ning to awake and ftir; but the qualm is foon over, and they fettle upon their lees.

(2) Sinners fhew their good opinion of themfelves, in the hope they keep up of their fafety with reference to their fouls and eternity. None indeed are to despair of falvation in the gospel-way; as it is a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jefus came into the world to fave finners: but the man that is not born again deceives himself, if, without this, he hopes to enter into the kingdom of God. However this the hypocrite does, which increases his danger now, as it will his disappointment at last.

Hope without a promise must leave the finner afhamed; and, what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away bis foul? Job xxvii. 8. Such are without any hope that will hold; any hope fpringing from union to Chrift, and begotten by his Spirit, and quickening to earnest endeavours after purity and greater degrees of it; any hope of which a juft reason can be given: but notwithstanding this, an hope they will maintain, and thereby they fhew they take themselves to be alive unto God.

(3.) They may have a fuperficial joy in fpiritual things as the ftony ground hearers had in receiving the word: and thus, with themselves they have a name to live.

2. They may have a name to live among others, and these the friends and followers of Chrift. Such are apt to judge charitably, and prefer others to themselves; but all this is no fecurity to them; as they are to be tried by an all-difcerning judge, and according to his fentence muft fare for ever.

This leads us to confider,

3.

The sadness of the cafe, to be dead, under a name to live, or of being alive.

(1.) A name to live, if we are dead, is vain and empty. The gain that will come in by it, will ftand the hypocrite in no ftead, when God taketh away the foul.

(2.) A name to live, if we are dead, is dangerous, as tending to keep the finner in his dead ftate, and prevent his recovery : recovery as a fick man that fancies himself well, is often the fartheft off from a cure.

(3.) A name to live, upon a mistaken ground, will render death and judgment doubly terrible to those that go away under the delufion. How great must be their fall, how aggravated their misery, who after all their dreams of fafety and happiness, and compaffings of themselves about with fparks of their own kindling, meet with this only from the hand of God, to be bid lie down in forrow!

APPLICATION.

1. Does Chrift know every man's works? How ftrange is it that it should be brought into difpute, whether he be truly and properly God! This is the prerogative of the Deity, and a proof of it, 1 Kings viii. 39. For thou, even thou only knoweft the hearts of all the children of men, i. e. what is in them, and what proceeds from them, 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. The Lord fearcheth all hearts, &c. And, as Chrift does fo, we may from this conclude him God.

2. Does Chrift know the works of every man? What ignorance or unbelief does it argue in fuch as fin fecurely, if they can but do it fecretly? i. e.

if

if they can hide their works from the eyes of men; as if it were not infinitely more dangerous to have all shameful actions naked and open to the eye of Chrift, from which no darkness can be found wherein the workers of iniquity can be hidden, and pass unobserved.

3. What seriousness becomes us whenever we engage in any holy duty or religious worship, as all our works are known to Chrift? How ftriking fhould be the thought, the Lord of glory looks on and fees what I am doing, and how!

4. What reafon have we to be humble in a review of our own works, as they are all known to Chrift, and, as many of them are fuch as we have cause to fear, he at once observed, and disapproved? And, how thankful fhould the penitent believer be for the good news of a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the blood of Jefus, that cleanfeth from all fin?

5. How fit is Chrift to be the Judge of all men at the last day, who knows every man's works now, and will then prove he does fo, by giving to every man according to what he hath done in the body, whether it be good or bad!

6. How big with terror to hypocrites is the doctrine, That Chrift knows their works, and knows that they themselves are dead, notwithstanding their having a name to live! The lefs they believe or think of this now, with the greater confufion will they be covered, in the day when he shall say to many of those who cry to him, Lord, Lord: I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

7. The hearts of thofe in whom there is no guile allowed, may take comfort in the thoughts that Chrift knows their works, and knows them to be the fruits of his Spirit and grace in them and that they endeavoured in the doing them to approve themselves to him, as valuing his approbation more than that of all the world.

8. May one that has a name to live be fpiritually dead? Hence learn that faving religion is an inward thing. He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, and no more; hath not all that is neceffary to denominate him an Ifraelite indeed: but he is a few, which is one inwardly; and circumci fion is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the the letter, whofe praife is not of men,but of God. The power of godlinefs muft fupport the form, in fuch as would hope for acceptance in the day of Christ. 9. When Chrift declares, I know thy works, that thou haft a name that thou liveft, and art dead, with what folicitude fhould every one make the enquiry, Lord, is it I? or, Am I among the inwardly defective and dead number of the outward profeffors of christianity? and never reft fatisfied, without fome good ground to hope, that the awful charge may not be laid against him?

10. How inconfiderable a thing is it to be judged of man in his day! of man that looketh only on the outfide in his day, which will foon be over; and fo, it is no great matter whom he approves or condemns. Our chief concern is with one infinitely greater: he that judges us is the Lord.

Laftly, How terrible will the day of Chrift's coming be to the felf-deceiving hypocrite, and how joyful to the humble faint!

The end of the fecond Volume.