you do when you listen to the good motions he puts into them by his Spirit; and do not think that you hear him, either in Scripture or in your hearts, if you do not sincerely desire to know his will that you may do it.

Remember also, and consider what is here said, that Elias, or John Baptist, in his power and spirit, first cometh, and restoreth all things; not as himself the Restorer, but as the opener of that dispensation in which they were to be restored, and the immediate forerunner of Christ, by whom they were to be restored, God to his rightful dominion and sovereignty in the world, and man to the knowledge, favour, and enjoyment of God. John Baptist, you know, was the preacher of repentance; and you will hardly make the right use and improvement of what you are here told concerning him, if you do not take occasion from it to observe for yourselves what the order of conversion is, and how Christ comes to the soul. There must be a knowledge of sin, and of condemnation for it, with a purpose to forsake it; but this is not restoration; that is Christ's work, and he does not come savingly to you, nor you to him, till you so believe, and glorify God for his mercy.

PRAYER.

Almighty God, who hast borne witness to thy Son by a voice from heaven, and commanded us to hear him; give us grace humbly to receive, diligently to study, and faithfully to follow his instructions; that, being guided by him into the truth, and persevering in it to the end, we may be prepared for that blessed time, when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and our vile bodies be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. Bring us to him in repentance, confirm our faith in him, as dying for our sins, rising again for our

justification, and quickening us by his Spirit; and make it the desire of our hearts to be renewed by him to thy image in righteousness and true holiness. Wean our affections from things present and sensible, and enable us to fix them steadily on things future and eternal. Support and comfort us in all the trials, pains, and sorrows of this mortal life, with the lively hope of a better, and bring us through thy kingdom of grace to thy kingdom of glory, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our blessed and only Saviour. Amen.'

SECTION XXXVII.

ST. MATTHEW, xvii. 16.

AND I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. The disciples might have cured him, if they had taken the right method; but no man upon earth can help you. Go directly to Jesus: and bless God that you may. Ver. 17. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? It was a severe rebuke for their want of faith. And is it not so to all who sit under his teaching, are slow in profiting by it, and continue faithless? See whether it does not belong to you.

·Bring him hither, to me.- O bring thyself to him. He speaks to thee. Thou wouldst come to him for thy body; and why then wilt thou be the worst of all enemies to thy soul, when it is in such an evil case, and thou art sure of healing for it?

Ver. 18. And Jesus rebuked the devil, &c. - Lord, rebuke him in us! And grant that we may dread the evil spirit in ourselves; and so believe, as to experience thy power in casting every evil out of us.

Ver. 19. Why could not we cast him out? The answer will show us, that if we are unhelped, it is because we neglect the means, and trust in our own strength.

Ver. 20. And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief- It is the same unbelief in us, which obstructs the miracle of our own cure.

- If ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed,—Ever so little true faith; or a living, growing faith, with the power

of a seed in it.

-Ye shall say unto this mountain, remove, &c.-To the sin which is as much rooted in us as a mountain is in the earth, and as hard to be removed by our own power.

Ver. 21. Howbeit this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting-As vigorous exercises of faith, proofs of a steady reliance on God, and powerful means to engage his aid. And will not the same faith, and the same lively actings of it, conquer sin, as well as cast out devils?

Ver. 23. And they were exceeding sorry. From their worldliness, and ignorance of the necessity and benefits of that precious death. It is worth our while to observe all along, how dull, earthly, and slow of belief, the disciples were; that considering how great a change was afterwards wrought in them, and by what means it was effected, we may have hope of our own, and fly to the same power of the Holy Ghost, to have our minds enlightened, our faith increased, and our hearts renewed.

Ver. 24. Doth not your master pay tribute? - Which all above twenty years old, were obliged to pay for the use of the temple, that is, to God: and therefore, Christ, as his Son, was free.

Ver. 25. Jesus prevented him.- Doubtless, to his great astonishment. Mark it well, and take heed what you think, for all hearts are naked before him.

Ver. 27. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them.He knew his right, and how to make it good: but recedes from it, not without the expense of a miracle, to avoid. giving offence. The same peaceable, meek disposition, and desire to promote the spiritual good of others, will teach us, in all like cases, what to do.

LECTURE..

BRETHREN, what a happiness it is that we have one to go to in all straits and difficulties, in all the diseases of our souls, who wants neither the will nor the power to help us! Let the case be ever so bad, or of ever so long continuance, we have an infallible Physician, appointed us of God, in Jesus; and, if we can but bring our faith, and the desire of our hearts up to what we read, may depend upon a cure. He did not leave his compassionate heart behind him when he left the world; he has not less power now that he is in heaven than he had upon earth; and it is our own fault if we do not bear witness to the truth of that saying, that "he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever," the Saviour in every thing, to every soul that trusts in him. See, then, what

we have to do, in what manner we should read the Scripture, and how we get life from it. Its office is to send us to Jesus, and to him we must go, and tell him of our trouble. Say to him, O man, or woman, I am a poor, weak creature; I find myself ruined by sin, and that I have no strength against it; Lord, have mercy on me, and answer for me. It is in vain for me to look for help any where else. I read of thy casting out devils, and healing all manner of diseases; but what is this to me, if I may not have healing from thee in my own case? Why,

beloved, you may; say this to him, trust in his name, word, and promise, put yourselves into his hands, leave all to him, and never doubt but that, with such a faith, he will be your Jesus, to save you from your sins, and set you at the right-hand of God. Apply what you read and hear of Christ in this manner to yourselves; take notice that it was written on purpose to engage your belief and affiance in him, and you will bless God for every miracle of his, as much as if it had been wrought upon yourselves, and take it for an assurance put into your hands, that he will not do less for you than he did for any whom you read of. The point is, to go directly to him. The disciples could cast out devils, and heal diseases, by faith in his name, and by power derived from him, but we have them not to go to; and besides, our disease is beyond all the power and skill of man. It is sin; and we want both forgiveness of it, and strength against it. Who then can help us but he who died for it, and could not otherwise redeem us from the curse of it? And why do we not apply to him for the help we want, but because we are insensible of the extreme danger of our condition, and hear the account of his mighty works as a history of something long since done and past, which no way concerns us?

Observe what is here said: "There came to him a man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and sore vexed; for oft-times he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water; and I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him." He was in trouble; and when all other means failed, went for relief where it was to be had. Behold, therefore, the natural working of distress, and what you would do if you felt for your souls. You would fall down on your knees to Jesus; you would cry, Lord,