whofoever will, let him come, and take of the water of life freely.

A word to you who have drank of this living water, and I conclude. Is it poffible that ye can yet thirst after the visionary happiness this world boasts of, and deludes it's followers with? No, you are convinced that all fublunary good is comparatively not worth a wish; what the world calls pleasure, you have now no relish for, they are too fcanty to fatisfy the large defires of your capacious fouls, and too fhort-lived to perpetuate the felicity you are in the pursuit of. If ye are what you profefs to be, ye are dead to the world, and your life is bid with Chrift in God. Coloff. iii. 1, 2, &c.

What can you do less than in return for fuch favours, to prefent your bodies a living facrifice, boly and acceptable, which is your reasonable service, Rom. xii. 1. Ye are not your own, but are bought with a price; the living water you have drank was the price of blood, and was bestowed upon you freely; therefore publish abroad with lip and life the free goodness of the fovereign, distinguishing grace of that God who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Sing and say, with the fweet-finger of Ifrael, partakers of like favours, influenced by fimilar motives falvation belongeth to the Lord, Pf. iii. 8. And that you are made partakers of it, further fing and fay, not un-to us, not unto us, but unto thy name be the praise for ever and ever. Amen.

SER

SERMON XI.

GENESIS

XXV, 22.

If it be fo, why am I thus?

T

HESE are the words of Rebekah the mother of Jacob and Efau, and the wife of Ifaac. We are informed in the preceding verfe, that Rebekah was barren, and Ifaac intreated the Lord for her, that is, because of her barrennefs, and the Lord was intreated, that is, the Lord heard and answered Ifaac's prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. Glorious encouragement this for believers; what can ye want that your God has not in ftore to give?" Lo, "children and the fruit of the womb are an heri66 tage and gift that cometh of the Lord." Pf. cxxvii. 3, the bleffings of corn, of wine, and oil, are in his hands to give, for the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, and no good thing, profitable for life and godlinefs will be withold from them that walk uprightly, Pf. lxxxiv. 11. But we are told verfe 24, there were twins in her womb, and

when

when the children struggled within her, the came to enquire of the Lord, and fhe faid, if it be fo, why am I thus? I doubt not but Rebekah had ah the figns of pregnancy, and yet fhe was flow to believe what the Lord had done for her in answer to her husband's prayer; fuch is the natural hardnefs of our hearts, that God himself can scarce be credited by us without a miracle; except faid our Lord ye fee figns and wonders ye will not believe. However the Lord was pleased to refolve her doubts in ver. 23, and faid unto “ here two na ❝tions are in thy womb, and two manner of "people fhall be feparated from thy bowels, and "the one people shall be stronger than the other "people, and the elder shall serve the younger. It feems that Ifaac and his wife were both praying perfons; when they want a bleffing they afk it of God, and when in doubt they come to the fountain of wisdom, for an explication. Brethren this is juft what we should always do; we are many of us fo poor, because we do not come to Chrift that we might buy gold and be rich. Rev. iii. 18, and fo very ignorant of our ftate and condition, because we afk not wisdom of God who gives liberally to all men and upbraids not. James i. 5.

The language of my text is fo much the language of believers, when under fharp and bitter conflicts of foul, by reafon either of some violent outbreakings of corruption, or fome fenfible defection in their graces; that in order to relieve their diftreffes, and (if my God fhall be fo pleased to enable a poor unworthy creature,) to frame an answer to the enquiry in my text, I have made choice of it, for the fubject of this discourse.

There

Therefore in treating of these words, I shall enquire

ift. Why a believer may be led to doubt the truth of his conversion.

2d. Offer fome confiderations, to remove them, and fettle his mind in peace.

3d. Give fome directions to the believer to maintain his ground in his warfare.

If it be fo, why am I thus? If I am indeed born

of the spirit, renewed in the powers of my foul, paffed from death unto life, and created anew in Chrift Jefus, why am I yet fo weak and feeble in all the efforts of grace, why fo cold in my affections, why does not my heart burn with love, and my joys abound; why do I feel fuch a perpetual ftruggle in my mind, while a formidable army of natural corruptions and fenfual inclinations feems ready like a huge and fweeping torrent to bear me before it? In fome fuch fort as this, believers are oftentimes led to reafon within themselves, and to ask with Rebekah, If it be so, why am I thus ?

ift, A believer may be led to this enquiry from a consciousness of the ftrength of his corruptions, which, the more they are oppofed, the more they will rage and fwell, and ftruggle to break forth. The perverfeness of our nature is most discovered by the pure and holy precepts of the law of God; for what this law forbids, corrupt nature inclines to practice, and on the contrary what it enjoins, nature oppugns and hates; the reafon of all this is given in those words, Rom. viii, 7, " for the "carnal mind is enmity against God,

it is not

"fub

fubject to the law of God, neither indeed can "be."

When a perfon has been under the teachings of the fpirit of God, and made truly fenfible that he has no worth, or excellency in him to recommend him to the favour of a holy and fin-hating God, and has been brought with heart and hand to fubfcribe the words of the prophet, If. lxiv, 6," we are all as an unclean thing, and all our "righteoufneffes are as filthy rags, and our ini"quities like the wind have taken us away;" yet after this to find pride ftealing in upon his performances, and fetting a value on what he is, and what he does, and his heart ready to fay my own right hand hath gotten me this honour; I say when a person finds it thus, he may well ask in language like unto my text, if I am born of God, why am I thus ?

Again, when a believer finds himself closely befet with an earthly mind, and altho' he is thoroughly convinced of the emptiness of all created good, yet feels his heart inclining and warping thereto, as though there was fomething defirable in thefe perishable things, and that could deferve the attention of one that was born heir of an heavenly inheritance, he may well wonder at himself and afk with Rebekah, If it be so, why am I thus ?

Again, when a believer has fo often met with his God in the ways of his appointment, and his heart has been filled with joy and gladness, fo that he has been brought with Peter to fay, it is good to be here; yet after this, to feel his heart averse to holy ordinances, and a backwardness to ufe those very means he has been so often blessed in; this naturally leads him to call in queftion the truth