable riches of Christ, &c.

7. It is an infallible lamp. We have a great deal of newlights got up in our day, which like ignis fatuus, or wild fire, leads men into the bogs and pits of Deifm, Arminianifm, Quakerifm, and other errors in which men are drowned in perdition. But here is a fure light, which we may follow with full affurance of faith. It is the "fure word of prophecy, to which ye do well that ye take heed. The teftimony of the Lord is fure, making wife the fimple. And as many as walk according to" the light of this lamp, "peace thall be upon them, as upon the Ifrael of God," &c.

8. It is an ancient lamp, as you heard. It has been shining in the orbs of the church militant fince it was first lighted in paradife. And this lamp, inftead of waxing dim, as other lamps do, it has fhone brighter and brighter in every gradual difpenfation of it. Hence,

9. It is a lafting and durable lamp. It will fhine to the world's end, let men and devils do their utmost to have it fmothered and extinguished. All that men have done hitherto on defign to put out the lamp, through the hand of God over-ruling their wrath and corruption, has only ferved to snuff the lamp, as you fnuff the candle to make it give better light. "As we have heard, so have we seen this in the city of the living God."

10. It is a common lamp to all men. You know the fun in the firmament is a common lamp to this lower world; every body, rich and poor, has the privilege of the light of the fun, and pays nought for it. Just fo the lamp of the gofpel, the

light of the Sun of Righteoufnefs, Jefus Chrift himself, who is the light of the world, and the day-fpring from on high," is a common good to all mankind, that will but take the benefit of his light; they fhall pay nothing for it. That the gospel is a common good to mankind, is very evident from the words of the angel at his birth. "Behold (fays he), I bring you good tidings of great joy, which fhall be to all people." It is alfo very plain from the commiffion Chrift gives unto his ministers to "go into all the world, and preach the gospel unto every creature" under heaven.

11. It is a moveable and portable lamp, like the tabernacle of old, and the pillar of fire and of cloud, which moved from one place to another. God has not, in all the word, bound himself to fix his gofpel-lamp fo in any nation or congregation, as never to take it away from them, and give it unto others. No, Chrift plainly tells the Jews, that the gospel of his kingdom was to be taken from them, and to be given to another people bringing forth the fruits thereof. The fame, we fee, Chrift tells the church of Ephefus, that he would take away his candlestick from them, except they did repent, and reform, and do their first works, &c.

Thus I have given you fome account of the lamp which God has ordained for his Anointed.

III. The third general head laid down in the method was, to fpeak of the ordination of this Lamp.

Remember, Sirs, it is God's authority in any ordinance of his, that gives it value, efficacy, and validity; just as the ftamp of the king upon the coin makes it to pafs current. Nothing will pafs current in the church of Chrift, with his loyal fubjects, that does not bear the ftamp of the authority of the King of Zion. What is the reason that the fubjects of Chrift, that defire to be faithful to him at this day, run away from the generality of pretended minifters? Why, it is because they do not carry the King's commiffion; they run unfent; they do not hear the voice of Christ in them; they do not fee them coming in by the door of the fold; and therefore they will not follow them. Why do we Proteftants reject the doctrines of the Romish church, their mafs, breviaries, and idolatries? Why it is because they do not bear the ftamp of God's authority. And for the fame reafon we reject Epifcopal and Independent government, and the fuperftition and ceremonics of the English church; it is because they are only the inventions of men, and have no authority from God; and therefore we cannot expect his ble fling to accompany them. And, on the other hand, why do we fprinkle water in baptifm in the name of the Father,

Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft? Why do we eat and drink at the table of the Lord a little fimple bread and wine, which to carnal reafon are inconfittent things? Why do we preach the gofpel, which to the wife of this world is foolishness? Why do we pray, and praife, and go about other duties? It is becaufe they are commanded and ordained of God. The gospel is a lamp of God's ordaining; and therefore it is "the power of God unto falvation, mighty through God to the pulling down of ftrong holds," &c.

The weakest and most infignificant things, when appointed of God, are the only mans that will produce the defired effects. What made the found of rams horns to overthrow the walls of Jericho? What made the waters of Jordan more effectual for curing Naaman's leprofy, or spittle and duft mixed together effectual for opening the eyes of the blind man? Just this. Thefe were the means of God's appointment; and therefore his own power went along with them. So here the gospel, and a gofpel-miniltry, however contemptible and infignificant in the eyes of the world they may appear: yet, being a lamp of God's ordination, therefore his power is to be looked for by it for the falvation of fouls. "It hath pleafed God by the foolishness of preaching to fave them that believe." By thefe means it is that finners are gathered unto the blessed Shiloh.

To let you fee how much God is concerned about this lamp of the everlasting gofpel, I fhall tell you of feveral things that God has ordained about it.

1. He has ordained the places and parts of the world where it fhall be fet up and fhine. "He gave his ftatutes unto Jacob, and his teftimonies unto Ifrael; he dealt not fo with any nation." If you ask me, Why doth God fend the gospel to Scotland, and not to many rich and populous nations who fit in darkness? Why, the reafon of it is, "Even 10, O Father, for fo it hath pleafed thee," &c. Hence Paul, viewing the feverity of God in taking the gofpel from the Jews, and ending it to the Gentiles, he cries out, [Gr. 3ados, &c.] "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his judgements, and his ways paft finding out!" Rom. xi. 33.

2. As he ordained the places where the lamp fhall be fet up, fo he ordained how long it thould fhine, before it be lifted to another part of the earth. He ordained how long it fhould fhine among the Jews, viz. until Chrift came. He ordained how long it should fhine in the churches of Afia, before he came and removed his candleftick. He has ordained when, and how long, the gofpel thall continue in Scotland; and there is but VOL. III.

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