either as to the treasury of the truth they dispense, or as the rule whereby they should proceed; and some are ready to coin notions in their own minds, or to learn them from others, and then attempt to put them upon the scripture. This is the way of men who invent and propagate false opinions and groundless curiosities, which a previous reverential observance of the word might have delivered them from. Some again (and those, alas! too many) superficially take up with that sense of the words which most obviously presents itself to their first consideration, which they improve to their own purposes as they see cause; but such persons as these see little of the wisdom of God in the word; they enter not into those mines of gold; they are but passengers; they do not stand in the counsel of God to hear his word, Jerem. xxiii, 22. But it is humble diligence, joined with prayer and meditation in the study of the scriptures, that I would press after. What I would particularly urge from these considerations, grounded on the precedent before us, wherein the apostle, from sundry latent circumstances of the text draws out singularly useful observations in reference to faith and obedience, is, that our utmost diligence, especially in them who are called to instruct others, is required in this neglected, yea despised work of searching the scriptures. How often do sundry teachers design their subjects and project the handling of them, and occasionally only take in the words of scripture; guided more by the sound than the sense of them! And, which is worst of all, some by their vague notions, bold curiosities, and strained allegories, rather draw men from the scripture than endeavor to lead them to it. The example of our great apostle will guide us to other ways of proceeding in our work.

§10. Obs. 2. Many hear the word or voice of God to no advantage, but only to aggravate their sin. Their hearing renders their sin provoking to God, and destructive to their own souls. "Some when they heard, provoked." Daily experience is a sufficient confirmation of this assertion: the word of God is preached unto us; the voice of God sounds amongst us, as our apostle speaks, chap. iv, 2. "Unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them;" and that with many advantages on our part. They heard the gospel, indeed, but obscurely; and, so to speak, in law language, hard to be understood; we have it plainly, openly, and without parables, declared to us. They heard the voice of him that speak on earth; we hear his who speak from heaven. But what is the issue of God's thus dealing with us? In plain terms, some neglect the word, some corrupt it, some despise it, few mix it with faith or yield obedience to it. The dispensers of it may, for the most part, take up the complaint of the prophet; "Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" Isa. liii, 1. And after their most serious and sedulous dealings with some of them in the name of God, they may take up against them the apostle's alarming close with the unbelieving Jews. Acts xiii, 41. "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish." Most of them to whom our Savior preached, perished! They got nothing by hearing his doctrine, through their unbelief, but an aggravation of their sin, and the hastening of their ruin. So he told Capernaum, and the rest of the towns wherein he had wrought his miracles, and to whom he preached the gospel: his presence and preaching for a while brought them into a condition above that of Jerusalem, they were lifted up to heaven; but their unbelief brought them into a condition worse than that of Sodom, they were brought

down to hell, Matt. ii, 21-24. It is, I confess, a great privilege for men to have the word preached to them in its purity and power, Psalm xiv, 19, 20; but privileges are as men use them. Hence the gospel becomes to some "a savor of death unto death," 2 Cor. ii, 16. Yea, Christ himself in his whole ministry was, “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusa lem!" Isa. viii, 14; Luke ii, 34. The enjoyment of any part of the means of grace is but a trial, and when any rest therein, they do but boast in the putting on of their harness, not knowing what will be the end of the battle. Let none, therefore, to whom the word of God comes, mistake themselves; they are engaged! and there is no coming off but as conquerors, or ruined! If they receive it not, it will be the aggravation of their sins, the eternal destruction of their souls.

$11. Obs. 3. In the most general and visible apostasies of the church, God still reserves a remnant to himself, to bear witness for him by their faith and obedience. "They provoked; howbeit, not all;" some, though few, inherited the promises. The professing church in the world was never nearer ruin than at that time; had Moses but stood out of the way, had he not with all his might of faith and zeal stood in the breach; God had disinherited them all, and utterly destroyed them, and reserved him only for a new stock. How near then was this whole church to apostasy! How near to destruction! How many soever retained their faith, only Caleb and Joshua retained their profession. When God of old brought a flood upon the world for their wickedness, the professing church, that had been very great and large in the posterity of Seth, was reduced to eight persons, and one of them a cursed hypocrite; and when Elijah could see no more in Israel but

himself. There were indeed then seven thousand latent believers, but scarce another visible professor; and it is not hard to imagine how little true faith, regularly professed, there was in the world, when Christ was in the grave. And under the fatal apostasy foretold in the revelation, those that kept the testimony of Jesus are reduced to so small a number, as that they are spoken of under the name of two witnesses. But yet in all these hazardous trials and reductions of the number of professors, God always hath, and ever will reserve to himself a remnant, true, faithful, pure, and undefiled.

§12. And this he doth for weighty reasons: 1. To maintain his own kingdom in the world. Should it at any time totally fail, Christ would be a king without a kingdom, an head without a body, or cease to be the one or the other: wherefore, God will secure some who neither by the abuse of their own liberty, nor by the endeavors of the gates of hell, shall ever be drawn off from their obedience. And this God in his grace, power, and faithfulness, will effect to make good his promises to Christ, which he multiplied to that purpose from the foundation of the world.

2. Should all faith utterly fail in the earth, should · all professors provoke God and apostatize from him, then all gracious intercourses between the Holy Spirit and mankind in this world would be at an end. He hath undertaken a work and he will not faint in it, or give it over one moment until it be accomplished, and all the elect brought to God. If therefore the natural children of Abraham fail, he will, out of the stones and rubbish of the Gentiles, raise up to God a living temple wherein he may dwell.

3. God will do this on account of the work he hath for some of his people in all ages and seasons to do in

the world; which is great and various: he will have some always to conflict with his adversaries and overcome them, and therein give testimony to the power of his grace and truth. Could sin and Satan drive all true grace, faith, and obedience out of the world, they would complete their victory; but so long as they have any to conflict with, against whom they cannot prevail, themselves are conquered; the victory is on the other side; and Satan is sensible that he is under the curse. Wherever true faith is, there is a victory, John v, 4; by this doth God make his remnant as a brazen wall, that his enemies shall fight against in vain, Jer. xv, 20, be they, therefore, never so few, they shall do the work of God in conquering Satan and the world through the blood of the Lamb.

4. God will always have a testimony given to his goodness, grace, and mercy. As in the ways of his providence he never left himself 'without witness,' Acts xiv, 17; no more will he in the ways of his grace. Some he will have to give testimony to his goodness in the calling, pardoning, and sanctifying of sinners; but how can this be done if there be none on earth made partakers of that grace? They are proper witnesses who testify what they know and have experience of.

5. And lastly, God will always have a revenue of special glory out of the world, by his worship. And this also must necessarily fail, should not God preserve to himself a remnant of them that truly fear him. And it deserves to be observed, that God lays a few, often a very few of his secret ones, in the balance against the greatest multitude of rebels and transgressors; a great multitude are but some.

§13. Obs. 4. God is not displeased with any thing in his people but sin; or, sin is the only proper object of