church, "Who is this that cometh up from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine fat?" Isa. lxiii. 1, 2.

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4. If ever the glory of God's anointed was discovered to you in the light of this lamp, your hearts have been fired with love to him, and zeal for his glory; so that you know not how to express your esteem of him, and desire after him: Oh!" Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee." Many waters cannot quench love, neither can all floods drown it." Indeed, the devil, and the world, and a corrupt heart, are frequently casting water upon this fire; but yet where it is genuine, it always gets up again; the flame rises, and breaks through all opposition, and sends the sparks of it heavenward.

5. Has ever the lamp of the gospel dropped some of the oil of God's Anointed upon your souls? The gospel is, as it were, a golden pipe, through which the oil of the Holy Ghost is conveyed into the vessels of the sanctuary from God's Anointed: Gal. iii. 2: "We receive the Spirit by the hearing of faith, not by the works of the law." Now, I ask you, Have you got "an unction from the Holy One?" Query, How shall I known that? Answ. In the following particulars. This oil has had the same effect, in some measure, that it had upon Christ. As,

1st, Christ's anointing, made him of quick understanding or of a ready scent, as it is in the margin, Is. xi. 3. The same effect, in some measure, has it had upon you; it has given you a quick understanding and uptaking of the things of God, the secrets of his covenant: "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven," says Christ to his disciples; "but unto others it is not given." "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things," 1 John ii. 20. He that is spiritual, judgeth all things:" he has another discerning than other men have of the things of God and eternity. "We have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God," 1 Cor. ii. 12.

2dly, Christ's anointing made his face to shine. "Oil maketh the face to shine." Hence the spouse cries out, "His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars." So, if you have shared of this anointing, you will, in your way, and walk, and talk, "adorn the doctrine of God your Saviour:" you will be "changed into the same image" with God's Anointed, by beholding of his glory; your "light will shine

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before men, so that others, seeing your good works, will glorify God, your heavenly Father."

3dly, Christ's anointing made him active and agile in the work of our redemption ; so that he never rested till he could say, " It is finished.” So, if you be partakers of his anointing, you will be active and diligent in the great work of your salvation, that you may finish your course with joy. Oh! says David, “I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou hast enlarged my heart," namely, by anointing the wheels of his soul with the oil of the Spirit's influ

ences.

4thly, Christ's anointing made his heart glad; therefore called the oil ot gladness.” This was it that rejoiced his heart under all the discouragement and opposition he met with in his work. So if you be anointed with the same oil, your hearts have been made glad with it. The Holy Ghost is frequently called the Comforler, because he gladdens the hearts of Christ's followers, under all the troubles and trials in their way in this weary wilderness. Hence Christ says to his disciples, speaking of the Spirit, “Your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” Now, try yourselves by this; know you any thing of the consolation of the Spirit? Oh! says David, “ thou hast put more gladness in my heart, than they, when their corn, wine, and oil, abounded."

Use fourth, Has God ordained a lamp for his Anointed? then my first advice or exhortation is, to answer the end of the gospel-lamp, by coming to God's anointed Saviour and Redeemer by a true faith. This is the end and design of God in the whole revelation that he has made of Christ in the word." These things are written, that ye might believe

“ in the name of the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through him,” John xx. 31. This is the end and design of a gospel ministry, and of all the ordinances of the gospel, that ye might behold the glory of God's Anointed, and by coming to him, ye might be built up in the holy faith.

Motives to engage you to come to God's Anointed.

1. The light of the lamp of the gospel points you directly to him; for it is “ Christ whom we preach; we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.” Every gospel-sermon leads to Christ, and lands you in him, if the design of it be answered. Oh! says

Paul to the Corinthians, “ I desire to know nothing among you, but Christ, and him crucified.”

2. Christ was anointed for your sakes. “ He received gifts for men; yea, even for the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell among us." His oil is for

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and all his offices to which he was anointed, are intended for the salvation of lost sinners of Adam's family. Why was he anointed to be a Prophet, but for your illumination in the knowledge of God and his will? Why anointed to be a Priest, but for your reconciliation with God, and justification before him? Why anointed King in Zion, but to deliver us from our captivity to sin and Satan, and to sanctify us, and write his law in our hearts? Hence he is “made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption," i Cor. i. 30. Now, seeing it is so, why then should we stand off from him by unbelief, and, by following lying vanities, forsake our own mercy ?

3. Oh come to God's Anointed through the light of the pel-lamp; for there is an immeasurable measure of the oil of the Holy Ghost with God's Anointed, and all to be communi. cated to them that come to him. " It hath pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell; that out of his fulness we might receive grace for grace.” Here there is no fear of want. His fulness is not exhausted or diminished by all that is given out. No, he is as full as ever, and as ready to communicate. We read of the widow's pot of oil, 2 Kings iv. 4, 5, &c.; that filled all the vessels that were brought to it, and never stopped till no more vessels were brought. This is the case here: Christ never ceases to communicate of his grace and Spirit, as long as empty vessels are brought to him. The only thing that stops the communication of his grace is, that we do not come to him by faith to receive of his fulness.

4. God's Anointed calls, invites, and beseeches you to come to him for his grace and fulness. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price,” Is. lv. 1-3.

5. God's Anointed has promised you welcome ; " Come to me” who will, “I will in no wise cast out." “ He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." " He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with good things."

6. If you do not come to God's Anointed, you lose the benefit of the gospel-lamp, and incur the displeasure of that God who ordained the lainp for his Anointed. - This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation” of God's Anointed ?

7. Unless you come to God's Anointed, and buy oil, your vessels and lamps will be found empty at the coming of Christ.

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say unto

My friends, before long, the midnight cry shall be heard, “ Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him.” You know what became of the foolish virgins that wanted oil at the coming of the Bridegroom; they go to seek oil when it was out of time; "the door was shut” upon them, and they are shut up in eternal wo and darkness. Oh take care that it do not fare so with you against the coming of Christ at death or judgment. And, therefore, while the market of grace lasts, take Christ's counsel, “ I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear: and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see," Rev. iii. 18.

8.- When a people privileged with the lamp of the everlasting gospel, do not answer the design of it by coming to God's Anointed, God in that case is provoked to remove the lamp, and give it to others that will improve the light of it to a better use: Matth. xxi. 43 : “ Therefore I

you,

The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof,” says Christ to the Jews. By the kingdom of God there, we are to understand the same thing with the gospel-lamp, by which we enter into the kingdom of grace here, and of glory hereafter. Now, says Christ, this shall be taken from you, and then the door of the kingdom of God will be shut up against the Jewish nation, and given to the Gentiles, which was accordingly done. The Jews were cut off for their unbelief, and the

gosa pel church and lamp set up among the nations of the earth. Now, if God spared not the natural branches, we need to take heed lest he treat us after the same manner, who are wild olives of the Gentiles by nature, Rom. xi. 21. You have a word to the same purpose, John xii. 35, 36: “ Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you: walk while

ye

have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness, knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.” By all which you see that we are in hazard of losing the light of the gospel-lamp, and of being left in darkness, if we do not come to God's Anointed.

And here I will tell you of several kinds of darkness that will follow upon the removal of the gospel-lamp:

1st, The darkness of gross ignorance; which is so far from being the mother of devotion, as the Papists teach, that it is the mother of destruction : “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” Hos, iv. 6. If we but look through the world, or through this island, or the land in which we live, and take a view of those corners of it where the gospel-lamp

does not shine, or where another thing is substituted in the room of it, we shall find nothing but gross ignorance of supernatural truths, and the people no better than a company of baptized heathens.

2dly, The darkness not only of unbelief, but of infidelity, follows upon the removal of the gospel-lamp. Unbelief may be, and, alas! too frequently is, where the gospel-lamp shines : 6 Who hath believed our report ?" But when the gospellamp is taken away because of unbelief, then the people turn infidels. ' An unbeliever may come to be a believer, because the object of faith is still revealed and presented to him by the gospel-lamp; but an infidel cannot become a believer, because the object of faith is removed; the things that belong to his peace are hid from his eyes and ears. “ How shall he believe in him of whom he has not heard ?" (as the apostle argues ;) “and how shall they hear without a preacher ?” Rom. x. 14. When both lamp and lamp-bearers of God's sending are taken away, how then shall they believe? Men in that case can no more believe, than the eye of the body can see without the light of the sun in the firmament

3dly, The darkness of idolatry and superstition in worship, follows upon the removal of the gospel-lamp, as we see in those lands or nations where the gospel-lamp once was, but are now covered with Popish and Mahometan delusions and abominations.

4thly, As the gospel-lamp removes, so gradually the darkness of error prevails. Deistical errors, rejecting supernatural mysteries in the word; Arian and Socinian errors, derogating from the glory of God's Anointed, either in his person, offices, or satisfaction; Arminian errors, striking at the freedom and sovereignty of the grace of God both in election and effectual calling, and the perseverance of the saints; legal errors, overturning the doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Christ alone, and foisting in something else in its room, that men may have something to glory in. These and the like errors prevailing in a land where the gospel has been preached in purity, argues a setting, not a rising sun, because the shadows are growing long.

5thly, The darkness of a dead, lifeless, blasted, profane, or ignorant ministry, prevails upon the withdrawing of the lamp of God's Anointed. Indeed, God may leave something in the land called the gospel, and a set of men who call themselves ministers of the gospel. But what sort of a lamp is it that is left, when the true gospel-lamp is taken away? It is the devil's lamp; it is not the narrow way, but a broad-way lamp, to lead people straightway to the bottomless pit. And what sort of ministers or lamp-bearers are left? Why, they are

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