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perfecuting times, when the exercise of the ministry was allowed by the magiftrate with limitations, which could neither be impofed nor accepted without fin. And as little power have the people to limit them, or give orders concerning what we fhould preach; but every faithful minifter will fay as Micaiah, 1 Kings xxii. 14. As the Lord liveth, what the Lord faith unto me, that will I speak.

USE II. of exhortation. Attend on ordinances, and come with a defign reverently, diligently, attentively, understandingly, believingly, and fo as to practife, to hear what is commanded us of God. We defire you to take nothing as matter of faith on our authority, but to do as the Bereans, who fearched the fcriptures daily, whether those things were so, Acts xvii. II. I offer the following motives to prefs this exhortation.

1. Confider the way how the word came to the world. It was by the Mediator, John i. 18. When AAdam fell, death ftared him in the face; and he ran away from God, till the word of reconciliation came forth, Gen. iii. 15. which disappointed the expectation of devils, furprised angels, and revived the selfmurdering creature.

2. Confider it is the word of life, Deut. xxxii. 46. 47. Nothing concerns us fo nearly as this. If ye do not prize the word, and hear what is commanded us of God, there can be no comfort on a death-bed. It will make us table complaints against you before the Lord. And we will have a fad meeting at the great day. But if ye will hear, ye will be our joy and crown; your fouis fhall be faved in the day of the Lord, and we will blefs the day that ever we met. Come to ordinances with a keen appetite after the bread of life; and pray for us, that the Lord may deal kindly with us, and furnith us with proper nou rifhment for your fouls.

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2 CORINTHIANS Vi. 1.

We then as workers together with him, beseech you also, that ye receive hot the grace of God in vain.

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HAVE been calling you to a diligent attendance upon the ordinances, and now I come to beseech you not to receive the grace of God in vain: for if you fhould attend the means of grace ever fo carefully, yet if you receive the grace of God in vain, all your labour is loft, and ye muft perifh in your fins at láit. The words I have read are a pathetical exhortation; in which,

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1. The party exhorting is the apostle in his own name and that of all faithful minifters, who are called workers together with God. Compare 1 Cor. iii. 9. In the purchase of salvation Chrift had none with him ; but in the application of it he makes ufe of gofpel-minifters, working with him, as inftrumental causes, in exhorting, &c. and bringing the word to the ears of people.

2. The manner of the exhortation; befeeching, which denotes mildnefs and gentleness in dealing with fouls, and withal earneftnefs and fervency of addrefs.

3. The matter of it. The grace of God here denotes the gofpel, as it is exprefsly called, Tit. ii. 11. It is fo denominated, (1.) In refpect of its rife, which was mere grace. (2.) Of its lubject, being the doctrine of grace, offering the free favour of God to finners in Chrift. (3.) In refpect of its end, which is grace. (4.) Of its revelation to particular places. To receive it in vain, is to have the gospel among them, but not to be the better of it to faivation, as the feed is in vain received by the ground, which grows not up, but is loft. The doctrine is,

DOCT. That people to whom the gospel is fent, had need to take heed that they receive it not in vain.

In difcourfing from this doctrine, I fhall fhew,
I. How the gofpel may be received in vain.
H. Make improvement,

I. I am to fhew how the gospel may be received in vain. And here it will be neceffary to fhew,

1. In what refpects the gofpel cannot be in vain. 2. In what refpects it may be received in vain. First, I am to fhew in what refpects the gospel cannot be in vain. And it cannot be in vain,

1. In refpect of God; he cannot fall fhort of what he purpofeth to bring to pass by it, If. xlvi. 10. My counsel fball ftand, fays he, and I will do all my pleasure. That looking for fruit, mentioned If. v. 4. is afcribed to God after the manner of men; but an omniscient omnipotent being cannot properly be disappointed, If. Iv. 10. 11. For as the rain cometh down, and the Snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it may give feed to the fower, and bread to the eater: fo fhall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I pleafe, and it shall profper in the thing whereto I fent it.

(2.) All his elect will be brought in by it. Hence when the apostles Barnabas and Paul preached at Antioch in Pifidia, and met with much oppofition, it is obferved however, that as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed, Acts xiii. 48. The found of the gofpel-trumpet will gather the elect, however vain the found be to others: for Chrift's people fhall be made willing in the day of his power, Pfal. cx. 3. Though the rain fall in vain on the rocks, yet it does not fo on the good ground. And that glorious inftrument will be honourably laid by at the great day, having done its work,

(2.) His mercy and juftice will be cleared by it, fo as that gofpel-defpifers fhall appear moft juftly condemned, Acts xiii. 46. while men have rejected the counfel of God against themselves. The offer of re

conciliation will juftify God's procedure abundantly against gofpel defpifers.

2. It cannot be in vain in respect of faithful minifters, who, according to the grace given them, purfue the great end of their office, viz. their acting as ambaffadors for God, and praying finners in Chrift's ftead, to be reconciled unto God, 2 Cor. v. 20. (1.) In refpect of their acceptance with God. Tho' their labours do no good, God will accept of their fincere endeavours to ferve him in his work, Gal. iv. 11. compare 2 Cor. ii. 15. 16. Preaching the gofpel faithfully, and warning every man, is our duty; converting of fouls is God's work. If minifters faithfully discharge their duty, and yet fuccefs answer not, God will accept their work, Ezek. xxxiii. 8. 9. If. vi.

(2.) In refpect of their reward of grace. Some minifters God fets to tread out the corn, while they freely eat of their labours, and have the fatisfaction to fee the pleasure of the Lord profpering in their Mafter's hand. The mouths of others are muzzled; and they have nothing but weary work, like that of the difciples, when they faid to their Lord, We have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing, Luke v. 5. But it fhall not be in vain: God does not proportion his faithful fervants reward to their fuccefs, but to their pains and faithfulness. For as it was with the Mafter, fo is it with the fervants: If. xlix. 4. I have laboured in bain, fays he, I have spent my Arength for nought; yet furely my judgement is with the Lord, and my work with my God.

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3. It cannot be altogether in vain in refpect of honeft-hearted hearers, Micah ii. 7. Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprighily? When the word falls on good ground, it will bring forth fruit, though not always alike. It is hard to fay, that ever God fends his gofpel to any place, but there are fome to be bettered by it, even then when he is taking his farewell of a people, as in the cafe of the Jews. There were feven thoufand in Ifrael that had not bowed the

knee to Baal in the time of Elijah, even when that prophet thought there had not been one.

4. It cannot be utterly in vain as to any that hear it, If. lv. 11. forecited. It will have fome effect following it. Even those who most of all receive it in vain as to good fuccefs, yet it is not vain,

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(1.) As to a teftimony for God against them to be produced at the laft day, Rev. iii. 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will fup with bim, and he with me. Behold, angels and men, be witneffes, that here is an offer of me to finners. Tho' they should refufe to hear the meffage with their bodily ears, yet if it come where they are, it will be a witness against them, Matth. x. 14. 15. The duft of their feet fhall witnefs they were there with Chrift's meffage, and that falvation was in their offer. The fervants of Chrift must set up the ftandard, whether any will gather to it or not, Ezek. ii. 7. See ver. 5.

(2.) As to manifeftation of unfoundness, Eph. v. 13. As the light of the fun will discover things in their own colours, though we wink never fo hard; fo the gospel will hang the fign of folly at every man's door out of Chrift. The gofpel was in vain to none more than the greateft pretenders to religion in Chrift's time; but fee the effect of it, Mal. iii. 2. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who fhall ftand when he ap peareth? for he is like the refiner's fire, and like fullers Joap. Matth. iii. 12. His fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. The wind will difcover chaff by corn, though omnipotency must be at the work to change it into good grain. Hence the gospel oft-times draws the pillow from under people's heads, that never thoroughly awaken, tormenting them that dwell on the earth. Hence we read of fome that fay to the feers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophely not unto us right things, peak unto us Smooth things, prophefy deceits get out of

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