thoufand years, and the laft difh is ferved up now. O

then receive it not in vain.

1

(5.) Laftly, It is grace that may be loft, Matth. xxiii. 37. 38. The fun of the gofpel has gone down in fome places, where it fhined as clearly as ever it did in Scotland, and God knows if ever it rife again there. That we have received it much in vain, is plain from the heavy hand of God on us at this day in temporal calamities, Hof. ii. 9. yea and his threatening us with the removal of the gofpel, ver. 11. O then receive it not in vain; but, while ye have the light, be walking in it for to look no farther than the entertainment the gospel is getting at this day, it is a fad fign there is a black night abiding us: fo that I think minifters and people fhould fet themfelves about it as a way going commodity.

If thou be wife, thou shall be wife for thyself:" but if thou fcorneft, thou alone fhalt bear it.

TH

1

HIS verfe is the epilogue or conclufion of the gofpel-treaty with finners, carried on with them by the meffengers of Chrift in his name. It is a folemn declaration or proteflation that it is fhut up with. The entertainment the gofpel meets with is twofold, and there are two forts (and but two) of gofpel-hearers. (1.) Compliers with the gofpel-call; thefe are called the wife. (2.) Refufers; thefe are ftyled fcorners. The declaration looks to both, and is carried as it were, after the offer is made, to every individual man and woman's door that hears the gospel. It is not, They that are wife fhall be wife for themselves;

hereby the Lord fpeaks to every one in particular,

If thou be wife, thou shalt be wife for thyfelf, &c. Which clafs foever one puts himself into, here is his cafe declared. (1.) If thou be wife and comply, the gain fhall be thine own; it is not the Lord's, but the fruit fhall drop into thine own lap. (2.) If thou fcornest and refuseft, the loss shall be thine, it will lie chiefly at leaft on thine own head. So the exclufive particle is taken, Pfal. li. 4. Against thee, thee only have I finned.

I defign not to infift on these words, but only with them to fhut up the call to the improvement of the gofpel and religion which I have been giving you. Thus the great duty is laid before you and now I would apply the words of the text unto you on this occafion, and to every one of you. Ye have heard the nature of faith and repentance, the utility of public ordinances for falvation, and the neceflity of not receiving of the gospel in vain. Now, finner, what wilt thou do? wilt thou comply with the gofpel-offer or not? Well I protest and declare in the terms of the text, If thou be wife, thou shalt be wife for thyself: but if thou fcorneft, thou alone fhalt bear it. I fhall branch out this proteftation in three particulars.

First, If thou be not a complier with the gospel-call, thou art a fcorner of it: there is no mids. This is evident from the text, which divides all gofpel-hearers into these two forts. Now, thou art not a complier with the gospel-call, as long as,

1. Thou entertaineft any prejudice againft religion, and wilt not come to Chrift, John v. 40. Thou art a refufer in that cafe, thou wilt not be obedient, but turneft away thine ear and fhoulder. Men may receive and comply with a form of religion and a profeffion, who yet are under reigning prejudice against the power of godlinefs, 2 Tim. iii. 5. Now, fince religion lies inwardly, and confifts not in word, but in power, thefe are not compliers, for they fay they will not

come into the inner court.

2. Thou art in a doubt whether to come or not, or delayest and putteft it off. Halters between two opiVOL. III. U ú

nions are not compliers with the gospel-call. Nor will the call admit of a delay, like that of the fluggard, Yet a little fleep, a little flumber, a little folding of the hands to fleep, Prov. vi. ro. For fee the effect of fuch a fluggifh delay, ver. 11. So fhall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. It is, To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart. If thou delay then till to-morrow, thou rejecteft the call, thou art a fcorner of the offer.

3. If in any cafe thou doft not come, doft not turn from thy fins unto God in Chritt, fincerely, thorough. ly, and univerfally, thou doft not comply, Jer. iii. 10. The hypocrite, that fatisfies himself with his partial turning, is a non-complier, a rebel againft King Christ, as well as the profane, and shall bear the weight of it, Pfal. cxxv. 5. As for such as turn afide unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. Now, in this cafe of thy not complying with the gofpel-call, our God looks on thee as the fcorner of it, Pfal. i. 1. Prov. i. 22. 26. What king proclaiming an indemnity to rebels, would not look on thofe that refufed to take the benefit of it, as fcorners of his clemency? Is it poffible for him to look on them as neutrals with refpect to his interest? nay, he muft look on them as engrained enemies to his perfon and government. So is the cafe here. And that thou art guilty of fcorning in this, will be evident, if you confider, that, by your not complying with the gofpel call,

(1.) Thou abuseft the mercy, goodness, and pati ence of God. God offers thee mercy and grace in his own way, upon thy coming to him in Chrift, lea ving thy fins. But thou grafpeft at his mercy in thy fins, as if thou wouldst offer violence to the mercy of God, faying, as Deut. xxix. 19. I shall have peace, tho I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkennes to thirst. Thou fnatcheft peace out of his hand, and by thy grasping of gofpel-privileges, making no con fcience of gofpel-duties, fcorneft the call.

(2.) Thou flighteft, making no account of the go. fpel-call, but indeed lookeft on it as a trifling, inconfiderable thing, Job xli. 29. Is not this the treatment the gospel meets with from the most part? They make light of it, Matth. xxii. 5. The great offer of the gofpel is defpifed, the good things it offers are undervalued, and any the leaf worldly pleasure or profit is preferred; and for the threatenings wherewith it is backed, they are in effect looked upon but as bugbears and scarecrows, the founding again of the mountains; and thus they are fcorned.

(3.) Thou expofeft it to fhame and dishonour; and is not that fcorning? Prov. xx. I. A generous fpirit knows how far a man is out, when his offered kindnefs and good-will is neglected. And thus thou treateft the God that made thee. He offers thee his friendfhip before the world, angels, and men, and thou regardeft it not; the Son of God courts thee by his ambaffadors to a marriage with himself, but thou fligliteft the propofal. And is not that to fcorn him, and rub an affront on him, before all that are witneffes to the neglect thou puttest upon him?

(4) Thou faileft of thy fair promifes, and fo defeatelt and fruftrateft good expectations concerning thee. And is not that icorning? Matth. ii, 16. Heathens do not fcorn the royal Bridgroom; for as he was never in their offer, fo they never faid they would take him but as thou waft baptized in his name, thou didst engage to be his, and yet thou rueft again, and fayeft, Thou wilt have none of him. How many times haft thou broken thy word to him, after thou hadft given a confent, yea fealed the contract before many witneffes at a facrament or fo? How often haft thou fcorned thy God, as the fon did his father, faying, I go, but went. not? Matth, xxi.

39.

(5) Laftly, Thou makeft thyfelf merry with thy difobedience to this call, Prov. xiv. 9. Is not that fcorning? How many are they that exprefsly mock at religion and ferioufnefs, and look on many of the

duties of religion as below them? But befides, whatever joy thou haft in any thing, efpecially in finful practices, while thou flighteft the call of the gofpel, it is in effect a fcorning of that call. Even as the condemned malefactor, who being offered a reprieve or pardon, refufes it, and yet is jovial, does fcorn the pardon, the king's mercy,

Hence ye may conclude, that God will deal with you as fcorners. A king finding himself mocked and icorned, falls into rage, as Herod did, Matth. ii. 16. And God's anger will burn hot against the scorners of his grace, Prov. i. 22. 26. Thofe that will have none of his grace, will drink deep of his cup of vengeance, Luke xix, 27.

Secondly, If thou comply with the gofpel-call, thou fhalt therein act wifely for thyfelf: the gain fhall be thine own, the fruit fhall fall into thine own bofom. Two things are imported in this.

1. Men, by their complying with the gofpel-call to faith, and holinefs, and repentance, do not bring any profit or gain to God, gain to God. There is a great profit by it, but it defcends to themfelves, afcends not to God, Job xxii. 2. & xxxv. 7. Pfal. xvi, 2.

To confirm this, confider,

(1.) God is infinite in perfections, felf-fufficient, and therefore the creatures can add nothing to him; for nothing can be added to what is infinite; and nothing given unto him who poffeffeth all things bar sto

(2.) All the goodnefs and profitablenefs of men or angels, or any creature, comes from God. He that gives all things to all, needs nothing from any, Acts xvii. 25. We receive all from God where is that then we have to give him, whereby he may be profited?

Inf. 1. Then let no man be fcared from coming to God in Chrift, because of his unworthiness, that he is an ufelefs, and a fruitlefs creature that can do nothing for God. For the beft and holieft of men can