I Beseech you, brethren, suffer this word of exhortation. Your souls
are precious. They are precious in the sight of God. They are precious
to the Lord Jesus Christ. They are precious in my esteem. Oh that you
yourselves were equally sensible of their value.
We have now been here almost five years. During this time, I trust, I
have been faithful in the discharge of my duty, faithful to my God, my
country, my conscience, and to your immortal souls.
I would, nay I do, humbly hope, that my labours have not been
wholly in vain. Some of you, I trust, have been convinced of your
folly, sin and danger; you have earnestly sought, and happily found
mercy with God through a Mediator. You can now approach him as a God
reconciled, a merciful Father and Friend, and are evidencing the
reality of you conversion, by an upright life and conversation.
But I must express my fear, that those of you, who are thus convinced
of sin, and converted to God, and reformed from your evil courses, are
comparatively very few. It is too evident, that the far greater part of
you discover no concern for religion. The Great God, the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Holy Spirit, death, judgment, eternity, heaven and
hell,--these are subjects which seldom, if at all, engage your attention;
and therefore you spend days, weeks, months and years, in a profane and
careless manner, though you are repeatedly informed and reminded
in the most plain, faithful, and alarming language I can use,
that the wages of sin, without repentance, is death,[Rom. vi. 23.] the
curse of God, and the eternal ruin and damnation of your souls!
Oh, I intreat you, brethren, to consider what is contained in these two
words, SALVATION and DAMNATION! The one implies every thing that
an immortal soul can want or desire to make it happy. The other
includes an idea, the most gloomy and dreadful that can be conceived.
The former will be the admiration of angels, and the song and joy of
the redeemed; the latter will be the torment of devils, and of all
impenitent sinners, for ever and ever [1 Pet. i. 12.; Rev. vii. 9-17.;
Rev. xiv. 11.].
Remember likewise, that ere long, either this endless inconceivable
happiness, or unutterable misery will be your portion, or your
doom, and mine. Our glass of life is running away apace. Our time is
fast hastening to a period. Death is making sure and speedy strides
towards us daily, judgment is at hand, and the judge himself is at the
door. And oh! consider, when the breath we now draw shall depart, the
tender thread of life be cut, our state will be unalterably and for
ever fixed; either to live with God, with angels, and glorified saints,
in heaven; or to dwell with devils, in the darkness and torments of
hell.
On these accounts your souls are, as I have already observed, very
precious, not only in the sight of God, but also to me. My brethren,
God is my record, how greatly I long after you all, in the bowels of
Jesus Christ.[Phil. i. 8.] Next to the salvation of own foul, nothing in
this world lies so near my heart, as the conversion and salvation of my
fellow creatures; and especially of you, over whom I am appointed more
immediately to watch, as one who must give an account [Heb. xiii. 17.].
And oh, my friends, if this affectionate, though plain address, should
answer my ardent wishes and prayers, if it should prove the happy
means of converting even one soul to God, I should indeed rejoice, as
one that findeth great spoil [Ps. cxix. 162.]. For once, at least,
endeavour to lift up your hearts with me in prayer to Almighty God, the
bountiful giver of all grace. He only can make this or any other means
effectual; and should it please Him of his abounding mercy to make a
saving impression upon your hearts, you will reap the happy fruits of it
in life, at death, and to eternity. Oh that the gracious spirit of the
Lord may open the eyes and the ears of all who may read or hear what I am
writing. May they who are asleep, awake! May they who are spiritually
dead, be made alive!
May backsliders from God be reclaimed! May every one be stirred
up to consider, What will become of him in another world! For who
amongst us can dwell with everlasting burnings? [Isa. xxxiii. 14.] Yet
such MUST be our lot, unless we repent. May the Lord God give, to each of
you, repentance unto life, that you may be holy in this world, and happy
in that which is to come!
My brethren, I trust I can say in truth, and with a sincere conscience,
That I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.[Rom. i. 16.] It is a
knowledge, and I hope an inward experience of this precious gospel, that
bears up my spirits when I am ready to sink as in deep waters, and when I
am almost overwhelmed by the many heavy and daily trials, crosses,
difficulties and disappointments, that I meet with in this, alas! most
uncomfortable situation. An acquaintance with this gospel, an experience
of its truth and power, sweetens every bitter, makes my crosses comforts,
and my losses gains. It is by this knowledge that I am enabled to bear the
cross of Christ, not only with some degree of patience and resignation,
but at some seasons, with consolation and joy; while I at one time reflect
on what our dear Lord and Saviour endured for me, and at another
anticipate the unspeakable honour and pleasure, which, through grace,
I hope ere long to enjoy at his right hand for evermore. And to
endeavour to bring you, my dear friends, to a saving knowledge of what
is contained in this gospel, is not only my duty and inclination as a
minister, but also my earnest desire and pleasure, and that which I
long for more than for any other thing that can be named.[Rom. x. 1.]
I have often explained to you, according to my sentiments, what is
contained in the gospel. But as I fear, and am indeed well aware, that
many of you, after all you have heard, still remain ignorant, I
will now tell you again briefly and plainly, what my views of the
gospel are; that by putting this book into your hands, you may, if you
please, more carefully and attentively examine and search for
yourselves, whether what I lay before you be agreeable to the holy
scriptures, or otherwise; and consequently, whether you ought to
believe, or to reject it.
The gospel, I conceive, in its most extensive sense, comprehends the
whole revealed will of God, recorded in the holy scriptures of the Old
and New Testament [Tim. iii. 16.].
This sacred book, which we call the Bible, describes the original state
of man, as a state of perfect purity and innocence. He was made in the
image of God. He was made upright [Gen. i. 26, 27.; Eccles. vii. 29.].
His understanding, will, his affections and conscience, his
body and soul, were free from defilement, guilt, or guile, and
while he continued so, he was not liable to pain, misery, or death.
But man did not continue in this state. Our first parents disobeyed
their Maker. By sinning against God they lost their original
righteousness, and became earthly, sensual, devilish. Such are all his
posterity: for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Man is
now the very reverse of what he was when first created. His
understanding [2 Cor. iv. 5; Ephes. iv. 18.; Titus i. 15.; rom. viii.7.]
is darkened, yea darkness itself; his will, his carnal mind,
is enmity against God; his conscience is defiled; his affections, no
longer fixed upon God his Creator and Benefactor, are engrossed by the
vain and perishing things of this world; by sin his body is become
mortal. Subject to pain, disease, and death [Rom. v. 12.]; and his soul is
exposed to the displeasure of God, and to the curse annexed to the
transgressions of his holy law. All this misery is implied in that awful
threatening, In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die[Gen. ii. 17.].
And is not this threatening, at least in part, already put into
execution? Whence is there so much ignorance and contempt of God? Why
do mankind so eagerly, so universally pursue the vain pleasures and
follies of the world, while they seldom think of God their Maker? From
whence proceed the infidelity, blasphemy, lying, theft,
sabbath-breaking, slandering and the many horrid evils, which every
where abound? Whence is it that so many in this colony, labour under
such sore and complicated disorders, pains, and miseries? Why are so
many, both young and old, taken away by death? And why is it that
others who see all those things, do not take warning by them, to
prepare for their own latter end? Brethren, all these are so many
undeniable proofs and evidences of what I have said; namely, that we
are fallen and guilty creatures. These are the effects of Adam's
sin and disobedience. The certain consequences of which would have
been unavoidable and endless misery, both of soul and body, to
himself and all his posterity, had not some means been provided, some
way laid open, for his and their recovery.
But, blessed be God, a door of hope is opened by the gospel for
miserable sinners! A gracious promise was given early, even to our
first parents, immediately after their fall. The seed of the woman
shall break the serpent's head [Gen. iii. 15.]. This promised seed is the
Lord Jesus Christ, who, in due time, was to appear in the world, to be
born of a woman, that by his life, sufferings, and obedience unto death,
he might recover fallen man from the misery and ruin in which he was
involved. Brethren, this gospel which, as the ministers and ambassadors of
God, we are commissioned and commanded to preach to sinners, proposes a
free and gracious pardon to the guilty, cleansing to the polluted, healing
to the sick, happiness to the miserable, light for those who sit in
darkness, strength for the weak, food for the hungry, and even life for
the dead [Gal. iv. 4, 5.; Gal. iii. 13.; I John i. 7.; Matt. xi. 28.;
Matt. xi. 5.].
All these inestimable blessings are the fruits and effects of the death
and mediation of Jesus Christ. His great design in coming into the
world was to seek and to save those who are lost[Luke xviii. 10.;
I Tim. i. 15.]; he came from heaven, that he might raise us to those holy
and happy mansions; he endured the curse, that we might inherit the
blessing; he bore the cross, that we might wear the crown; he died, that
we might live; he died, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to
God [1 Pet. iii. 18.].
These blessings become ours, only by believing, or faith. Thus it is
said, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son
For what purpose? Why, That whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life [John iii. 16,18.],--he that believeth
in him is not condemned; he that believeth in him who juftifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted to him for righteousness [Rom. iv. 3, 6.].
My friends, search the scriptures, and you will find that this is the
tenor of the whole Bible; I may add of our church also, in
the Articles and Homilies. This believing is sometimes called a coming
to Christ, a looking unto Christ, a trusting in him, a casting our
burden upon him [John vi. 37.; Isa. xlv. 22.; Eph. i. 12.; Ps. lv. 22.].
And remember, that until we do thus come to Christ, trust in him,
cast our cares and burdens upon him, we have no part or interest in
what the gospel unfolds and offers; however others, who have
believed, and daily act faith upon him, are rejoicing in the participation
of those rich benefits and blessings which the gospel freely offers to
guilty and perishing sinners.
The faith whereby a sinner receives Christ, and becomes a partaker of
all the blessings of the gospel, is the sole gift of God, wrought in
the heart by his Holy Spirit [Eph. ii. 8.]. This Holy Spirit produces an
inward change in the soul, called, in the scripture, the new birth,
regeneration [John iii. 3-7], or conversion, and thus enables a sinner,
convinced of his sin and misery, to look to Jesus, and to believe on him.
But though repentance and faith are the gifts of God, which none can
obtain by any endeavours of their own, yet we are encouraged and
commanded to pray for them [Luke xi. 17.].
All who have thus, through grace, believed, and are daily living a
life of faith in the Son of God, shall be saved: but such as
carelessly neglect, or wilfully reject this gospel must be damned
[ Mark xvi. 15.]. Think, I beseech you, of this! Remember, that it is the
solemn declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
Now is the time to obtain the blessings revealed in the gospel, and
which are set before you when it is preached. Many have had these
gracious declarations made to them, before we were born, and they
will be repeated to many after we are dead. But THIS is our day. NOW is
the accepted time, now is the day of salvation [1 Cor vi. 2.]. TO-DAY--for
you and I may not live to see to-morrow. TO-DAY; if you will hear his
voice, harden not your hearts [Heb. iii. 7, 8.]. My brethren, it is your
duty, your wisdom, and will finally prove to be your greatest happiness,
to seek an interest in this salvation for yourselves. It is your personal,
and must be your heart concern, to make your calling and election
sure [2 Pet. i. 10.].
For death will soon put a period to all the overtures of grace
and mercy, with which many, and particularly YOU, are now favoured.
It is as I have said, both my duty and my pleasure, to preach and
proclaim these glad tidings. But to whom? Not to the dead, but to the
living; even to you [Acts xv. 22.]. To you is the word of the salvation
sent. But, alas! should you still put it from you, and should death at
last find you in an unprepared state, it will then be too late for you to
begin to cry for mercy [Eccl. ix. 10.].
A day is likewise coming, when our mortal bodies, which must shortly
moulder into dust, will be raised again from the dead. Whether
believers or unbelievers, whether saints or sinners, we must all appear
before the judgment-seat of Christ [2 Cor. v. 10.; Dan. 12.2.;
Matt. xxv.21.]. For the Lord Jesus will shortly appear in the clouds of
heaven, the last trumpet shall sound, the graves shall open, the sea
give up her dead, and all who have lived upon earth, from the creation
to the final consummation of time, will then be judged, and rewarded or
punished according to their works. Mark well St. John's representation
of this solemn transaction, "I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book
was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of
those things which were written in the books, according to their
works"[Rev. xx. 12, 13.]. Such are the declarations of scripture
respecting this awful season! Sinners, whatever you may now think of these
things, or think or say of me, for declaring them to you, in this, plain
and solemn manner, I must and will tell you, that there is not a profane
oath which you have uttered, nor a lie which you have told, nor a sabbath
which you have broken, nor a single act of adultery, fornication,
theft, or any wickedness of which you have been guilty; in a
word, there is not an evil you have committed, nor a duty you have
omitted to perform, but what is noted down in the book of God's
remembrance, and will be produced against you in the day of judgment,
unless you repent, and believe the gospel. You must then give an
account how you improved the advantages now afforded you, for attending
to the things pertaining to your peace. If you do not improve them, the
Bible will condemn you, every faithful sermon you have heard will
condemn you, nay, every sermon which you might have heard, but would
not, because you despised and neglected the ordinances of public
worship, will condemn you: And alas! this address, by which I try to
warn you, because I love you, and wish well to your souls; which you
are now reading, or perhaps, about to throw aside with scorn, will then
condemn you. The admonitions, intreaties, prayers, and tears of godly
parents, the advice and reproofs of pious friends, the warning and
expostulations of faithful ministers, will all witness against
you. My brethren, what shall I say? The law of God, the gospel,
saints, sinners, angels, your own consciences, the Holy Spirit, the
Lord Jesus, the great Judge himself, will all witness against you, for
your contempt and neglect of that mercy and salvation, which are set
before you in the gospel.
Then all ungodly and impenitent sinners, being tried, cast, and
condemned, must hear that final terrible sentence pronounced upon them,
Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and
his angels![Matt. xxv. 41.] And remember that those who have been your
associates in wickedness here, will then be your companions in misery.
This will, if possible, aggravate your torment. You and they will rue the
day when you first met; and mutually charge the ruin of your souls upon
each other. Oh, think of this, and pray for grace to repent, before it be
too late!
At that solemn season, the righteous shall be publicly and fully
acquitted before the assembled world. The judge will say to them,
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you,
from the foundation of the world [Matt. xxv.34.]. The holy angels will
then conduct them to the mansions of eternal bliss. Happy souls! They will
then have no more cause to weep and mourn, to fight and wrestle. They will
no more be exercised with darkness or temptation; for sin, which is the
cause of all their conflicts and sorrows, shall be done away; and God
their gracious Father, and everlasting Friend, shall wipe all tears from
their eyes [Rev. vii. 17.].
The righteous, however obscured and reproached upon earth, shall then
shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. They
are represented to us, as standing before the throne, clothed in white
robes, with palm-branches (the emblems of victory) in their hands, and
singing to their harps their Redeemer's praise [Matt. xiii.43.;
Rev vii. 9,10.]. There they will join in company with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, with the apostles, prophets, and martyrs, with their dear friends
and relatives, who died in the faith before them, and with the glorious
angels; and above all, (without which heaven itself would be no heaven
to them) they will enjoy the unclouded presence of their Lord and
Saviour, who once suffered pain, and shame, and death for them. They
will see him seated upon a throne of glory, and unite with all the
heavenly host, in ascribing salvation, glory, and honour, and praise
to him who loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own
blood; and has made them kings and priests to God, and to the Lamb, for
ever and ever [Rev. v. 9.].
For the joys of heaven, and the pains of hell will be eternal.
Otherwise, indeed, neither the happiness nor the misery of a future
state could be complete. It would damp the joys of the blessed, to
apprehend that they must at length terminate. And the horrors of the
damned would be in a degree alleviated, if there was the most distant
prospect that they would have a period. But the word of God assures us,
that believers, after death, enter into life eternal, and that the
punishment of the wicked will be everlasting [Matt. xxv. 46.;
Dan. xii. 2.; 2 Thes. i. 7-10.].
I have now given you a summary of the great truths, which, as a
minister of the gospel, I am commissioned and commanded to preach.
And I can call God and your consciences to witness, that I have not
shunned thus to declare to you the whole counsel of God [Acts xx. 27.].
I have explained to you the meaning, and I have urged the importance
of these things over and over. I have pointed out to you, the
wretched and dangerous condition of sinners, the necessity of
conversion or the new birth, the nature of this change, and by what
power it is wrought, and the fruits and effects which such a change
will produce in a man's tempers, words and actions. I have also shewn
you the way, in which you MAY and must be saved, if you are saved at
all. I have told you again and again, that Christ is the Way, the
truth, and the life, and that there is no coming to God with comfort,
either in this world, or in that which is to come, but by him. He has
told you so himself [John xiv. 6.; Acts iv. 12.]. And the apostle assures
you, that there is no other name under heaven, given unto men, whereby
they can be saved. Look unto him, and you shall be saved; if not, you must
be damned. This is the plain truth, the express declaration of the Bible.
Life and death are set before you [Deut. xxx. 15.].
Permit me then, as your minister, your friend, and a well-wisher
to your souls, to press these serious and weighty considerations home
upon your consciences once more. I hope and believe that I have
affected nothing, but what can be proved by the highest authority,
the word of the living God. They certainly deserve your closest and
most careful attention, since it is plain beyond a doubt, that upon
your knowledge or ignorance, your acceptance or rejection of this
gospel, your everlasting happiness or misery must depend.
Brethren, I do not ask you, what religious persuasion or denomination
you have espoused. I fear, that, if I may judge of your hearts by
your actions, too many are destitute of any sense of religion at all.
But I do not address you as Churchmen or Dissenters, Roman Catholics or
Protestants, as Jews or Gentiles; I suppose, yea, I know, that there
are persons of every denomination amongst you. But I speak to you as
men and women, as intelligent creatures, possessed of understanding
and reason. I speak to you as mortals, and yet immortals; as
sinners, who have broken the laws of God, and are therefore obnoxious
to his displeasure. And my sole aim and desire is, to be instrumental
in turning you from darkness to light, from sin to holiness, from the
power of Satan to the service and favour of God [Acts xxvi. 18.].
Seek then, I beseech you, above all things, an interest in the
blessings of the gospel. Be assured it is a matter of much less moment,
whether you are rich or poor, respected or despised in this world. The
rich have their cares, fears, crosses, and vexations, no less than the
poor; but admitting that they could pass through life with greater ease
than others, we all know that they cannot escape death. The great point
is, how we shall die? whether as believers or unbelievers, as saints
or sinners. One soul, according to our Lord's declaration, is of
more value than the whole world [Mark viii. 36.]. If you lose your soul,
you lose all at once. You lose heaven and happiness for ever.
Whatever, therefore, you do, or leave undone, for God's sake,
and for your own sakes, neglect not for one day or hour longer,
the vast concerns of another life. Delays are dangerous. The
more we have to risk or lose, the greater folly it would be accounted,
to defer securing our property and goods, which we know to be in
danger. What folly, therefore, what madness must it be, to put off with
careless indifference, the concernments of eternity; and to prefer
the trifles of this transitory life to heaven, and the favour of God!
Let the parable of the rich man, who pleased himself with the thought
of having much good laid up for many years, be a warning to
you![Luke xii. 16-28.] That very night his soul was required of him.
Such persons may now deem themselves wise; but ere long they will be
sensible they were fools.
It you consider what a valuable price was paid for our redemptions you
must be convinced that the soul of man is very precious in the sight
of God, and that sin is not so light and small an evil, as many of you
have supposed. To disobey the commandments of the just and holy God,
is, as far as in us lies, to renounce our allegiance to him, and our
dependence upon him, and to set up for ourselves, and even to join
with the devil in open rebellion against our Maker. It is, in plain
terms, to fly in his face, and to bid defiance to his almighty arm. Sin
is such a horrid evil, that unless it is forgiven, and blotted out, by
the blood of Jesus, it will sink your souls lower than the center of
the earth, even into the very depths of hell, never, never, never more
to rise [Mark ix. 44-48].
So heinous was sin, in the sight of God, that rather than permit
it to pass unpunished, he would punish it in the person of his own, his
only, his well-beloved Son, who was made sin, that is, treated as a
sinner deserved to be treated, for us. He was delivered up into the
hands of wicked men, and crucified, that by his suffering and death, he
might make atonement for our sins, and procure an honourable and happy
reconciliation, between a righteous God, and offending
sinners [2 Cor. v. 18-20]. I beseech you, therefore, to prize and to study
this gospel, that you may obtain a growing experience of its benefits.
Praise God for such a Saviour, and such a salvation as he has provided.
Adore him, for that infinite wisdom, and boundless mercy which he has
displayed in the redemption of fallen man and never rest, nor be
satisfied, till you have good and scriptural reason to hope, that this
Saviour is yours, with all the blessings he is exalted to bestow
without money and without price.
Our food, my brethren, then only can nourish us, when it is
eaten and digested. Medicines can only profit us, by being applied and
taken. It is exactly thus with the gospel. We may hear, and talk of
these things, but so long as they remain matters of speculation, and do
not enter into our hearts, into the very vitals of our souls, (if I may
so speak) we cannot be the better for them. Christ is the bread of
life. His flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed! But
unless we ourselves do SPIRITUALLY eat the flesh and drink the blood of
the Son of man (for our Lord speaks of food for the soul, not for the
body) we have no life in us [John vi. 52-58.].
Moses, by the express command of God, erected a brazen serpent upon a
pole, in the view of the camp of Israel [Numb. xxi. 9.]. Such of the
people as were stung by the fiery serpents, were directed and commanded to
look up to the brazen serpent. They who did so were healed. But if any
resisted, they were sure to die. For no other means or physicians could
relieve them. In like manner Christ Jesus our Saviour, once lifted up on
the cross, is exhibited in the preaching of the gospel. Sinners, who are
wounded and diseased by sin, are directed, exhorted, encouraged, and
commanded to look up to him [John iii. 14, 15.]. And they who are
persuaded so to do, are infallibly cured of all those spiritual maladies,
under which they have long and sorely laboured. But all, who despise and
reject this sovereign remedy of God's gracious appointment, either by a
total indifference to religion, or by expecting salvation in any other
way, will be left, and that most deservedly, to perish in their wilful
obstinacy and unbelief [John iii, 36.].