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"Now will I arife, faith the Lord," viz. " when their strength is gone, and none shut up, or left."

Obferv. 7. That in the times of the greatest defection and apoftafy in the vifible church, God has ftill a remnant that are cleaving to him and his way and cause. This is clearly implied here; he has fervants that must be fealed, when the winds of error and corruption are hurling away the rest of vifible profeffors: Rev. iii. 4. "Thou haft a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments," &c. When all Ifrael was carried away with a flood of idolatry, God had his feven thousand in Ifrael that had not bowed the knee unto Baal. God will keep his hand about thefe, come of the reft of the world what will.

Obferv. 8. God's remnant in this world, they are mingled with the rest of mankind; they live promifcuoufly together in the fame land, in the fame parifh, and in the fame families. So much is imported in the staying of the winds until the fervants of God were fealed. They are just like the wheat and chaff lying in the fame barn floor; or like the tares and corn which grow in the fame field, and yet are of a quite different nature, and therefore cannot but be a great grievance to one another; the godly are a burden to the wicked, and the wicked are a burden to the godly. Hence is that melancholy fonnet of David's, "Wo is me, that I fojourn in Mefech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar."

Obferv. 9. That although godly and wicked be as it were jumbled together, yet the Lord knoweth them that are his, and his eyes are running to and fro, to fhew himself ftrong on their behalf. Hence you fee here the Angel who is their guardian, Jefus Chrift, he cries to top the winds till they be fealed; which implies, that he knows them that were to be fealed, and was exercifing a particular providence about them. He that calls forth the ftars by name, he knows all his jewels by name and firname; and no wonder, for he bears their name on his breaft, their names are written in the Lamb's book, that none of them be loft.

Obferv. 10. That when once provifion is made for the fafety and welfare of God's faithful fervants and people, he then gives a loofe unto his awful and terrible judgements against a wicked world, the generation of his wrath. You fee here that the restraint is only until the fervants of God be fealed; which implies, that whenever they were fealed, the restraint was taken off, and the angels loofed the four hurtful winds against the rest of mankind. So foon as Noah and his family were fhut up in the ark, the fountains of the great deep, and the windows of heaven, opened, a loofe is given unto the waters

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of the deluge upon the old world. So foon as Lot is gone out of Sodom, fnares, fire, and brimstone, are rained down from heaven upon the rest of the wicked inhabitants. Whence we fee, that the truly godly, though they be the objects of the world's hatred, yet they are the pillars of the land where they live, to keep off the judgements of God from them: If. i. 9. "Except the Lord of hofts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah."

Obferv. 11. That God's particular intereft in his people is their fafety and fecurity in an evil day. They are the fervants of our God, and therefore they must be fealed.

Obferv. 12. That Chrift and believers they have one common God and Father; and therefore here he takes them in with himself when he speaks of them, Our Ged; hence is that new Teftament name, "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Chrift." He and they are included in one covenant, wrapt up in the fame robe. But, paffing all these, the doctrine I intend to infift upon is that which follows.

OBSERV. "That whateter pernicious and hurtful winds may be allowed to blow in the militant church, Chrift, her glorious head and guardian, will take a distinguishing care for the fafety of those that are found faithful to him in an evil day, that they do not sustain any real hurt thereby."

The foundation of the doctrine is clear and obvious; for here, when the four winds are just ready to blow, Chrift, the great Angel, that has the feal of the living God, afcends from the east, arifes as it were out of obfcurity, and gives the cry, faying, Hurt not the earth, neither the fea, nor the trees, till we have fealed the fervants of our God in their foreheads. See for proof Ezek. ix. 4. " Go through the midft of the city, through the midft of Jerufalem, and fet a mark upon the foreheads of the men that figh, and that cry," &c.

In difcourfing this doctrine, I fhall, through divine affiftance, endeavour the order and method following.

I. I fhall take notice of a few of thofe hurtful winds that are fuffered to blow in the church militant, and who they are that are hurt by them.

II. I would inquire who are thofe fervants of God for whofe fake the hurtful winds are reftrained for a time.

III. I would speak a little of the feal that he fets upon them for their fecurity against hurtful winds.

IV. Why

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I. The first thing is, to take notice of fome of thofe pernicious winds wherewith the church of Chrift is infefted while here in a militant State.

I then, There is the wind of open violence, perfecution, and bloodshed. The roaring lion he delights in blood, efpecially the blood of the faints, who are the true feed of the woman, and therefore commonly this is the first thing that he effays in order to ruin the church of Chrift. Hence he inftigated Cain to flay his brother Abel. He inftigated the Jews to crucify the Lord of glory, and to perfecute his apoftles and the Romans, by ten feveral perfecutions, to raze the Chriftian church if poffible from the face of the earth. And it is well known how he did inftigate malignant men in power under fome reigns before the late revolution, to effay, by perfecution and bloodshed, to raze a covenanted reformation, and all that owned it, from off the face of the earth. And we fee the fame fpirit of enmity at this day raging against that fame work and caufe under another denomination; only the great Angel of the covenant does not allow as yet that wind to blow; but how foon the permiffion is given, I make no doubt but we may fee the Grafsmarket, and other places through Scotland, reeking as faft as ever with the blood of the faints.

2. Sometimes, and very frequently, the hurtful wind of error in doctrine is fuffered to blow in the barn or field of the vifible church. "There must be herefies, (fays the apoftle), that they which are approved, may be made manifeft," 1 Cor. xi. 19. Thofe here fies are compared to the wind; hence that Eph. i. 14. "Be not like children, toffed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine." It galls and torments the devil, to fee the church of Chrift poffeffing the pure truths of God. He himself abode not in the truth, and therefore cannot endure to fee any abiding in it; and therefore studies by all means to fow the tares of error and corruption in doctrine, whereby the food of the church may be poifoned, and people perverted from the fimplicity of the gofpel. And, indeed, when once it has entered, it flies like a peftilential wind, corrupting the minds of men. Manifold melancholy inftances might be adduced, both in former ages, and in our own day; but I must not enlarge, that I may win forward to the application. I thall only add, that truth in its purity is fuch a valuable commodity, that every man is to contend for it as in an agony; for if but the leaft hoof of it be parted with, we

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are in danger of loofing the whole, because of the neceffary connection of truth in the fyftem of our holy religion.

3. Another hurtful wind is the wind of ftrong delufions as to everlasting foul concerns; and this is confequential unto the former. It is very common and ordinary, when God has given his ftatutes and teftimonies unto a people in purity, as a light unto their feet, and a lamp unto their paths, and, instead of taking heed unto the fure word of prophecy, as unto a light fhining in a dark place, they embrace, countenance, and patronize error; God, in that cafe, chooses their own delufions, fuffers them to feed upon afhes, a deceived heart to turn them afde that they cannot deliver their foul, nor fay, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?" If. xliv. 20. Thus he dealt with Ifrael, Pfal. lxxxi. 11. 12. "My people would not hearken to my voice: and Ifrael would none of me. Therefore I gave them up unto their own hearts lufts: and they walked in their own counfels." Thus he dealt with the abettors and fupporters of antichriftian errors, 2 Theff. ii. 11. 12. they received not the truth in the love of it; therefore God gave them up unto ftrong delufions, to believe lies. And this is the very cafe with multitudes both of minifters and people in our own day. They have forfaken the reformation doctrine, principles, and covenants, in many inftances, which are made known to the world: they have rejected a testimony for that glorious work, and killed the witneffes, and caft them out; for which caufe God is giving many of them up in this generation to fuch strong delufion, as to believe a lie, and to cry up that for a faving work of God, which looks like that judgement we read of, lf. vi. 9-12. "And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and fee ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and fhut their eyes: left they fee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed," &c.

4. There is the wind of temptation that blows in the visible church. This was a wind that blew hard on the glorious Head and Captain of our falvation, as you fee Matth. iv. He was tempted to a diftruft of providence, to felf-murder, and to call in question his own fupreme Deity. And therefore, none of his friends and followers need be furprifed when they meet with the like attacks; and never is the enemy more ready to make an attack upon the Chriftian, than when he has been admitted unto fellowship with, and nearnefs to, the Lord, as you fee in the cafe of Peter, after he had been at the firit fupper where Chrift himself was perfonally prefent, Luke xxii. 31.32." Simen, Simon, behold Satan hath defired to have you,

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that he may fift you as wheat," &c. And therefore, you that have been at a communion table, and enjoyed any thing of the Lord, take heed to yourselves, for you may expect a winnowing wind from hell to blow ere it be long: Oh look by the eye of faith to your Advocate with the Father, that he may pray that your faith fail not.

5. Another hurtful wind is the wind of profanity and open ungodlinefs. Ufually when men efpouse errors, and lax toleration principles, God gives up with them, lays the reins upon their necks, and fuffers them to run into all excefs of riot, faying, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die; let us make the best of the world and the pleafures of it that we can. Thus God dealt with the very Heathen, when they did not walk up to the light and law of nature, Rom. i. 25. 26. 28. 29. Now, if God thus punished the abuse of nature's light, how much more will he not punish the abuse of gospel light, by giving a people unto all manner of impiety? which is the cafe with multitudes among us at this day, who are given up to the fame abominations with Heathens.

6. All these winds are commonly followed with the winds of fweeping and defolating judgements, fuch as fword, famine, and peftilence, whereby the wicked are turned off the stage of time into a miferable eternity. Many awful beacons of God's feverity and juftice this way are left upon record to us in the fcriptures of truth, fuch as the old world, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Jewish church and nation; and truly I am afraid, yea, I may be pretty pofitive, that God is faying to us in this land, upon the account of perjury, covenant-breaking, apo ftafy, contempt of the truth, perfecution and church tyranny, profanity, and the like, "How fhall I pardon you for thefe? fhall I not vifit for these things? and fhall not my foul be avenged on fuch a nation as this?" The rumour of war is begun, but where it fhall end, God knows. Perhaps God is faying, as in If. vi. when the prophet puts the question, When, or how long, fhall these spiritual judgements laft? the Lord anfwers, ver. 11. 12. "Until the cities be wafted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly defolate," &c.

Thus I have told you of fome of thofe hurtful winds that God lets blow in the vifible church. But now you may ask me, What are we to understand by the earth, the fea, and the trees, that shall be hurt by thefe winds, particularly the winds of error, defection, and delution, &c.? I fhall juft give you the opinion of the judicious Durham upon the place.

1. then, By the earth, we are to underftand earthly minded profeffors, who fuppofe gain to be gedlinefs. They have some

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