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And to this day is his arm shortened? Everywhere there are they who own the power of Jesus, who confess him mighty to save upon their own experience. "What power hath he not exerted upon my heart?" doth our believer say: "I was blind, and he opened my eyes. I was dead in sin, and he quickened I was enslaved by Satan, and he set me free. He carried me in his arms, like a lamb of the flock, nor suffered the roaring lion to make me his prey. He taught me to go. He taught me to go. He held up my goings. He would not suffer me to be tempted above my strength. He gently raised me up when I fell. He brought me into a place of liberty, and spake comfortably to me. brought down my deadly enemies, sin and the world, under me. He has given me a glorious hope; and I know that, when this tabernacle shall be dissolved, he hath prepared for me a house eternal in the heavens. He hath taken away the sting of death, and hath caused me to wait till my change comes. But what! am I the only living instance of the almighty power of Jesus? Who then are these that walk in the light, that are turned unto God, that are renouncing all and following Jesus, that have their hope full of immortality, upon whom the devil, the world, and the flesh, have no power to hurt them? Who has begotten these? who keeps them? who sets their faces like flint, that they are not ashamed? Thine is the kingdom, exalted Jesus! I see, I own it; and of thy dominion there is no end. We wait for thy second coming with power and great glory, to put all thine enemies and ours under thy feet for ever, destroying Death, and casting sinners and devils into hell by the breath of thy mouth; and, to complete the salvation of thy people, raising them up in glorified bodies like thine own, reuniting them to their perfected souls, giving them the irreversible discharge, and declaring them, with sovereign authority, the everlasting partakers of thy joy and kingdom. Then, glorious Lord! when thou shalt have put down all rule, and all authority and power, when all things shall have been put under thy feet, shalt thou deliver up the kingdom which thou didst exercise on earth to God, even the Father; and thou shalt sit down to reign for ever over thy people whom thou hast purchased and redeemed, and they shall reign with thee for ever and ever. And now, therefore, being thus fully satisfied respecting the dominion of Jesus, I declare,

"Fourthly.-That I humbly subject myself to his saving power in all respects. That I confidently trust upon him as authoritatively executing all his offices towards me. That I quietly wait upon him for the performance of all salvation to me. And that, as the subject of his kingdom, I desire to own him as my Lord, and the Lord of all things, by a dutiful use of myself and my gifts, by a public profession of his name in the world, and by keeping my body and spirit for him to death and judgment. All which things I regard as important branches of my believing in Jesus as the Lord of all things; and, any of which being omitted in my desire and endeavour, I cannot be truly come to Jesus as my Saviour, nor have confidence in him as such, because I am without one of the grounds on which his saving power stands, the belief of his being our Lord."

It may be proper to touch upon each of these points as the time will permit.

First. Seeing I know Jesus to be Lord of all things, I do humbly submit myself to his saving power in all respects. He is constituted of God a Saviour, and as such I humbly desire to receive him, as fully commissioned, absolutely empowered, and amply qualified to save me. The words of his mouth can want no authority, and I would implicitly submit to them; as the Lord, having the government on his shoulders, he has authority to absolve me from the sentence of death, and bid me live, through the merit of his obedience unto death: to him therefore I would come, and receive my pardon at his hands; and, having all things in his power, he can sanctify my heart, and keep me from all the power of the enemy; and with him I would leave my soul for this happy end. I see help nowhere else in any respect; my wisdom is foolishness; I am all over guilt; and Sin, the World, the Devil, Death, and Judgment, and Hell, are against me. But Jesus is Lord of all things. To him therefore I have betaken myself, and I have determined that he shall be all my salvation.

Secondly. Seeing I know Jesus to be the Lord of all things, I do confidently trust upon him, as authoritatively executing his offices towards me. If Jesus be the Lord of all things, and all power be given to him in heaven and earth, and herein he acts, though as the Son of man, yet as the Son off

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natural right in all things may not be violated, then he must not be considered as an Ambassador, who, though he has full instructions, yet is under the check and restraint of a superior power, but as having full power in himself, and all whose acts are valid, effectual, and mighty, without reference to any other dominion. Consequently, because of this supreme authority in Jesus, we must credit every word of his mouth as yea and amen, without gainsaying; coming to him, as he has directed, we must believe that he confers upon us forgiveness of sin, without doubting; and committing our souls unto him, we must be persuaded, with perfect satisfaction, that he will keep them. As far as we fail of this we do not treat him as the Lord of all things, and peculiarly as constituted such for the work of redemption. And yet, how ready are we to make little account of our failures this way, as if unbelieving fears were not much to be regarded, and the dishonouring of Christ, as if his authority and power were insufficient, had but small guilt in it? They are horribly inexcusable who will not hearken to the words, nor come to the atonement, nor submit to the grace, of the Lord Jesus. And they are not to be excused, who hear, believe, and submit, in a diffidence of his power.

Thirdly. Seeing I know Jesus to be the Lord of all things, I do quietly wait upon him for the performance of all salvation to me. "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord;" and waiting, I desire to remain in the ways my Lord has appointed me, that he may lighten my darkness, that he may cleanse me from the guilt of my daily transgressions, that he may renew my heart from day to day, supporting me in trials, sanctifying to me all troubles, and conducting me safely through this wilderness to the land of my rest where I would be. Waiting is the opposite to impatience; and as the one proves a belief in Jesus as an all-sufficient, most wise, and vigilant Lord and Governor, so the other must of course call in question the reality of his mediatorial dominion, or the might of his power, or the administration of his government, or his faithfulness to the charge he has taken upon him. Quiet waiting is a great mark of a strong faith and an humbled heart. It was in this that Abraham eminently gave God glory. Should he not tarry the Lord's leisure? and because the fulfil

ment of the promise was long delayed, should he say, The Lord hath forgotten, he will never do it?

Lastly. Seeing I know Jesus to be the Lord of all things, and have taken him to be my Lord, as the subject of his kingdom, I desire to own him as such. And that these three ways, First, By a dutiful use of myself, and of my gifts. As to myself, I am not my own; I am bought with a price, and at so dear a rate did my Lord buy me, that it cost him his blood. But not only am I his purchase, I am his conquest also. He conquered my enemy that had me in chains, and delivered me. What! that I should be my own master? No; But further still, I have and shall I draw back? use, and glory, I am de

but his servant, which is far better. solemnly yielded up myself to him; Every way I am his. To his service, voted. And I desire that he may use me as he pleases, not consulting my will, humour, ease, interest, or any convenience of life, but disposing of me as shall be most for his glory and interest. Then as to my gifts, they came from him. If I possess knowledge, wisdom, prudence, wealth, honour, he is the Lord of all things, the property lies in him. And what is his wish as to my disposal of them? That I lay them out for the good of his church, and for the enlargement of his interests, as a betrusted servant in his family? Surely he could put them into my hands with no other design. And to this end, through thy grace, O Lord Jesus, and not to the indulgence of pride, or the gratifying of inclination, I have determined to use them in all watchfulness, prayer, and fears. But there is a peculiar talent he has trusted with me, my station and calling in the world. There his honour is most concerned. My soul, be faithful there. Do thy duty there as to the Lord. Secondly, I desire to own him as my Lord, by a public profession of his name in the world. I desire to walk in his steps, however mean it may make me appear. I desire to observe his words, though I alone were so engaged in the midst of the earth, and all were hating, reproaching, and persecuting me for doing so. I desire never to be ashamed of owning myself his in any wise, whatever ridicule it may bring upon me; I desire to own my Lord in the most public manner, that the world may take notice I am a servant of his. I desire to own him in all

his public institutions, his day, the ministrations of his word, the memorials of his body and blood: I desire to own him in his people by countenancing them, encouraging them, giving my hand publicly to them because they are his; consorting with them, and doing them all the offices of brotherly love, as belonging to Christ. In all things I desire to confess Jesus to be my Lord before men, as I trust he will confess me to be his servant before the angels of God. And, Thirdly, I desire to own Jesus to be my Lord, by keeping my body and spirit for him to death and judgment. They are both his, and I desire to keep both for him, that I may render them to him at his day, that in me he may be glorified as well as others. I desire to keep my body fit for his use, undefiled by intemperance, lust, sloth, or any other carnal indulgence; and my spirit free from those unchristian tempers of pride, ambition, covetousness, envy, resentment, love of this world, which would make it loathsome in his sight, and prejudicial to his glory. I desire to be preparing for his eternal service in a life of self-denial and spiritual-mindedness. I desire to watch and pray, that my body may be in subjection to my spirit, and my spirit to the Lord. I desire to be found thus doing when thou, Lord, shalt come, and then to render up my soul and body cheerfully to thee, to serve thee and follow thee to all the ages of a blissful eternity.

Brethren, thus the true Christian believeth in the Lord Jesus. Is this the common character of those who are called by the name of Christians? Let us consider what we have heard; let us examine ourselves whether we be in the faith; let us prove ourselves. Happy are they who call Jesus Lord on such a footing as this. But what will it avail to call him Lord a thousand times over, when we are strangers to this temper of faith? We must have made some remarks on ourselves while this Discourse has been delivering. Call them back and improve them. If I have not spoken the words of truth and soberness, condemn me; but if I have, O spare not yourselves, as you hope for mercy in the day of the Lord!

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