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God is, there is liberty; and fuch are willing to grant all due liberty to every one to use what forms they please, fo that their lives and tempers may be conformable to God. Indeed, all worship which is not in, spirit and truth will never be pleafing to God, or bring any folid comfort to the human mind. Hence we fee the need of living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit, and bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit, that the end may be life everlafting. How defirable is that period, when this Spirit fhall be poured out upon all flesh-when men fhall no more have need to teach every one his neighbour, or his brother, saying, Know the Lord; but that all fhall know him, from the least unto the greateft! Blessed promife---the God of Love haften the fulfilment of the fame!

3 LET the frame, temper, and conduct of all, who profefs to have received ever fo fmall a measure of this Spirit, be a daily evidence that they have not impofed upon their own fouls. Herein examine yourfelves, whether ye be in the Faith, and by what Spirit ye are led; fo that ye may not fay, Lord, Lord, while acting contrary to the Lord in all things; indulging pride, luft, love to the world, fretfulness, peevishness, anger, and an evil tongue: I fay, never dream that thefe can be the fruits of the Spirit; neither be fo blind to yourself, as not to know they are there, while they are manifeft to all around you.

4. LET all the heirs of glory cry out for the latter rain to defcend, and the great harveft to haften on. What

What is yet brought forth, is but like the first fruits, fome bleffed drops before the great fhower. The Redeemer fhall reign, and fhall fubdue all things unto himself. The Spirit fhall be poured out upon all flesh, and all fhall fubmit to him. His will fhall be done on earth as it is done in heaven. Glorious Lord, fo let it be-so let thy name be had in everlasting remembrance, and let the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and of his Chrift for ever. To whom, with the eternal Spirit, one Jehovah be eternal praise for ever!

SERMON

SERMON VI.

The Gathering in of the Jews.

ROM. xi. 23.

And they alfo, if they abide not fill in unbelief, Shall be graffed in; for God is able to graff them in again.

H

AVING already taken notice of five grand fteps leading to this glorious and important period of the latter day glory, viz. the fall of Antichrift, the chaining of the Dragon, the ceafing of Wars, Tyranny and Oppreffion, the univerfal spreading of the Gospel, and the general out-pouring of the Spirit, I now come to the fixth blessed step thereunto, namely, The Gathering in of the Jews; a circumftance, of which the Bible speaks much, as fhall.now be fhewn. 'Tis true, their prefent captivity is long; and, if we may judge of them according to their prefent state, the profpect is very dark: fo it was just before their liberation from their bondage in Egypt; their bonds feemed to be ftronger, and their yoke much heavier; nay, there appears fcarce any defire left in them for deliverance; as they were inured to M their

their flavery, so they were satisfied with it. It appeared much the fame refpecting the Babylonish captivity; their deliverance was fudden, and quite unexpected. Now the Lord's arm is not shortened, nor is he slack concerning his promife, as fome men count flackness, more especially to his ancient and favourite race, to whom were committed the lively oracles, and with whom he was fo familiar and converfant; and from whom, concerning the flesh, the Great Deliverer of mankind came,---who is over all God blessed for ever. Hence we here find the Apostle pleading their cause, and asks, Hath God caft away his people? God forbid. For though there is a grievous fault, yet it is not a final apoftafy, but rather through their fall, falvation is come to the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealoufy. Now, adds he, If the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles: how much more their fullness? Nay, farther ; if the cafting of them away be the reconciling of the world; what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead?---'Tis true, thefe original branches were broken off the holy root, but it was through unbelief; and the fame unbelief breaks every one off, feeing it is by Faith we ftand: but if they abide not in unbelief, they shall be graffed in; for God is able to graff them in, and, we may add, he is willing too. So all Ifrael fhall be faved; as it is written, * There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodlinefs

* Ifa. lix. 20

linefs from Jacob. The point, then, to be confidered, is the gathering the difperfed Jews; or, as it is expreffed in the text, the graffing them into their own Stock. From hence, we may observe,

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I. God is able to graff them in.

II. He is willing so to do.

III. They shall believe his willingness.

1. THAT God is able, I apprehend will not be objected, feeing he rules in the armies of heaven above, and does what he pleaseth among the inhabitants of the earth, and there is none can stay his hand, or fay, What doft thou? For of old he spake, and "Chaos heard "his voice, and wild uproar stood ruled," and he is still the fame; for years impair not his strength, or vigour, in the least, feeing his years fail not. And it is very remarkable, that when he is speaking to those very Jews, he takes the loftieft titles that language feems capable of. 'Tis then, he is described, as measuring the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meting out the heavens with a pan, and comprehending the duft of the earth in a measure, and weigheth the mountains in fcales, and the hills in a balance *. Nay, 'tis added, Behold, the nations are as a drop of the bucket, and are counted as the fmall duft of the balance: behold, he taketh up the ifles as a very little thing ↑.—It is he that fitteth on the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grafhoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in ;

* Ifa. xl. 12.

M 2

† Ibid 5.

that

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