of God," and of Christ "the consolation of Israel." As a drawing word, and a strengthening word to the powerless soul, saying, "He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men after me." It is sent, in short, as a word of salvation, and all sort of salvation and redemption to the lost soul, saying, “Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost;" and that "we are not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ."

IV. The last head proposed was, to make application. Is it so, that the gospel, as a word of salvation, is sent to every sinner that hears it? Then,

1st, Hence see the kindness of God in Christ to sinners of mankind. Why has he made such a difference between sinning men and sinning angels? There was never a word of salvation sent to angels that sinned; no, they "are reserved in chains to the judgment of the great day;" but to you, “Ọ men, do I call, and my voice is to the sons of man; to you is the word of this salvation sent!"

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of salvation is not sent to me; yea, it is sent to thee, whosoever thou art; it is a rope cast down for thy drowning soul

to grasp

5thly, Hence see how culpable they are that narrow the door, and hamper the call of the gospel, thus saying, in effect, If you

have not such and such marks, it is not to you; it is only upon such and such terms that it is to you. This is to make the gospel no gospel. It is as if Christ came to save saints, but not to save sinners. They contradict the very

de sign of the gospel, which is a word of salvation to sinners of all sorts. To you is the word of this salvation sent. To you, O sinner, is the door of salvation opened. Whatever straitens this door, whatever doctrines you may hear that hamper the gospel-offer, and tend to make you suppose, that there is no room for you, no access for you, you may suspect that either to be no gospel doctrine, or that it has such a legal mixture accompanying it, as you ought to shun like the devil, because it would keep you back from Christ and salvation.

6thly, Hence see the ground of God's controversy at this day, together with an antidote against the errors and evils of the day. The great ground of God's controversy, at this day, with the generation among which we live, is their rejecting the word of salvation. Wherefore is he now speaking in wrath and war, but because we will not hearken to him speaking in mercy. Scotland has been deaf to the word of God, and to the warnings of God. Judicatories have been deaf to the word of God, to the word of salvation, calling them to reform, and return to the Lord; deaf to any testimony listed up

for reformation: and the whole land has been deaf to the voice of God in the gospel. And what if God now thunder and roar out of Zion, saying, You shall bear at the deafest side: if you will not hear the voice of the word, you shall hear the voice of the sword. O what is the quarrel? Why, God says, “ This is my beloved Son, hear ye him." No, but we refuse to hear him. General assemblies have refused to hear him; they give ear more to a patron, or a great man, and give more obedience to him, than to the voice of Christ. He said, “ Feed my sheep, seed my lambs.” No, say they; but let them be worried with wolves, rather than displease and offend men of rank and power. How justly may the Lord say to such, “Go to the gods whom ye have served,” and see if they can deliver you in the day of death, or in the day of wrath.

See here also an antidote against many errors of the day. Here is an antidote against enthusiastic delusions, namely, if we take the word of God for the rule and the war. rant of faith, and of every particular duty. Some will say, we must wait for the Spirit being poured out; and till the

Spirit comes, there is no doing; therefore we may sit still, and do nothing, either in the matter of our salvation-work, or the work of our generation, either in personal or public work. Why, here is a delusion, here is enthusiasm, to make the Spirit the rule of faith and duty, and not the word of God. When God spake to Moses at the Red sea, saying, "Speak to the people that they go forward.” What! go forward, right unbelief say, into the sea, and be all drowned ! Nay, stay till we see the water divided. No, says God, “Speak to the people that they go forward:" and in going forward at the word and call of God, making his call and word the rule of faith and duty, in this way they were to find the sea divided before them. To wait upon God's working, either outwardly or inwardly, without answering the call of his word, and going forward in the way of duty, is to wait without a warrant; it is a delusion, a tempting of God. You are to aim at believing the word of salvation sent to you. The people we call Quakers say, they ought not to pray till the Spirit move them, making the inward motions of the Spirit, and not the word of God, the rule of duty. Thus, it is no wonder that they are misled by a delusive spirit; for the word of God is “the sword of the Spirit," and though we cannot fight without the Spirit, yet the Spirit will not fight for those, or with those, that will not take his sword in their hand; though we can do nothing without the Spirit, yet the Spirit will do nothing without the word. But if once we take the sword of the Spirit in our hand, I mean, take the word for our rule, and endeavour to perform duty, and at the work of believing, which is the work of God, according to the direction of the word of God; then, and not till then, are you 10 expect God will work powerfully; for out of his own road he will not, namely, if you turn away your ear from hearing his word, or if he do, he will bring you to this road before he do any thing more.

Here, also, see an antidote against all, or most of all the errors of the age in which we live. Here is an antidote against all practical error, against all profanity, looseness, and luxury, whoredom, and debauchery, that have been long running down, like a mighty stream, through all ranks of persons, from the throne to the dunghill, in every corner of the land. What would remedy these evils? Even the receiving of this salvation that is sent in the gospel to us. Unbelief in rejecting this salvation, which is a salvation from all sin as well as misery; this unbelief in slighting the Saviour and salvation, is the root of all the looseness and profanity in the age. Men do not see this root that lies hid under ground. Here is an

antidote against the deism of the age. Why do men undervalue the scriptures, and deny the necessity of divine supernatural revelation? Even because they reject the word of salvation, they do not see that the gospel only is the word of salvation, and that there is no salvation but in the faith of it; but the faith of this word would cure the deism of the age. Here is an antidote against Arminianism; for salvation comes not of the free will of man, but of the free grace of God in a word of salvation sent to us. Here is an antidote against Arianism. Would any soul deny the supreme deity of Christ, and his proper divinity, if they believed, that with him are the words of eternal life, and that a word from his mouth is a word of salvation ? Is. xlv. 22: “ Look”unto me, and be ve saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.” Here is an antidote against Antinomianism ; for by this salvation we are not saved to sin and to wickedness, and break the law of God; but saved from sin and wickedness. The gospel being a word of complete salvation, the grace of God in it appears to all men, teaching effectively what the law does preceptively, namely, “ 10 deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present evil world.” Here is an antidote against legalism, or Neonomianism, as some call it, which turns the gospel to a new law, and the covenant of grace, as it were, to a covenant of works. This text and doctrine show, that we are not saved by a work, but hy a word; not by any work of ours, but by a word sent from God to us, even a word of salvation : "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,” Tit. iii. 5. See 2 Tim. i. 9. Here, also, is an antidote against ignorant preachers of the gospel, who confound the marks of faith with the grounds of faith, or the evidences of faith with the warrant of faith, or the condition of the covenant with the qualities of the covenanted, as if the gospel call were only to saints, or to sinners so and so qualified; and so, leading men in to themselves for a ground of faith, instead of leading them out of themselves to Christ, exhibited to them in a word of salvation sent to them. The gospel method of salvation is the reverse of all the legal schemes in the world. The legal strain supposes always some good quality about the sinner, before he be allowed to meddle with the word of salvation, and so shuts the door of the gospel, which it pretends to open. But the gospel strain brings the word of salvation freely to every sinner's door, and supposes him to be destitute of all good qualities whatever, and leaves no room to any sinner to say, I am not allowed to come in

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7thly, Hence see how much it concerns all and every one, to try and examine what entertainment they have given the word of salvation that is sent to them. Have you received it, or not, in a saving way?

1. Have you received it as the word of God, the word by way of eminence, the word of God in Christ, 1 Thess. ii. 13, and “received it not as the word of man,” of this or that man; but, as it is in truth, the word of God ?”'

2. Have you received it as a word of salvation, or faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,” both as a truth and as a good? This reception of it supposes a view you have of your being a lost sinner welcoming a Saviour?

3. Have you received it as the word of this salvation, a present salvation, a particular salvation ? This particular salvation from sin and wrath that you need, this near salvation; “I bring near my righteousness to the stout-hearted, and far from righteousness; my salvation shall not tarry," Is. xlvi. 12, 13: this great salvation, this purchased salvation, this promised salvation, this offered salvation, presently offered. Faith fixes upon something present. You need not say,

Rom. x. 6–8: “Who will ascend to heaven," &c., word is nigh," &c. Again, 4. Have

you received it as a sent salvation, as sent from God, as his gift, sent by the hand of his ambassadors, sent freely and sovereignly, without your sceking after it, sent out'of the storehouse of divine grace.

5. Have you received it as sent to sinners, to sinners in general? For here is “glad tidings of great joy to all people.”

Upon this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, of wines on the lees,” Is. xxvi. 6.

6. Have you received it as sent to you in particular? To you, sinners, says the general dispensation: To thee, sinner, in particular, says the particular offer: “ Whosoever will, let him come.” Hast thou then received it, as sent to thee, though a guilty sinner; to thee, though a vile sinner? Hast thou entertained it with a me, me, of particular application, saying, Here is an offer to me, a gift to me, a promise from heaven to me? Hast thou found thyself called by name, and said, I am warranted to take hold of Christ, and the salvation he brings with him, in this word of salvation; and even so I take him at his word, “ Lord, I believe, help thou, my unbelief?” Have you hereupon found the virtue of this word, as a word of salvation, saving you from your doubts and fears, , saving you from your bonds and fetters, saving you from your helpless and hopeless condition, and making you to hope for complete salvation from sin and misery? Have you found sal

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