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that eternal mifery is into which their wilful rejection of him will caft them: In Luke xix. 42. you find, the Redeemer's tears wept over obftinate Jerufalem; "And when he came nigh to

the city, he wept over it, and faid, O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, "if thou hadst known, at least in this thy day, the things that "belong to thy peace; but now they are hid from thine eyes." Like unto this is that expreffion, Ifa. i. 24. "Ah, I will eafe "me of mine enemies," &c. Though it be an ease to his juftice, yet he cannot give them up without an Ah, an interjection of forrow; fo in Hofea xi. 8. "How fhall I give thee up, Eph"raim? How fhall I deliver thee, Judah?" I must do it, but how fhall I go about it? All these expreffions fhew the great value God hath for your fouls; and did you know it alfo, certainly you would not make Chrift wait one hour longer.

Infer. 5. Hence it follows, That greater is the fin, and feverer will be the condemnation of them that perifb under the gospel, than of all other people in the world. Let me fpeak freely tor you that hear me this day, Jefus Chrift hath spent more of the riches of his patience upon you in one year, yea, in this very day, than he hath spent upon the heathen world in all the days of their lives; they never heard of Chrift, and the great falvation; they have had no calls to faith and repentance, as you have had; don't think God hath dealt at this rate with other nations. You have his fabbaths, minifters, calls; he hath not dealt fo with other nations, and as for these things they have not known them, Pfal. cxlvii. 19. God hath dealt in a peculiar way with us, and thefe fpecial favours will make dreadful accounts. He told the Jews, among whom he had preached and wrought his miracles, "It would be more tolerable for Sodom "and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for them;" and in his name I will tell you this day, that barbarous Indians and Americans will have a milder hell than you; Mitius ardent : And as the Lord told Ezekiel, chap. iii. 5, 6. " Thou art not "fent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, "whose words thou canst not understand; furely had I fent "thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee: But the "houfe of Ifrael would not hearken unto thee, for they will not "hearken unto me: For all the houfe of Ifrael are impudent " and hard-hearted."

Ah, brethren, it is a fad truth, that the minifters of Chrift have found more fruit of their labours among the Savage Americans, than in England, people born and bred up under the gofpel. Had a heathenish people your fabbaths, your ministers VOL. IV.

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and bibles, they would not deal by Chrift as you have done: But look you to it, for certainly the feverity of his juftice will at laft recompence the expence of his patience: There are two glaffes turned up this day, and both almoft run down; the glass of the gospel running down on earth, and the glafs of Christ's patience running down in heaven. Be fure of it, that for every fand of mercy, every drop of love that runs down in vain in this world, a drop of wrath runs into the vial of wrath which is fitting in heaven.

Infer. 6. If Chrift hath exercised fuch admirable patience and long-fuffering towards you, before he could gain entrance into your heart; then you have all the reafon in the world to exercife your patience for Chrift, and account all long-fuffering to be your unquestionable duty. Chrift was not weary in waiting upon you, be not you weary in waiting upon him, or for him. Now there are three things wherein the people of God will have much occafion to exercise their patience with refpect to Chrift..

(1.) You will need a great deal of patience to wait for the returns and anfwers of your prayers; you knock and wait at the door of mercy, and no anfwer comes; hereupon discouragement and wearinefs feizeth your fpirits. Poffibly fome of rou have prayers many years gone upon the file in heaven, fome upon fpiritual accounts, and fome upon temporal; and becaufe the anfwer is not difpatched, your eyes are ready to fail with waiting For the Lord,may bear long with his own elect, Luke xviii. 7. The feed of prayer lies under the clods, and will at laft fpring up, "For he never faid to the feed of Jacob, feek me in vain :" None feek God in vain, but those that feek him vainly. Now, you fhould not be too quick and fhort-breathed in waiting upon God for the returns of prayer, 'confidering how long you made Chrift wait upon you.

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(2.) You will have occafion to exercife your patience in bearing the burden of reproaches, and fufferings for Chrift; "For to you it is given in the behalf of Chrift, not only to be

lieve, but alfo to fuffer for his fake," Phil. i. 29. Sufferings, you fee, are the gifts of Chrift, the comfort of fuffering is his gift, and fo are the abilities to fuffer alfo; and that which will increase your fuffering ability, will be the confideration of Chrift's long-fuffering towards you, and the hard things he endured for you and from you.

(3.) You will have occafion to exercife your patience for the day of your complete redemption and falvation. If you love Chrift fervently, the time of your feparation from him will pe borne difficultly; vehement love needs the allay of pa

tience, 2 Theff. iii. 5. "The Lord direct your hearts in the "love of God, and into the patient waiting for Chrift." Others need much patience to die, but fuch will need as much patience to live; but whatever the exercises of your patience fhall be, whether in waiting for the returns of your prayers, in bearing the cross and fufferings of Chrift, or in waiting for the day of your complete redemption and enjoyment of Chrift: This fingle confideration, that Christ stood and waited fo long upon you, is enough to fortify your patience against all the difficultics it fhall encounter.

Infer. 7. Lastly, If Chrift thus patiently wait upon triffling and obftinate finners; then let no godly perfon be discouraged, because their unregenerate relations have not yet made their first Step towards Chrift, in the way of repentance and faving faith.

It may be you have laid up a great ftock of prayers for them, the believing husband hath prayed for his unbelieving wife, and the believing wife for her unbelieving husband; godly parents for their ungodly children, and the gracious child for his ungodly parents; and yet no returns of prayer appear. Many cries are gone up to heaven like that of Abraham, Gen. xvii. 18. "O that Ifhmael might live before thee." Well, be not, difcouraged, Chrift is contented to wait, and therefore well may you. Thofe cries of parents, Lord, my poor child is in the ftate of nature, look in mercy upon him, open his eyes, break his heart for fin, draw his will to Chrift; thefe cries may not be loft, though the fruit of them yet appear not : Confider how long Chrift waited upon you. There be three things that encourage hope: (1.) That your hearts and theirs were of the fame natural complexion and temper; and the fame power which opened your hearts can open theirs; thy understanding was once as dark, thy heart as hard, and thy will as inflexible as thy carnal relations now are. The fame hand that opened thy heart, can open theirs. Don't think Chrift had an easier talk to win thy heart, than he will have to win theirs. Almighty power wrought upon you, and the fame power can work effectually upon them; the Lord's hand is not shortened. (2.) You have reafon to wait, for as much as it is probable you yourselves have put ftumbling-blocks in the way of their fouls to Chrift, and hindered the returns of your own prayers for the converfion of your carnal relatives. O Chriftians, there is more due to them than your prayers, prayers must be backed with examples; had they not only heard your cries to God for them, but feen your fuitable encouraging pattern fet before them alfo,

you and yours might have rejoiced together long ago. But (3.) confider that God many times makes the fruit of such prayers to spring up after those that fowed them are dead and gone. The Lord may give life to your prayers when you are dead: certainly your prayers die not with you. It is the opinion of fome, that Paul's converfion was the return of Stephen's prayer, "Lord, lay not this fin to their charge." Stephen died, but his prayers lived, and were answered upon one that stood by and confented to his death. But however it be, wait on; if your prayers come not into their bofoms, they will certainly return into your own. Here is duty difcharged, love to Chrift and their fouls manifefted; which will be your comfort, however God difpofes the event.

II. Ufe.

Secondly, The doctrine of Chrift's patience puts a great and ferious exhortation into my mouth this day, to prefs one of the greatest duties upon you that ever I preffed in the whole course of my miniftry among you: And could I deliver this exhortation to you upon my knees, with tears of blood mingled with my words, might that prevail, I would furely do it. My exhortation is to all that are in an unregenerate ftate, that they prefume not to try the patience of Christ any longer. If you have any regard to your eternal happiness, exercite not his pa tience beyond this hour. O that this hour might put an end to Chrift's waiting, and your danger! hitherto you have wea ried men, but will you weary God alfo Chrift hath called, but you have refufed; he hath ftretched out his hands, but you have not regarded. Your thoughts have been wandering after vanity, whilst the voice of the gospel hath been founding in your ears; fome of you have been fottifh, and incapable to apprehend fpiritual truths, others of you fenfual, given up to the pleasures of the world, and abandoning all ferious thoughts about the world to come. Some of you have been buried alive in the cares of the world, and others fettled upon a dead' formality in religion: And to this day Chrift hath called upon you in vain. Now that which I exhort you to, is, that you venture not to try the patience of Chrift one day longer; if you have any regard to the everlasting happiness of your fouls, come not under the guilt, and danger of one denial, or delay more. If you afk me why? Why may we not venture a little longer? Christ hath borne all this while, and will he not bear a little longer? May. we not take a little more" pleasure in fin? May we not hazard one fermon, or fabbath more, and yet not perish? I anfwer,

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no. If your fouls be precious in your eyes, let there be no more denials, nor delays to Chrift's iuit. For,

1. How patient, and long-fuffering foever Christ hath been, yet there will be an end of the day of his patience; a time when he will wait no longer, when his spirit shall strive no more with you. There is a knock of Chrift at the heart, which will be the last knock that ever he will give; and after that no more knocks: a time when the master of the house will rife up, and the door be shut. You have had to do with a meek, and patient Christ hitherto; but believe it, finners, there is a day called the day of the wrath of the Lamb, and that day is dreadful, Rev. vi. 16. where you find finners crying to the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. O if this wrath be once kindled, though but a little; bleffed are they that trust in him, that have finished their agreement with him. The day of Chrift's patience towards Jerufalem, was a long day, but it had an end, Mat. xxiii. 37. and it ended in their defolation: therefore try the patience of Christ no further; you know not the limits of it, it may end with your next refufal, and then where are you? 2. The longer Christ hath exercised his patience already towards you, the more terribly will he avenge the abuse of it in hell upon you. It is past doubt with me, that there are different degrees of torment in hell; the fcriptures are plainly, and clearly for it. Now among all the aggravations of the torments of hell, none can be greater than the reflections of damned fouls upon the abufed patience, and grace of Chrift: thofe that had the best means, the loudest calls, and the longeft day under the gospel, will certainly have the hottest place in hell, if the goodness and long-fuffering of Christ, do not now lead them to repentance; the cries of fuch fouls will be heard above the cries of all other miferable wretch

es that are caft away. "It will be more tolerable for Sodom " and Gomorrah, than for Capernaum," Mat. xi. 23. O friends, you little know the fmart reflections of conscience in hell, upon fuch hours, as you now enjoy; fuch wooing, charming voices, and allurements to Christ, as you now hear. There are many thousands of fouls in hell, that came thither out of the dark, heathenifh parts of the world, where they never heard of Chrift; but your misery will be far beyond theirs, your reflections more sharp, and bitter: therefore delay no longer, left you perish with peculiar aggravation of mifery. 3. Try the patience of Chrift no further. I beseech you, forafmuch as you fee every day the patience of Chrift ending towards others: patience coming down, and justice ascending the stage, to triumph

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