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ribly, down into the mire. But what fhall I do, I will never win up, I think, from under this burden: Poor foul, caft your burden upon Chrift; "God laid on him the iniquity of us all. Caft thy burden on the Lord, and he will fuftain thee." Doth the guilt of fin burden you ? Look to him who is made of God to you righteoufnefs. Doth the power of fin burden you? Look to him who is made of God to you fanctification. “Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Object. 3. Oh! fay fome, there is another thing that hinders me from mounting up; the Devil fleps in between me and heaven, between Chrift and me, and fo I cannot get mounted; he affaults me fore with many fad temptations, he fcares me from duty, and tempts me to fin.

Anfw. Poor believer, be comforted; it feems you are not on Satan's fide; it feems you are come out of his camp; and therefore he affaults you fo fore: meantime, endeavour to mount up notwithstanding of all temptations; for, within a little, "God fhall bruife Satan under your feet," Rom. xvi. 20. The believing eagle fhall get day about with the devil, and tread upon this old ferpent. Again, tell me, haft thou not wings to fight against the devil, as they fay the eagle doth? When any come to take her young, then she fights with her wings. So do you fight with the wing of faith, that is the fhield that quenches the fiery darts of the devil. The devil's darts cannot pierce the be liever's wing of faith. Fight with the wing of love; love is a ftrong wing, like coals of fire, it hath a most vehement flame; this fire of love will burn the devil's darts that he throws at you; the love of Christ will conftrain you to refift him boldly. to refift him boldly. But, alas! fay you, for all that, I cannot fight; my faith is feeble, and my love is faint Then I only fay to you, O poor foul, go to Chrift; Chrift is like the old eagle that helps the young ones; yea, Chrift takes the young eagles on his wings, Deut. xxxii. 11, 12. “As an eagle flirreth up her neft, fluttereth over her young, fpreadeth abroad her

wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: fo the Lord alone did lead him; and there was no ftrange god with him. Exod. xix. 4. I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you to myself." Chrift will carry you on his wings; and for your encouragement, know that he hath fought with the devil already, and overcome him, he hath overcome principalities and powers; yea, by death he hath deftroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.

OBJECT. 4. And laftly, Alas! fay you, there is another thing yet that hinders me from mounting; I would not think much of the conimon enemies of my falvation, fin, Satan, and the world; I know they will do their utmoft to keep me out of heaven: but, oh! God himself is preffing me down, and that is faddeft of all, he doth not give the wonted communication of his grace, nor ftrength" to mount: though I had habitual grace that will not do, I must have auxiliary grace.

ANsw. It may be, when you got additional grace at the laft communion, you have finned it away; and no wonder, when you turn the grace of God into wantonnefs, that the Lord make you go empty-handed.But again, he may do this to let you fee, that habitual grace is not fufficient, in order to your mounting up to heaven, without actual grace; "It is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that fheweth mercy."-However, know that God is a fovereign God, and he will let you know that he is fo, by giving you new fupplies of grace, and withdrawing them again when he pleases; but wait on him, and you fhall renew your ftrength.

OBJECT. "But, oh! how can I mount, when he not "only denies his grace, but HIDES his face from me? "The eagle mounts towards the body of the fun, but my "fun is covered with a cloud, and I go mourning with"out the Sun. A day-bird cannot fly in the night; and "alas! how fhould I mount in the dark night of defer"tion?"

ANSW. It may be, you have hid your face from God, and that makes him hide his face from you: you have finned away his prefence, by turning away

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from his prefence; or, perhaps, God doth this for the trial of your faith, love, and patience. However it be, you mutt exercise your wings of faith and love, and mount up notwithstanding that you be in the dark; Who is among you that feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of his fervant, that walketh in darknefs, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay himself upon his God," Ifa. 1. 10. The fpoufe was buly even when Chrift was gone, "Saw ye him whom my foul loveth?"

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OBJECT. "Oh! but how can I mount, when he is "not only an abfent, but an angry God; I fee nothing "but furly looks in his countenance; and he is fhooting arrows against me; yea, His arrows ftick fast in me, and his hand preffes me fore;" when I mount up, he "fhoots me down with his arrows; For the arrows of "the Almighty are within me:" and when my wings "are wounded, down I fall."

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ANSW. God may do fo to humble you; you must be humbled; and the more humble and low you are, the higher you fhall be advanced, and mount up the higher after your humiliation : never was the believer higheft, than after he was loweft, James iv. 10. Humble yourfelves in the fight of the Lord, and he fhall lift you up ;" and remember how you may meet with barbed arrows, poifoned arrows of God's anger, and yet all in love: "In a little wrath have I hid myfelf from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy upon thee." Ifa. liv. 10. For the mountains fhall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindnefs fhall not depart from thee." You shall at last find all these things weil ordered. What think you, when you fhall come to heaven, and Chrift fay to you, Welcome, believer, when I hid my face, did I not deal kindly with you? When I fhot the arrows into your heart, did I not deal kindly with you? And the believer will then fay, Indeed, Lord, thou haft done all things well: all is well that ends will.

OBJECT." Alas! but I think the Lord will kill "me with his arrows; and will I fly to heaven, if he "kill me?"

ANSW.

ANSW. There is no fear that your kind Lord will kill you; but though he should, yet make ufe of your wings, and fly to him, as Job, Tho' he flay me, yet will I truft in him." I read of a fparrow, that when purfued by a hawk, flew into Xenocrates' bofom, his words were, Non oportet fupplicem prodere; " It were

barbarous to betray a poor fupplicant." If you fly to God's bofom, no fear that he kill you; when his wrath pursues you, he is but chafing you into his bofom: therefore let nothing hinder you from mounting.

The Lord himself engage you to wait on him, that you may renew your ftrength, and mount up on wings as eagles.

SER

SERMON

XCVIII.

THE RIVER OF LIFE, proceeding out of the THRONE

of GOD, and of the LAMB *.

REV. xxii. I.

And be fhewed me a pure river of water, clear as cryftal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb.

AT the laft facramental action, that fell to my fhare

here, I took occafion to fpeak of our Lord Jefus Chrift as the Lamb in the midst of the throne, Revel. vii. 17. f. And now I would fpeak a little, as the Lord may affilt, of the great bleffings that proceed from that throne, to the everlasting falvation and confolation of all the redeemed.

Some understand all that is faid in the two laft chapters of this book, of the ftate of the church even here on earth, in the glory of the latter days. Others view it as a representation of the perfect and triumphant state of the church in heaven. I reckon it fafeft to exclude neither of these; and apprehend it takes in the heavenly ftate of the church, and the happinefs thereof, commenced in time here, and confummate through eternity hereafter.--That glorious ftate begins here, fince grace is the beginning of glory, and glory the perfection of grace. Now, this happy ftate is defcribed here, in allufion to the earthly paradife, that was loft by the fin of the first Adam, as another, a better paradise, restored by the righteousness of the fecond Adam.

*This fermon was preached immediately before the celebration of the facrament of the Lord's fupper, at Dunfermline, July 6. 1735. See this Sermon, printed above, Vol. V. Serm. LXXXIV.

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