notwithstanding, notwithstanding all thy guilt and all thy fear, I will succour thee with a notwithstanding.

Three great succours that the Jews had in the wilderness. Succour from the rock, that gave out water; succour against their thirst. Succour from the manna that came down from heaven; succour against their hunger. Succour from the brazen serpent; from the fiery serpents that stung them. All these three were great types of Christ. "And the rock was Christ," says the apostle. And says Christ himself, “ I am the bread," speaking of the manna. "And when I am lifted up," speaking of the brazen serpent, alluding to it. Now look into the story and you will find, God did not give out these succours to them till they murmur; in the xvth of Exodus, there they murmur and murmur and murmur, and then God opened the rock, and God gave them water notwithstanding. And in the xvith of Exodus there he gives them bread. And in the xviith there he opens the rock: but first they murmured; the Lord gave them these succours with a notwithstanding. The thing that I mean is this: Will the Lord give them a typical Christ for their succour, with a notwithstanding, and will he not give poor tempted souls a real Christ with a notwithstanding? notwithstanding all, if they do come unto him, if tempted souls do but come unto him? Oh, what a mighty encouragement is here unto all poor tempted souls to come unto Jesus Christ? Oh you, come unto Jesus Christ, you that never came unto Jesus Christ, come unto Jesus Christ, you shall find him a succouring Christ.

Secondly, If this doctrine be true, what ground of strong consolation is here unto all the saints? Oh, you that are the servants of God, children of God; you that are saints, will you ever doubt of Christ's love again? will you ever suffer your hearts to lie under the pressure of despondent fears again? Doubting arising from ignorance, mistakes of Christ; we put Esau's clothes upon him; we make him an angel of darkness and then we fear him. Ye do not look upon him as a succouring Christ, and therefore you are so full of doubtings; or if you do, you do not actuate your considerations and your notions on him.

Beloved! Either there is a truth in this doctrine; or else there is not. If there be not, what mean all the proofs that

ye have had? And if there be a truth, if the Lord Jesus Christ be a succouring Christ to tempted souls; why then should you not triumph in him? and say, Well nothing shall separate me from the love of God in Jesus Christ: I am persuaded, "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Thus Paul reasoned in the viiith of the Romans. And I pray mark it; "Who then shall separate us? (says he at the 35th verse) shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life," &c. Whence did arise this persuasion ? (at the 23rd verse)" Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? it is God that justifieth." Mark, he does not say, It is God that justifies me; but only in the general, "It is God that justifieth: who is he that condemneth? it is Christ that died." He does not say, It is Christ that died for me; but it is Christ that died.

You will say, Aye indeed, if I could say, That God justifies me; and Christ died for me; then I would say with Paul, that nothing shall separate.

Paul raises this persuasion thus; it is God that justifies, and it is Christ that died.

Aye, but was there any temptation, in any of all these that Paul speaks on ?

Yes sure: why does he say else, "That in all these things we are more than conquerors?" There is an adversary's power in this. And what think you when he says, "That neither life nor death, nor angels, nor principalities and powers?" Does not the devil come in there, under principalities and powers? Neither does he say thus; I will hope well now, that because Christ dies, and it is God that justifies; I will hope well: No, but " I am persuaded, none of all these shall separate me from the love of God in Christ." Though I have feared, I will fear no more. Thus he makes his triumph. Oh! what strong consolation is here to all the saints? You that are the tempted saints of God, do not your hearts burn, and glow within you with love to

Jesus Christ? and will you question his loye to you? Did Christ come and succour you? and will you not succour yourselves? Is his heart full of succour toward you? and will not you own it? The Lord rebuke our unbelief.

Thirdly, If Jesus Christ be a succouring Christ: then let us be succouring christians. Shall the Lord Jesus Christ take a poor tempted soul into his arms? and shall I thrust him away with my hand? shall the Lord Christ take him into his bosom? and must I thrust him out of the city, and the place where he dwelt? Shall the Lord Jesus Christ carry a poor tempted soul upon his shoulder, by way of succour? and shall I carry him upon my shoulder as a burden? It was Christ's command: " See that ye love one another, as I have loved you." And how did Christ love us?" He loved us, and gave himself for us:" he loved us, and was made in the form of a servant, took our infirmities upon him: he loved us, and was tempted for us, suffered being tempted: and shall not I be willing to succour those that are tempted? You look upon another man's opinion, or his practice, or his froward disposition, and you are offended at it, whom otherwise you would love, and do account godly: but how do you know whether that be not his temptation? that his disposition, and opinion, and practice; how do you know whether that be not his temptation that he lies under? and will not you succour him? Oh! my beloved, how contrary are our dispositions to Christ's? Christ came from heaven to succour those that are tempted: and we call for fire from heaven against those that are tempted. Christ would bear with much smoke, for a little fire: and we will quench a great deal of fire because of a little smoke. Oh! therefore, as you desire to be like unto Jesus Christ, succour the saints: and if there be any thing in their life that does offend you, say, with yourselves; Aye, but may be it is a temptation that such a man lies under; and Christ came to succour those that are tempted, why should not I?

Fourthly, If the Lord Jesus Christ be a succouring Christ, then, why should we yield unto our sins and to our temptations? Though the siege be strait, and violent, and fierce, if a city be blocked up, be beleaguered; if it have but hopes that succour and relief will come, it will hold it out; and if it know for certain that succour will come, it will hold out unto

great extremity. There is never a temptation, but you are beleaguered by it: and when your temptation is about you, say, O my soul, be quiet, yield not; the Lord Jesus Christ is a succouring Christ, and succour will come, and therefore hold it out. Shall the Lord Jesus Christ, shall he succour me against my temptations with his bosom? and shall I take my sins and temptations into mine own bosom? Shall he come to succour me against my sins? and shall I succour my sins that he comes against? What a mighty argument is here to keep us from all our sins, and from yielding to our temptations. Jesus Christ is a succouring Christ to tempted souls.

In the fifth place, If there be a truth in this,-Christ is a succouring Christ; Let us all labour to answer Christ. Beloved, it is the duty and the property of the people of God, to observe what God is doing upon their hearts, and to help on that work. If Jesus Christ be succouring of any of your souls against your temptations; Oh! help it on, help on the work; it is your duty for to help it on, and to answer him.

But you will say, Christ succours before temptation; and he succours under temptation; and he succours after temptation: how shall I answer this? how shall I help his work on?

Give me leave to give an answer unto this question, and so I will wind up all. Does the Lord Jesus Christ succour before temptation? Observe his succours, and lay them up in your hearts against a rainy day: gird your sword upon your thigh, it may not be to seek when the enemy comes; have it in readiness. You do not lay the plaster on upon the wrist for the ague, when the ague is on, but before it comes. Observe what those tokens of love are that Jesus Christ does throw into your bosom before a temptation comes, and lay them up carefully there.

And, beloved in the Lord, labour to keep the sense of his love warm upon your hearts. Look as it is with water in winter; so with your hearts in this respect: so long as the fire is under the water, and the water is hot, it freezes not; but when the heat goes off, and the water is cold, then ice comes upon it. And so long as your heart is kept up in the sense of Christ's love, and warm with Christ's love; so long the ice comes not, the temptation comes not. The slumber

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of grace is a preparation to sin and a preparation to temptation. When once our hearts grow cold, and grow remiss then way is made to temptation: and therefore if you would answer Jesus Christ, Oh! labour to keep the sense of his love still upon your hearts.

And when the temptation is come, then look upon Jesus Christ. No temptation so violent or fierce, but a thought may steal out, and get a look upon Jesus Chrsst. The sight of Christ on the cross, is a judge upon the bench against all temptations. The consideration of three things keeps one from the power of temptation: the worth of a soul; the heinousness of sin; and the love of Christ. And you see all these in Christ upon the cross. When temptation comes, stand and look upon him. You know, that when the Israelites were stung, they were then to look upon the brazen serpent, and by their very looking upon it, they were cured thereby. The Lord Jesus Christ is our brazen serpent, lift up upon gospel poles, having more excellency than any brazen serpent. This was but a piece of brass; he is the God of glory. That for a time; he is our High Priest, and lives for ever. That for the Jews only; but he for Jew and Gentile. That for those that could see, and if any poor blind man was stung, it was a case, what should become of the blind man, how should he look upon the brazen serpent? how should he be cured? but this our brazen serpent is able to give you an eye. Beloved, this ordinance is still on foot spiritually. And therefore Christ says by the prophet Isaiah, "Look unto me from all the ends of the earth, and be saved." Oh! when a temptation comes, poor tempted soul, address thyself to the Lord Jesus, stand wishly looking upon him.

And then, give thy soul over into the hands of Christ all thou canst put thyself out of thine own hands. So long as the plank, or the board swims in the stream, in the midst of the water, you may draw it along with a little thread; but if once it comes towards the bank, towards the shore, and touches upon the ground, then you can hardly draw it. So long as your temptation is in the stream of Christ's love, and of his blood, you may draw it along the more easily: but if once it come to touch upon your own shore, oh then you draw hard. Whensoever, therefore, a temptation arises, go unto Jesus Christ, and say, O Lord, I have no strength