eth all in all, for a measure of the same precious faith; of the same zeal and activity; the same tender heartedness, charitableness, bowels of mercies. Wrestle with God for some degree of the same grateful, friendly, affectionate temper; of the same openness, simplicity, and godly sincerity! "Love without dissimulation." Wrestle on, till the power from on high works in you the same steady courage and patience; and above all, because it is the crown of all the same invariable integrity! 7. Is there any other fruit of the grace of God, with which he was eminently endowed, and the want of which, among the children of God, he frequently and passionately lamented? There is one, that is, catholic love; that sincere and tender affection, which is due to all those, who, we have reason to believe, are children of God by faith ;-in other words, all those, in every persuasion, who "fear God and work rightcousness." He longed to see all who had "tasted of the good word,' of a true catholic spirit; a word little understood, and still less experienced, by many who have it frequently in their mouth. Who is he that answers this character? Who is a man of a catholic spirit? One who loves as friends, as brethren in the Lord, as joint partakers of the present kingdom of heaven, and fellow heirs of his eternal kingdom, all, of whatever opinion, mode of worship, or congregation, who believe in the Lord Jesus; who love God and man; who rejoicing to please, and fearing to offend God, are careful to abstain from evil, and zealous of good works. He is a man of a truly catholic spirit, who bears al these continually upon his heart; who, having an unspeakable tenderness for their persons, and an earnest desire of their welfare, does not cease to commend them to God in prayer, as well as to plead their cause before men; who speaks comfortably to them, and labours, by all his words, to strengthen their hands in God. He assists them to the uttermost of his power, in all things, spiritual and temporal; he is ready to "spend and be spent" for them; yea, " to lay down his life for his brethren." 66 8. How amiable a character is this! How desirable to every child of God! But why is it then so rarely found? How is it that there are so few instances of it? Indeed, supposing we have tasted of the love of God how can any of us rest till it is our own? Why, there is a delicate device, whereby Satan persuades thousands that they may stop short of it and yet be guiltless. It is well if many here present are not in this snare of the devil, taken captive at his will." "Oh yes," says one, "I have all this love for those I believe to be children of God; but I will never believe he is a child of God, who belongs to that vile congregation! Can he, do you think, be a child of God,who holds such detestable opinions; or he that joins in such senseless and superstitious, if not idolatrous worship?" So we may justify ourselves in one sin, by adding a second to it! We excuse the want of love in ourselves, by laying the blame on others: To colour our own devilish temper, we pronounce our brethren children of the devil! Oh beware of this!—and if you are already taken in the snare, escape out of it as soon as possi ble! Go and learn that truly catholic love, which "is not rash," or hasty in judging; that love which "thinketh no evil;" which "believeth and hopeth all things;" which makes all the allowances for others, that we desire others should make for us! Then we shall take knowledge of the grace of God which is in every man whatever be his opinion or mode of worship then will all that fear God be near and dear unto us “in the bowels of Jesus Christ." 9. Was not this the spirit of our dear friend? And why should it not be ours? Oh thou God of love, how long shall thy people be a by word among the heathen? How long shali they laugh us to scorn, and say, "See how these Christians love one another?" When wilt thou roll away our reproach? Shall the sword devour for ever? How long will it be, ere thou bid thy people return from "following each other?" Now, at least, "let all the people stand still, and pursue after their brethren no more!" But whatever others do, let all of us, my brethren, hear the voice of him, that, being dead, yet speaketh! Suppose ye hear him say, "Now, at least, be ye followers of me as I was of Christ! Let brother no more lift up sword against brother, neither know ye war any more!' Rather put ye on, as the elect of God, bowels of mercies, humbleness of mind, brotherly kindness, gentleness, long suffering, forbearing one another in love. Let the time past suffice for strife, envy, contention; for biting and devouring one another. Blessed be God, that ye have not long ago been consumed one of another! From henceforth hold ye the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace!" 10. Oh God, with thee no word is impossible! Thou doest whatsoever pleaseth thee! Oh that thou wouldest cause the mantle of thy prophet, whom thou hast taken up, now to fall upon us that remain ! "Where is the Lord God of Elijah ?" Let his Spirit rest upon these thy servants! Show thou art the God that answerest by fire! Let the fire of thy love fall on every heart! And because we love thee, let us love one another with a "love stronger than death!" Take away from us "all anger, and wrath, and bitterness; all clamour and evil speaking!" Let thy Spirit so rest upon us, that from this hour we may be "kind to each other, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us!" HYMN I. 1 SERVANT of God, well done! 2 In condescending love, Thy ceaseless prayer he heard; 3 With saints enthroned on high, Long as eternal ages roll, Thou see'st thy Saviour's face! 4 Redeem'd from earth and pain, HYMN II. 1 GLORY, and thanks, and love, The dear-bought sinner's Friend, 2 To God the Comforter, The Earnest and the Seal, To the great Triune God Be ceaseless honours given, Till Christ, descending on the cloud, 3 He bids us now partake Our fellow servant's bliss, Whose soul returns in safety back 4 He sees the trial past, He leaves the storm behind, To his triumphant Head at last Shout all the hosts above, When Jesus saith, "Well done!" And deigns his servant's faith t' approve, And seats him on the throne ' 5 Thanks be to God who gave Join, all who own his power to save, The church of the first-born, To them by faith we come, And, conquerors of the world, return 6 We know in whom we trust, Mix'd with the spirits of the just, Their ripest joy to share, Exulting we ascend, And grasp our old companions there, SERMON LIV.-Free Grace. Preached at Bristol. "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Rom. viii, 22. 1. How freely does God love the world! While we were yet sinners, "Christ died for the ungodly." While we were "dead in sin," God spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all." And how freely with him does he " give us all things!" Verily, FREE grace is 66 all in all ! 2. The grace or love of God, whence cometh our salvation, is FREE IN ALL, and Free for all. 3. First: It is free IN ALL to whom it is given. It does not depend on any power or merit in man; no, not in any degree, neither in whole, nor in part. It does not in any wise depend either on the good works or righteousness of the receiver; not on any thing he has done, or any thing he is. It does not depend on his endea ours. It does not depend on his good tempers, or good desires, or good purposes and intentions; for all these flow from the free grace of God; they are the streams only, not the fountain. They are the fruits of free grace, and not the root. They are not the cause, but the effects of it. Whatsoever good is in man, or is done by man, God is the author and doer of it. Thus is his grace free in all; that is, no way depending on any power or merit in man, but on God alone, who freely gave us his own Son, and "with him freely giveth us all things." 4. But is it free FOR ALL, as well as IN ALL? To this some have answered, "No: it is free only for those whom God hath ordained to life; and they are but a little flock. The greater part of mankind God hath ordained to death; and it is not free for them. Them God hateth; and therefore, before they were born, decreed they should die eternally. And this he absolutely decreed; because so was his good pleasure; because it was his sovereign will. Accordingly they are born for this, to be destroyed body and soul in hell. And they grow up under the irrevocable curse of God, without any possibility of redemption; for what grace God gives, he gives only for this, to increase, not prevent, their damnation." 5. This is that decree of predestination. But methinks I hear one say, "This is not the predestination which I hold: I hold only, the election of grace. What I believe is no more than this: that God, before the foundation of the world, did elect a certain number of men to be justified, sanctified, and glorified. Now all these will be saved, and none else for the rest of mankind God leaves to themselves; so they follow the imaginations of their own hearts, which are only evil conti nually, and, waxing worse and worse, are at length justly punished with everlasting destruction." 6. Is this all the predestination which you hold? Consider: perhaps this is not all. Do not you believe, God ordained them to this very thing? If so, you believe the whole decree; ycu hold predestination in the full sense, which has been above described. But it may be, you think you do not. Do not you then believe, God hardeus the hearts of them that perish? Do not you believe, he (literally) hardened Pharaoh's heart, and that for this end he raised him up, or created him? Why this amounts to just the same thing. If you believe Pharaoh, or any one man upon earth, was created for this end, to be damned, you hold all that has been said of predestination. And there is no need you should add, that God seconds his decree, which is supposed unchangeable and irresistible, by hardening the hearts of those vessels of wrath, whom that decree had before fitted for destruction. 7. Well; but it may be you do not believe even this: you do not hold any decree of reprobation: you do not think God decrees any man to be damned, nor hardens, irresistibly fits him for damnation: you only say, "God eternally decreed, that all being dead in sin, he would say to some of the dry bones, Live, and to others he would not; that, consequently, these should be made alive, and those abide in death,—these should glorify God by their salvation, and those by their destruction." 8. Is not this what you mean by the election of grace? If it be, J would ask one or two questions: Are any who are not thus elected, saved? Or, were any, from the foundation of the world? Is it possible any man should be saved, unless he be thus elected? If you say, No; you are but where you was: you are not got one hair's breadth farther: you still believe, that in consequence of an unchangeable, irresistible decree of God, the greater part of mankind abide in death, without any possibility of redemption; inasmuch as none can save them but God, and he will not save them. You believe he hath absolutely decreed not to save them; and what is this, but decreeing to damn them? It is, in effect, neither more nor less: it comes to the same thing: for if you are dead, and altogether unable to make yourself alive; then, if God has absolutely decreed he will make only others alive, and not you, he hath absolutely decreed your everlasting death; you are absolutely consigned to damnation. So then, though you use softer words than some, you mean the self same thing; and God's decree concerning the election of grace, according to your own account of it, amounts to neither more nor less than what others call, "God's decree of reprobation." 9. Call it therefore by whatever name you please, election, preteri tion, predestination, or reprobation, it comes in the end to the same thing. The sense of all is plainly this: by virtue of an eternal, unchangeable, irresistible decree of God, one part of mankind are infallibly saved, and the rest infallibly damned; it being impossible that any of the former should be damned, or that any of the latter should be saved. 10. But if this be so, then is all preaching vain. It is needless to them that are elected; for they, whether with preaching or without, will infallibly be saved. Therefore the end of preaching, to save souls, is void with regard to them. And it is useless to them that are not elected, for they cannot possibly be saved. They, whether with preaching or without, will infallibly be damned. The end of preaching is therefore void with regard to them likewise; so that in either case, our preaching is vain, as your hearing is also vain. 11. This, then, is a plain proof that the doctrine of predestination is not a doctrine of God, because it makes void the ordinance of God: and God is not divided against himself. A second is, that it directly tends to destroy that holiness, which is the end of all the ordinances of God. I do not say, none who hold it are holy; (for God is of tender mercy to |