everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and bis Angels.

Thus have I endeavoured to fhew what is meant by denying our bleffed Lord before Men; the heinous Nature of that Sin; and the mighty Danger, and most terrible Confequences that will infallibly attend it. And I shall now, in the

IV. Fourth and laft Place, conclude with an Inference or two, by Way of Application; and the first is,

That we be not difcouraged, or led into any Doubts or Fears concerning our holy Religion, by the open Apoftafy and Profaneness of thofe among us, who renounce, ridicule, and blafpheme it. They fight against God, who will perform his Promifes and they fulfil the Holy Scriptures whilft they revile them. The facred Writers forewarn us, That in the laft Days fhall come Scoffers, walking after their own Lufts, and denying the Lord that bought them. But alas! against whom do they exalt themselves, and lift up their Voice on high? Even against that Jefus, who is exalted to the right Hand of God, Angels, Principalities, and Powers being made fubject unto him. Against him do they utter vain Words, who died to fave them from Destruction; and who will be the present Strength, and the future Salvation of every Soul that trufteth ftill upon him. These Attempts

tempts fhew the Malice and Wickedness of Men; but impeach not either the Truth or the Power of God. Christianity is not at all the less true, because they forfake and revile it; neither is the Vengeance or Faithfulness of God the lefs certain, because he bears long with them. On the contrary, we ought, as St. Peter directs, to account that the LongSuffering of our Lord is Salvation, (2 Pet. iii. 15.) It is defigned for the Edification of his Church, and it fhould ftrengthen our Faith, and confirm our Confidence in him, left we alfo fall from our own Stedfaftness. Many gracious Defigns of Providence are anfwered by it; one of which is, that they which are approved may be made manifeft among us. And therefore the proper Ufe to be made of it is,

2dly and lastly, To be led thereby to be the more open, refolute, and conftant, in the Defence and Profeffion of the Gospel. We have now an Opportunity of approving our Sincerity in our holy Religion, by fhewing, that we are not afhamed of a reviled and crucified Saviour. The Time is a Time of Reproach, Rebuke, and Blafphemy; and it is therefore the indifpenfable Duty of every faithful Chriftian, to fhew himself fuch, with Conftancy and Courage. It is his Duty to be more than ordinarily diligent, in frequenting the publick Offices of the Church; and to fhew his Zeal and Love for his Redeemer

5

deemer by joining in all the Parts of them; and confeffing his Lord before Men, in the moft publick Manner. It is his Duty, in whatever Station, to do all that in him lyes to put a Stop to the Infidelity of the Age, and to free himself from any Share in the Guilt, I had almost faid the unpardonable Guilt of it; by an open Disavowal and Discountenance.

And for our Encouragement in this, let us look forward to that great and dreadful Day of our Lord's fecond Coming, wherein the Heavens fhall be diffolved, and the Elements fhall melt with fervent Heat; when that Jefus, who is now the Object of Men's Reproach and Blafphemy, fhall repay Vengeance to his Enemies; and fhall crown every faithful Chriftian with Honour, Glory, and Immortality. That as we have embraced, we may ever hold fast, that blessed Hope of everlafting Life, which is given us, through his great Atonement, and powerful Mediation and Interceffion.

SERMON

(95)

SERMON VI.

EXO D. iii. 14.

I AM bath fent me unto you.

HEN the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob began that wonderful Chain of Deliverances, which he wrought out for the Jewish Church and Nation, it pleased him to make use of Mofes, as his Representative and Minifter in the Performance of them. A Man, learned indeed in all the Wisdom of the Egyptians, and educated in as perfect a Manner as the Court of Pharaoh would permit. A Man guarded from the very Womb, by furprizing Acts of an indulgent Providence, and by that Means amply inftructed in the Art of governing, by a thorough Knowledge both of Men and Things. A Man in whofe Writings we may fee the Beauties of Genius and Capacity, and the Accuracy of Judgment, if we confider him only as a human Writer; as well as the Majefty, Simplicity, and Dignity of the Prophet, if we confider him as a divine one: A Man, in a Word, as fully qualified for the important Office of conducting God's

People,

People, as human Art or Power could qualify him; but a Man ftill, and therefore unable of himself to take upon him a Divine Office or Commiffion, without a Divine Authority to do so. And therefore when God finds him feeding his Father's Sheep, and difclofes to him the fecret Purposes of his Will, he immediately enquires who it is that thus manifefts himself to him, in Order thereby to dif cover both the Power and Authority of him by whose Commiffion he was to act.

The Angel of the Lord tells him, in the foregoing Part of the Chapter, that he was the God of his Fathers; that he knew the Sor rows, and had feen the Afflictions of his Peo ple; and that he was therefore come down to deliver them, and would fend him to Pharaoh, that he might bring forth his People, the Children of Ifrael, out of Egypt, (ver. 2, 7, 8, 10.) And Mofes, after having first pleaded his Weakness, diftrufting his own Abilities for fo difficult a Work, and been answered, that God would furely be with him, that is, that his Weakness fhould be ftrengthened with Power, and the Arm of Flesh fupported by that of Omnipotence; comes next to enquire into the Name and Nature of this Divine Being, (from whom he was not only to receive his Orders, but likewife the Power of putting them in Execution too) and defires to know what Account was to be given of him to that People to whom he was fent. And Mofes faid unto God, Behold when I

come