66 that very end. This is expressly commanded of God: “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.”—“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account; that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you,” Heb. xiii. 7, 17. Obedience in the Lord is the indispensable duty of people towards those that have the keys of the kingdom of heaven committed to them;" for what they bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what they loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven,” Matth. xviii. 18. 5. I advise you to your minister that is come to bear up the gospel-lamp among you: “ Brethren,” says the apostle to the Hebrews, “pray for us." Query, What should we pray for? Answ. Pray that the soul of your minister may be refreshed daily with the oil of God's Anointed, that the lamp may be brightened, and he may come forth to you daily " in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power;" and that, like a scribe instructed in the mysteries of the kingdom, he may “bring forth things new and old” for the edifying of your souls. Pray “that a door of utterance may be given” him, that he “may declare the mysteries of the gospel,” that he may “ feed in the strength of the Lord, and in the majesty of the name of his God." Oh pray that he may not only get furniture, but be blessed with success in his work; for “ although Paul were to plant, and Apollos water,” yet their ministry would be ineffectual, unless “God gave the increase." Pray that God may give him the art of winning souls, and that his Master may direct him so to cast the gospel net, as that a multitude of souls may be gained. Pray that he may be made “as a sharp threshing instrument having teeth, to thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and to make the hills as chaff,” Is. xli. 15. 6. Another advice I give you is, to encourage God's lampbearer among you.. Query, How should we encourage him? Answ. (1.) By receiving his Master and his message, as has been said. (2.) By strengthening his heart and hand in his preaching and witnessing work, particularly at this time, when there are many adversaries, and many arrows of reproach and calumny may be cast at him. (3.) By "maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” among yourselves. Jars, divisions, and animosities among a people, are a heart-break to a minister of the gospel of peace, whereas it is his great comfort to find them of “one heart and way in the Lord.” (4.) By providing a suitable maintenance for 66 may your minister, and a place of worship where you and he meet and attend ordinances without being exposed to hazard from the injuries of the weather. But I know you have these things at heart, and therefore do not insist upon them. And now, my brethren, suffer me again to renew the word of exhortation. Oh remember what a valuable blessing the gospel is to a land or people. Why, it is a lamp to discover the way how you may come to God's Anointed, and so get your souls for a prey. They that know the worth of their souls, and have any concern about their salvation, cannot but prize the gospel in its purity, above all their other concerns in the world; for it is “ better than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey from the honey-comb," Psal. xix. 10. Beside what was said in the doctrinal part, I might offer many other considerations, to raise your esteem of the glorious gospel. 1. The gospel-lamp lets men see where they are, and how far they have departed from God, how near they are to utter ruin, like the prodigal in a far country, without God, without Christ, without hope, without help, without light, without lise, no eye to pity, no hand to help, &c.; in a state of distance, darkness, enmity, every moment liable to wrath and condemnation, yea, condemned already, &c. 2. The gospel-lamp discovers “a Saviour and a great One," Is. xix. 20; who is “able to save to the uttermost. I have laid help upon one that is mighty: I have exalted one chosen out of the people, even David my servant: with my holy oil have I anointed him," Psal. Ixxxix. 19, 20. 3. In the light of this lamp the sinner may see a ransom found, that he may not go down to the pit, even the blood of Jesus, that sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour, by which the wrath of an angry God is turned away, &c. 4. By this lamp we may see an angry God reconciled and declaring himself a God of peace, and that fury is not in him. Here we may see the white flag, and the olive branch of peace held up, and God saying, "I create the fruit of the lips; peace, peace to them that are afar off, and to them that are nigh,” İs. lvii. 19. 5. By the light of this lamp, sinners that are beggared and bankrupt by the fall of Adam, are led to a mine of unsearchable riches, which they may lay hand upon, and make their own without theft or vicious intromission. Unto me," says Paul, “ who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchble archies of Christ,” Eph. iii. 8. The cry of the gospel is, VOL. III. 4 “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich," &c. 6. By this gospel-lamp, we may see a house of mercy reared and opened, and all manner of provision in plenty, made ready for the poor, the halt, the withered, and lame. “I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever," Psal. lxxxix. 2. “ Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars. She hath killed her fatlings, she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. She hath sent forth her maidens, she crieth upon the highest places of the city. Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled,” Prov. ix. 145. “In this mountain, shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined," Isaiah XXV. 6. 7. By this gospel-lamp we may see not only meat, but medicine prepared for the poor diseased soul, that is ready to perish of its wounds and leprosy. Here you will see balm in Gilead, and a physician there. Here you will see the mystical brazen serpent, by a look of which the venom of the old serpent is stayed, and the hurt of it prevented. Here is to be seen the “ tree of life, which bears twelve manner of fruits every month, and whose leaves are for the healing of the nations." 8. By this lamp is to be seen the Rock that follows Israel through the wilderness to Canaan ; you may see the clefts of the Rock that were made by the rod of God's anger ; you may see the living water gushing out of the smitten Rock, and a cry made, “ Whosoever will, let him come and drink of the water of life freely.” You may see the Rock having a shadow, to refresh the weary traveller in his way to glory; you may see God's doves lodging “in the clefts of the Rock, and in the secret places of the stairs," &c. 9. By this lamp you may see and find the chariot of the wood of Lebanon," with its golden bottom, purple covering, “paved with love for the daughters of Jerusalem.” By which I understand the covenant of grace and promise, which is everlasting, well ordered, and sure. The gospel lets you you have free access into this chariot of salvation, in which you may ride in safety, through all dangers to glory: 6. Thus saith the Lord-unto them that take hold of my covenant, even unto them will I give in mine house, and within my walls, a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name that shall 66 see, that not be cut off.-Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer," Is. lvi. 5, 7. 10. By this lamp we may see a ladder reaching between heaven and earth, by which you may have access to that heaven of glory which we fell from, when we broke the first covenant in Adam; but here is "a new and living way into the holiest of all." 11. Here you may see and find a city of refuge from the avenger of blood, &c. 12. Here you will find the true ark in which you shall be saved from the deluge. 13. Here you may see chambers where you may hide yourselves in a day of wrath, until the indignation be overpast. 14. Here by this lamp we discover a confirmed testament, securing us to the inheritance of eternal life, which was lost in the first Adam, and much more than ever we lost. Here we may find our God saying, “ I am the Lord thy God;" I which is more than ever eye saw, or ear heard, &c. Thus you see what great, glorious, and beneficial discoveries are made by the lamp of the everlasting gospel. And does not all this make it evident, that they are a privileged people, who have the gospel-lamp lighted, and set up among them? It was not without ground, that the psalmist cried out, in the view of these things, “ Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance," Psal. Ixxxix. 15. I conclude by reading a portion of scripture to you containing a bundle of necessary duties, both toward yourselves, your ministers and elders, and one another, 1 Thess. v. 12 to 28: “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all See that none render evil for evil unto any man: but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things: hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil . And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly: and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.-Brethren, pray for us.--The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." Amen. men. A LAMP ORDAINED FOR GOD'S ANOINTED. I have ordained a lamp for mine Anointed.—Psal. CXXXII. 17. THE SECOND SERMON ON THIS TEXT. I PROCEED now to make some farther improvement of the doctrine. A third use of the doctrine may be by way of Trial and Examination. Sirs, we in this land, and you particularly in this place, have had the gospel-lamp for a long time shining among you: but the great question is, Has ever the light of it led you to God's Anointed, and discovered his glory to your souls. I offer the few following marks for trial in this matter: 1. Has ever the light of the gospel-lamp discovered the plagues of your heart to you, so as to fill you with an abhorrence of yourselves, saying with David, “Who can understand his errors?" Psal. xix. 12; or with Jeremiah, “ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?" Jer. xvii. 9. Whenever Job's eyes 'saw the Lord, he cries, “ I abhor myself, and repent in dust and in ashes." 2. The light of the gospel-lamp lets a man see that all the ways and methods of salvation that he has proposed to himself, while in a natural state, are nothing but a mere delusion. The man was imagining, that he might be saved by the general mercy of God, by the works of the law, by a profession of religion, or some good thing or other: but whenever the light of this lamp enters into his heart he sees that it is in vain to look to these bills and mountains; and that to stay where he is or has been, he, but walks in the light of his fire, and sparks of his own kindling, and must lie down in sorrow at the end ; and therefore casts away all these cob-web coverings, and accounts them but loss for Christ. 3. I ask you, What think you of God's Anointed? for the gospel-lamp is ordained to discover the glory of God's Anointed. What think you of his person, righteousness, fulness, glory, and salvation, love and grace? I am sure the glory of his person and mediation has put your souls to an everlasting stand, that you know not what to say or think, but are swallowed up in a silent wonder at him, crying with the |