the voice of Jefus faying to him by his DISC. word, by the abfolution of the church, XIV. and the testimony of his confcience through

the holy Ghoft-" Son, be of good cheer

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thy fins be forgiven thee. Arise, take

up thy bed, and go to thine house.' And,

Lastly, my brethren, the reality of the cure of the spiritual palfy will be demonstrated to all the world exactly as that performed upon the body of the paralytic was by what followed when Chrift had spoken these words to him. Straightway "he arofe, took up "that whereon he lay, and" (regardless of the cenfures and calumnies of the scribes and pharifees)" departed to his house glorifying God," the people around him doing the fame. This will be the process with every one, who by the mighty power and infinite mercy of the Redeemer is healed, upon application to him, of his inability to good, his floth, and liftleffnefs, his crimi-t nal attachment to the creature. He will arife forthwith, and as it were stand upright,

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1

DISC. right, fhewing that he now enjoys the ufe XIV. of his powers and faculties, and is in a posture to execute the will of God. " He

"who cannot rife and ftand upright, but "either continues groveling on the earth, or "falls back as foon as he gets up, is not yet "cured of his fpiritual palfy. The finner's "bed is every thing which he loves, and in which he finds his reft and fatisfaction upon earth; his criminal inclinations, and the objects of his paffions: a true con

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verfion takes up and carries away every "thing of this nature." And now being thus arifen, in fome fort, from the dead, the man begins to lead a new life, a life of vigour and activity, fetting forward in the path of life, the way of God's commandments, to "go to his houfe" not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Nor will he fuffer himself to be stopped in his progrefs by the fneers, and fcoffs; and calumnies of thofe, who have in them the fpirit of the fcribes and pharifees, and are

a QUESNELL.

XIV.

ever ready to detract from the glory of Disc. Christ, and to laugh at the remiffion of fins, and the converfion of the finner. None of these things will move the true penitent from his purpose, or prevent his "glorify

ing God" openly and before men for his mercy and goodness towards him, in his redemption from the guilt and power of fin through his Saviour Chrift, both God and man. The confequence of which will be, that others will be led thereby to give glory to the God of heaven, for the mighty and wonderful work that he hath done, in reftoring health and falvation to a diseased and loft foul. For furely nothing but great blindness of mind, want of faith, and love of this life, can make men rejoice more at a bodily cure, than at the conversion of a foul from fin to righteoufnefs; a work, which is indeed fpiritual and invifible, and for that reafon perhaps the lefs regarded; but it is a work that far furpaffes all the miracles wrought upon matter- a work, to accomplish which, the Son of God died; and to celebrate which, the angels tune their golden

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DISC. golden harps to everlasting Hallelujahs--XIV. "Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave finners:" and "there is joy in heaven,

among the angels of God, over one fin"ner that repenteth." Which joy therefore let us labour to increase, while it is in our power, by arising from all floth and inactivity of fpirit, and walking in all holiness and righteousness, without being weary or faint in our minds, until we come to the home and house of eternal reft, through him who fays to every true penitent and fincere believer, in the perfon of the

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man fick of the palfy-Son, be of good "cheer thy fins be forgiven thee. Arife, "take up thy bed, and go to thine house.' To him, with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, be afcribed, &c,

DISCOURSE XV.

ON THE TWENTY-NINTH OF MAY.

PSALM LXXXVII. 2.

The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

W

a

XV.

HEN we take a view of the re- DISC. volutions that have happened in the kingdoms of the world, and behold

a

Equidem paradoxum quid dixero; et nihilominus vere: Imperia omnia mundi fecundum Dei Providentiam fic fuiffe ordinata, ut fubfervirent confilio Dei erga ecclefiam, nec eorum diffolutionem aut deftructionem alio referendam ; ut proinde eorum destructio, qualis fuit Perfarum, certo fuerit argumentum, illud non fatisfeciffe confilio Dei erga ecclefiam; nec populum fuum ea æquitate, juftitia, et indulgentia tractaffe, qua par erat.

VITRINGA Comment. in Zach. i. 29. 203.
mighty

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