natural revelation? Even because they reject the word of fal vation, they do not fee that the gospel only is the word of fal. vation, and that there is no falvation but in the faith of it; but the faith of this word would cure the deifm 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 falvation fent to us. Here is an antidote against Arianifin. Would any foul deny the fupreme deity of Chrift, 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 falvation? If. xlv. 22. " Look unto me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none elfe." Here is an antidote against Antinomianifm; for by this falvation we are not faved to fin and to wickedness, and break the law of God; but faved from fin and wickedness. The gofpel being a word of complete faivation, the grace of God therein appears to all men, teaching effectively what the law does perceptively, namely, to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly, in this prefent evil world. Here is an antidote againft legalifm, or Neonomianifm, as fome call it, which turns the gofpel to a new law, and the covenant of grace, as it were, to a covenant of works. This text and doctrine fhews, that we are not faved by a work, but by a word; not by any work of ours, but by a word fent from God to us, even a word of salvation: "Not by works of righteoufnefs which we have done, but according to his mercy he faved us," Tit. iii. 5. See 2 Tim. i. 9. Here alfo is an antidote against ignorant preachers of the gospel, that 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 faints, or to finners fo and fo qualified; and fo, leading men in to themselves for a ground of faith, instead of leading them out of themfelves to Chrift, exhibited to them in a word of falvation fent to them. The gospel method of falvation is the reverfe of all the legal schemes in the world. The legal strain fuppofes always fome good quality about the finner, before he be allowed to meddle with the word of falvation, and fo fhuts the door of the gapel, which it pretends to open. But the gofpel ftrain brings the word of falvation freely to every finner's door, and fuppoles him to be deftitute of all good qualities whatfoever, and leaves no room to any finner to fay, I am not allowed to come in. 7thly, Hence fee how much it concerns all and every one, to try and examine what entertainment they have given the word of falvation that is fent to them. Have you received it, or not, in a faving way? 1. Have 1. Have you received it as the word of God, the word by way of eminency, the word of God in Chrift, 1 Theff. 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? &c. 2. Have you received it as a word of salvation, or as a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, both as a truth and as a good? This reception of it fuppofes a view you have of your being a loft finner welcoming a Saviour. 3. Have you received it as the word of this falvation, a prefent falvation, a particular falvation? This particular falvation from fin and wrath that you need, this near falvation; "I bring near my righteousness to the ftout-hearted, and far from righteoufnels; my falvation fhall not tarry," If. xlvi. 12. 13. this great falvation, this purchafed falvation, this promifed falvation, this offered falvation, prefently offered. Faith fixes upon fomething prefent. You need not fay, Rom. x. 6-8. "Who will afcend to heaven, &c. the word is nigh," &c. Again, 4. Have you received it as a fent falvation, as God's fend, as God's gift, fent by the hand of his ambaffadors, fent freely and fovereignly, without your seeking after it, sent out of the ftorehouse of divine grace. 5. Have you received it as fent to finners, to finners in general? For here is glad tidings of great joy to all people. "Upon this mountain fhall the Lord of hofts make unto all people a feaft of fat things, of wines on the lees," &c. If. xxvi. 6. 6. Have you received it as fent unto you in particular? To you, finners, fays the general difpenfation: To thee, finner, in particular, fays the particular offer: "Whofoever will, let him come." Haft thou then received it, as fent to thee, though a guilty finner; to thee, though a vile finner? Hait thou entertained it with a me, me, of particular application, faying, Here is an offer to me, a gift to me, a promise from heaven to me? Haft thou found thyfelf called by name, and faid, I am warranted to take hold of Chrift, and the falvation he brings with him, in this word of falvation; and even fo 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 falvation, faving you from your doubts and fears, faving you from your bonds and fetters, faving you from your helpless and hopelefs condition, and making you to hope for complete falvation from fin aud mifery? Have you found falvation begun in the faith of the word of falvation, and being begotten to a lively hope thereby? And does this hope begin to purify your heart, and this faith begin to work by love to God, and hatred of fin, and of yourfelt for fin? And is your VOL. III. continual 4 E continual recourfe to this word of falvation, or to the promise of God in Chrift, for all your falvation? 8thly, Hence fee what matter of joy and praife believers have, who have been determined thus to entertain the word of falvation; for when the word of falvation is received through grace, then the work of falvation is begun and you need be in no uneafinefs now, though you be called to work out the work of your falvation with fear and trembling; because it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do. He that hath begun the good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of the Lord. The word of falvation may be unto thee, O believer, the word of confolation all the days of your life: for it is a word of falvation, not only from the finful state and miferable ftate you was in, but it is a word of falvation allo bringing the good news of falvation in every cafe; falvation from the devil, the world, and the flefh; falvation and deliverance from the hands of all your enemies; falvation from the fting of death, falvation from the terror of judgement, fal vation from the curfe of the law, and from the guilt of all your fins; falvation not only from all evil, but falvation to eternal life; for the word of falvation you have received and entertained through grace, contains all the words of eternal life. The word of falvation is the word of life for you, when under deadness, and the word of liberty for you, when under bondage; a word of reft for you, when under weariness; a word of relief for you, when under distress of whatsoever fort. It is a word of falvation confirmed with the oaths of God, "That by two immutable things, in which it is impoffible for God to lie, they might have ftrong confolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope fet before them." 9thly, Hence fee matter for terror to those that neglect this great falvation that is fent to them by this word. "How fhall they efcape who neglect fo great a falvation," and a falvation come so near to them? O finner, it is a falvation fent to your houfe, and will you reject it? falvation fent to your foul; a word of falvation fent to your hand to receive it, and will you reject it? a word of falvation fent to your ear, faying, But hear, and your foul fhall live:" A word of falvation fent to your heart, and by it God is knocking at the door of your heart will you refuse him that fpeaketh from heaven? See Heb. xii. 25. If you will not hear God's word of grace in the gospel, faying, "To you is the word of this falvation fent;" you must lay your account to hear his word of wrath in the law, faying, yea, fwearing in his wrath, that you shall not enter into his reft. If you have no fear of God, as it is in the verse where my text lies; if you fhall never be perfuaded perfuaded to fear the Lord, and his goodness manifested in the word of falvation fent to you, you must lay your account to fear the Lord and his wrath, manifested in the word of condemnation, which the law pronounces against them that believe not the gofpel, John iii. 18. "He that believeth not is condemned already." And there is no escaping this fentence of condemnation, but by receiving the word of falvation. 10thly, Hence fee how much it is the intereft of every one to receive, and entertain, and welcome this word of falvation. "O hear, that your fouls may live." Hear the joyful found of falvation, O loft perishing finner, before the door of mercy be shut, and the day of grace be over. Confider, 1. What fort of a falvation is offered to you. It is a spiritual falvation, the falvation of the immortal foul. "What shall a man profit, though he gain the whole world, if he lose his own foul?" If you would not lose and ruin your souls, O receive the word of falvation. It is a coftly falvation, it comes running in the channel of the blood of Chrift. It is brought to your hand, and free to you, however dear bought by the Redeemer. You have nothing to pay for it; the price of it is paid already; the condition is fulfilled. It is a complete falvation, falvation from every thing you need to be faved from; falvation from unbelief, enmity, atheism, heart-hardness, heart-deadnefs, and every thing that you make an objection against receiving of this falvation. You fay you cannot believe, you cannot repent; but would you be faved from your unbelief and impenitence? This, and all the other branches of falvation is fent to you, when the word of falvation is fent. Will you welcome a Saviour to fave you from all, to be wisdom, and righteoufness, and fanctification, and redemption, and all to you? It is an everlasting falvation. Would you be happy after death, and have an eternity of happiness? Life and immortality is brought to light by this word of falvation. O poor dying finner, confider what an everalafting falvation this is. 2. Confider what need thou haft of this falvation. Thou haft a dark mind, and needeft falvation from that darkness and ignorance. Thou haft a guilty confcience, and needeft falvation from that guilt. Thou haft a hard heart, and needest falvation from that hardness. Thou haft a powerful and strong corruption, and needeft falvation from that. Thou hast a corrupt nature, and needest salvation from that. Thou haft ma ny heart-plagues, and needeft falvation from these plagues, and healing. Behold all this falvation, and infinitely more, comes with the word of falvation; no salvation thou needest is excepted. Thy need is great, death is at hand, judgement at hand; the accepted time, now is the day of falvabe no word in the day of judgement to fin word of condemnation: "Depart from me, ye everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his Set now, in the day of falvation, is fent to you this vation; now, now is the day, and perhaps now, or Confider what a firm ground this word of falvation is to believe upon. It is the word of God, the God cannot lie. It is ratified by an oath of God. It is a od confirmed by the blood of the Son of God. It is a word ested by the Three that bear record in heaven. It is a word osen by the infpiration of the Spirit of God: "He that bach ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit faith to the churches. The Spirit and the bride fay, Come;" come and hear this word of falvation; come and believe; come and apply to thyfelf what is offered to thee. 4. Confider the good warrant you have to intermeddle with this word of falvation. It is fent to you on purpose that you may believe it with application to yourfelf; and that every one of you, thou man, thou woman, may take it home to thy own heart; for to thee is the word of salvation fent. To thee is this love letter fent from heaven. Read the indorsement, and fee if it be not to thee. It is backed to thee, O guilty finner, faying, Chrift came to fave finners. It is backed to thee, O inhabitant of the earth, that art not yet in hell; "Look to me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth." It is backed to thee, O fcorner, that haft hitherto been a mocker of God and godliness, Prov. i. 20. 22. 23. It is backed to thee, O rebellious finner. If thou wert excepted, all mankind would be fo. Behold Chrift hath afcended up on high, led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, even for the rebellious, that God the Lord might dwell among them. It is backed to thee, O black and bloody finner, Ifa. xviii. " Come now, and let us reafon together, faith the Lord; though your fins be as fcarlet, they shall be white as fnow; though they be red like crimfon, they fhall be as wool." It is backed to thee, O finner, that art thirsting after other things than Chrift, Ifa. lv. 1. 2. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come. Wherefore fpend ye your money for that which is not bread ?" &c. Wherefore do ye thirst and pant after other things that cannot give you fatisfaction? Yea, it is backed for thee, O unhumbled, unconvinced finner. Say not, that cannot concern thee, because thou art not convinced of thy fin. O, the word of falvation comes even to thee alfo, Rev. iii. 18. "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire," &c. even thee, that, as in the preceding |