it of his church in general, and he will make it good to every individual that trusts in him, that the gates of hell shall never prevail against them. What though a sense of the guilt and remaining power of sin often fills the humble soul with inexpressible distress! He that stills the raging of the sea, and the violence of the winds, with a word, can, with equal ease, calm all the unruly motions of the mind. What though the world opposes in evey quarter, and presents snares or terrors all around! what though rage or contempt, threats or allurements, are by turns, or all together, employed to ruin us! Behold, " greater is he that is in us, than "he that is in the world," 1 John iv.; Christ has "overcome the world for us," John xvi. and has promised to make us conquerors, yea, more than conquerors, in our turn. What though "the devil goes "about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may "devour!" 1 Pet. vi. It is an argument of the strongest kind for watchfulness and prayer; but we need not fear him the "beloved of the Lord shall dwell in

safety," Deut. xxxiii.; "the Lord shall cover him "all the day long; he shall deliver him from the snare " of the fowler," Ps. xci. " His truth shall be a shield "and buckler" to all who enlist under his banner; and at length, yea shortly, "the God of peace shall bruise "Satan under our feet," Rom. xvi.

It is thus the Scriptures, to help the weakness of our apprehensions, testify of Christ, under the threefold view of prophet, priest, and king of his people. These are his principal and leading characters, which include and imply the rest; for the time would fail to speak of him, as he is declared to be their head, husband, root, foundation, sun, shield, shepherd, lawgiver, exemplar, and fore-runner. In brief, there is hardly

any comfortable relation, or useful office, ainongst men; hardly any object in the visible creation, which either displays beauty, or produces benefit, but what is applied in the word of God, to illustrate the excellence and sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ. The intent of all is, that we may learn to trust him, and delight to serve him; for these must go together. Whoever would be benefitted by his mediation as a priest, must submit to his instructions as a prophet, and yield him universal obedience as a king. Fatal are the mistakes in this matter now in the world. Some talk highly of the death and sufferings of Christ, who are little solicitous to keep his commandments; others labour in the very fire to observe his law; but "being ignorant of "God's righteousness, and going about to establish "their own," Rom. x. they labour to no purpose. Dependence on the merits of Christ, and obedience to his commands, are inseparably united; and only the man who aims at both, can attain to either.

I should now lay before you some Scripture-testimonies of the power and love of Christ; but I have anticipated this part of my subject in what I have already said. His divine nature proclaims his power, his offices display his love. We have seen, that he emptied himself of his eternal glories; that "he bowed the heavens, and came down in the form of a servant ;" that he submitted to all imaginable sufferings; all that the malice of men, all that the avenging justice of God, could inflict and having by this means opened the kingdom of heaven, and taken possession there, in behalf of all believers, he has caused the glad tidings of salvation to be published through the world, declaring, that "whosoever cometh to him, (without one excep

''

tion,) he will in no wise cast out," John vi. Are not

these proofs of unspeakable, unexampled love? We have seen, that he fully performed the work he undertook; "that he has made an end of sin," Dan. ix.;

brought in an everlasting righteousness, spoiled principalities and powers," Eph. ii.; "triumphed over "all our enemies, broke down the partition-wall, and "brought life and immortality to light by his Gospel," 1 Tim. i. We read, that he is exalted highly; that "God has given him a name that is above every "name," Phil. ii.; that he is " far above all principality, and might, and dominion :" and what more can be said of his power? Read his own declaration, "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth," Matth. xxviii. Were these two points, the power and the love of Christ, rightly understood, and fully believed, earth would be full of heaven. But, alas! we are fools, and slow of heart, to receive all that Moses and the prophets, Luke xxiv. the evangelists and apostles, have wrote for our instruction. From hence proceeds our indifference, and that we need so much to be pressed to search the Scriptures, though we readily acknowledge that in them we have the words of eternal life.

IV. It remains therefore, in the fourth and last place, that I add a few words to recommend and enforce the command in the text, "search the scriptures," from the argument there subjoined, "for in "them ye think ye have eternal life;" and we think right; for it" is eternal life to know the only true God, " and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent," John. xvii.: and every article of this knowledge is contained in the Old and New Testament; nor can any part of it be met with any where else. Yet let conscience judge this day, as in the presence of "the living God, the VOL. II. 2 7

"searcher of hearts," before whom our private judgments must shortly come under a review: has any book a smaller share of the time, the memory, or the affections of many of us than this book of God? Do not the successive returns of business and amusement so far engross our time and our thoughts, that we have either no leisure or no disposition, to attend to the things which pertain to our peace? Consider, “in "them we think we have eternal life." We know we are posting to eternity as fast as the wings of time can carry us; we know, that the consequences of our behaviour in this span of life will attend us into an invisible unalterable state; and we confess, that the necessary directions for our conduct in these most important and precarious circumstances, are to be found only in the Bible: what words then can describe our fatal insensibility, if, all this acknowledged, we have no heart to consult, or to value, this inestimable treasure put into our hands?

Many inquiries, more curious than useful, have been started concerning the divine procedure with the Heathen nations, and those who never heard of the Gos

pel of peace. "The Judge of all the earth will, (un"doubtedly,) do right," Gen. xviii. and will be justified at the great day, when every man shall receive according to his works. Till then we must wait for the knowledge of what he has not seen fit to reveal. thus much he has already told us, that, however it may go with those who know not the Gospel, dreadful will be the doom of those who, having it published among them, refuse to obey it.

But

"The servant who knew not

"his master's will, shall be beaten with few stripes," Luke xii. But this will not be our case; at least our ignorance will be rather an aggravation than an ex

cuse; a wilful, obstinate, infatuated ignorance. We have the words of eternal life in our hands;

"line

upon line, precept upon precept:" but how do we imitate those, (whom perhaps we have been ready to blame,) spoken of in the parable, who, when they received a kind and gracious invitation to a royal feast, made light of it, and "all with one consent began to "make excuse !" Luke xiv. It is easy to apply this to the Jews of old: so David could clearly judge in the case of the rich man who killed his poor neighbour's lamb, 2 Sam. xii. ; but had not the prophet helped him, he would not have collected that he himself was the person intended. But to bring the general truths of Scripture home to the heart is the work of God; and perhaps, while I am speaking at random, he may rouse the consciences of some to say in particular, Thou art the man. Then they will soon see how much it behooves them to search the Scriptures, when they understand the weighty meaning of the words, eternal life.

Some of us, I hope, do already make conscience of frequent reading the Scriptures; but let us remember the force of the word search. It is not a careless superficial reading, or dispatching such a number of chapters in a day, as a task, that will answer the end. I have already reminded you, that it is a business will need your best application; a serious, impartial, humble, persevering inquiry, accompanied with earnest prayer for the light and assistance of God's Holy Spirit. When we set about it in this method, we shall soon find happy effects; pleasure and instruction will go hand in hand; and our knowledge advance as the growing light. The precepts shall inspire us with true. wisdom; teach us how to order all our affairs, respecting