Eighteen Sermons, Sermon 1
SERMON I.
A Faithful Miniſter's Parting Bleſſing.
REVELATIONS xxii. 21.
The grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt be with you all. Amen.
IT is very remarkable that the old teſtament ends with the word curſe; whereby we are taught that the law made nothing perfect: but bleſſed be God, the new teſtament ends otherwiſe, even a precious bleſſing, that glorious grace put into the heart, and dropt by the pen of the diſciple whom Jeſus loved.
My brethren, as the providence of God calls us now to bid each other a long farewel, can I part from you better than in enlarging a little upon this ſhort but glorious prayer; can I wiſh you, or you me, better in time and eternity, than that the words of our text may be fulfilled in our hearts, the grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt be with you all, Amen. In opening which,
Firſt, it will be proper to explain what we are to underſtand by the word grace.
Secondly, what by the grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and its being with us all; and then to obſerve upon the word Amen: ſhewing you why it is that every one of us may wiſh, that the grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt may be with us all.
Perhaps, there is not a word in the book of God that has a greater variety of interpretations put upon it than this little, this great word grace: I do not intend to ſpin out, or waſte the time by giving you all. It will be enough in general to obſerve, that the word grace ſignifies favour, or may imply the general kindneſs that God bears to the world; but it ſignifies that here which I pray God we may all experience, I mean the grace, the ſpecial grace of the bleſſed God communicated to his people; not only his favour diſplayed to us outwardly, but the work of the bleſſed ſpirit imparted and conveyed inwardly and moſt powerfully to our ſouls, and this is what our church in the catechiſm calls ſpecial grace; for though Jeſus Chriſt in one reſpect is the Saviour of all, and we are to offer*Preach. Jeſus Chriſt univerſally to all, yet he is ſaid in a ſpecial manner to be the ſaviour of them that believe; ſo that the word grace is a very complex word, and takes in all that the bleſſed Spirit of God does for a poor ſinner, from the moment he firſt draws his breath, and brings him to Jeſus Chriſt, till he is pleaſed to call him by death; and as it is begun in grace, it will be ſwallowed up in an endleſs eternity of glory hereafter; this is called the grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt: why ſo? becauſe it is purchaſed†… for us by the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: the law was given by Moſes, but grace and truth, in the moſt emphatical manner, came by Jeſus Chriſt the Son of God. If it was not for the purchaſe of a Mediator's blood, if it was not that Jeſus Chriſt had bought us with a price, even with the price of his own blood, you and I ſhould never have had, you and I could never have had the grace of God manifeſted at all to our ſouls. The covenant of works being broken, our firſt parents ſtood convicted before God: they were criminals, though they did not care to own it; condemn'd before God, and in themſelves, ſo that like their children they made excuſes for their ſin. Man by nature had but one neck, and if God had pleaſed to have done it, he might juſtly have cut it off at one blow; but no ſooner had man incurred the curſe of the law, but behold a Mediator is provided under the character of the ſeed of the woman, which ſhould bruiſe the ſerpent's head; implying what the Redeemer was firſt to do without, and afterwards to do in the hearts of all his people: well therefore are we taught in our church collects to end all our prayers with the words, through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord.
Moreover, brethren, this grace may be called the grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, becauſe it is not only purchaſed*… by him, but it is conveyed into our hearts through Chriſt; the federal head of his glorious body, is a head of influence to thoſe for whom he ſhed his blood: thus his diſciple ſaid, he was full of grace and truth, and out of his fulneſs we, all that are true believers, receive grace for grace; grace upon grace, ſays Mr. Blackwall, in his ſacred claſſicks: grace for grace, that is, ſays Luther, every grace that is in Chriſt Jeſus, will be by his bleſſed Spirit tranſcribed into every believer's heart, even as the warm wax receives the impreſs of the ſeal upon it; as there is line upon line upon the ſeal left upon the wax, ſo in a degree, though we come greatly ſhort of what the law requires, the grace that is in Jeſus Chriſt is, in a meaſure, implanted in our ſouls; but the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, bleſſed be God, has our ſtock in his hands. God truſted man once, but never will more; he ſet Adam up, gave him a bleſſed ſtock, placed him in a paradiſe of love, and he ſoon became a bankrupt, ſome think in twenty four hours, however, all agree it was in ſix or ſeven days, and that he never had but one ſabbath; but now, bleſſed be God, we are under a better diſpenſation, our ſtock is put into Chriſt's hands, he knows how to keep it, and us too; ſo this grace may be ſaid to be the grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, ſecured by his blood, and conveyed to our ſouls by his being the head of his church and people.
This grace has a variety of epithets put to it, and I queſtion whether there is any kind of grace but what the Lord Jeſus Chriſt exerciſes towards his people ſome way or other, every hour, every moment of the day.
Firſt, His reſtraining grace; why, if it was not for this, God's people would be juſt as weak and wicked as other folks are: remember what David ſaid when Abigail came to him; he was going to kill a neighbour for affronting him, forgot that he was a Pſalmiſt, and was only acting as a creature: bleſſed be God, ſays he, that has ſent thee to meet and keep me: My brethren, we may talk what we pleaſe, and build upon our own ſtock; we are juſt like little children that will walk by themſelves; well, ſays the father, walk alone then, they tumble down, get a broken brow, and then are glad to take hold of the father; thus Jeſus Chriſt is always acting in a reſtraining way to his people; if it was not ſo, by the blindneſs of their underſtandings, the corruptions of their hearts and affections, together with the perverſeneſs of their will, alas! alas! there is not a child of God that would not run away every day, if Chriſt did not reſtrain him!
Secondly, There is convicting grace, which from the Lord Jeſus Chriſt acts every day and hour. Oh! it is a bleſſed thing to be under the Redeemer's convicting grace! a man may ſpeak to the ear, but it is the Spirit of God alone can ſpeak to the heart: I am not ſpeaking of convicting grace that wounds before converſion, and gives us a ſenſe of our ſin and miſery; no, I mean convicting grace that follows the believer from time to time. If a heathen Socrates could ſay, that he had always a monitor with him to check him when he did amiſs, and direct him when he went right, ſurely the chriſtian may ſay, and bleſſed be God for it, that he has got a Jeſus that kindly ſhews him when he goes aſtray, and by his grace puts him into the way of righteouſneſs, that his feet may not ſlip; this is what the ſhepherd does to his ſheep when they have wandered; what does the ſhepherd do, but ſends ſome little cur, his dog, after them, to bring them to the fold again? what does Jeſus Chriſt do in temptations, trials, and afflictions? he fetches his people home, and convinces them that they have done amiſs.
Then, thirdly, There is the converting grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Oh! what poor unhappy creatures are they, that think they can turn to God when they pleaſe, to which abominable principle it is owing, that they leave it till they cannot turn in their beds: Satan tells them then, it is too late, their conſciences are filled with horror, and they go off in a whirlwind; may this be the caſe of none here! That is a moſt excellent prayer in our Communion Office, Turn us, O good Lord, and we ſhall be turned: we can no more turn our hearts than we can turn the world upſide down; it is the Redeemer, by his Spirit, muſt take away the heart of ſtone, and by the influence of the holy Spirit give us a heart of fleſh. I might as well attempt to reach the heavens with my hand; I might as well go to ſome church-yard and command the dead to riſe; I might as ſoon ſhake my handkerchief and bid the ſtreams divide, and they give way, as to expect a ſoul to turn to God without the grace of a Mediator. Come, my dear hearers, I am of a good man's opinion, that prayed he might be converted every day. In the divine life, not to go forwards is to go backwards; and it is one great part of the work of the ſpirit of God, to convert the ſoul from ſomething that is wrong to ſomething that is right, every dry, hour and moment of the believer's life, ſo that in ſhort his life is one continued act of converting grace: there is not a day but there is ſomething wrong; there is ſomething we want to have taken away; we want to get rid of the old man, and to get more of the new man, and ſo the Spirit of God works every day: O! my brethren, God give us more of this converting grace!
Then there is eſtabliſhing grace. David prays, Create in me a new heart, and renew a right ſpirit within me; in the margin, it is conſtant ſpirit; and you hear of ſome that are rooted and grounded in the love of God, and the apoſtle prays, that they may always abound in the work of the Lord: again, it is good to have the heart eſtabliſhed with grace: there is a good many people have ſome religion in them, but they are not eſtabliſhed; hence they are mere weather-cocks, turned about by every wind of doctrine; and you may as ſoon meaſure the moon for a ſuit of clothes, as ſome people that are always changing; this is for want of more grace, more of the Spirit of God; and as children grow that are got ſtronger and riper, ſo as people grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, they will be more ſettled, more confirmed: on firſt ſetting out they prattle, but they will be more manly, more firm, more ſteady: young Chriſtians are like little rivulets that make a large noiſe, and have ſhallow water; old Chriſtians are like deep water that makes little noiſe, carries a good load, and gives not way.
What think you, my brethren, of the Redeemer's comforting grace? O! what can you do without it? In the multitude of my thoughts within me, ſays the Pſalmiſt, thy comforts have refreſhed my ſoul. I believe you will all find what lord Bolinbrooke, in ſpite of all his fine learning, and deiſtical principles, found when under affliction; he ſent a letter which I ſaw and heard read to me, at leaſt that part of it in which he ſays: Now I am under this affliction, I find my philoſophy fails me. With all our philoſophy and ſtriving, it is too hard to work ourſelves into a paſſive ſtate: alas! it is commendable to ſtrive, but we ſhall never be content, we ſhall never be cheerful under ſufferings, but through the aſſiſtance of the Redeemer. Even now, in reſpect of parting from one another, what can comfort friends when ſeparated, but the Spirit of God. Paul, when going away for Jeruſalem, ſaid, What mean ye to weep and break my heart? he alſo ſays, I am ready not to be bound only, but alſo to die at Jeruſalem, for the name of the Lord Jeſus, which he could not have ſaid, had he not felt the comforting grace of Jeſus Chriſt, Our Lord, when going away, ſays, I will ſend the Comforter; I will not leave you comfortleſs and helpleſs, I will come again: the Lord helps the believer from time to time. We can eaſily, my brethren, talk when not under the rod ourſelves; there is not a phyſician or apothecary in London but can give good advice, but when they are ſick themſelves, poor ſouls! they are juſt like their patients, and many times are more impatient than thoſe they uſed to preach patience to; ſo it is with the greateſt Chriſtian, we are all men of like paſſions, there is not one of us when under the rod, if left to ourſelves, but would curſe God, and Ephraim like, be as a bullock unaccuſtomed to the yoke; and there are many here, I do not doubt, that have ſaid to the Redeemer, What doſt thou? or, perhaps, with Jonah, We do well to be angry; if the Lord does but take away his goard from us, if he is pleaſed to baulk us in regard to the creatures, how uncomfortable are we? and there are ſo many afflictions and trials, that if it was not for the Lord Jeſus Chriſt's comfortings no fleſh could bear them.
In a word, what think you, my brethren, of the quickning grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt? Remember David ſays, Quicken me according to thy word, quicken me in thy way, quicken me in thy righteouſneſs: God's people want quickening every day; this is trimming our lamps, girding up the loins of our minds, ſtiring up the gift of God that is in us. It is juſt with a ſoul as it is with the plants and trees; how would it be with them if the Lord did not command quickening life to them after the winter? the believer has his froſty and winter days, and wo be to them that think they have always a ſummer; the believer at times can ſay, The winter is paſt, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the ſinging of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land, the fig-tree putteth forth her green figs and the vines with the tender grapes give a good ſmell, Cant. ii. 12. What is all this but God's quickening grace, reſtoring the believer to his bleſſed joy. Oh! my brethren, I have not time to ſhow you in how many ways the Redeemer's grace is diſplayed; but wherever this grace is, what reaſon have you that are partakers of it, and I, to p…y that it may be with us all; the grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, ſays John here, be with you all: it is not ſaid all miniſters, it is not ſaid all of this or that particular people, but with all believers. O! my friends remember what Mr. Henry ſaid, he deſired to be a Catholic, but not a Roman Catholic. I have often thought ſince I went to ſee the water-works, that it was an emblem of Chriſt; there is a great reſervoir of water from which this great city is ſupplied; but how is it ſupplied from that reſervoir? why by hundreds and hundreds of pipes: but where does this water go, does it go only to the diſſenters or to the church people, only to this or that people? no, the pipes convey the water to all; and I remember when I ſaw it, it put me in mind of the great reſervoir of grace, that living water that is in Chriſt Jeſus, and the pipes are the ordinances by which his grace is conveyed to all believing ſouls, God grant we may be of that happy number. O what a mercy it is that Chriſt has ſaid, I will be with you always even to the end of the world, Matt. xxviii. 20. and therefore we muſt look upon this prayer to be efficacious now, as it was the moment the words dropt from the apoſtle's pen. I believe the moſt minute philoſophers, and thoſe that have the greateſt ſkill in aſtronomy, cannot perceive there has been any abatement in the heat of the ſun ſince God firſt commanded it to rule the day, then ſurely, if my God can make a ſun that for ſo many thouſands of years ſhall irradiate, enlighten, and warm the world, without loſing any of its light and heat, ſo does the ſun of righteouſneſs, the Son of God, ariſe upon the children of God with healing under his wings; he raiſes, warms, nouriſhes, and comforts his people, and we have the goſpel on the ends of the earth, as well as thoſe who had the honor of converſing with him in the days of his fleſh. I mention this in anſwer to all thoſe who have wrote againſt the Methodiſts, and repreſented them as fanatics; there is no other way of talking againſt the divine influence, but by allowing it was ſo formerly, but that it is not ſo now; they ſay the primitive Chriſtians had it, but it is not to be ſo with us now as it was formerly. O my brethren, what fools theſe great men are when they talk about things they know nothing of; give them a polygot, give them a lexicon, give them a geographical text, or the chronological part of the ſcripture, they have ſomething to ſay; but when they come to talk of the Spirit of God, they ſee the word Spirit, and they read the word grace, but while they read it their hearts cry, becauſe their knowledge puffs them up, ſurely if it was ſo, we great men that have been in the univerſity ſhould have it, God would give it us; and becauſe they find it not in themſelves, their abominable pride will not own it may be in any. Pray what was Peter, James, and John, I don't mean to ſpeak diſreſpectfully of them, they were as weak, as blind, as obſtinate, and worldly-minded as others, till Jeſus Chriſt changed their hearts; and that ſame grace that changed their hearts, changes now the hearts of God's people; and bleſſed be God, that ſame grace is with all his people.
It is ſo in his ordinances. Here is the difference between a Formaliſt and a Chriſtian; the Formaliſt goes to ordinances, but then he does not feel the God of ordinances, and that is the reaſon moſt formal people don't care to go to church very often: who cares to go to the houſe of a perſon he does not love? they will only juſt knock at the door, and aſk if ſuch a perſon is at home, and are very glad to hear the ſervants ſay their maſter or miſtreſs is not at home; the viſit is paid; ſo it is with many people that go to church and meeting; and I do not doubt but there are many Methodiſts, hundreds and hundreds, that have been at the ordinances, who never felt the God of ordinances converting them to this day.
The grace of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt is with his people in prayer. Who can pray without grace? they may laugh at it as will, but God give you and I a ſpirit of prayer; let them laugh as they pleaſe; what profit will it be to us to read this book without the grace of God. What a horrid blunder has the biſhop of G—r been guilty of? What do you think his lordſhip ſays, in order to expoſe the fanaticiſm of the Methodiſts? Why, ſays he, they ſay they cannot underſtand the ſcriptures without the Spirit of God. Can any man underſtand the ſcriptures without the Spirit of God helps him? Jeſus Chriſt muſt open our underſtanding to underſtand the ſcriptures, and the Spirit of God muſt take of the things of Chriſt and ſhow them unto us; as we are taught to pray, O Lord, thou haſt cauſed thy holy ſcriptures to be written, &c. as in the ſecond Sunday in Advent; and here the b—p pretends to tell us, there is no need of it; here our collect and b—p diſagree very much. So with reſpect to all ordinances it is the ſame: what ſignifies my preaching, and your hearing, if the Spirit of God does not enlighten? Formal miniſters can ſteal a ſermon, and add a little out of their own heads, but a miniſter of the goſpel cannot preach to purpoſe without the aſſiſtance of the Spirit of God, no more than a ſhip can ſail without wind. As for a carnal man he may take his ſermon in his pocket, and you will find his ſermons always the ſame; but ſpiritual preachers are ſeldom ſo; ſometimes they are in darkneſs, ſo as to ſpeak to thoſe that are in darkneſs; ſometimes they are tempted, ſo as to ſpeak to thoſe that are tempted; ſometimes they have a full gale, and go before the wind, and this is all by the aſſiſtance of the Spirit of God, and without this a man may preach like an angel, and do no good at all. So in reſpect of hearing the word of God, I declare I would not preach again, if I did not think that God would accompany the word by his Spirit: what are we but ſounding braſs and tinkling cymbols? If the word is preached in the ſtrength of the Spirit, it will be attended with convictions, and converſions, and the grace of God will be both with preacher and hearer.
The grace of God is with his people in his Providence. O! ſays biſhop Hall, a little aid is not enough for me. My going on the water puts me in mind of what I have ſeen many times: if the ſailors perceive a ſtorm a coming, they do not chuſe to ſpeak to the paſſengers for fear of frightening them, they will go quietly on deck, and give orders for proper care to be taken; and if a ſailor can tell of ſtorms approaching by the clouds, why can't God's people tell why God does ſo and ſo with them? The people of God eye him in his Providence; the very hairs of their heads are all numbered, and the grace of God is with them in the common buſineſs of life. Some people think that the Methodiſts preach ſo and ſo to make them neglect their buſineſs, and we preach at unſeaſonable times: we would not preach at this time, but that we are going to part from one another; no, we preach that the grace of God may attend them in their counting-houſes, and woe be to thoſe perſons that do not take the grace of God with them into their counting-houſes, and in their common buſineſs. O what bleſſed times would it be if every one made the grace of God their employ, that when the Lord comes he may ſay, Lord, here I am waiting for thee.
The grace of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt is with his people when ſick and when dying. O my dear ſouls, what ſhall we do when death comes? What a mercy it is that we have got a good maſter to carry us through that time! As a poor converted Negro that ſaw a believer who was dying in comfort, ſaid, Maſter don't fear, Jeſus Chriſt will carry you ſafe through the dark valley of the ſhadow of death.—But the time would ſail, if I was to ſhow you in how many reſpects the grace of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt helps us; but what I have ſaid will ſhow, that we need all join in a hearty Amen; Amen, I pray God it may be ſo, ſo it is, ſo may it be! May be what? why that the grace of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, convicting, reſtraining, converting, eſtabliſhing and comforting grace, may be with us in his ordinances, in his providences, in ſickneſs, and when dying: then, bleſſed be God, we ſhall carry it with us after time. And now, my dear hearers, by the help of my God, in whoſe ſtrength I deſire once more to go upon the waters, I ſhall pray wherever I am, that this grace of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt may be with you all.
To whom ſhall I ſpeak firſt by way of improvement? Are there any of you here unconverted? no doubt too many. Are there any of you here this morning come out of curioſity to hear what the babbler has to ſay? Many, perhaps, are glad it is my laſt ſermon, and that London is to be rid of ſuch a monſter: I don't doubt but it has been a pleaſant paragraph for many to read; but whoever there are of you that are unconverted, or whatever you may think, ſure you cannot be angry for my wiſhing that the grace of God may be with you. O that it may be with every unconverted ſoul. O pray for me, my dear friends, that the Lord may bleſs me to ſome unconverted ſoul; what wilt thou do if the grace of God is not with thee? what wilt thou do with the favor of man if thou haſt not got the grace of God? you will find, my brethren, it will not do, you cannot do without the grace of God when you come to die. There was a nobleman that kept a deiſtical chaplain, and his lady a chriſtian one; when he was dying, he ſays to his chaplain, I liked you very well when I was in health, but it is my lady's chaplain I muſt have when I am ſick. Do you know that you are nothing but devils incarnate? Do you know that every moment you are Fable to eternal pains? The Lord help thee to awake O ſinner, awake, awake thou ſtupid ſoul, if the grace of God was never with thee before. God grant it may now. Don't ſay I part with you in an ill humour; don't ſay that a madman left you with a curſe▪ Bleſſed be God that when firſt I entered into the field, (and bleſſed be God that honoured me with being a field-preacher) I proclaimed the grace of God to the worſt of ſinners, and I proclaim it now to the vileſt ſinner under heaven; could I ſpeak ſo loud as that the whole world might hear me, I would declare that the grace of God is free for all poor ſouls that are willing to accept of it by Chriſt; God make you all willing this day.
There are many of you, I doubt not, but have got this grace, and I believe there are many of you that can ſay that this poor deſpiſed place was that which God honoured firſt with giving it you: but whether you were converted here, or elſewhere, if you have got the grace of God, the Lord grant you more grace; grace, mercy and peace be multiplied unto you all. My brethren, they that have got Chriſt never have enough of him; you want more grace every day, and hour, and moment: I ſee for my part, more of my want of grace than I did ten or twenty years ago; may be that is becauſe I don't grow in grace; but thoſe that grow in grace will grow every day more ſenſible of their want of grace, they will feel their weakneſs more and more every day. Some who are called Chriſtians are a moſt foulmouth people, they abuſe their neighbours, but real believers abuſe themſelves moſt, and call themſelves, i. e. what is in themſelves, the worſt of neighbours. O my brethren, may the Lord Jeſus Chriſt's grace be with you more and more, that you may be transformed into the divine likeneſs, and paſs from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. May God grant that this grace may be with you all, particularly thoſe young men that have given up their ſouls to Chriſt. It delights my ſoul when I go round the communion table, to ſee how many young ſouls have given themſelves to Chriſt, the Lord grant that you may not return again to folly. O young men, flee youthful luſts; O young women, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt grant that grace may be with you all, that you may ſtudy the beauties of the mind, ſhine in the beauties of holineſs, and be wiſe to everlaſting ſalvation.
May the grace of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt be with you all that are in the marriage ſtate. It needs much grace to bear with heavy trials, much grace to deal with ſervants, children, and under diſappointments in trade; to walk with God with a pure heart. Some people think it clever to have wives and children, but they want a thouſand times more grace than they had when they were ſingle; you have need of much grace to honour God in your houſes, much grace to teach you to be prophets, much grace to teach you to be kings in the family; to know, when to be pleaſed; to know, when to be ſilent; to know, when to be angry: but the greateſt grace is to be angry when called to it, to be angry without ſin. O! may the grace of God be with you all in your cloſets, every time you pray, every time you come to an ordinance; O! may the grace of God be with you all when you frequent this deſpiſed place! bleſſed be God ſome may ſay, that ever it was built; though as ſoon as it was built I was called away. As ſoon alſo as the chapel was built I was then called away, and ſo am now; and when I came out of my chamber, I could hardly ſupport it. I would as live go to an execution, if my way was not very clear; what is dying? that is but for a moment. O may the grace of God be with all, that preach the goſpel here. Bleſſed be God his grace has been with them; don't let the world ſay, he is gone, and all the people are gone now: don't weaken the hands of thoſe that ſhall labour here; I ſhould not mention ſuch a word if I was not going away. The Lord Jeſus Chriſt grant that you may keep ſteady, and honor the preachers more and more; there will be good Mr. Adams, bleſſed be God, from time to time, with Mr. Beridge, and ſo there will be a bleſſed change: may the Spirit of God be with them, and you, more and more! and O my dear friends, if the Lord God has vouchſafed to own theſe labors to any of you, do remember me in a particular manner, when gone; for though my body has been weak, yet I thank God that he has enabled me to ſpeak when called to it.
And ſo I muſt go, whether well or ill; pray, that if it ſhould pleaſe God to ſpare me, that I may ſpeak more effectually to you, when I come back again; pray, that the grace of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt may be with me in a reſtraining, comforting, ſupporting, and transforming way, that it may be with me when I am ſick, and when I die. O my brethren, I ſee I want the grace of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, in every one of theſe reſpects, every moment, O may the Lord God bleſs you all that have been kind to me, and forgive every thing that I have done amiſs. I am aſhamed of myſelf, ſo much of the man comes up with me, tho' I humbly hope, and dare to ſay, that at the bottom of my heart is upright towards God; I would employ it to his praiſe, but there is ſo much ſin mixed with all I do, that was not the blood of Chriſt conſtantly applied to my ſoul, and the grace of God continually manifeſted to me, I could not preach any more. You may ſee a thouſand things wrong in me, but I ſee ten thouſand more, O may the Grace of God be with you all. Now, dear friends, farewel! dear tabernacle, farewel! if I never preach here any more; O that we may meet in a better tabernacle, when theſe tabernacles are taken down, when theſe bodies ſhall drop, when we ſhall be forever with the Lord. I muſt have done, I can't bear it; the Lord bleſs you, the Lord God cauſe his face to ſhine upon you. I cannot ſay more, I dare not: The Grace of our Lord Jeſus be with you all, Amen.