these things, "Bleffed are the people that know the joyful found they fhall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance," Pfal. lxxxix. 15.

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I conclude by reading a portion of fcripture to you containing a bundle of neceffary duties, both toward yourselves, your minifter and elders, and one another, 1 Theff. v. 12. to 28. "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonifh you; and to efteem them very highly in love for their works fake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble minded, fupport the weak, be patient toward all men. 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 ceafing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Chrift Jefus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Defpife not prophecyings. Prove all things: hold faft that which is good. Abftain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace fanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole fpirit and foul and body be preferved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift.-Brethren, pray for us.-The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” Amen.

PSAL. cxxxii. 17.-I have ordained a lamp for mine Anointed.

THE SECOND SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

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PROCEED now to make fome further improvement of the doctrine.

A third ufe 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 gofpel-lamp for a long time flining among you but the great question is, Has ever the light of it led you to God's Anointed, and difcovered his glory to your fouls.

I offer the few following marks for trial in this matter.

1. Has ever the light of the gospel-lamp difcovered the plagues of your heart unto you, fo as to fill you with an abhorrence of yourselves, faying with David, "who can understand

his errors ?" Pfal. xix. 12. or with Jeremiah, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked, who can know it?" Jer. xvii. 9. Whenever Job's eyes faw the Lord, he cries, "I abhor myself, and repent in duft and in afhes.

2. The light of the gofpel-lamp lets a man fee that all the ways and methods of falvation that he hath propofed unto himfelf, while in a natural ftaté, are nothing but a mere delufion. The man was imagining, that he might be faved by the general mercy of God, by the works of the law, by a profeffion of religion, or fome good thing or other: but whenever the light of this lamp enters into his heart he fees that it is in vain to look to thefe hills 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 forrow at the end; and therefore cafts away all these cob-web coverings, and accounts them but lofs for Chrift.

3. I afk you, What think you of God's Anointed? for the gofpel-lamp is ordained to difcover the glory of God's Anointed. What think you of his perfon, righteousnefs, fulness, glory, and falvation, love and grace? I am fure the glory of his perfon and mediation has put your fouls to an everlasting ftand, that you know not what to fay or think, but are swallowed up in a filent wonder at him, crying with the church, "Who is this that cometh up from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparal, travelling in the greatness of his ftrength? Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine fat?" If. lxiii. 1. 2.

4. If ever the glory of God's Anointed was difcovered unto you in the light of this lamp, your hearts have been fired with love to him, and zeal for his glory; fo that you know not how to exprefs your efteem of him, and defire after him: Oh! "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee." Many waters cannot quench love, neither can all floods drown it. Indeed the devil, and the world, and a corrupt heart, are frequently cafting water upon this fire; but yet where it is genuine, it gets ay up again; the flame rifes, and breaks through all oppofition, and fends the fparks of it heavenward.

5. Has ever the lamp of the gofpel dropt fome of the oil of God's Anointed upon your fouls? The gofpel is as it were a golden pipe, through which the oil of the Holy Ghost is conveyed into the vetiels of the fanctuary from God's Anointed: Gal. iii. 2. "We receive the Spirit by the hearing of faith, not by the works of the law." Now, I afk you, Have you got an unction from the Holy One? Query, How fhall I know that?

that? Anfw. In the following particulars. This oil has had the fame effect, in fome measure, that it had upon Chrift. As,

1A, Christ's anointing, it made him of quick understanding, or of a ready fcent, as it is in the margin, If. xi. 3. The fame effects, in fome measure, has it had upon you; it has given you a quick understanding and uptaking of the things of God, the fecrets of his covenant: "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven," fays Chrift unto his difciples; "but unto others it is not given. We have an unction from the Holy One, whereby we know all things," I John ii. 20. "He that is fpiritual, judgeth all things:" he has another difcerning than other men have of the things of God and eternity. "We have not received the fpirit of this world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God," I Cor. ii. 12. 2dly, Chrift's anointing made his face to fhine. "Oil maketh the face to fhine." Hence the spouse cries out, "His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars." So if you have fhared of this anointing, you will, in your way, and walk, and talk, adorn the doctrine of God your Saviour: you will be changed into the fame image with God's Anointed, by beholding of his glory; your light will fhine before men, fo that others, feeing your good works, will glorify God, your heavenly Father.

3dly, Chrift's anointing made him active and agile in the work of our redemption; fo that he never refted till he could fay, "It is finished." So if you be partakers of his anointing, you will be active and diligent in the great work of your falvation, that you may finish your courfe with joy. Oh! fays David, "I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou haft enlarged my heart," viz. by anointing the wheels of his foul with the oil of the Spirit's influences.

4thly, Chrift's anointing made his heart glad; therefore called the oil of gladnefs." This was it that rejoiced his heart under all the difcouragement and oppofition he met with in his work. So, if you be anointed with the fame oil, your hearts have been made glad therewith. The Holy Ghoft is called frequently the Comforter, becaufe he gladdens the hearts of Chrift's followers, under all the troubles and trials in their way in this weary wilderness. Hence Chrift says to his difciples, speaking of the Spirit, "Your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." Now, try yourfelves by this; know you any thing of the confolation of the Spirit? Oh! fays David," thou haft put more glad

nefs

nefs in my heart, than they, when their corn, wine, and oil, did abound."

Ule fourth, Has God ordained a lamp for his Anointed? then my first advice or exhortation is, to answer the end of the gofpel-lamp, by coming to God's anomted Saviour and Redeemer by a true faith. This is the end and defign of God in the whole revelation that he has made of Chrift in the "These things are written, that ye might believe in the name of the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through him," John xx. 31. This is the end and defign of a gofpel miniftry, and of all the ordinances of the gofpel, that ye might behold the glory of God's Anointed, and by coming to him, ye might be built up in the holy faith.

Motives to engage you to come unto God's Anointed.

1. The light of the lamp of the gofpel points you directly to him; for it is "Chrift whom we preach; and we preach not ourselves, but Chrift Jefus the Lord, and ourselves your fervants for Jefus fake." Every gofpel-fermon leads to Chriit, and lands you in him, if the defign of it be anfwered. Oh! fays Paul to the Corinthians, "I defire to know nothing among you, but Chrift, and him crucified."

2. Chrift was anointed for your fakes. "He received gifts for men; yea, even for the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell among us." His oil is for your ufe. He himfelf, and all his offices to which he was anointed, are intended for the falvation of loft finners of Adam's family. Why was he anointed to be a Prophet, but for your illumination in the knowledge of God and his will? Why anointed to be a Priest, but for your reconciliation with God, and juftification before him? Why anointed King in Zion, but to deliver us from our captivity to fin and Satan, and to fanctify us, and write his law in our hearts? Hence he is "made of God unto us wifdom, righteousness, fan&tification, and redemption," 1 Cor. i. 30. Now, feeing it is fo, why then fhould we ftand off from him by unbelief, and, by following lying vanities, forfake our own mercy?

3. Oh come unto God's Anointed through the light of the golpel-lamp; for there is an immeafurable meafure of the oil of the Holy Ghoft with God's Anointed, and all to be communicated unto them that come unto him. "It hath pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell; that out of his fulness we might receive grace for grace." There is no fear of want here. His fulness is not exhaufted or diminished by all that is given out. No, he is as full as ever, and as ready to communicate. We read of the widow's pot of oil, 2 Kings iv. 4. 5. &c. that did fill all the veffels that were VOL. III.

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brought

brought to it, and never stopt till no more veffels were brought. This is the cafe here; Chrift never ceafes to communicate of his grace and Spirit, as long as empty veffels are brought to him. The only thing that ftops the communication of his grace is, that we do not come to him by faith to receive of his fulness.

4. God's Anointed calls, invites, and befeeches you to come unto him for his grace and fulness. "Ho, every one that thirfteth, come; and he that hath no money, let him come, and buy wine and milk without money and without price," If. lv. 1.-3.

5. God's Anointed has promifed you welcome; "Come to me who will, I will in no wife caft out. He that cometh to me fhall never hunger; and he that believeth on me fhall never thirst. He fatisfieth the longing foul, and filleth the hungry foul with good things."

6. If you do not come to God's Anointed, you lofe the benefit of the gospel-lamp, and incur the displeasure of that God who ordained the lamp for his Anointed. "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men choose darknefs rather than light, because their deeds are evil. How fhall we efcape, if we neglect the great falvation" of God's Anointed?

7. Unless you come to God's Anointed, and buy oil, your veffels and lamps will be found empty at the coming of Chrift. My friends, before it be long, the midnight cry fhall be heard, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him." You know what became of the foolish virgins that wanted oil at the coming of the Bridegroom; they go to feek oil when it was out of time; "the door is fhut" upon them, and they are fhut up in eternal wo and darknefs. Oh take care that it do not fare so with you against the coming of Chrift at death, or judgement. And, therefore, while the market of grace lafts, take Chrift's counfel, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayft be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayft be clothed, and that the fhame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyefalve, that thou mayft fee," Rev. iii. 18.

8. When a people privileged with the lamp of the everlafting gofpel, do not answer the defign of it by coming to God's Anointed, God in that cafe is provoked to remove the lamp, and give it to others that will improve the light of it to a better use: Matth. xxi. 43. "Therefore fay I unto you, The kingdom of God fhall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof," fays Christ there unto the Jews. By the kingdom of God there, we are to understand