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OUTLINE I.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, &c.—GEN. i. 26.

INTRODUCTION.-Man created last. The finishing stroke, (1.) For humility. (2.) That his palace might be furnished.

The word of command,-now, of deliberation.Trinity in our creation,— -so in our regeneration.

!. God's natural image, lost in part.
1. Clear understanding,-now dark.
2. Pure reason,-now carnal.
3. Upright will,-now sinful.

4. Holy affections,-now disordered.
5. Strong memory,-now losing good.

6. Immortality, lost as to the body, which would have suffered no violence, hunger, pain, or old age.

II. Totally lost.

1. Dominion over the creatures.

EXCEPTIONS.-Seas, fishes, rocks, earth. (Moses.)Sun, Moon. (Joshua.)-Fire. (Elijah.)-Iron. (Elisha.) -Seas, fishes, trees, winds. (Jesus Christ.)

Faith as mustard-seed.

2. Impassibility.-(Naked,) insects, vermin, thorns, &c.

3. Intuitive knowledge.-Creatures, angels. 4. Glory.-(Naked,) garment of light.

5. Knowledge of God.-Adam hiding, quibbling, &c. 6. Love of God. He fled from Him.

7. Righteousness and true holiness.-Innocency, propensity to good.

8. Peace and happiness.

III. How is the mighty fallen !—Ox for stupidity.— Wild ass for refractoriness.-Lion for rage.-Fox for craftiness.-Dog for greediness.-Swine for impurity. -Devil for sin.-Covetousness besides.

IV. INFERENCES.-1. If we are born in sin, we are fallen.-Satan's image.

2. If God created us, let us obey Him. Leave the usurper,-return to our first Master.

3. No safety or bliss till God's image is recovered. 4. How rational the doctrine of the New Birth. 5. It is God's work: Let us make; created again. 6. How precious Christ, the second Adam, whose image we are called to recover. 'We all with open face, beholding,' &c. (2 Cor. iii. 18.)

7. How empty formality and morality.

8. How invaluable the workings of the Spirit.
9. How deluded professors not new created.

V. APPLICATION. 1. Careless sinners. - Know whence you are fallen.-Awake.-See your calling in Christ Jesus: A King, a Priest, a Prophet, a Son of God.-Confess what you are: Groan for what you are not. If you remain sinners, like to like.

2. Distressed souls.-See the second Adam, ' made to you of God, wisdom,' &c. You can do all things through Christ.-Innocency, happiness, garments of righteousness, and glory in him.-Believe, till you are changed.-Plead, God was your Father.

3. Children of God.-Grow, walk in his image.— Shew you are born.-Know your privileges in Jesus Christ are greater than in Adam.-Seriousness, majesty, dignity, heavenly-mindedness, contempt of earth, become you.

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Whose image and superscription hath it?'See by thoughts, words, actions.-See by the contrary, the glass of the law and the gospel.-Oh! pray, that God would deface with Jesus's blood, and stamp you with his Spirit.-New heart: Till then, all is against you, Creation, Redemption, &c.

OUTLINE II.

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.-2 COR. vi. 2.

INTROD. Two grand devices of Satan, and mistakes of men.

1. Unbelief: "God will not save us now." 2. Impenitency : "He will do it at death."

1. What is the accepted time?'

1. When God offers sinners to accept their persons and pardon their sins.

2. When sinners can close with that offer.

Time of rejection.-Foolish virgins.-Prov. i.-Esau.

II. What is the day of salvation?"

1. As to Christ: Days of his flesh, birth, temptation, agony, death, resurrection, intercession.

2. As to the Spirit: When he saves sinners by an application of what Christ has done and suffered. (1.) From stupidity, by awakenings.

(2.) From guilt, by a pardon.

(3.) From uneasiness, by peace and joy. (4.) From a spiritual hell, by a taste of heaven. (5.) From sin, by righteousness and a new birth. A day.-Short space, wasting, soon gone, to work in Followed by the night.-Day of life, day of grace, Lord's day, day of health, day of youth, day of the Gospel, day of power.

Remember Felix, Lot's sons, Jerusalem.

III. Now is the accepted time,' &c.

The Father calls, Jesus intercedes, ministers plead, the Spirit strives: While you have conscience to reprove, eyes to see, ears to hear, senses, health, lei

sure.

Now, Christ stands; now, saints pray; now, mercy courts; now, sceptre of love; now, door of heaven opened; now, well of life unsealed; now the scale hovers; now, a breath; now, death is coming; now, gospel trump sounds; God about to summons; now, that others enter in.

BEHOLD, consider.-Let not Satan, world, flesh blind thee.

Behold, soon the time of rejection, no time. Soon the day of death, of judgment, of condemnation. The day when the wheels of opportunity shall be fast. Oh who shall bear that day of God, that last day?

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APPLICATION.-To Sinners.-Jesus weeps over you. Know, squander not your day; kill uot time, soul, and Saviour together.

Mourners.-Publicans, now, Zaccheus, no to-mor

row.

Believers.-Know, tell, shew; day of glorification

near.

OUTLINE III.

This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.-MATTHEW XXI. 38.

INTROD.-Speech both of the Jews, and of every unbeliever, at least in their hearts and actions.-Barba rous mothers.-Herod and Pharaoh kill.

I. Jesus is the Son and Heir.

1. Son.-Isa. ix. 6; Matt. iii; Heb. i; Psalm ii.One in nature and essence, dignity.-As old as his Father, as venerable; always begotten, and always in begetting; as brightness, and the sun.

2. Heir.-Heb. i. 2; Rom. viii. 17, and iv. 13.

II. What is his inheritance ?›

1. Heaven. That part of it people do not trouble themselves much about.

2. Earth. The uttermost parts' of it. (Psalm ii. 8.) For this many fight: They will seize on houses and lands, and those refined particles of the earth, called silver and gold, with all its fruits.

3. 'The Heathen for his inheritance.'-All nations, our souls and bodies, our senses, powers, members, hearts are Christ's, though we seize upon them as our

own.

III. The unbelieving heart, the Jew within, says, Let us kill him.' Let us see him killed without taking his part. Let us reject him. Let us not entertain him. Let us account his blood a common thing. Let us crucify him by sin. Let us look on him as dead and lost. Let us seize on his inheritance.'-He is come to take possession of thy thoughts and heart; seize them not; they are his right, as Son, as Redeemer, and Heir.

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APPLICATION.-1. Unconverted.-Too long have ye murdered him afresh,-perhaps, doubly on his holy days.

2. Ye unbelievers, though you do not kill him, yet, Pharaoh-like, you take him not up, you nurse him not, as Pharaoh's daughter did Moses.-Mind now.

This is the Heir, the Son; come let us kiss him, adore, serve him. Let us restore him his inheritance. Let us kiss him, with the shepherds; restore his own with the wise men: In so doing, you will become heirs and joint heirs.

3. Ye believers, he as busy every one in saying, "This is the Son, believe on him," as the Jews were in crying, Crucify him '-Remember, you are his peculiar possession.

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