A SACEAMENT SERMON ON LUKE XXII. 20. 485
must consent without exceptions and reserves ; you must entirely resign yourselves to him with a full, hearty, entire consent ; there must be an accepting of Christ as offered to us in the gospel with his benefits, or a consenting that he be ours and we his. This is true willingness, all things considered, when you have considered his strict laws, and made allowance for incident temptations and difficulties.
[2.] Challenge your right, lay claim to the blessings of the cove- nant, as children do to their estates left them in a testament sealed. Bring forth and produce the written testament of your dying Mediator before the court of God's justice, and by faith plead the benefit of the inheritance, sue out the legacies. Let not the testament of Christ lie by as useless ; say, Lord, I am a guilty sinner that deserveth to be sealed up under a curse ; but, Lord, thou hast sent thy Son to save poor sinners ; he died and gave his life a ransom for many, oflereth grace in the gospel, and now hath condescended to my weakness so far as to give me visible security.
[3.] Bind yourselves to the Lord anew. When j'ou renew a cove- nant, you must not only lay claim to privileges, but bind yourselves to the duties of it : Deut. xxvii. 9, 10, ' And Moses and the priests, the Levites, spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed and hearken, O Israel ; this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God ; thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments and statutes, which I command thee this day ; ' and Deut. xxvi. 17, 18, ' Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes and his commandments and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice; and the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his com- mandments.' We are said to enter into the bond of the holy oath, Isa. Ivi. 4. Then we take hold of his covenant when we choose the things that jDlease him, and resolve upon that holy, spiritual, and heavenly life that he hath required of us ; do not take them up upon some sudden motion, sinister respects, or base ends ; but out of due consideration, and in judgments rightly informed, and out of affec- tion and choice. Ps. xsv. 10, ' All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to such as keep his covenant and testimonies.' None but they that make conscience of obedience do partake of the benefits of his promises. The mercies of the Lord remembered and challenged should invite us to this, Eom. xii. 1, and 1 Cor. v. 16. This duty bindeth us. David complained that his familiar friend, that ate at his table, did lift up his heel against him. God admits us to his table to show that he and we are agreed ; after oflences will be aggra- vated by this. When God in the gospel bids you take Jesus Christ, and be reconciled to him, if you answer. Lord, I am willing, I will accept of Christ, and be thankful, the match is made, when the will is effectually inclined to Christ, and to God the Father by him.
2. As it is a new covenant, God expecteth you should be more holy, and that there should be a more free spirit, more holy. Things that grow in the shadow cannot be so kindly as those that grow under the sunshine. We read of great graces in the saints ; then
486 A SACKAMENT SERMON ON LUKE SXII. 20.
let US be ashamed that we are no better, mnch more that we are worse than the people of God that lived under the first testament. We should serve God in newness of the Spirit, Eom. vii. 6. Our worship should be more serious and delightful, om- obedience more spiritual, our hopes more lively and strong, our joy more overflowing. )Secondly, Our filial freedom should be greater, as we have more of the gospel spirit : Eom. viii. 15, ' For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father/ God expecteth greater liberty of spirit ; we have the spirit of adoption more plentifully poured out. All things under the first covenant did press to servile fear and bondage of spirit ; now we are acted more by a spirit of love. Our experience of the efficacy of the gospel should be larger, our fix;ed notedness greater in all, to have something like the better testament.
A SERMON ON THE'ENDS OF THE SACRAMENT.
And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning JoJm, What ivent ye out into the loilderness to see ? A reed shaken with the ivind / But what went ye out for to see ? A man clothed in soft raiment ? Behold, they that luear soft clothing are in king's houses. Butiohat went ye out for to see ? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. — Mat. xi. 7-9.