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afraid of them, but to signify that there was danger to be apprehended from them.

7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Ask for what you should, and for what Christ here intends, namely, spiritual blessings, and you shall be sure to have them. But are you sure you do ask? For falling down upon your knees, and repeating the words of prayer, is not asking. If the bent of the heart is more to other things, God knows that to be your prayer, and nothing else, whether you speak it or not. If you knew you were asking to be a new man in the power of a divine faith, an humble, self-denying, despised follower of the holy Jesus, perhaps, you would withdraw your petition.

8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

To stir us up to the duty, and cure us of all doubting, he sets, as it were, his seal to the grant, by repeating it.

9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10. Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Who are they that are evil? All; yourselves. He, who knew what was in man, excepts none. If this sermon does not force you to own the charge, you are past conviction.

"How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give." The reasoning is plain as it is comfortable. But, alas! we can draw no sweetness from it. Qur cold, worldly hearts damp our faith and all our prayers, and will not let us ask what God never denies. "Good things." The best of all good things-himself, his Son, and Spirit, peni

tent hearts, pardon and peace, renewed wills, heavenly affections, and heaven itself. "To them that ask him." Not else. And why? 1st. Because, though great and good in themselves, they cannot be so to us unless we desire them. We know this very well in other cases. 2nd. Because the will to desire them is the very disposition we should be in, and the want of it, is our misery, curse, and death. You now see why we must pray daily, earnestly, perseveringly for them, and leave our portion of worldly things to God.

12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.

"Therefore," as if he would say, "now to conclude;" for the doctrinal part of the sermon ends here, and what follows is in the way of exhortation. The equity of the rule here laid down is so evident, that hardly a man can be found who will charge himself with the breach of it; and many say foolishly, that as they are clear on this point, God will require no more of them, meaning that they need no repentance, faith, or change of heart. But 1st. This rule, though so comprehensive as to be here called the law and the prophets, or the sum of what they teach concerning our duty to man, yet goes no farther; it does not take in our duty to God. 2ndly. The more confessedly reasonable it is, the greater and more apparent is our guilt, in case of transgression. And now, 3rdly. Are you not guilty? Deny it not. Impose upon yourself no longer with this lie. I dare be bold to say there is not a day of your life in which you do not want forgiveness on this very account; and if you would follow the guidance of this light, so glaring to your conscience, there needs nothing else to bring you acquainted with the depth of your fall.

SECTION XV.

Chap. vii. ver. 13-29.

DIVERS ADMONITIONS.

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13. Enter ye in at the strait gate for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Repentance, faith, holiness, are the way of life according to Christ and his Gospel, and therefore the strait gate. Corrupt nature, blind to itself; pride of heart, opposing itself to faith; and inveterate lusts, opposing themselves to reformation, all conspire to make it strait. Can you be often hearing of the strait gate, and the narrow way, and how few there be that find it, without being in pain for yourselves, or ever once considering what the strait gate is, when you entered upon the narrow way, and what progress you are making in it?

15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

The Scribes and Pharisees were false prophets, as all are who destroy the use and intent of the law, by a lame interpretation of it. Beware of being a false prophet to thyself; in making less of the commandments than Christ does, or not applying the sacred rule in its whole length and breadth, as explained by him, to thy heart. By these two things men deceive themselves to their ruin. So long as either they take a false measure of their duty, or look only at their outward performances, they can never come to conviction of sin, and, by conviction of sin, to Christ. "Who come to you in sheep's clothing." With a fair appearance, but unchanged in their natures. He, who could not be deceived, says, "Ravening wolves," only chained up.

16. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes

of thorns, or figs of thistles?

As they teach, so they are. Fruits here are evidently their own fruits; not, as some say, what their doctrine, whether good or bad, produces in others, but the effect of it upon themselves.

17. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

As the man is, so are his actions. If the stock is bad from whence they proceed, no show or appearance of good can make them good.

18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

We know this to be a natural necessity. No care, or culture can make a tree produce any other than fruit of its own kind. Christ has already told thee, O man, that thou art evil; and what then wilt thou do with thy nature, to make it bring forth good fruit ? It is a loud call to thee to get thyself grafted into him.

19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Let us make the application: dread the sentence; it is

recorded for our sakes.

20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Those who know the truth will not be imposed upon, or deceived by them, however others may.

21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Well, the matter is plain; fruitless profession, and empty faith, are not sufficient; the will of God must be done. Did you ever think deeply of this; and that you

may as well attempt to alter the nature of God and heaven, as to go thither with wills contrary to his? Do you read this scripture diligently to know what the will of God is, and how you must be enabled to do it? Now let your consciences speak.

22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

O that day! that day, he says, supposing we cannot but know the importance of it. In that day we shall see him, who is now speaking to us of it, either as an eternal friend or an inexorable judge. To prepare us for that day he came into the world, he died; and all our days will have an unhappy ending, if they are not a preparation for it.

Teachers, who have done great things, been highly thought of, and bestowed heaven upon themselves, will then be weighed in another balance, and the motives of their good, as well as the evil of their bad deeds, be brought to judgment. And so will many of their hearers, too, find themselves dreadfully mistaken at the last. The reason is told us.

23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you : depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The sin which now blinds us, will then most surely condemn us. Therefore, now is the time to look for it in ourselves, to come with it to Christ for pardon, and put away the accursed thing. Depart is a searching word.

24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock :

Lord, we must hear, and do thy sayings: but without thee we can do nothing. We must first be in thee, both for the will and the deed.

Do we build upon the rock, Christ, or ourselves?

VOL. I.

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