Bring forth your boafted morality, and let it be put to the trial. Will you, or dare you fay, "I have loved the "Lord with all my heart, with all my foul, with all my "mind, and with all my ftrength?" Will you fay, I have loved his worship, and ferved him in public, in my family, and in fecret, and I hope he will accept of it? I think I am authorised to anfwer in his name, "Was it worshipping me to be finging pfalms with your mouths, "and not once remembering their meaning? to be think'ing of an hundred vain things when you were in the "houfe of God? To be praifing without thankfulness, confeffing without forrow, and asking bleffings without "defiring them; and to be more attentive to the faces and "dreffes of others around you, than to the frame of your 66 own hearts? Was it hearing my word, to be criticising "the ftile and manner of the fpeaker, and laying hold, "with the utmoft eagerness, of every improper motion or "ill-chofen expreffion, as a fund of entertainment for your"felves and your companions over your cups and bowls? "Or do you call your carelefs, hafty, drowsy prayers, "with long intermiffions, worfhipping me in fecret? 86 But perhaps you will rather choose to truft to the duties of the fecond table, and what you owe to your neighbor. Perhaps you will fay, I have been honeft in all my dealings, and never wronged any man: nay, I have been kind and charitable, have dealt my bread to the hungry, and fupplied the wants of the afflicted and poor. I anfwer, in the name of God, "Many have been your defects even in these duties; but fuppofing it to be fo, you have "not feared me. It might be from pride, from fear of "cenfure, from prudence; but it was not in obedience to me, for I was not in all your thoughts. Was it your duty to your neighbour, to make a mock at his fins, to "lead him into intemperance, to defpife him in your "hearts, and ridicule him in your converfation?" In one word, do but examine all your "righteoufneffes," they will be found as filthy rags before God." 66 not in fuch a "that a man Truft refuge of lies.-The bed is fhorter than can ftretch himself on it, and the covering "narrower than that he can wrap himself in it."* Believe it, there is no falvation in any other than in Chrift. His atoning blood will reconcile you to God: his grace and love will captivate your fouls: his holy and bleffed Spirit will write his laws in your hearts. Believe in him, and you will be more holy than ever, and yet ftand aftonifhed at your profane and blind pride and vanity. He will create in you a clean heart, and you will then blush at the thoughts of your remaining pollution. You will apply yourfelves to his fervice with zeal and diligence, and yet ftill fay you are unprofitable fervants. One view of the crofs of Chrift will make fin more odious than a thoufand fine defcriptions of the beauty of virtue, which commonly ferve only to nourish and fortify the pride of man. If ever you defire to fee the face of God in mercy, or to dwell in his prefence, believe in Chrift, for there is no other way to the Father. 6. In the laft place, fuffer me to preach the gofpel to the Chief of finners. It is the glory of our Redeemer, that he faves" to the uttermoft all that come to God by him." The dignity of his perfon, the greatnefs of his fufferings, and the infinite value of his atonement founded on both, makes him "mighty to fave." Let fuch finners attend to this, who are without excufe, whofe hearts have been a fink of the greatest impurity, whofe lives are stained with the fouleft and groffeft crimes, whofe fins have been numerous and heinous, and fcandalous; who have no plea to offer, but are fenfible that they have juftly merited the wrath of God in its utmoft rigor. Let fuch attend to this, as are trembling at the thoughts of a righteous judgment, and faying, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of "the living God.-Men and brethren, what fhall we do?" Behold, I bring you good tidings of mercy unmerited, pardon unfolicited, a full and free remiffion of all your fins. "I have blotted out thine iniquities as a cloud, "and as a thick cloud thy fins: return unto me, for I "have redeemed thee." Receive this teftimony, and "fet to your feal that God is true." * If. xxviii. 20. Think not to do injury to the grace of God, by weaving a felf-righteous cobweb, and refusing to believe, till you have laid down fome rules of a new life, and effected fome partial reformation, as if you would first fave yourselves, that you may be fit for falvation by Christ. These hopes will foon be dafhed in pieces. Faith in the imputed righteousness of Christ is the sinner's only plea. The more vile you are in your own apprehenfion, the more need you have "to put on Chrift." The fubfequent change of heart and practice must be the effect of his power, is a part of his purchase, and ought to be received as his gracious gift. And I will venture to foretel, that you will make the greater progrefs in true holinefs, the lefs you are difpofed to boast of, or to truft in it. This, I apprehend, is the gospel itself, ftiled in fcripture, with the highest propriety, the " gospel of the grace "of God." "Chrift came not to call the righteous, but "finners to repentance." If you will rely on him for falvation, he will shed abroad the love of God in your hearts by the Holy Ghoft, which will be a powerful and operative principle of new obedience. I befeech you therefore, in the moft earnest manner, not to reject the counsel of God against yourfelves. Nothing can be more liberal, or more gracious, than the offer of the gofpel: "I will give "to him that is athirft of the fountain of the water of life "freely." There is no fin of fo deep a dye, or fo infectious a ftain, but the blood of Chrift is fufficient to wash it out. There is not any flave of Satan fo loaded with chains, but he is able to fet him free. If you perifh, it is .of yourfelves. I have given you warning, from a fincere and ardent concern for your everlasting intereft; and may God himself, for Chrift's fake, by his Holy Spirit, effectually perfuade you to comply with it. SERMON, Preached before the Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge, in the High Church of Edinburgh, on Monday, January 2, 1758. ACTS, iv. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. T is not easy to conceive any fubject, at once more important in itself, more feafonable in this age, and more fuited to the defign of the prefent meeting, than the abfolute neceffity of falvation through CHRIST. We live in an age in which (as is often complained) infidelity greatly prevails; but yet in which the caufe of truth hath much lefs to fear from the affaults of its open enemies, than from the treachery of its pretended advocates. The latest infidel writers have carried their own scheme to fuch perfection or extravagance, that it must difcredit the cause in the eye of every fober judge.* And indeed the See David Hume's writings on morals throughout; where, besides leaving out entirely our duty to God, which he hath in common with many other late writers, he exprefly founds juftice upon power and conveniency, derides chaflity, and turns many of the noft important virtues into vices. See alfo Ellays on the principles of morality and natural religion; the author of which, at one decifive blow, take. away |