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put upon them, and by his Spirit and grace in them; and Chrift he is gone to prepare a place in this city, in this better country, by his prefence and prevalent interceffion, for every one of his people, and will come again and take them to himself, that where he is, they may be alfo, John xiv. 2, 3.

I shall close all with a word or two: what has been said may serve to wean us from this world, and draw off our hearts from it, and caufe us to fit loofe unto it, and all things in it; fince this is not our reft, our house, our home, our native place; that is in another country: and this may be of ufe to quicken our defires after another world, to feek a better country, and look for it; and this may also point out to us the happiness of thofe that are gone before us, they are in this better country, and are in better company.. -But I forbear faying.

any more- *.

SERMON

The following character was wrote by the Doctor and found among his papers, though not delivered from the pu pit.

It pleafed God to call her by his grace in the early time of life, and in a place of great darkness and ignorance; where there were fcarce any, or very few profeffors of religion; fo that when the took up a profeffion of it, the appeared very fingular, and became the object of the fcoffs and jeers of her neighbours and former acquaintance; but this did not deter her from purfuing the good ways. of God fhe had entered into, and from perfifting in them. She foon drank in the doctrines of the free grace of God in the falvation of men by Chrift, of which she had a comfortable experience.

In the after-time of her life, her afflictions and troubles were many, but under all she was favour ed with divine fupports, and was frequently indulged with gracious words of promise on different occafions, and yet often doubting and fearing: for none could have meaner and more humble thoughts of themselves than fhe always had, looking upon herself as less than the leaft of all faints.

Lord's days were ufually delightful to her; fhe often met with refreshings from the prefence of God in them; which made her earnestly defire the return of them; and when the day drew nigh, longed until the morning was, and the time came to attend public worship. The lofs of these precious opportunities, through her long confinement, was greatly lamented by her.

She was one that truly feared God, and was ever defirous of having a confcience void of offence both towards God and man, and of doing her duty to both; careful as much as in her lay to give no of fence by word or deed, to the world or to the church of God; studying the things which make for peace among all with whom she was concerned; as her whole deportment, for the space of between forty and fifty years, has abundantly fhewn, of which many here are witnesses.

Her laft affliction, though long, tedious and painful, was bore with the greatest patience; that paffage of scripture was truly verified in her, Tribulation works patience; and though fhe was not carried out, as her expreffion was, which fhe observed fome were on their dying beds, in raptures of joy and strong expreffions of faith, yet it pleased God to drop comforts into her foul at certain times; and fometimes fhe would be longing to be at home in her Father's houfe, faying, "Let me go, O let me go to my Father's house :" repeating it over and over again.

The scripture which has now been difcourfed on, was expreffed by her as it had been at times before, with great pleasure and delight; and also those words, them that fleep in Jefus will God bring with bim. In a view of her own foul-affairs, and those of her family, those words appeared to be of confiderable ufe, and were quieting and comfortable to her, cafting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. But a few Lord's days ago, as her furviving relative was taking his leave of her, coming hither to preach, the expreffed the following words with ftrong application to herself, having made peace

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The Free Grace of God exalted in the Character of the Apostle Paul. Preached at St Albans, Hertfordshire, May 26, 1765.

TH

I COR. XV. 10.

But by the grace of God, I am what I am.

HE apoftle is treating in the context of the important doctrine of the refurrection of Chrift from the dead: he afferts, that he rose again the third day according to the fcriptures, which foretold he should rife, and as in fact he did; of this he produces ocular teftimonies, as that "he was feen after his "refurrection of Cephas, that is, Peter, and then of the twelve apoftles; next "of above five hundred brethren at once; after that of James, then of all the "apostles; and laft of all he was feen by himself." And it feems by his own account, that he was feen by him more than once; as at his converfion, when light fhone around him, and he not only heard the voice of Chrift, but he appeared to him, and made him a minifter and witnefs of what he faw and heard, and of what should hereafter be made known unto him; nor was he, as he says, difobedient to the heavenly vifion; when he was "caught up into the third hea“ven, and heard and faw things unfpeakable, and not lawful to be uttered;" which might be at the time of his converfion alfo: he doubtlefs had a fight of Chrift

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through the blood of his cross: and with the greatest vehemency and eagerness added, AND FOR ME Too; and repeated it, AND FOR ME TOO.

One morning, being afked how the did, the declared fhe had much comfort that night in her meditations on the fufferings of Chrift for her, in comparison of which her afflictions, though heavy, were but light.-At another time, thofe words were very flaying, fupporting and fatisfying to her, nevertheless the foundation of God ftands fure; and very often declared fhe had comfort, but had not ftrength to exprefs it; and indeed the enemy of fouls was kept off from her through the whole, and was not fuffered, as far as could be difcerned, to disturb and diftrefs her in the leaft; the laft words of any moment that were heard from her, were, when asked whether fhe had comfort, fhe faid, fhe had, but not always alike, and added, the covenant is fure; quickly after this fhe grew delirious, and flept much, till death feized her; of which the feemed to be fenfible by the motions of lifting up her hands, and by the words fhe uttered, which were Lord, Lord!—When something followed not underftood by thofe that flood by, and then drawing her breath quicker, immediately, without a figh or groan, fell asleep in the arms of Jesus.

a Acts xxvi. 16, 19.

Chrift in his human nature, as rifen and afcended to heaven; and after all this, when he was come to Jerufalem again, and was praying in the temple, he fell into a trance; and, fays he, I saw him, meaning Chrift, as well as heard the commiffion, inftructions, and directions, he gave him; when he was as one born out of due time; which is not to be understood of him literally and in a natural fenfe, as if he was born before his time, of which we have no where any intimation, but figuratively and the allufion is either, as fome think, to a posthumous birth, the birth of one after the death of his father, to which there was fomething fimilar in the apoftle's cafe. The reft of the apostles were called unto and invested with the office of an apoftle whilft Chrift, their everlasting Father, was here on earth; but the apoftle was invefted with it after his death, and refurrection from the dead: or rather, the allufion is to an abortive or untimely birth, which has never feen the fun, nor known any thing; and is not known, has no name, and is of no account: this figurative phrafe is explained by what follows, for I am the leaft of the apostles; and it is no wonder that he should call himself the least of the apostles, when he elsewhere fays, that he was less than the least of all faints; for if less than the least of all faints, he must be the least of the apostles; though, when he was traduced by the falfe teachers, and his character impeached, and the gospel and intereft of Chrift were like to suffer by those means, he exerted himself and magnified his office; and afferted, that he was not a whit behind the very chiefeft of the apostles; though he here adds, that am not meet to be called an apostle; as indeed no one was ; none are meet or deferving of themselves to be members of gospel-churches, to have a place and a name there better than that of fons and daughters; nor to be ordinary minifters of the word, and still less to be the apostles of Jefus Chrift.. The reafon given why he entertained fuch low and mean thoughts of himself, is, because, says he,, I perfecuted the church of God; of which much notice is taken by the divine hiftorian, that the grace of God in the converfion of the apoftle, might be fet off with a greater foil; it is obferved that "the clothes of those that stoned Stephen "were laid at his feet to be kept by him; that he was confenting to the death "of Stephen; that he made havock of the church, haling men and women to "prison; that he breathed out threatenings and flaughter against the disciples "of Chrift, and defired and took letters of the high prieft, empowering him "to take up any at Damafcus he found in the chriftian way, and to bring them “to Jerusalem * ;” and, according to his own account, he gave his voice against them, when put to death, punished them in every fynagogue; compelled them to blafpheme, and perfecuted them to ftrange cities, being exceeding mad against them.

с

• Ephes. iii. 8.

a

2 Cor. xi. 5. and xii. 11.

• Acts xxii. 17, 18.
• Acts vii. 58. and viii. 1, 3, and ix. 1, 2,

them. Now the sense of all this evil dwelt upon his mind, remained with him, and kept him humble all his days, amidst all his grace, gifts, attainments and usefulness. So every faint has fomething or other to keep him humble, indwelling fin, or Satan's temptations, or afflictions in the world; and then follow the words first read, but by the grace of God I am what I am; be I what I am, greater or leffer, as a man, a faint, a minister, and an apostle, I am just such an one as it is the will of God I should be; by his grace I am what I am. Two things I obferve from hence:

L. That the apostle was fomething, not a mere non-entity, he had a being, and was in fome circumstances; which is fuppofed and implied in the phrafe, I am what I am.

II. That be that fomething he was, what it may, that he was by the grace of

God.

I. That the apostle was fomething; he had an exiftence and was in circumftances, on many accounts, not mean and defpicable. There is a fenfe indeed in which he was nothing, and which he himself obferves, though I be nothing; not abfolutely, he was a man, had the integral parts of a man, a body and a foul; a body confifting of flesh, blood and bones; and though of the earth earthly, fprung out of the duft, and would return to duft again, yet was fomething, and would be even in that state; for duft is fomething: and befides het had a rational foul, poffeffed of intellectual powers and faculties; a spirit immaterial and immortal, and of more worth than a world; for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lofe his own foul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his foul? But in a comparative sense he was nothing, that is, when compared with God, the everlasting I AM, the fountain of being, the Being of beings: fo fome things in comparison of others that are greatly more excellent, are represented at non-entities; thus earthly riches, when compared with the durable, solid and substantial riches of grace and glory, are faid to be that which is not '; in like manner, the duration of a creature, in comparison of the eternity of God, is nothing. Mine age, fays David, is as nothing before thee; not to be mentioned with his days and years, which are throughout all generations and without beginning; men of the greatest name and figure are not to be spoken of with him; and not only fingle individuals, but even all nations before him are as nothing; and could there be any thing less than nothing, they would be that; they are counted to him less than nothing and vanity'.

Moreover

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A&ts xxvi. 10, 11.

► Pfalm xxxix. 5.

8 2 Cor. xii. 11. 1 Ifai. xl. 17.

Matt. xvi. 16.

Prov. xxiii. 6.

Moreover the apoftle was nothing, of no account and efteem with the men of the world, particularly with the falfe teachers; with respect to whom he says, what has been before referred to, though I be nothing; that is, in the opinion of the falfe teachers, who vilified him, and endeavoured to make him contemptible in the eyes of others; and which is not to be wondered at, fince Chrift himself was despised and rejected of men, or ceased from being a man, from being reckoned in the class of men, a worm, and no man, in their efteem; and fo all his followers are accounted as the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things. Add to this, that the apostle was nothing in his own eyes; he reckoned himself the chief of finners, and less than the leaft of all faints; and, generally speaking, those that have the most grace and the greatest gifts, and are of the greatest usefulness, are the most humble, and think the most meanly of themselves. So those boughs and branches of trees, that are moft richly laden with fruit, bend downwards, and hang loweft.

But notwithstanding all this, the apostle was fomething, I am what I am; not as the falfe teachers, and vain boasters of their knowledge and gifts, who, thought they were fomething when they were nothing; and fancied they knew fomething, when they knew nothing as they ought to know; not like Simon Magus, who gave out that himself was fome great one"; had great knowledge of things, had great power, and could do great and wonderful feats, when he was nothing; nothing in grace, for notwithstanding his profeffion of faith, he was in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity; nothing in knowledge of divine things, he knew nothing spiritually and experimentally; nor in gifts, and therefore offered money that he might be poffeffed of the gifts of the Spirit, and of power to confer them on others: but our apostle was fomething in grace; there was a principle of grace and holiness in him, and an abundance of grace bestowed on him; there was fome good thing in him towards the Lord God of Ifrael; the root of the matter was in him; he was no founding brass, nor tinkling cymbal. He was fomething in knowledge, divine, fpiritual, and evangelical; he knew much of the perfon, offices and grace of Chrift; of the mysteries of grace, and doctrines of the gofpel; perhaps more than any mere man befides himself ever did: ye may understand, fays he, my knowledge in the mystery of Chrift"; and, which was very great he was fomething in gifts, he was endued with extraordinary gifts; in nothing, in no gift was he behind the very chiefeft apoftles; truly the figns of an apostle were wrought by him every where, in wonders and mighty deeds°; and was of more extenfive usefulness in preaching the Gospel, converting finners, and planting churches, than any other whatever. I will not dare, fays he, to speak of any of those things which Chrift hath not wrought by me, to make the GenEphes ii. 4.

- Acts viii. 9.

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• 2 Cor. xii. 11, 12.

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