man, woman? Are you afraid, that Truth and Righteousness conspire against you, and hinder Mercy and Peace from ever meeting with you, and embracing you? Ono: Fear not; only believe, that Mercy and Truth are met together, and that Righteoufnefs and Peace have killed each other in Chrift. Truth will not ftand in the way of mercy; for they have kiffed each other. He is indeed an infinitely juft God, to take vengeance upon fin; but juftice will not hinder mercy from coming to you: only believe, that Juftice and Mercy are reconciled in Chrift, fo as Mercy can vent towards you, to the credit of Juftice. But, O! may fuch a black-mouth'd finner as I, as black as hell and the devil, expect a kifs of fuch an infinitely fair Jefus? Is that to be expected, that fuch oppofites fhould meet in one another's arms? Yea, man, woman, allow me, a black finner like yourself, to be the happy meffenger, to tell you in God's name, that be ye as black as you will, fuch a meeting and embracing betwixt Chrift and you, is more to be expected, than ever men or angels could have expected, that infinite Juftice and mercy fhould have met together, and kiffed each other in a God-man: and this unexpected meet. ing is the very ground, upon which your expectation of a meeting with, and embracement of God in Chrift, is to be founded. O then, come and kifs the Son: Why, but I cannot, fay you: I think, I would gladly do it; but I cannot get near him, to kifs and embrace him. Indeed this kindness muft begin on his fide; and therefore, O pray, that he would come, and meet you with a kifs of infinite love. Say with the church, Song i. 2. "Let him kifs me with the kiffes of his mouth; for his love is better than wine." If that be the language of your foul, O! I cannot embrace him; but my heart fays, O let him come, and embrace me: and draw me out of the embracements of all my former lovers and lufts, that I may never kifs any idol in the world again; but may live, and die in the arms, and embraces of the Son of God: Is that the language of your foul before the living God? Why, then the embracement betwixt Chrift and you is begun, that

fhall

fhall never have an end; for it is a pledge, that he and you fhall meet together in heaven, and embrace, each other to eternity.

Now, though I hope, that this glorious meeting of divine perfections in Chrift, hath put forth fome virtue, to draw in fome poor foul, to the match: yet I fear, that the most part are but fill as idle hearers and fpectators, as if they were not concerned. But, O man, woman, young or old, unconcerned foul, be what you will, O yet, will you come, and fee the greateft fight, that ever was, or will be in heaven or earth, "A bufh burning, and not confumed;" all the burning and fhining attri butes of God, meeting with infinite harmony, in the bush of our nature: and yet, the bush able to bear the glory, Zech. vi. 15. O come, and wonder! Here is the wonder of men and angels! For, this is a wonderful meeting to them. And the name of the meeting-place is juftly called, WONDERFUL! O come, and partake; for the meeting is concerning your falvation, in Chrift; "His delights were with the fons of men." O come, and fing to the praife and glory of this wonderful, harmonious embracement of divine perfections in Chrift; efpecially, you that partake; fo as to fee the glory, and feel the virtue thereof. O will you fing with your hearts, and lips, and lives, faying, Glory to God, that his attributes have met together, and kiffed each other in Chrift; and that ever the like of me, got a kifs by the bye?" Glory to God, that there is no breaking of this meeting,, nor parting of thefe embraces, by fin, Satan, earth, or hell; but that they meet and embrace each other to eternity. And though you cannot mind to fing all that hath been faid; yet I hope, the weakest memory may mind, to fing the best note of all the fermon, every day, faying, Glory, glory, glory to God, that "Mercy and Truth are met together, Righteousness and Peace have, kiffed each other."

SERMON

SERMON XXI, XXII.

CARNAL CONSULTATION unfolded; or, the Great Evil of being actuated, by Carnal Principles, in the Matters of GOD, evinced. *

GALATIANS i. 16.

Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.

WHEN I confidered the great fpring of all the

motions and actions of the most of people, at this day; and what feems to be the grand counfellors, with whom they generally confer, I thought it was evident, from universal practice, that flesh and blood are the great principle that influence the deportment and behaviour of the generation: And when I confidered, that not only the wicked world, but even the most eminent profeffors of religion, and the truly godly feem to difcover, by their walk at this day, and their finful conformity at this day with the world, and compliance with the courfe of the times, their being led by motives from flesh and blood: I fay, when I confidered thefe things, I thought the contrary practice and example of the great apofile would, at leaft, be fuitable for difcovering the great evil of living under the conduct and influence of fuch carnal principles: "Immediately I conferred not

with flesh and blood."

The falfe teachers, who preached up the ceremonial law, were doing all they could to leffen Paul's reputa

*We are not pofitively certain, either when or where this Sermon was preached; but, from the place it hath in the Author's notes, and fome paffages and references in the discourse itself, it appears to have been delivered in his own church at Dunfermline, fometime towards the latter end of the year 1723.

tion, who preached the pure gofpel of Chrift to the Gentiles; and therefore, he is here fetting himself to prove the divinity of his miffion and doctrine, which he doth several ways in this chapter; particularly from ver. 11, 12. He evidences it by the manner wherein he receiv, ed the gofpel; that it was not by information from men, but by revelation from God, and immediate infpiration of Chrift himself. Here he puts them in mind,

Ift, Of his education, ver. 13, 14.; that he had been not only a rejecter of Chriftianity, but a perfecutor of it this he doth, that they might be affured he was not led to this religion purely by education, fince he had been bred up in enmity and oppofition to it and that it behoved to be fomething extraordinary that had made fuch a change upon him, and conquered the prejudices of his education and brought him not only to profefs, but to preach that doctrine which he had before fo vehemently opposed.

2dly, He puts them in mind of his converfion, ver. 15, 16. which is here defcribed four ways.

1. In the author of it, viz. Gop, the efficient caufe; and the pleasure of God, the moving caufe: "It pleased God." And this God is here defcribed two ways.

"He

(1.) He is described by his feparating grace; feparated me from my mother's womb." The change that was wrought in Paul was in pursuance of a divine purpose concerning him, whereby he was appointed to be a believer and an apoftle.

(2.) God is here defcribed by his calling grace; "He called me by his grace." Paul was called in an immediate way and manner: there was fomething very peculiar, and extremely fingular in his conversion.See Acts ix. I,-8.

2. Paul's converfion is defcribed in the manner of it; "It pleafed God to reveal his Son in me." Chrift was not only revealed externally to him, but also in him.

3. It is defcribed in the end of it; "That I might preach him among the heathen." Paul was both a Christian and an Apoftle by revelation.

4. His converfion is defcribed in the effect in his carriage; Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood."

From

From the words we might lay down and profecute feveral doctrinal obfervations; fuch as,

(1.) That the Mercy of God is preventing mercy, towards all whom it takes hold upon; it prevents them; before ever they are born, they are feparate.

(2.) That none are Called upon the account of any good work, or fanctity, or blameleffnefs in themselves; no: they are called of grace, and of the good pleasure of God.

(3.) That the Doctrine of Grace is the revelation of Chrift: God, in the gofpel, reveals his Son to us; and, by his Spirit, reveals him in us, when he calls effectually.

(4) That when the Gospel is revealed, it is God that doth it; It pleafed God to reveal his Son in me." (5.) That to preach the Gofpel, is to preach Christ; it is not a preaching of Mofes, but Chrift.

(6.) That in matters of Religion, there ought to be no confulting or conferring with flesh and blood. Here the apostle tells us his own practice, that he did not confult therewith; he did not confult man, nor apply himfelf to any other for their advice and direction; neither, as in the following verfe, did he go up to Jerusalem, to those who were apoftles before him, as if he needed to be approved by them, or receive any farther inftructions or authority from them: fo that it could not be pretended, that he was indebted to any other for his knowledge of the gospel, or his authority to preach it; but it appeared, that both his qualifications for, and his call to the apoftolic office, were extraordinary and divine.

But although thefe obfervations are couched in the words, and natively deduced from them, yet I choose to confine myself to the confideration of this text, as it may be taken more generally, and as bearing this propofition, viz.

Docr. That in the matters of God, there ought to be no confulting with flesh and blood. conferred not with flesh and blood.”

Immediately I