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only to shew us a good pattern, and was only a martyr for his doctrine. Far be such cursed thoughts from our hearts! He is certainly God over all: "He lives and was dead, and is the almighty, whose goings-forth have been of old, even from everlasting. And it is his being the eternal God, which has made his sufferings so meritorious and dear; "and hereby we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us." When a certain deist, who read diligently how Jesus expired, and observed how his martyrs, in many ages, laid down their lives, and the Head dying with so much trembling and horror, and the disciples with so much courage, he blasphemously confessed, he could sooner trust the blood of one of the martyrs than the blood of Jesus Christ; for, said he, these died like men, and behaved courageously, and as heroes, but he died as a fool dieth, and behaved as if abandoned and forsaken, and like one in despair, and worse, so he ended his life. This has somewhat in it of truth, for he truly died in this frightful manner, with horrid groans and cries, while the martyrs and all true christians have gone unconcerned, or rather rejoicing to the stake, sung in their fires, leaped for joy at the place of execution, or departed in peace and assurance upon their beds: tut the reason of this strange difference is this, Jesus died, bearing the sins of the world, the wrath of God, the rage and malice of Satan; and for every man tasted death, loaded with our transgressions, and afflicted and accursed with all our iniquities and chastisement, as it is written," he was made a curse for us.' But, on the other hand, the martyrs and witnesses of Christ have had no such burden to bear, no death to taste, no hell or Satan to be afraid of; and the feelings and knowledge of this, by the Holy Ghost, led them triumphantly through all torments and trials; and because their hearts experienced what the bitter death

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of their dear Master and Lord had effected upon them, they followed the Captain of their salvation through sufferings, and sung to him, "thou hast loved us, and saved us from our sins by thy blood." This gave the first witness such boldness, that when they were casting stones at him, without mercy, he saw by faith the heavens opened, and fell asleep, calling upon the Saviour, saying, "Lord Jesus receive my spirit!" This was no other than after the Hero had slain the enemy, his children could put their feet upon his neck and sing; or when one had robbed a serpent or dragon of his poison and sting, others come and handle it fearlessly; so the children and servants of God glory over death, and ask, "O death where is thy sting! O grave where is thy victory ?" but must bless that Lord who waded through, aud made war and overcame, namely, he who gives them their victory, even our Lord Jesus Christ.

So that, properly, all our happiness, boldness, joy, comfort and assurance, is owing entirely and solely to the bitter and painful death of our Lord, God, and Saviour, upon the cross. This every true child of God is well convinced of; he knows what a miserable estate he was once in, and shunned death as a lioness robbed of her whelps. He cannot forget with what an aching heart his eyes were open to his own lost and corrupted estate, till the Holy Spirit directed him to Christ crucified; the very believing he died for him, and suffering that hell in his stead, eased his heart, and in the sweet streams of his blood, he got pardon, and an ease from all his pains and fears: so that with greatest certainty he can thank our Saviour for his bloody death; and rejoicing say, with David, I shall not die but live; or with St. Paul, "The life which I now live, is the life of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

This is also the reason why now we in the chris

tian church, in all our hymns and songs, mention only, and above all things, "The Lamb that was slain;" and like as Moses, David, Deborah, and others, taught the children of Israel to sing of their salvation from Egypt, Philistines, Assyrians, &c. and tell of it in their songs from one generation to another; so we, who have been redeemed by the blood and death of the Lamb of God, esteem his merits and sufferings alone worthy to be sung in all places, and believe all other deliverances were but shadows of this.

We behave as witnesses of his death and victory, and sing of his reproach and shame, his wounds and bonds, his cruel mocking and scourging, meekly suffering our chastisement and charges of our sin; and while others deride and disesteem him in his affliction, weakness and meanness, and salute him in scorn, we look upon him with the greatest reverence and thankfulness, and think, how glorious did the King of Israel look! how red in his apparel! how beautiful in that form which was marred more than any man's with the crown of thorns upon his head, the crown wherewith he was crowned in the day of his espousals! How brave, when he would not yield, but endured the cross, waded through hell, was stung to death by the king of terrors; and who, amidst all his torments aud countless trials and sufferings, weathered out the storm, and having loved his own, loved them to the end, and put it beyond the power of pain or death, or hell, or eternal wrath, to separate us from him. We sing how at last Satan gave out, and his death abolished death, and the smoke of his torment ascending up, and made an eternal atonement before the throne; from that moment the Captain of our salvation said, "It is finished," began in heaven the new song which we repeat with joyful hearts on earth, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive blessing and glory for ever; for that he saved our souls from death

our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling; and hence we know, we shall never die, death shall have no dominion over us."

These are the benefits of believing in Christ, and these are the common privileges of all the faithful in every land. Let these be then the mark of the prize of your high calling, nor account yourselves christians indeed, till you have received from heaven the blessed and comfortable knowledge, that you shall not die eternally; nor even, when you depart this mortal and troublesome life, taste that death which for your sake Jesus Christ in our flesh has suffered for us. Do not let unbelief hinder you from seeing it your privilege, or keep you back from entering the possession of so valuable and divine a treasure, or check your most earnest prayers to him, who has the keys of hell and death, to grant it to you. He is God, and can save you: he is loving, and will do it; he is the very refuge and sanctuary for such as are ready to perish, and whose whole bleeding form preaches his grace. His head is bowed down to kiss you, his arms extended to embrace you, his wounds open, that, like a dove, you may turn in and dwell in those clefts of the rock and be safe. Arise, ye dear people, go into his wounds, live in his death, and go no more out. Search the scriptures with greater diligence than ever, and hold fast the blessed words of the Son of God., Believe then with all your hearts, and that blessing shall come upon you which is sent to the churches in the Revelations, "Because thou hast kept my word, I will keep thee." Let the sayings of Jesus be laid up in your hearts, and you shall be witnesses that " he who keeps his sayings shall not see death.”

Now to Him that lives and was dead, and is alive again for evermore, even to Jesus the Son of God, be glory, to his Father, and the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen.

DISCOURSE XXXII.

THE PRIVILEGE OF BELIEVERS.

JOHN i. 12.

As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God; even to them that believe on his

name.

WHEN the due time was come, in which the

God of Israel would be Immanuel and tabernacle with men, he came, according to the many prophecies, to his own people, the family of Abraham, to whom, and to their fathers, he had been promised upwards of two thousand years, and for whose coming all the tribes had waited with great impatience and earnestness from the time of the departure of the sceptre from Judah, which happened not long before his appearance in the flesh; but whether his mean form, his low birth and estate in the world, or their being disappointed in their carnal expectation of his restoring the kingdom to Israel was the reason, or both together, it is certain his own people received him not. They were offended at him, and scorned to acknowledge him for the Messiah. His whole doctrine and manner of preaching was rejected by the far greater part of the Jews, who always had him in derision, and especially when he said he was the I AM, they openly blasphemed and rebelled against him. Thus they forsook the Rock that made them, and hid their faces from that

Jehovah

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