(with profounded reverence be it fpoken) will recal his word, and that Chrift will prove a falfe prophet? What elfe means the finner, who, when he heareth the words of the curfe, blefeth himself in his heart, faying, I fhall have peace, tho' I walk in the imagination of mine heart," Deut. xxix. 19. Laftly, How ftand ye affected. to the Power of God? Nonebut new creatures will love him for it, on a fair view thereof; tho' others may flavishly fear him, upon the account of it. There is not a natural man, but would contribute to the ut uft of his power to the building of another tower of Babel, to bem it in. On thefe grounds I declare every unrenewed man

an enemy to God.

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2dly, Ye are enemies to the Son of God. That enmity to Chrift is in your hearts, which would have made you join the husbandmen, who killed the heir, and caft him out of the vineyard" if ye had been befet with their temptations, and no more reftrained than they were. "Am I a dog," you will fay, to have fo treated my fweet Saviour? So faid Hazael in another cafe but when he had the temptation, he was a dog to do it. Many call Chrift their fweet Saviour, whofe confciences can bear witnefs, they never fucked fo much sweetness from him, as from their fweet lufts, which are ten times fweeter to them than their Saviour. He is no other way fweet to them than as they alife his death and fufferings, for the peaceable enjoyment of their lufts; that they may live as they lift in the world; and when they die, may be kept out of hell. Alas! is is but a mistaken Chrift, that is fweet to you, whofe fouls lothe that Chrift," who is the brightnefs of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon." It is with you as it was in the carnal Jews, who delighted in him while they miftook his errand into the world, fancying that he would be a temporal deliverer to them, Mal. iii. 1. But when he was come, and "fat as a refiner and purifier of filver," verfe 2, 3, and caft them as reprobate filver, who thought to have had no small honour in the kingdom of the Meffiah;. his doctrine galled their confciences, and they refted not till they imbrued their hands in his blood: To open your eyes in this point,, which ye are fo loth to believe, I will lay before you, the enmity of hearts against Chrift and all his offices..

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1. Every unregenerate man is an enemy to Chrift in his prophetical office. He is appointed of the Father, the great Prophet and Teacher; but not upon the world's call, who, in their natural ffate, would have unanimoufly voted against him:

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And therefore, when he came, he was condemned as a feducer and blafphemer. For evidence of this enmity, I will inftance. in two things.

EVIDENCE 1. Confider the entertainment he meets with, when he comes to teach foals inwardly by his Spirit. Men do what they can to ftop their ears, like the deaf adder, that they may not hear his voice. They always refift the Holy Ghoft." They defire not the knowledge of his ways; and therefore bid him depart from them. The old calumny is often raifed upon him, on that occafion, John x. 20. He is mad, why hear ye him?" Soul-exercife raifed by the fpirit of bondage, is accounted by many, nothing elfe but diftraction and melaneholy fits; men thus blafpheming the Lord's work, because they themfelges are befide themselves, and cannot judge of thefe:

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Evin. 2. Confider the entertainment he meets with, when he comes to teach men outwardly by his word.

(1.) His written word, the Bible is lighted': Chrift has left it to us, as the book of our instructions, to fhow us what way. we muft fteer our courfe, if we would come to Emmanuel's land. It is a lamp to light us through a dark world to eternal light. And he hath left it upon us, to fearch it with that diligence, wherewith men dig into mines for filver and gold,. John v. 39. But ah! how is this facred treasure profaned by many! They ridicule the holy word, by which they must be judged at the last day; and will rather lefe their fouls than their jeft, dreffing up the conceit of their wanton wits in Scripturephrafes; in which they act as mad a part, as one who would dig 1 into a mine to procure metal to melt, and pour down his own and his neighbour's throat. Many exhauft their fpirits in reads. ing romances, and their minds purfue them, as the flame doth the dry ftubble; while they have no bearf for, nor relish of the holy word, and therefore feldom t take a Bible in their hands. What is agreeable to the vanity of their minds, is pleasant and taking but what recommends holiness to their unholy hearts, makes their firits dull and flar. What pleasure will they find in reading of a profane ballad, or story book, to whom the Bible is taft lefs, as the white of an egg Many lay by their Bibles. with their Sabbath-day's clothes and whatever ufe they have for their clothes, they have none for their Bibles, till the return. of the Sabbath. Alas! the duft or finery abour your Bibles, is a witress now, and will, at the laft day, be a witnefs of the anmity of your hearts again Chrift, as a Prophet. Befides all

this, among these who ordinarily read the Scriptures, how few are there that read it as the word of the Lord to their fouls, and keep communion with him in it. They do not make his ftatures. their counsellors, nor doth their particular cafe fend them to their Bibles. They are trangers to the folid comfort of the Scriptures. And if at any time they be dejected, it is fomething elfe than the word that revives them : as Ahab was cared of his fullen fit, by the securing of Naboth's vineyard for him.

(2.) Chritt's word preached is defpifed. The entertainment most of the world, to whom it has come have always given it, is that which is mentioned, Matth xxii. 5." They made light of it." And for in's fake they are defpiled whom he has em ployed to preach it; whatever other face men put upon their contempt of the miniftry, John. xx. 20. "The fervant is not greater than the Lord: if they have perfecuted me, they will alfo perfecute you; if they have kept my layings, they will keep yours alfo. But all thefe things will they do unto you for my name's fake." That Levi was the fon of the hated, feems not to have been without a mystery, which the world in all ages, hath unriddled. But tho' the earthen vessel, wherein God has put the treasure, be turned, with many, into "veffels wherein there is no pleasure," yet why is the treasure itself flighted? But flighted it is, and that with a witnefs this day. "Lord, who hath believed our report?" To whom fhall we fpeak? Men can, without remorfe, make to themfelves filent Sabbaths, one after another. And, alas! when they come to ordinances, for the most part, it is but to appear (as the word is, "to be seen,") before the Lord, and to tread his courts, namely, as a company of beats would do, if they were driven into them, Ifa. i. 12. So little reverence and awe of God appears on their spirits. Many fand like brazen walls before the word, in whofe corrupt converfation the preaching of the word makes no breach. Nay, not a few are growing worfe and worfe, under precept upon precept; and the refult of all is, They go and fall backward, and be broken, and feared, and taken," Ifa. xxviii. 13. What tears of blood are fufficient to lament that (the gospel) the grace of God is thus received in vain! We are but the voice of one crying; the Speaker is in heaven; and fpeaks to you from heaven by men why do ye "refufe him that fpeaketh ?" Heb. xii. 25. God has made our Mafter heir of all things, and we are fent to court a spouse for him. There is none fo worthy as he; none more unworthy than they to whom this match is propofed; but the prince of

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darkness is preferred before the Prince of Peace! A difmal darke neis overclouded the world by Adam's fall, more terrible than if the fun, moon and ftars had been for ever wrapt up in blacknefs of darkness; and there we should have eternally lain, had not this grace of the gofpel, as a hining fun, appeared to difpel it, Tit. 11. But yet we fly like night-owls from it; and like the wild beafts, lay our felves down in our dens; when the fun arifeth; we are truck blind with the light thereof; and, as creatures of darkness, love darknels rather than light. Such.is. the enmity of the hearts of men against Christ, in his prophetical office.

2. The natural man is an enemy to Chrift in his priestly office. He is appointed of the Father, a Pricft for ever; that by his alone facrifice and interceffion, finners may have peace with, and accefs to God; but Chrift crucified is a stumbling." block, and foolishness to the unrenewed part of mankind, to whom he is preached, 1 Cor. i. 23, They are not for him, as "the new and living way.' "Nor is he by the voice of the world, " an High Prieft over the houfe of God." Corrupt mature goes quite another way to work.

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EVIDENCE I. None of Adam's children naturally incline to receive the bleffing in borrowed robes; but would always, according to the fpider's motto, "Owe all to themfelves" and fo climb up to heaven on a thread spun out of their own bowels. For they defire to be under the law," Gal. iv. 24. And “ 66 about to establish their own righteousness," Rom. x. 3. Man, naturally, looks on God as a great Mafter; and himfelf as his fervant, that must work and win heaven as his wages: Hence when confcience is awakened, he thinks hat, to the end he may be faved, he must answer the demands of the Low; ferve God as well as he can; and pray for mercy wherein he comes fhort: And thas many come to duties, that never come out of them to Jefus Chrift.

EVID. 2. As men naturally think highly of their duties, that feem to them to be well done; fo they look for acceptance with God according as their work is done: not according to the fhare they have in the blood of Chrfit !" Wherefore have we fafted," say they," and thou feeft not? They'll value themselves on their performances and attainments; yea, their very opinions in religion, (Philip. iii, 4, 5, 6, 7.) taking to hemfelves what they rob from Chrift the great High Prieft. Evin. 3. The natural man, going to God in duties, will always be found either to go without a mediator, or with more

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more than the only Mediator Jefus Chrift. Nature is blind, and therefore veutarous: it fets a man a-going immediately to God without Chrift: to rush into his prefence, and put their petitions in his hand, without being introduced by the Secretary of heaven, or putting their requests into his hand. So fixed is this difpofition in the unrenewed heart, that when many hearers of the gospel are converfed with upon the point of their hopes of falvation, the name of Chrift will scarcely be heard from their mouths. Afk them how they think to obtain the pardon of fin? they will tell you, they beg and look for mercy, because God is a merciful God: and that is all they have to confide in. Others look for mercy for Chrift's fake: But how do they know that Chrift will take their plea in hand? Why, as the Papifts have their mediators with the Mediator, fo have they. They know he cannot but do it: for they pray, confefs, mourn and have great defires, and the like; and fo have fomething of their own to commend them unto him: they were never made poor in fpirit, and brought empty-handed to Chrift, to lay the ftrefs of all on his atoning blood.

3. The natural man is an enemy to Chrift in his kingly office.. The Father has appointed the Mediator King in Zion, Pfal. ii. 6. And all to whom the gofpel comes, are commanded, on their highest peril, to "kifs the Son," and fubmit themselves unto him, ver. 12. But the natural voice of mankind is, "Away with him :" as you may fee, ver. 2, 3. 66 They will not have him to reign over them," Luke xix. 14.

EVIDENCE 1. The workings of corrupt.nature to wreft the goverment out of his hands. No fooner was he born, but being born a King, Herod perfecuted him, Matth. ii.

when he was crucified, they fet up over his head this accufation written, "This is JESUS, the King of the Jews," Matth. xxvii. 37. Tho' his kingdom be a fpiritual kingdom, and not of this world; yet they cannot allow him a kingdom, within a Kingdom, which acknowledgeth no other head or fupreme, but the royal Mediator. They make bold with his royal. preroga tives, changing his laws, inflitutions and ordinances, modelling. his worship, according to the devices of their own hearts: in-、 troducing new offices and officers into his kingdom, not to be found in the book of the manner of his kingdom,? difpofing of the external government thereof, as may best fuit their carnal defigns. Such is the enmity of the hearts of men against Zion's King.

Erin. 2. How unwilling are men, naturally, to submit unto and be hedged in by the laws and difcipline of his kingdom!

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