Christ Crucified, Sermon 50
SERMON L.
ISAIAH LIII.XI.
Verſ. 11. —By his knowledge ſhall my righteous ſervant juſtifie many, &c.
IF we had ſuch thoughts of the Salvation of our own Souls, as the Lord had, and ſtill hath of the Salvation of Souls, we could not but be more ſeriouſly concerned about them, and more taken up, how to get them ſaved: This Work of the Salvation of Sinners did before the World was (to ſpeak ſo with reverence) take up the Perſons of the Glorious Godhead; and was ſingled out, and made choiſe of, as an imployment worthy of the Son of God, who was choſen for this very Work; that by Him many might be Juſtified and Saved; For the accompliſhment of which, He became a Servant: Muſt it not then be an excellent Work, that none but He could be truſted with, who is Heir of all things, and by whom the World was made?
We ſhew you the meaning of theſe Words the laſt Day, and Obſerved two things from this Deſignation, that Our Lord gets here. 1. That Our Lord Jeſus, in the Work of Mediation, and of the Redemption of Sinners, was Gods Servant, not ſo much to denote His being inferiour, as Mediator to the Father; as to hold forth His being Commiſſionated for this Service, and the Lord accepting of Him in it. 2. That Our Lord Jeſus did excellently diſcharge this Truſt committed to Him. Therefore He is not only called a Servant, but my righteous ſervant, as having moſt Faithfully acquitted Himſelf, and as being fully approven, and accepted in the Truſt committed to Him. When the Lord ſpeaks ſo of Chriſt, It ought mightily to ingage us to be much in love with God, who hath given ſuch a Faithfull Mediator aad Servant, and with Jeſus Chriſt, that condeſcended to take the Truſt of poor Sinners Salvation, and that doth ſo kindly diſcharge it. There are ſomethings here, that may be paſſingly hinted at, and then we ſhall come more cloſely and particularly to the Words.
1. Then Obſerve, That it is a Priviledge and Prerogative to be Gods Servant; Therefore it's mentioned here as a Piece of the Mediators Priviledge; It is true, He was Singularly, and Eminently a Servanr even the Lords Choice Servant, in whom His Soul delighted, and does delight, above what any others can be capable of; yet to be a Servant to God, to take direction from Him, to do His Will, to ſeek His Honour, to give obedience to Him, in what He calleth for, is certainly a Priviledge, and a great one; yea, it is ſpoken of as a Priviledge of Glorified Saints in Heaven, Revel. 22.3. His ſervants ſhall ſerve him, And if it be a Priviledge in Heaven, we would think it ſo here on Earth; and yet if the Language of our hearts were known, there would be found a ſecret diſdaining of, and repyning at ſervice to God, and a ſaying on the matter; Let us break his bonds aſunder, and caſt away his cords from us. But know ye what ye are doing? Even diſclaiming and deſpiſing that which is your great Priviledge; all thoſe that are in Heaven, and all thoſe who are in a right frame on Earth, count it their Priviledge to be His Servants; and we are commanded to pray; Thy will be done on Earth as it is done in heaven. Or, be thou ſerved on Earth, as thou art in Heaven: Therefore, it ought to be accounted of, as a Priviledge, as a great and glorious Priviledge to be His Servants.
2. Obſerve, That the Lord can tell exactly and infallibly, how every Servant carries himſelf; Who are ill and ſloathfull, and who are good and faithfull Servants; Who are righteous Servants according to their meaſure, and who not. Will He take notice how Chriſt carries Himſelf in His Service, and Truſt, and will He not take notice of others? Moſt certainly He will; and therefore, Matth. 25. and Luke 19. He calls the Servants to a Reckoning, to whom the Talents are given; and as they have made uſe of them, and improved them, or not; ſo doth He commend and reward them, or not: There are none of us, but have gotten ſome one Talent and Truſt, or an other, and no doubt, there will be much to Reckon for; I am afraid, that when He calls us all to an accompt, though there will be ſome to whom it will be ſaid, Well done good and faithfull ſervant; There will be many to whom it will be ſaid, Thou evil and ſloathfull ſervant; and the Sloathful ſervant will be found to be the Ill Servant, and amongſt other Aggravations of his guilt, this will be one, that he was unlike to Chriſt the Righteous Servant.
3. Obſerve, That the right improvement and diſcharge of the Truſt committed to us, and of our ſervice to God; is a commendable and honourable thing. It is Recorded here to Chriſts Commendation, that He was a Righteous ſervant, even Faithfull over the Houſe of God, in all things; and Proportionably is the Commendation of the ordinary under-ſervants, when they, in their Places and Stations perform their Service honeſtly and faithfully, ſo as they may be accepted of God on His account: The day is coming, when every mans work will be rewarded; and as we Sow, ſo ſhall we Reap; In that Day, if we had all the World, we would give it, to hear that Word from Chriſts mouth, Well done thou good and faithfull ſervant. But iew will get that Teſtimony: ye think it much now, to get a name of Fidelity amongſt Men, and to be eſteemed ſuch as keep your Word, and will not break your Promiſe, nor Parrol (and it's good in ſo far, that it be ſo) but many ſuch will be found to have broken many a Word to God, and falſified many a Promiſe; think upon it, and lay it to heart, that it will be better to have a Word of Teſtimony from God in that Day, and to have it ſaid to you, by Him, Faithfull Servant thou improved wel the little that I gave thee, it was laid out, and expended not ſo much to buy, and to put on brave Cloaths, nor to buy or build fine houſes, as it was for Me, and for My Honour; Whatever Place, Station, Capacity, or Imployment thou was in, thou indeavoured to do good in it; and when thou couldeſt not do for my Work, for my People, and for my Honour, thou was Praying for them; and when thou had an opportunity to hear my Word, thou didſt not ſlight, nor let that ſlip. This, I ſay, will be better than a great Name, and Teſtimony from, and amongſt Men: But alace, we fear that it ſhall be ſaid of many, ye had many opportunities of getting, and doing good, but what uſe made ye of them? It had been better that ye had never had them; it had been better that ye had never had a Groat or two Pence, then to have had all theſe Riches; and to have had none rather then to have had ſuch and ſuch a Lucrative, or Gainfull Place and Imployment which ye improved not for God: It's a ſore matter, that we ſhould Preach, and ye ſhould hear theſe general Truths of the Goſpel, from day to day, and that yet they do not ſink into your hearts. Ye will not readily den…, that there is a day of Reckoning coming; and that it will be a great favour to be commended of Him, in that day; and yet how few do by their Practice evidence, that they lay weight on it? It's very ſad that Religion ſhould be ſo triffled in; Many of you will come to the Church, and ſeem there, and in your other carriage, as if ye were going to Heaven, when, in the mean time, ye have few ſerious thoughts, either of Heaven or of Hell; But in that Day wherein ye ſhall ſtand trembling before His Tribunal, and ſhall there receive the Sentence of an evil and ſloathfull Servant, ye will find to your coſt, That there was weight in theſe Truths, that now ye take but little notice of.
4ly. In General, Obſerve, That it's Singular, Proper, and Peculiar, to Our Lord Jeſus to be Gods Approven Servant; ſo as to be without all ground of Challenge, in the Diſcharge of His Duty, and Truſt; and indeed there is no Righteous Servant, in this ſenſe, but He only, who, according to the very Rigor of the Law, was ſuch; the Law could not charge Him with any the leaſt violation of it, or want of Conformity unto it; For He fulfilled all righteouſneſs. We ſpoke to this, on v. 9. and ſhall not now inſiſt on it; Only it's a ſore matter, that this Truth ſhould be called in queſtion, and called an untruth in theſe dayes; and that Men ſhould ſay, that this Deſignation and Title is not proper to Chriſt, but that it's common to all true Chriſtians, as if they were all free of Sin; and that not by the imputation of Chriſts Righteouſneſs to them, but by their own doing of Righteouſneſs: Lord ſave us, what a high injury is this to the Son of God? And what groſs ignorance is here of the corruption of Mans Nature, which in the beſt and holieſt of meer Men, is never in this Life finally expelled, as the Scriptures of the Old and New Teſtament moſt convincingly clear, and what a wronging is this of the Truth of God, which holds forth Our Lord Jeſus, as ſingled out to be, and who is deſigned by this Name, The Lords righteous ſervant; Now if there were any moe properly ſo called, we could not ſay that it were meant of Him. But it's not very profitable to inſiſt in ſpeaking of theſe Dottages and Foolries.
But to come more particularly to the benefits that flow from, and come by this Righteous ſervant, and from the ſervice intruſted to Him, and ſo faithfully managed and diſcharged by Him; By his knowledge, (ſaith Jehovah) ſhall he juſtifie many: That is, His Service is to abſolve Sinners, and ſet them free from the guilt of Sin, and from the Curſe that Naturally they are under and lyable to.
Looking on theſe Words in the Connexion with the former, we ſhall O…ſerve Three or Four things, ere we come to the more cloſs and particular Conſideration of the Words in themſelves.
The 1. of which is this: That the Juſtifying of many Sinners, even of all the Elect, is the ſpeciall Truſt, committed by Jehovah, to the Mediator. It is in this eſpecially, wherein His Service conſiſts: Would ye then know, what is the imployment of this, Righteous Servant? It is even this, He ſhall juſtifie many. He ſhall procure their Abſolution from the Guilt of Sin, and from the Curſe of God, and ſhall ſet them free from the Judgement which the Law hath againſt them, whereby they are oblidged to the Curſe, for diſobedience thereunto: This we may conſider. 1. As it relates to God; and ſo it imports, that the juſtification of a Sinner is very acceptable to Him; For it is that for which He hath given a Commiſſion to the Mediator; and what He hath Commiſſioned Him in, the performance of it muſt needs be acceptable to Him: Therefore that which is here called the Lords Service, is called The Lords pleaſure. v. 10. To wit, to ſee a poor Sinner brought in by the Mediator, and on the accompt of His Satisfaction Juſtified, He is pleaſed with, and takes it well. 2. It may be conſidered as it looks to the Mediator; And ſo it ſpeaks out the Mediators Deſign and Work; it's that wherein He is imployed, and with which He is taken up, even to get Elect Sinners brought from under the Curſe of God, and freely Juſtified through Himſelf; So that if ye would know what is the Sum, and Effect of Chriſts Errand, and Work in the World, here it is, He came to ſave ſinners; as it is, 1 Tim. 1.15. He came to ſeek and ſave that which was loſt; To bring home the loſt ſheep on His ſhoulder; to ſeek and find the loſt Groat, to reclaim Prodigals; As it is Luke 15. This is His Meat and His Drink, His Work and Buſineſſe; as Himſelf ſayes, John 4.34. My meat is to do the will of him that ſent me, and to finiſh his work. And, Luke 2. Know ye not that I muſt be about my Fathers buſineſs? Which is to reſcue poor Sinners from the Devil, and to ingage them to God, that their Sins may be Pardoned. 3. It imports the Mediators Meetneſſe for this Service, that He is Furniſhed, Fitted and Qualified for, as well as taken up with the Juſtifying of Sinners, and ſetting them free before the Throne of God; He hath a full Purſe (to ſpeak ſo) to pay their Debt; Therefore, Revel. 3.19. He bids Sinners, Come and buy of him eye-ſalve gold, and white rayment. He hath Eye-ſalve for the Blind, Gold to Inrich the Poor, Garments for the Naked; and in a Word, every thing that is needfull for Sinners. It is comfortable to hear that Chriſt is a Servant; But to hear that this is His Service, to Juſtifie Sinners, and that He is ſo well fitted for it, makes it ſo much the more comfortable: And were we ſuitably ſenſible of Sin, and did we throughly believe this Truth, our hearts would Laugh within us, as Abraham's once did, to know that this was given to Chriſt in Commiſſion, to Juſtifie Sinners, and that He is ſo well fitted for this Buſineſſe, that He is Commiſſioned about, and imployed in; eſpecially now, when He is ſo buſſie about His Work, and Imployment, for though He be aſcended on high, yet He hath received gifts for, and given them to men, even for the rebellious, that God the Lord might dwell among them; As it is, Pſal. 68. compared with, Epheſ. 4. This is the End of the Miniſtry and Ordinances, even to further this Work of the Juſtification of Sinners, that by acknowledging, and making Uſe of Chriſt, this Work may be brought about, and this Effect made to follow; this is the End of Faſts and Communions, even to Arreſt periſhing Sinners a while, to Tryſt, and Treat with Him, about the concerns of their Souls; theſe are ſpecial ſeaſons for putting Him to exerce His Office in Juſtifying of them; and this day, this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears, and ye ſhould let it ſink in your hearts, that Our Lord Jeſus is purſuing His Commiſſion, and performing His Service, keeping up the Treaty, and inviting, and perſwading Sinners to come to Him, that the pleaſure of the Lord may proſper in His hand. And therefore know aſſuredly that this is it, that Chriſt is imployed in, and taken up with, even to get ſinners fred from the Guilt of Sin, and from Wrath by His Righteouſneſſe; It is not only, nor mainly to get them brought to the Church, and to His Supper, or to get them made Formal, and to abſtain from Curſing, Swearing, and Profanity, (though theſe will follow of will) but it is to get them brought in to Himſelf, and Juſtified. And we have theſe two Words to ſay to you further in this matter. 1. There is here good ground of encouragement to a poor Soul, that would fain make Uſe of Chriſt for Pardon of Sin; This is even it that Chriſt is intruſted with; It is for this end that He is Legated and Commiſſioned of the Father; And will He not, thinks thou, do that which He is intruſted with, and for which He is mainly ſent? This is, ſaith He, John 6.39. the will of him that ſent me, that every one that ſeeth the Son, and believeth on him ſhould have everlaſting life, and that I ſhould raiſe him up at the laſt day. Which is in Sum, That by his knowledge many ſhould be juſtified. And it's added, For he ſhall bear their iniquities, To anticipat and anſwer an objection: For a ſenſible Sinner might ſay, how can I be juſtified, that have ſo many Sins? Here is a Solution of that doubt, He ſhall ſatisfie for them: All theſe Words are, (as it were) big with Child of Conſolation, being the very Heart and Life of the Goſpel, as any thing that comes ſo near to Chriſts Commiſſion, and unfolds ſo much of it is. A 2d. Word is this, That ye miſtake Chriſts Errand, Work and Service very far, who think to content Him, and put Him off with this; who would give Him the Name of a Saviour, and yet would be at the ſaving of your ſelves without Him, who would complement Him, as it were with fair Generalls, but will have none of His Phiſick, or of His Cures, nor will renunce your own Righteouſneſs, and make uſe of His, for your Juſtification: This ſays one of theſe Four, Either that He is not Commiſſionated, and Truſted for this end, or that He is not meet for that Truſt; or, that He is not Faithfull in it; Or elſe that ye can do your own turn without Him, and that there is no need of His Office; And which of all theſe can abyde the Tryal before God? And yet it ſhall be upon one of theſe that ye ſhall be found to have caſt at Chriſt, and to have refuſed to permit Him, (ſo far as ye could hinder, and abſtruct) to do His Fathers buſineſs; and if ye Juſt not accompts with Him, there will be a moſt dreadfull Reckoning betwixt God and you.
2dly. Obſerve, That this particular Truſt anent the Juſtifying of Sinners, Our Lord Jeſus doth moſt Righteouſly, Diligently, Dextrouſly, Tenderly, and Faithfully Diſcharge. It was His Fathers will, that He ſhould be Baptized, and fulfill all Righteouſneſs; and more eſpecially, that He ſhould Juſtifie many, in this He is very Skilfull, and Faithfull, and it is on this account He is called The good ſhepherd, and that He is ſaid to lay down his life for his ſheep; That He is called a faithfull high Prieſt; and is ſaid to be one that is able to ſave to the uttermost theſe that come unto God through him; and that He is Holy, harmleſs, and ſeparat from ſinners; fit to make Peace betwixt God and Sinners, another ſort of Prieſt than Aaron was, or any that were before Him; He is in a word, ſuch a high Prieſt as became us, and as we ſtood in need of, who needed not to Offer Sacrifice for His own Sins He had no more to do, but to Satisfie for us. The Prophet Iſaias, Chap. 40.11. Tells how tender he is in bringing Souls to Heaven; He gathers the lambs with his arme, he carries them in his boſome, and gently leads thoſe that are with young. And Chap. 42.3. That a bruiſed reed he will not break, and the ſmoaking flax he will not quench. And it is ſaid, 1 John 2. If any man ſin, we have an advocat with the Father, and who is he, Jeſus Chriſt the righteous. Righteous in the Faithfull managing of His Truſt, by making Sinners Peace with God. Would ye know then, in what reſpects, or, on what account it is, that Chriſt is called Servant? We anſwer, in theſe Reſpects. 1. Though we have failled, and broken the Law, yet He hath not; and God will not look down on Him. 2. In this Reſpect, That He pleads for no Sinners Pardon, but He can fully pay their Debt, and hath done it; if He ſeek one thing from God, He yeelds in another; and according to the Covenant of Redemption exactly proceeds; For He is a propitiation, He ſeeks nothing but he payes for it, and wrongs not him in the leaſt who hath Truſted him; the Lord Jehovah is not a l…ſer, but hath His Honour reſtored by Him. 3. In reſpect of His keeping Faith to the Perſons that have need of Him, for whom He hath undertaken; He is not only faithfull to the Maſter, but to the Children, and Servants; He owns and acknowledges them, when they come to Him under their neceſſities, and is forthcoming to them; every way ſuitable, and anſwerable to His Place, and Truſt in doing good to Sinners.
Uſe. Had we ſenſible Sinners to ſpeak to, Sinners groaning under a Body of Death, with pricked hearts crying out, What ſhall we do, for the wrongs that we have done to God? Sinners under holy fear, to ſpoil and mar the Bargain, and to hazard their own Souls, had we, (I ſay) ſuch Sinners to ſpeak to; There are good news here to them; the Truſt of ſaving Souls is committed to a Faithfull Shepherd, it is not committed to your ſelves; for ſo, it had been a dolefull Truſt; but it is committed to Him, that hath gotten the Sheep by Name given to Him, to be kept by Him, and He will not ſuffer them to miſcarrie, nor to go quite wrong; And what more would ye have? A ſalvation and a Price is much, but it is more to have a Saviour, to make the Application of His Purchaſe; a Biſhop of Souls to Juſtifie, and carrie Sinners through, to make it ſure before God, and to make it out; the Sinner may ſleep ſound, which in the ſenſe of Sin hath betaken himſelf to Him, to be Juſtified by His Righteouſneſs, and to be in His Debt, and Common for obtaining of Pardon, and for making the Application, of what, by His Sufferings, He hath Purchaſed: We can ſay but little to this purpoſe, to you, who care not for your Souls, and are not ſenſible of your Sin, for He came to ſave Sinners, and if any ſuch do Truſt Him with the S…lvation of their Souls, He is Faithfull, and will not ſuffer them to Periſh.
3dly. From comparing theſe Words, By his knowledge he ſhall justifie many, with the former, He ſhall ſee of the travel of his ſoul, and ſhall be ſatisfied; We Obſerve, That Our Lord Jeſus is never ſatisfied with Sinners, nor content, till He be imployed by them, in this piece of Service, even to Juſtifie them by H…s knowledge, or by Faith in Him, He gets not Satisfaction for the Travel of His Soul till this be, and this is it which ſatisfies Him; He cares not for Complements, great profeſſions of reſpect to Religion, and Hoſanna's without this; He wept over Jeruſalem, notwithſtanding of theſe, becauſe of the want of this; He cares not for Martha's cumberſome Service, but is content of Maries ſitting down to hear and receive His Word; if He get not this imployment, no other thing will content Him; as we may ſee in theſe three Parables, Luke 15. When the loſt Sheep is amiſſing, He is not ſatisfied till it be brought home. The making the houſe clean will not pleaſe Him, if the loſt Piece of Money be not found; the finding whereof brings out that, Come and rejoyce with me. And when the Prodigal returns, then, and not till then, are uttered theſe joyfull words, This my ſon was dead, and is alive, he was loſt, and is found; Then comes the mirth, and all the Minſtrels are yocked. Would ye lay the hair of your head under Chriſts Feet, would ye give Him thouſands of Rams, and Rivers of Oyl, and the firſt-born of your Bodies for the Sin of your Souls; all theſe will not pleaſe Him, if ye get not your ſelves to be Juſtified by His Knowledge, nothing will content, and ſatisfie Him but that: The Reaſons are. 1. Becauſe He gets not His Work intruſted to Him, carried on otherwayes (if I may ſpeak ſo) for as the Father delights to ſee the Work, which He hath truſted Him with, proſpering, ſo doth He: 2. Becauſe He gets not the native Credit and Honour, of His Office, till He get this, but counts Himſelf to be like to an Ambaſſadour, who comes to wooe a Wife for the King, his Maſter, who is well Treat and Intertained; but gets a refuſal of what he came for: It was the Diſciples commendation, John 17. That they received his word. Though all other things could be, if this be not, He never gets kindly reſpect. 3. Becauſe without this, Folk can never love Chriſt; for it's this benefit of Juſtification, and Pardon of Sin, that much ingages to love and praiſe Him: Becauſe (ſay and ſing the Redeemed,) Revel. 5.9.) Thou haſt redeemed us to God by thy blood, thou art worthy to receive all praiſe, dominion, power, and glory: It's impoſſible that they can ſuitably eſteem of Him, and love Him, who are not Juſtified by Him; and therefore they that believe not on Him to Juſtification, are called Deſpiſers of him, and traders of the blood of the Covenant under foot; and they fall under that ſad complaint, which is made, John 1.11. He came unto his own, and his own received him not; be was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. There is then a neceſſity laid upon you, either to give Him imployment in this, or to lye under His diſpleaſure, and to be made countable for ſtanding in the way, ſo far as ye would, of His Satisfaction. The Lord hath ſo moulded the way of His Grace, that not only doth He invite and allure Sinners, but alſo He layes ſtrong Bonds on them for their good; and leaves it not indifferent to them, to make uſe of Chriſt, or not, for their Juſtification; but they muſt either take this way, or have God, and the Mediator to be their enemies, in the greateſt meaſure, and in the higheſt degree; chooſe you then, whether ye will Satisfie Chriſt Jeſus or not. How ſhall He be Satisfied? will ye ſay, even by your betaking of your ſelves to Him, and by improving His Righteouſneſſe, for your Peace with God, and for your Juſtification before Him; humbly pleading Guilty at the Bar of Juſtice, and Begging Pardon, and acceptance on the account of His Satisfaction, and by Faith, Extracting your Diſcharge, and Abſolution, that ſo the Application of His Purchaſe being obtained, the Conſcience may be quieted on that ground. And do ye think this a matter to caſt out with Chriſt about? That He would have you Juſtified, and that ye will not; That He would have you waſhen in His Blood from your Sins, and that ye had rather lye ſtill in them: Think ye this reaſonable? And yet thus it ſtands with you, and we declare it to you, in His Name, That Chriſt and ye ſhall never be Friends, except on theſe Terms; That ye take with your Sins, and Natural Enmity againſt God, and welcome heartily the News of a Mediator, and imbrace His Righteouſneſſe, trampling your own under your Feet, as to all expectation of Juſtification by it; That in a Word, ye do by Faith, take hold of the offer of Salvation through Him, in the Goſpel, Reſigning your ſelves abſolutely to Him, and founding your humble Plea before God thereupon. This is the Shield of Faith, that quenches the fiery Darts of the Devil, and that which gives Wings to the Soul, to flee to Heaven upon; and we wote well this is no unfriendly Meſſage, nor evil Bargain, and ye may have it of Him; He is indeed a Dexterous, and Skilfull handler of Souls, that commit themſelves unto Him. Why do you not then in His own way, hazard your Souls on Him? Were Sinners hazard known, and what ſolid confidence they may have, in putting their Souls in Chriſts hand, they would be thronging in upon Him, to get hold laid on His offer, which is like to a Banner diſplayed, and ſpread out in this Word of the Goſpel, to which every one may put his hand; This is the very Sum of the Goſpel, to pray you to be reconciled to God, to admit of the Mediator, and to give Him a Commiſſion (to ſpeak ſo with reverence,) or rather to intreat Him, to make your Peace, that is, to give Him the credit of ſaving you; that if Juſtice were purſuing you, ye might be found in Him, not having your own Righteouſneſs, but His; and in Him, have one Anſwer to all Challenges; not thinking your ſelves the leſs ſicker and ſure that ye have given up with your own Righteouſneſs, and betaken your ſelves to His, who knows but Souls might be getting good at ſuch a time, if this were made uſe of, and believed? O! ſo faithfull as He is,: He dar give His Word and Seal, that He will keep to you; And this is His end in Word and Sacrament, that Sinners might be brought to truſt in Him, in giving Him the imployment to Juſtifie them; That they being in themſelves blind, may come to Him for light; being poor, may come to Him for Gold to inrich them; being … ked, may come to Him, for garments to cloath them; being ungodly, may come to Him, that He may Juſtifie them: But, alace, People are for the moſt part ſenſleſs, and regardleſs of their Sin and miſery, and therefore He gets no imployment from them; Many ſit very brave and fine here, and have no Legal Bar on them, to keep them from the Communion, who yet have ſleepy and ſenſleſs Souls, and are ruining and deſtroying themſelves; This we aſſure you, is the condition of many of you, who never knew to make uſe of Chriſt, and of His Righteouſneſs, and yet will boaſt of your Faith, and of your good heart▪ to God; Away with your old preſumptuous Faith, take with your unbelief and preſumption; Say not ignorantly, that ye ſhall do as ye can, though ye cannot do as ye would; ye are unſound at the heart, miſtaken about your ſpiritual ſtate, and know that the Devil, by a deceitful heart is ſpeaking out of you ſuch language; For it's enemies we are Commiſſioned to reconcile; and it's loſt Sinners that Chriſt came to ſeek, and ſave; and ye ſee not your ſelves to be ſuch, and therefore ye care not for ſuch offers of Grace; But, ah! many of you, if Grace prevent not, will get a cold welcome from Chriſt at that Day; and will be made ſadly to ſmart, for the ſlighting of many Precious Opportunities, which God did put in your hand, and whereof to make uſe, ye had no heart.