covery, we are still unhelped and unhealed, and this day lying in our sins.

We are baptized, and call ourselves Christians, the disciples and followers of Jesus, and worship God in his name; but, if this is only an outward work, we are no better for him. What do you know of your selves, and of your lost condition? What do you want from him? What would you say to him, what would you ask of him, if he was here present in person, and ready to grant your request? Would you, could you say to him, as Peter did, "I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God?" Would you tell him of your case, and say, Lord, help me, for I am a sinner, condemned and helpless in myself; grant me repentance unto life, purge my guilt, take away my sin, purify my heart, strengthen me for obedience, bring me to God, a new man in faith and holiness? Possibly, you do not choose to have any such words put into your mouths, and think to be Christians at a much easier rate; but, if this is not the knowledge you have gained of yourselves and of Christ, the very thought of your hearts, and the belief you live in, charity obliges me to say, what, perhaps, you would call uncharitableness, that he is no Christ, no Saviour to you. What you hear and read of him in Scripture works no effect, brings no salvation, if you do not apply to him in faith and earnest desire, as the Physician of your souls, and put yourselves into his hands with a distinct knowledge of your disease. Sin is that disease; and to be Christians, you must both know it, and how you are to be healed of it. You must know that none but Christ could remove that plague from you. You must see the great evil and deadly nature of sin, far beyond what you can imagine, in his sufferings, and

be very thankful to God for the remedy of his providing. You must repent of all sin, and submit to his teaching, and be as willing to be renewed by him to a state of holiness, as to be entitled to his forgiveness. This is the work he has to do in every soul. He brings a charge of sin against us; he shows us our danger; he stirs us up to seek for deliverance; he causes us to trust in his name; he confirms to us the mercy of our baptism; revives our hearts with a sense of his peace; and turns our wills to God in the love of his salvation. Dearly beloved, you may be of the number of those who are saved by him. He is now preached and declared to you for this purpose; but then it must not, cannot be in ignorance of your condition, not without repentance, not without faith in him, and desire of his benefits. If you come to him, and believe in him at all, it must be for healing; and he is ready for you, whenever you come to him with a knowledge of your distemper. He will put his Spirit upon you to guide you to him, strengthen and comfort you; and never leave you till he has made you new creatures, holy and beloved in him, and active unto God in willing obedience.

PRAYER.

Blessed Lord, who seest that we are miserable and undone by sin, corrupt and helpless, look upon us in mercy, and bring us to thy Son Jesus Christ for restoration and healing. He is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins, to enlighten our dark minds, to help our unbelief, to rectify our stubborn wills, to quicken our dead hearts; and every miracle of healing he wrought upon the bodies of men, is his call to every one of us to put ourselves into his hands for his

work of power in the recovery of our souls. O! let the desire of our souls be to the name of Jesus, thy chosen Servant. Put thy Spirit also upon us, that we, being chosen and beloved in him, may rejoice in his peace, gladly receive his instructions, and take him for our pattern in all things. And, O blessed Jesus, be thou our strength; do thou sit in judgment upon our lusts, and give us the victory over them. In thy teaching and grace we have all things; of ourselves we are nothing, and can do nothing. Hear us, help us, O Jesus, our hope, that, in the faith of thy salvation, and happy experience of thy power in us, we may evermore bless the God and Father of mercies for thee, our almighty Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

SECTION XXV.

ST. MATTHEW, xii. 24.

Bur when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.-Take notice that the Pharisees, persons of learning and superior attainments, stand recorded as instances of the blindness, stubborn pride, and great perverseness of man's heart, when it is not brought under divine teaching and divine power. Nothing could be more absurd and weak than their pretending that Christ cast out devils by the power of the devil; and yet, with all their wisdom, they were not ashamed to allege it as the ground of their standing out against him.

Ver. 27. By whom do your children cast them out ?— He observes this to show, that what they reproached him with, was merely the effect of their malice, since they did not reason thus in other cases of the like nature.

It appears from hence, that some amongst the Jews attempted to cast out devils, and sometimes with success.

Ver. 28. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.-Just so far unto and in every man, as the devil with his works is cast out.

Ver. 29. Or else, how can one enter into a strong man's house, &c.-Who is the strong man in us but the devil? And who can bind, or turn him out of possession but Christ? You are now reading of him, that you may know this, and fly to his power.

Ver. 30. He that is not with me, is against me.There must be no halting with Christ. Therefore, think where you are, on his side, or the devil's; and whether you are with him in heart, will, and affection, or opposing his work in your own hearts and the world.

Ver. 31. Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.-Certainly not without repentance.

But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men- That is, ascribing Christ's miracles, which were wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost, to the devil. But could not this also be forgiven them upon their repentance? I suppose the meaning is, that it was such a degree of wilful blindness, obstinate unbelief, and opposition to Christ, and such a stumbling block thrown in the way of others, as would provoke God to withdraw his grace from them, and could hardly ever be repented of.

Ver. 32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man In his state of humiliation, and as considered in himself.

-It shall be forgiven him- Upon his repentance; great as it is, and for the sake of that very Son of man against whom he speaketh.

But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him- For in so doing he rejects his help, and, being left to himself, must inevitably perish.

Ver. 32. Neither in this world, neither in the world to come-That is, never.

Ver. 33. Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, &c.-With respect to him, the goodness of the tree and its fruits was evidenced by his doctrine, life, and miracles; with respect to themselves, their malevolent speeches against him were sufficient indications of an evil root and an evil nature.

Ver. 34. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? Were they excusable because they could not? So we are apt to think. But nothing will excuse the evil that is in us; and, therefore, it is a plain intimation that the nature from which it springs must, of all necessity, be changed.

Ver. 36. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.-All spiteful, reviling words, which are here under consideration; and not every merely unprofitable word; for some such are unavoidable in the best of men. However, a well-disposed mind will take occasion from hence to incline as much as may be to the safer side.

Ver. 37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned For the reason before given; because such as they are, such is the inward ground of the heart.