of the first-born, which are written in heaven.' This excellence of dignity and power is put upon them, they are thus highly advanced. As it was with Jofeph, he not only got his liberty, but was made lord over Egypt, where he had been a flave: fo the freed captive is made king: Rev. i. 6. "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father." This is accomplished in them all, Ifa. xiv. 2. "They shall rule over their oppreffors." They get maftery over their lufts, and shall at last triumph over Satan, Rom. xvi. 20. They fhall fit and judge him, 1 Cor. vi. 3. They are made priests alfo, to offer up facrifices of praise to God, Rom. xii. 1. O what a change of their work! They are all heirs of God, and receive the double portion. There is not any thing which fuch an one gets, but it is twice as much and good as that which a captive of Satan has. The bleffing is the beft half; this the captives of Satan want.-Laftly, When their minority is over, they shall have a perfect liberty, with the affluence of all things, to an entire completing of their happiness, Rom. viii. 21. O the glorious day abiding Chrift's free men! Now they have got the word, Rollaway the ftone, Lazarus come forth: but then this will be added, Loofe him and let him go. The great day will begin their eternal jubilee; when death the laft enemy fhall be deftroyed, then fhall foul and body return to the full poffeffion of the mortgaged inheritance, and the perfect freedom from their captivity.-Confider,

(5) The unchangeablenefs of this liberty. When once a captive is freed by Chrift, all the power and policy of hell cannot bring him back again into bondage: John, x. 28. « And I will give unto them eternal life: and they hall never

perifh;

perish; neither fhall any one pluck them out of my hand." See how Paul boafts of this, Rom. viii. 3. 39. It is true, were there none to preferve this liberty but the believer himself, it might be loft; but it is infallibly guarded againft the gates of hell, by the unalterable decree of God, 2 Tim. ii. 19.; by his unchangeable love and covenant; by the continual indwelling of the Spirit, and the prevalent interceffion of Christ.

Laftly, Confider the eternity of this liberty. Death does not put a close to this liberty, but rather gives a new beginning to it; it shall continue for ever, they fhall live for ever and ever in the enjoyment of it.

Thus life and death are fet before you, will you accept this liberty or not? May I not fay, "How fhall ye efcape, if ye neglect fo great falvation?" Heb. ii. 3.-Confider,

1. That it is most unreasonable to refuse it, to remain in captivity after the proclamation of liberty is iffued. Would men but make their reafon judge betwixt Chrift and them, there would be no fear of the cause, Jofh. xxiv. 15. Who would refuse their liberty, if they might be made free? liberty from fuch a mafter and fuch work, &c.; liberty purchased from fuch a glorious perfon, by the glorious King, at fuch a ranfom, &c. Confult your reason, your intereft, and will you prefer the pleafures of fin for a feafon, to the eternal rivers of pleasures at God's right hand?-Confider,

2. That every refusal makes your captivity the more firm and hopeless. Satan bores the ear of finners anew to his door-poft on every refusal. Hence none so hard to win, as those who have refused many gofpel-calls. Tyre and Sidon would be much easier wrought upon, than Chorazin and Bethfaida,

Ezek. iii. 7.; wild
For when the gofpel

Bethfaida, Matth. xi. 21.
Americans, than Scotfm n.

does not foften the heart, it is hardened under it. --Confider,

3. That by refufing this liberty, you become the murderers of your own fouls: Prov. viii. 39 "He that finneth against me, wrongeth his own foul; all they that hate me, love death." Hear, finners, how our Lord expoftulates with you on this point, Ezek. xviii. 31. 32. " Caft "Caft away from you all your tranfgreffions, whereby ye have tranfgreffed, and make you a new heart, and a new fpirit; for why will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, faith the Lord God: Wherefore turn yourfelves, and live ye." You have the poisonous cup your fins at your head, will ye drink it? ye fay, ye cannot help it, ye muft drink it off: Our Lord fays, Throw it away, it will be your death. if you do not. Come to me, and I will free you from this miferable bondage to Satan and your lufts, so that they fhall not have that power over you which they have had. Well, if you will not comply, you are murderers of your own foul with a witnefs, as really as if ye did wilfully drink up a cup of poifon, or stabbed yourselves with a fword. Confider,

of

4. That if you refufe, you make the Deliverer your enemy, and fhall not efcape, Heb, ii. 3. The Deliverer will turn your deftroyer, for neglecting his falvation. The Lamb of God will be as a lion to you, for flighting his offers of grace. They who know not God, and who obey not the gofpel of our Lord Jefus Chrift, fhall be punished with everlasting deftruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power, 2 Theff. i. 8. 9. As the foureft vinegar is made of the best

VOL. III.

N

wine

wine, fo the fierceft wrath arifes from flighting the greatest grace, Prov. i. 24.--31.—Confider,

5. That ye know not how foon ye may be beyond the reach of the proclamation of liberty, Luke, xiii. 24. 25. The voice of it is not heard on the other fide of death, to which we are faft making way. Do you not fee, as in Pfal. xc. 9. that "we fpend our days as a tale that is told?" A new-year's day, and other days adjoining to it, are very ill chofen for revelling, jollity, and carnal mirth; they fuit it nearly as ill, as does the pretended day of Chrift's birth, commonly called Yule-day. Alas! they will give themselves the loofe run in these things, becaufe they are now a year nearer the grave and eternity than they were; becaufe they are entered on a new year, the end of which it may be they fhall never fee. If people will make a difference between such days and others, it would be most fuitable in these days, to take a folemn serious view of eternity, and to be making preparations for that day, which will put an end to their years. However, let this time put you in mind of death's approach, and refuse not the offer of will have no more, grace, which you when once death has carried you off the stage Confider,

*

Laftly, That your judgement will be more grievous than that of thofe who never heard the gofpel, if you do not come away upon the procla mation: Matth. xi. 22. "But I fay unto you, It fhall more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, at the day of judgement, than for you." Remember double ftripes are for him who knew his mafter's will, and did it not; and the hotteft place in hell

*It would appear, that this difcourfe was delivered the first day, or at least the first Sabbath of a new year.

hell will be for gofpel-defpifers.

Men may

have their lufts and finful courfes cheaper in the dark corner of the earth, than in a land of light.

We conclude with the following advices.Labour to get a juft efteem of your fouls, and a due fenfe of what concerns another life. The foul is the man, as being the best part of the man, the loss of which nothing can ever counterbalance: Matth. xvi. 26. "For what is a man profited, if he fhould gain the whole world, and lose his own foul? or what fhall a man give in exchange for his foul?" The other life is the life chiefly to be cared for, fince that only is the life which will have no end; and a man is happy or unhappy, as his plan for that life is well or ill laid.-Be fenfible of the real drudgery of fin. It is as real a fervitude as ever was in the world, while men ferve divers lufts. This is clear from the very light of nature: the confideration of the noble nature of the foul, with the experience of the tyranny of unruly paflions, made fome heathen moralifts to lay it down as a principle, That a wife man is a free man.--Wherefore, believe that a holy life is the only true liberty: Pfal. cxix. 44. 45. "So fhall I keep thy law continually, for ever and ever. And I will walk at liberty; for I feek thy precepts." He, then, who has the maftery over his own corrupt will and inclinations, who walks in the way of God's commandments, is a perfon the most free and easy.-Laftly, Come to Chrift for his redeeming blood and free Spirit. Renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh. Receive and improve Jefus as made of God unto you, wisdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption. Amen.