images of public domain material from   
the ,google ,print project47            
,,selected ,,sermons ,,of ,,jonathan    
,,edwards     ,illustration3 ,jonathan  
,edwards4       ,,selected ,,sermons    
,,of ,,jonathan ,,edwards     ,,edited  
,,with ,,introduction ,,and ,,notes     
,,by ,h4 ,,norman ,,gardiner            
,,professor ,,of ,,philosophy ,,in      
,,smith ,,college     ,new ,york   ,,the
 ,,macmillan ,,company   ,,london3      
,,macmillan  ,,co41 ,,ltd4   #aijd      
,all rights reserved       ,,copyright1 
#aijd1 ,,by ,,the ,,macmillan ,,company4
     ,set up and electrotyped4          
,published ,june1 #aijd4     ,norwood   
,press   ,j4 ,s4 ,cushing               
,co4--,berwick  ,smith ,co4   ,norwood1 
,mass41 ,u4,s4,a4     ,,contents        
,,page    ,,introduction                
vii    ,,sermons3      ,i4 ,,god        
,,glorified ,,in ,,man',s ,,dependence  
7#agca7          #a     ,,ii4 ,,the     
,,reality ,,of ,,spiritual ,,light      
7#agcc7            #ba    ,,iii4        

,,ruth',s ,,resolution 7#agce7          
#de     ,,iv4 ,,the ,,many ,,mansions   
7#agcg7                         #fd     
,v4 ,,sinners ,,in ,,the ,,hands ,,of   
,,an ,,angry ,,god 7#agda7      #gh     
,,vi4 ,a ,,strong ,,rod ,,broken ,,and  
,,withered 7#agdh7          #ih         
,,vii4 ,,farewell ,,sermon 7#agej7      
#aah    ,,notes                         
#aee      ,,introduction   ,jonathan    
,edwards was born ,october #e1 #agjc1 in
 what is now ,south ,windsor1 ,conn41 a 
part of the parish then known as        
,windsor ,farmes4 ,his father1 the ,rev4
 ,timothy ,edwards1 the minister of the 
parish1 a ,harvard graduate1 was reputed
 a man of superior ability and polished 
manners1 a lover of learning as well as 
of religion2 in addition to his pastoral
 duties1 he fitted young men for        
college1 and his liberal views of       
education appear in the fact that he    
made his daughters pursue the same      
studies these youths did4 ,his mother1 a
 daughter of the ,rev4 ,solomon         

,stoddard1 the minister of ,northampton1
 is said to have resembled her          
distinguished father in strength of     
character and to have surpassed her     
husband in the native vigor of her mind4
 ,as regards remoter ancestry and their 
intellectual and moral qualities1       
,edwards seems also to have been well   
born2 an exception1 however1 must be    
made of the eccentric and possibly      
insane grandmother on his father's side1
 whose outrageous conduct led to her    
divorce4#a  ,brought up the only son in 
a family of ten daughters1 apart from   
all distracting influences1 in an       
atmosphere of religion and serious study
 in the home1 amid natural surroundings 
of meadows1 woods1 and low-lying distant
 hills singularly conducive to a life of
 contemplation1 the boy early developed 
that absorbing interest in the things of
 the spirit1 and that astonishing       
acuteness of intellect which are the    
most prominent characteristics of his   
genius4 ,while a mere child he spent    

much of his time in religious exercises 
and in conversation on religious matters
 with other boys1 with some of whom he  
joined to build a booth in a retired    
spot in a swamp for secret prayer2 he   
had besides several other such places   
for prayer in the woods to which he was 
wont to retire4 ,his mind also dwelt    
much on the doctrines he was taught1    
especially on the doctrine of ,god's    
sovereignty in election1 against which  
he at that time violently rebelled4     
,when only ten years of age he wrote a  
short1 quaint1 somewhat humorous little 
tract on the immortality of the soul2 at
 about twelve he composed a remarkably  
accurate and ingenious paper on the     
habits of the flying spider4  ,he       
entered the ,collegiate ,school of      
,connecticut at ,saybrook--afterwards   
,yale ,college--at thirteen1 and in     
#agbj1 shortly before his seventeenth   
birthday1 graduated at ,new ,haven with 
the valedictory4 ,in his ,sophomore year
 he made the acquaintance of ,locke's   

,essay on the ,human ,understanding--a  
work which left a permanent impress on  
his thinking4 ,he read it1 he says1 with
 a far higher pleasure than the most    
greedy miser finds when gathering up    
handfuls of silver and gold from some   
newly-discovered treasure4 ,under its   
influence he began a series of ,notes on
 the ,mind1 with a view to a            
comprehensive treatise on mental        
philosophy4 ,he also began1 possibly    
somewhat later1 a series of ,notes on   
,natural ,science1 with reference to a  
similar work on natural philosophy4 ,it 
is in these early writings that we find 
the outlines of an idealistic theory    
which resembles1 but was probably not at
 all derived from1 that of ,berkeley1   
and which seems to have remained a      
determining factor in his speculations  
to the last4#b  ,after graduating he    
continued to reside for two years in    
,new ,haven1 studying for the ministry4 
,from ,august1 #agbb1 till the following
 ,april he supplied the pulpit of a     

small ,presbyterian congregation in ,new
 ,york1 but declined the invitation to  
remain as their minister4 ,after        
returning to his father's home in       
,windsor1 he received at least two other
 calls1 one of which he seems to have   
accepted4#c ,in ,september1 #agbc1 he   
went to ,new ,haven to receive his      
,master's degree1 was appointed a tutor 
at the college1 entered upon the active 
duties of that office in ,june1 #agbd1  
and continued in the same till          
,september1 #agbf1 when he resigned his 
tutorship to become colleague-pastor    
with his grandfather ,stoddard in the   
church at ,northampton4  ,the spiritual 
history of ,edwards in these years of   
growth from youth to early manhood is   
recorded by his own hand in a narrative 
of personal experiences written at a    
later date for his own use1 in fragments
 of a diary1 and in a series of         
resolutions which he drew up for the    
conduct of his own life4 ,these         
documents1 which were first published by

 his biographer and descendant1 ,sereno 
,e4 ,dwight1 in #ahbi1 throw a flood of 
light on ,edwards's character and       
temperament1 and serve to explain much  
in his life which would otherwise be    
obscure4 ,he tells us in his narrative  
how the childish delight in the         
exercises of religion before referred to
 gradually declined2 how at length he   
turned like a dog to his vomit1 and went
 on in the ways of sin2 then how1 after 
much conflict of soul1 he experienced   
toward the end of his college course a  
genuine conversion1 issuing in a new    
life and1 in the course of time1 a deep 
and delightful sense of ,god's          
sovereignty1 the excellency of ,christ1 
and the beauty of holiness4 ,there is   
possibly some exaggeration in ,edwards's
 description of this lapse and this     
recovery1 but it was at least a very    
real experience to him1 and it doubtless
 contributed to the emphasis which he   
afterwards put on conversion in his     
preaching4 ,his own state after this    

decisive change was at times one of     
mystic rapture--a calm1 sweet           
abstraction of soul from all the        
concerns of this world2 and sometimes a 
kind of vision1 or fixed ideas and      
imaginations1 of being alone in the     
mountains or some solitary wilderness1  
far from all mankind1 sweetly conversing
 with ,christ and wrapped and swallowed 
up in ,god4 ,his diary is the record of 
a soul straining in its flight4 ,he     
watches the fluctuations of his moods   
with almost morbid intensity1 and yet in
 a way by no means merely conventional1 
and with a singular absence of          
sentimentality1 so evidently sincere    
and1 in a sense1 objective are his      
observations4 ,of his seventy           
,resolutions1 all written before he was 
twenty1 the following may be taken as a 
specimen3 it is the language of a mind  
as truly original as religious1 and is  
eminently characteristic4 ,on the       
supposition that there never was to be  
but one individual in the world1 at any 

one time1 who was properly a complete   
,christian1 in all respects of a right  
stamp1 having ,christianity always      
shining in its true lustre1 and         
appearing excellent and lovely1 from    
whatever part and under whatever        
character viewed1 ,resolved3 ,to act    
just as ,i would do1 if ,i strove with  
all my might to be that one1 who should 
live in my time4 ,and he did so act2    
these resolutions were not empty1 they  
really determined his life4  ,edwards   
was ordained at ,northampton1 ,february 
#ae1 #agbg1 being then in his           
twenty-fourth year4 ,five months later1 
,july #bh1 he married the beautiful     
,sarah ,pierrepont1 then seventeen1 the 
daughter of the ,rev4 ,james            
,pierrepont1 of ,new ,haven1 one of the 
founders1 and a prominent trustee1 of   
,yale ,college1 and on her mother's     
side1 the great-granddaughter of ,thomas
 ,hooker1 the father of the ,connecticut
 churches4 ,edwards's description of    
her1 written four years before their    

marriage1 is famous4#d ,the union proved
 a singularly happy one1 the            
intelligence1 cheerfulness1 piety1 and  
practical sagacity of ,mrs4 ,edwards    
combining to make her at once a         
congenial companion and a most useful   
helpmeet to her zealously devout1 highly
 intellectual1 but often low-spirited   
husband1 immersed in his writings and   
his books4 ,they had twelve children1   
all born in ,northampton4 ,mr4 ,stoddard
 died ,february #aa1 #agbi1 leaving the 
young minister in full pastoral charge4 
,it was a responsible undertaking for so
 young a man to guide the affairs of a  
church reputed the largest and          
wealthiest in the colony outside of     
,boston1 one too on which the venerable 
and venerated ,stoddard had stamped the 
impress of his strong personality during
 a ministry of nearly sixty years4      
,edwards1 as he later confesses1 made   
mistakes4 ,nevertheless1 he succeeded in
 winning and holding the confidence1    
admiration1 and affection of the people 

during the greater part of the          
twenty-three years of his ministry in   
,northampton4 ,he carried the church    
through two great periods of revival    
7#agcd-ce1 #agdj-db71 and added over    
five hundred and fifty names to its     
membership4#e ,this1 however1 represents
 but a small part of his influence in   
these years4 ,both by his preaching in  
,northampton and elsewhere and by his   
published writings1 notably his printed 
sermons and his works dealing with the  
revivals1 in which must be included his 
treatise on the ,religious ,affections1 
he powerfully affected the currents of  
religious thought and life throughout   
,new ,england and the neighboring       
colonies and1 to some extent also1 in   
,england and ,scotland4 ,his mission had
 been to recall the ,puritan churches1  
which for some seventy years had        
languished in a period of decline1 to   
the old high ,puritan standards both of 
creed and of conduct1 and to infuse into
 them a new spirit of vital piety4 ,in  

this he was largely successful2 and     
still to-day1 in spite of wide          
departures from his theological system1 
he remains an effectual spiritual force 
in the churches inheriting the ,puritan 
tradition4  ,the estrangement between   
,edwards and his people began in #agdd1 
in connection with a case of discipline 
in which a large number of the youth    
belonging to the leading families of the
 town were brought under suspicion of   
reading and circulating immoral books4#f
 ,during the excitement of the revival  
the people had willingly accepted his   
high demands4 ,but now1 in the reaction1
 flesh and blood rebelled4 ,edwards1    
however1 was not the man to accommodate 
the claims of religion1 as he conceived 
those claims1 to the weaknesses of human
 nature4 ,it would not be strange if1   
under the circumstances1 the people     
looked on their minister as something of
 a spiritual dictator1 exercising a kind
 of spiritual tyranny4 ,still1 this     
feeling1 so far as it then existed1 was 

not likely to have led to an open       
rupture1 had it not been that four years
 later1 on occasion of an               
application--the first in those         
years--for membership in the church1    
,edwards sought to impose a new test of 
qualification4 ,he required1 namely1    
that the candidate for full communion   
should give evidence of being converted1
 and as such converted person1 should   
make a public profession of godliness4  
,this restriction ran counter to the    
principles and usage established by ,mr4
 ,stoddard1 accepted by most of the     
neighboring churches1 and hitherto      
followed by ,edwards himself1 according 
to which1 not only might persons be     
admitted to church membership on the    
terms of the ,halfway ,covenant1 but    
they might come to the ,lord's ,supper1 
if they desired to do so1 even without  
the assurance of conversion1 the hope   
being that the rite might itself prove a
 converting ordinance4 ,edwards was now 
openly charged with seeking to lord it  

over the brethren1 and the indignation  
was intense4 ,he1 on his part1 was      
convinced of the correctness of his     
position1 and was prepared to maintain  
it at all costs4 ,the unhappy           
controversy lasted for two years3       
,edwards dignified1 courteous1 disposed 
to be conciliatory1 yet insisting on the
 recognition of his rights1 and showing 
throughout his great moral and          
intellectual superiority2 the people    
prejudiced1 obstinate1 refusing even to 
consider his views or to allow him to   
set them forth in the pulpit1 bent only 
on getting rid of him4 ,finally1 on     
,june #bb1 #agej1 the ,council1 convened
 to advise on the matter1 recommended1  
by a vote of #aj to #i1 the minority    
protesting1 that the pastoral relations 
should be dissolved4 ,the concurrent    
sentiment of the church was expressed by
 the overwhelming vote of about #bjj to 
#bj of the male members4 ,the next      
,sunday but one ,edwards preached his   
,farewell ,sermon4#g  ,edwards was now  

forty-six years of age1 unfitted1 as he 
says1 for any other business but study1 
and with a numerous and chargeable      
family to face the world with4 ,the long
 controversy and the circumstances      
attending the dismissal had had a       
depressing effect on his spirits1 and   
the outlook seemed to him gloomy in the 
extreme4 ,but his trust was in ,god1 and
 friends did not fail4 ,from ,scotland  
came the offer of assistance in         
procuring him a charge there2 his       
,northampton adherents desired him to   
remain and form a separate church in the
 town4 ,early in ,december he received a
 call from the little church in         
,stockbridge1 on the frontier1 and about
 the same time an invitation from the   
,commissioners in ,boston of the        
,society in ,london for ,propagating the
 ,gospel in ,new ,england and the parts 
adjacent to become their missionary to  
the ,indians1 who then formed a large   
part of the ,stockbridge settlement4    
,after acquainting himself by a         

residence of several months in          
,stockbridge with the conditions of the 
work1 and after receiving satisfactory  
assurances1 in a personal interview with
 the ,governor1 with regard to the      
conduct of the ,indian mission1 he      
accepted both of these proposals4 ,he   
had scarcely done so when he received a 
call1 with the promise of generous      
support1 from a church in ,virginia4    
,the opposition which had driven him    
from ,northampton followed him to       
,stockbridge4 ,for several years a      
persistent effort was made to obstruct  
his work1 particularly his work among   
the ,indians1 and even to secure his    
removal4 ,but he successfully met this  
opposition1 won the confidence of the   
,indians1 and greatly endeared himself  
to the ,english4 ,here1 too1 in the     
wilderness he found time and opportunity
 for the writing of those great         
treatises on the ,freedom of the ,will1 
on the ,end for which ,god created the  
,world1 on the ,nature of ,true ,virtue1

 and on the ,christian ,doctrine of     
,original ,sin1 which are the principal 
foundation of his theological           
reputation4  ,meanwhile an event had    
occurred in ,edwards's family destined  
to have important consequences--the     
marriage of his daughter ,esther to the 
,rev4 ,aaron ,burr1 ,president of       
,nassau ,hall1 in ,princeton4#h ,in     
,september1 #ageg1 ,mr4 ,burr died2 two 
days later1 the ,corporation appointed  
,edwards as his successor4 ,edwards was 
for various reasons reluctant to accept 
the appointment2 he mistrusted his      
fitness1 he especially feared that the  
duties of the office would seriously    
interrupt the literary work in which he 
was now engrossed4 ,nevertheless1 on the
 recommendation of a ,council called at 
his desire to advise in the matter1 he  
accepted the call4 ,he left ,stockbridge
 in ,january1 and toward the end of the 
month reached ,princeton4 ,but the only 
work he did as ,president of the        
,college was to preach for five or six  

,sundays and to give out themes in      
divinity to the ,senior ,class1 with    
whom he afterwards discussed their      
papers on them4 ,the small-pox was      
epidemic in the town when he arrived1   
and as a precautionary measure he had   
himself inoculated4 ,the disease1 mild  
at first1 developed badly1 and on ,march
 #bb1 #ageh1 he died4 ,from his         
death-bed he sent this tender and       
characteristic message to his wife1 who 
was still in ,stockbridge3 ,give my     
kindest love to my dear wife1 and tell  
her that the uncommon union1 which has  
so long subsisted between us1 has been  
of such a nature1 as1 ,i trust1 is      
spiritual1 and therefore will continue  
forever4 ,his last words1 also          
characteristic1 were1 ,trust in ,god1   
and ye need not fear4  ,a tall1 spare   
man1 with high1 broad forehead1 clear   
piercing eyes1 prominent nose1 thin1 set
 lips and a rather weak chin1 his whole 
appearance suggested the perspicacity of
 intellect and the integrity1           

refinement1 and benevolence of character
 of one possessing little physical      
energy1 little suited to practical      
affairs1 but intensely alive in the     
spirit1 intensely absorbed in the       
contemplation of things invisible and   
eternal4 ,the two qualities1 indeed1 for
 which he is most distinguished are     
spirituality and intellectuality4       
,spiritual-mindedness was the very core 
and essence of his being4 ,religion was 
his element4 ,god was to him absolute   
,reality2 ,his will and ,his thoughts   
alone constituted the ultimate truth and
 meaning of things4 ,nor was this with  
,edwards a mere philosophical           
speculation2 it was the high region in  
which he drew vital breath1 the solid   
ground on which he walked4 ,he walked   
with ,god4 ,he has been called the      
,saint of ,new ,england4 ,like other    
saints1 he too has on occasion his      
ecstasies4#i  ,to this high             
spirituality1 with its rich emotional   
coloring1 was united a power and        

subtlety of intellect such as is        
possessed by only the very greatest     
masters of the mind4 ,the spiritual     
world in which ,edwards moved was for   
him no mere shadowy realm of pious      
sentiment or vague aspiration1 but a    
world whose main outlines1 at least1    
were sharply defined for thought4 ,he   
conceived it1 namely1 in accordance with
 the scheme of things systematized by   
,calvin1 but originally wrought out with
 the compelling force of transcendent   
genius by ,augustine4 ,the theological  
thought of ,augustine is concerned--to  
put the matter as simply as             
possible--with the elaboration of four  
fundamental ideas3 the absolute         
sovereignty of ,god2 the absolute       
dependence of man2 the supernatural     
revelation of a divinely originated plan
 of salvation administered by the       
,church2 and a philosophy of history    
according to which the whole created    
universe and the entire temporal course 
of events are ordered and governed from 

all eternity with reference to the      
establishment and triumph of a ,kingdom 
of saints in the ,church1 the holy ,city
 of ,god4 ,augustine's conception of the
 ,church is modified1 but not in        
principle rejected1 by the ,protestant  
theologians2 the other features of the  
scheme remain substantially unchanged4  
,the idea of ,god's absolute sovereignty
 leads naturally1 in connection with the
 motives supplied by certain teachings  
of ,scripture1 ,roman jurisprudence1    
,greek philosophy1 and the experiences  
of a profound religious consciousness1  
to the doctrines of ,god's eternal      
foreknowledge1 ,his arbitrary1 i4e41    
unconditional decrees1--the eternal     
world-plan1--predestination1 election1  
the historic work of redemption1        
everlasting punishment for the          
unrepentant wicked1 everlasting felicity
 for the elect saints4 ,over against the
 sovereignty of ,god stands man's       
absolute dependence1 historically       
conditioned1 as regards his present     

spiritual capacities1 by the ,fall1 with
 original sin1 total depravity1 and the 
utter inability of man to recover by    
himself his lost heritage as its        
consequence4 ,hence the great1 the      
essential tragedy of human life--man    
naturally corrupt1 in slavery to sin1 at
 enmity with ,god1 utterly incompetent  
to change a condition in which1 by a    
sort of natural necessity1 he is the    
subject of ,god's vindictive justice1   
utterly dependent for salvation on the  
free1 unmerited grace of ,god1 who has  
mercy on whom ,he will have mercy1 while
 whom ,he will ,he hardeneth1 revealing 
alike in mercy and in punishment the    
majesty of ,his divine and sovereign    
attributes4  ,this1 in general1 is the  
scheme which ,edwards stands for1 he    
most conspicuously of all men of modern 
times4 ,his speculative genius gave to  
this scheme a metaphysical background1  
his logical acumen elaboration and      
defence4 ,he modified it in some        
respects1 e4g41 in his doctrine of the  

will4 ,what is more important1 he gave a
 prominence to the inward state of      
man--the dispositions and affections of 
his mind and heart--which appreciably   
affected the relative values of the     
scheme1 and which has1 in fact1 changed 
the entire complexion of the religious  
thought of ,new ,england4 ,but as to the
 general scheme itself1 the philosophy  
of religion1 the philosophy of life it  
expresses1 there is nothing in that     
which is essentially original with      
,edwards4 ,in standing for these        
doctrines he but champions the great    
orthodox tradition4  ,but however little
 original may be the content of his     
thought1 there is nothing that is not in
 the highest degree original in his     
manner of thinking4 ,the significant    
thing about ,edwards is the way he      
enters into the tradition1 infuses it   
with his personality and makes it live4 
,the vitality of his thought gives to   
its product the value of a unique       
creation4 ,two qualities in him         

especially contribute to this result1   
large constructive imagination and a    
marvellously acute power of abstract    
reasoning4 ,with the vision of the seer 
he looks steadily upon his world1 which 
is the world of all time and space and  
existence1 and sees it as a whole2 ,god 
and souls are in it the great realities1
 and the transactions between them the  
great business in which all its movement
 is concerned2 and this movement has in 
it nothing haphazard1 it is eternally   
determined with reference to a supreme  
and glorious end1 the manifestation of  
the excellency of ,god1 the highest     
excellency of being4 ,all the dark and  
tragic aspects of the vision1 which for 
him is intensely real1 take their place 
along with the other aspects1 in a      
system1 a system wherein every part     
derives meaning and worth from its      
relation to the whole4 ,people have     
wondered how ,edwards1 the gentlest of  
men1 could contemplate1 as he said he   
did1 with sweetness and delight1 the    

awful doctrine of the divine sovereignty
 interpreted1 as he interpreted it1 as  
implying the everlasting misery of a    
large part of the human race4 ,the      
reason is no revolting indifference1    
callous and inhuman1 to suffering2 the  
reason is rather the personal           
detachment1 the disinterested interest1 
the freedom from the pathetic fallacy of
 the great poet1 the great constructive 
thinker4 ,it is this large quality in   
,edwards's imagination which is one     
source of his power4 ,another is the    
thoroughness and ability with which he  
intellectually elaborates the details of
 his scheme4 ,he wrote1 indeed1 no      
system of divinity2 yet he is the very  
opposite of a fragmentary thinker1 and  
few minds have been less episodic than  
was his4 ,his intellectual constructions
 are large and solid4 ,of the doctrines 
with which he deals1 he leaves nothing  
undeveloped2 with infinite patience he  
pushes his inquiries into every minute  
detail and remote consequence1 putting  

his adversaries to confusion by the     
unremitting attack1 the overwhelming    
massiveness of the argument4 ,rarely    
indeed can one escape his conclusions   
who accepts his premises4 ,moreover1 by 
the thoroughness1 acuteness and         
sincerity of his reasoning he powerfully
 stimulates the intellectual faculties4 
,even in his most terrific sermons he   
never appeals to mere hope and fear1 nor
 to mere authority2 in them1 as in his  
theological treatises1 he is bent on    
demonstrating1 within the limits        
prescribed by the underlying            
assumptions1 the reasonableness of his  
doctrine1 its agreement with the facts  
of life and the constitution of things1 
as well as with the inspired teachings  
of the ,word4  ,now these qualities     
appear1 as in his other writings1 so    
also1 and perhaps most conspicuously1 in
 his sermons4 ,edwards's chief public   
work and his chief reputation in his    
lifetime was as a preacher2 the fame of 
his theological treatises is largely1   

indeed1 posthumous4 ,he was a great     
preacher4 ,in the case of many of the   
older divines1 it is difficult for us   
now to understand how they could ever   
have been considered great preachers3 to
 us their sermons seem dry and insipid4 
,but it is not so with ,edwards4 ,even  
in print1 after more than a hundred and 
fifty years1 and notwithstanding the    
gulf which separates our age from his1  
his sermons are still deeply            
interesting4 ,they are interesting      
because1 among other things1 they reveal
 a great and interesting personality4   
,they are instinct with the energy of   
his intellect1 they are vital with the  
vital touch of his genius4 ,he preached 
his theology2 some of his sermons--for  
instance1 the sermon1 or rather         
combination of sermons1 on              
,justification by ,faith--seem to be    
less sermons than highly elaborate      
theological disquisitions1 adapted to   
the use of professional students4 ,and  
there is doubtless no sermon of his     

which does not reflect1 to some extent1 
his theological system4 ,edwards was    
certainly impressed with ,the           
,importance and ,advantage of a         
,thorough ,knowledge of ,divine         
,truth--the theme and title of one of   
his ablest discourses4 ,he held that    
,god had revealed ,himself not only to  
the heart1 but to the mind of man1 and  
that an intelligent apprehension of the 
revelation was indispensable1 in some   
measure1 alike to saving faith and to   
the development of ,christian character4
 ,but it would be a mistake to think of 
,edwards as preaching the dry bones of  
his theology4 ,he was far1 indeed1 from 
supposing1 as some now seem to suppose1 
that a ,christian society can be the    
more perfectly organized in proportion  
as all definiteness of theological1 that
 is1 distinctively religious1           
conceptions is eliminated4 ,he had too  
profound a respect for the intellect to 
exclude it from matters of the deepest  
speculative as well as practical moment1

 and he had too lofty an idea of        
religion to identify it either with     
vague1 transcendental emotion or with   
merely personal1 social1 or political   
morality4 ,his sermons1 however1 are by 
no means all of one type4 ,on the       
contrary1 they are of a great variety of
 types4 ,they are doctrinal1 practical1 
experimental1 and--taking into account  
the unpublished manuscripts--there is an
 unusually large number of occasional   
sermons4#aj ,and there are a good many  
varieties within the types4 ,but even   
when the sermons are most doctrinal1 the
 practical interest of a living         
conviction of the truth is never absent4
 ,the abstract antithesis of thought and
 life1 of theory and practice1 as though
 thinking were not itself a doing or as 
though an attitude toward truth were not
 itself practical or capable of         
determining other practical attitudes1  
is an error from which ,edwards is      
wholesomely free4  ,to say this is not  
necessarily to approve the content of   

his doctrinal preaching4 ,the thought of
 the churches with which ,edwards was   
associated has moved away from his      
thought4 ,he contended stoutly for his  
scheme of things1 but he fought1 it     
would seem1 a losing fight4 ,it is not  
that he has been refuted by abstract    
logic2 the argument by which he has been
 set aside1 so far as he has been set   
aside1 is the logic of events4 ,the     
change has been brought about no doubt  
by many influences4 ,some of them seem  
purely sentimental4 ,but there are two  
things at least of fundamental          
divergence in the character of our      
time--the development in us of a        
critically disciplined historical sense 
and the dominating influence in our     
modern science and philosophy of the    
idea of evolution4 ,these have broken   
down those hard and fast distinctions   
between nature and the supernatural1    
nature and grace1 human reason and      
divine revelation in which ,edwards     
delighted1 at least in the form in which

 he habitually preached them4 ,with the 
establishment1 on the lines of          
historical criticism1 of new canons of  
exegesis in the interpretation of       
,scripture and with the gradual         
disappearance of the idea of the ,bible 
as an external authority1 ,protestant   
,christianity is at present confronting 
the question1 whether the entire claim  
of ,christianity to be a supernatural   
revelation1 in the sense in which the   
term supernatural is used by orthodox   
theologians1 has not been misplaced4    
,this is a question which ,edwards never
 raises and which he does not help us   
directly to solve4 ,he has the mind of a
 speculative philosopher1 has a very    
profound thought of ,god1 grasps firmly 
the eternal spiritual significance of   
things2 but he is deficient in the      
historical sense--his ,history of       
,redemption is a wholly uncritical1     
dogmatic construction1 and he is not    
speculative enough to find1 or at least 
he works under conditions which prevent 

him from showing1 the mediating         
principles by which the antitheses and  
contradictions of experience and theory 
can be reconciled and annulled4  ,but to
 return to the sermons4 ,edwards's      
sermons are constructed1 in general1 on 
a definite model4 ,we have1 first1 the  
,exposition of the text4 ,we have1      
secondly1 a clearly formulated statement
 of the ,doctrine1 which is then        
developed under its appropriate and     
preannounced divisions4 ,finally1 we    
have what is variously called the       
,improvement1 ,use1 or ,application1    
similarly developed4 ,the ,doctrine is  
not usually an abstract theological     
dogma3 it is simply the theme of the    
discourse stated in propositional form4 
,thus an unpublished sermon on ,john i4 
#da1 #db has this for its statement of  
doctrine3 ,when persons have truly come 
to ,christ themselves1 they naturally   
desire to bring others also to him4     
,another unpublished sermon on ,john    
iii4 #g has this3 ',tis no wonder that  

,christ said that we must be born again4
 ,in another--also unpublished--from the
 text ,john i4 #dg the doctrine is the  
similarly simple statement1 ',tis a     
great thing to be indeed a converted    
person4 ,sometimes1 though rarely1 the  
statement of a doctrine is omitted      
altogether1 the text itself being       
regarded as sufficiently defining the   
subject4#aa ,this1 however1 is never the
 case with the ,application4 ,indeed1 so
 practical is ,edwards in his preaching 
that the ,application is sometimes much 
the larger part of the discourse4 ,in   
the sermon on ,john i4 #dg1 for example1
 it fills about two-thirds of the       
manuscript4 ,in fact1 the proportion of 
these parts1 ,exposition1 ,development  
of ,doctrine and ,application1 depends  
entirely on the nature of the theme and 
the special ends of the sermon4 ,and    
similarly of the length and number of   
the subdivisions4 ,one feature is       
constant--strictly logical arrangement4 
,however finely articulated the sermons 

may be1 they are constructed so as to   
make a distinctly unified impression4   
,nor is this unity of impression        
seriously interfered with1 as a rule1 by
 the length of the sermon4 ,edwards was 
not in the habit of exhausting the      
attention of his audience4              
,occasionally1 however1 he would develop
 his theme through two or more sermons4 
,when these appear in the printed       
editions as a single discourse1 the     
length naturally seems inordinate4 ,in  
the manuscripts the parts of such       
compound sermons are indicated by the   
word ,doc 7,doctrine7 at the divisions1 
suggesting that the preacher was wont1  
in renewing the theme1 to remind his    
hearers of the precise nature of the    
subject under discussion4#ab  ,and as   
there was no confusion in the thought1  
so the style of ,edwards's sermons is   
singularly clear1 simple and unstudied4 
,he affects no graces1 seeks no         
adornments1 which the subject-matter    
itself and his interest in it do not    

naturally lend4 ,the style is the man is
 a saying which peculiarly applies to   
him4 ,the nobility1 strength and        
directness of his thought1 the vividness
 and largeness of his imagination1 the  
truthfulness and elevation of his       
character1 the intensity of his         
convictions1 his impassioned earnestness
 are reflected in his discourses4 ,they 
seem to have been to an unusual degree a
 spontaneous form of self-expression4   
,but attention is never diverted from   
the subject to the skill of the         
workmanship4 ,the object is not to      
delight1 but to convince1 and the       
attainment of this end is sought by     
direct methods of argument1 persuasion  
and appeal4 ,yet the style1 though      
simple and straightforward1 is very far 
from being barren4 ,the sermons are full
 of great1 rich1 beautiful words2 and   
there are many passages in them of      
wonderful charm as well as many of great
 sublimity and rhetorical power4 ,but   
,edwards's interest in these seems never

 merely verbal4 ,he is not a maker of   
phrases4 ,he makes use of striking      
metaphor and startling antithesis1 his  
style is often picturesque1 he well     
knows the rhetorical value of iteration1
 when the repeated phrase is employed in
 a varied context2 but he never seeks to
 produce his effects by literary        
indirection4 ,he can be easy1 familiar1 
colloquial even1 on occasion1 if that   
suits his purpose2 but he is never      
undignified1 never vulgarly sensational1
 nor does he seem ever to be            
intentionally humorous4 ,the            
construction of his sentences is often  
such as the pedantry of modern standards
 would condemn2 but however             
old-fashioned1 it is seldom indeed that 
the expression can be called whimsical  
or quaint4 ,the most determining        
external influence on his style was     
unquestionably the old1 so-called ,king 
,james version of the ,english ,bible4  
,his language is saturated with its     
thought and phraseology4 ,and as he is  

intimately acquainted with it in all its
 parts1 so he is continually quoting it 
and constantly surprising us with fresh 
discoveries1 in novel collocations1 of  
its variety1 beauty and impressiveness4 
,he was influenced also doubtless by his
 too exclusively theological and        
philosophical reading4 ,but it is1 in   
the end1 the originality of his own     
genius1 the depth and subtlety and force
 of his mind and the richness of his    
spiritual experiences1 which we must    
regard as setting the stamp upon his    
style4 ,edwards's sermons are           
hall-marked3 they have not only interest
 as historical memorials of the         
religious conditions of their time2 as  
the personal expressions of an original 
mind1 working in traditional material1  
indeed1 but animating and so            
refashioning it with the unique form of 
a great personality1 they have also the 
value of literature4  ,largely to the   
union of the intellectual and emotional 
elements mentioned--the definiteness of 

the message1 the logical unity of the   
thought1 the singleness and sincerity of
 the aim1 the intensity of the          
conviction1 the thorough knowledge of   
,scripture1 the profound acquaintance1  
through personal experience1 of the     
religious movings of the human          
heart--must be attributed1 in connection
 with the state of religious thought and
 feeling of the time and the respect    
aroused by the character of the         
preacher1 the power which he exercised  
on his contemporaries4 ,of his manner of
 preaching we have from his pupil1      
,hopkins1 the following authentic       
testimony4 ,his appearance in the desk  
was with a good grace1 and his delivery 
easy1 natural and very solemn4 ,he had  
not a strong1 loud voice1 but appeared  
with such gravity and solemnity1 and    
spake with such distinctness1 clearness 
and precision1 his words were so full of
 ideas1 set in such a plain and striking
 light1 that few speakers have been so  
able to demand the attention of an      

audience as he4 ,his words often        
discovered a great degree of inward     
fervor1 without much noise or external  
emotion1 and fell with great weight on  
the minds of his hearers4 ,he made but  
little motion of his head or hands in   
the desk1 but spake as to discover the  
motion of his own heart1 which tended in
 the most natural and effectual manner  
to move and affect others4  ,as he wrote
 his sermons out at large for many      
years1 and always wrote a considerable  
part of most of his public discourses1  
so he carried his notes into the desk   
with him1 and read the most that he     
wrote2 yet he was not so confined to his
 notes1 when he wrote at large1 but     
that1 if some thoughts were suggested1  
while he was speaking1 which did not    
occur when writing1 and appeared to him 
pertinent and striking1 he would deliver
 them2 and that with as great propriety1
 and oftener with greater pathos1 and   
attended with a more sensible good      
effect on his hearers1 than all he had  

wrote4#ac         99       99       99  
99       99  ,the sermons in the present
 volume have been selected as           
representative of ,edwards the preacher 
rather than of ,edwards the theologian4 
,any such collection must include at    
least the following four3 the sermon on 
,man's ,dependence1 the sermon on       
,spiritual ,light1 the ,enfield ,sermon 
and the ,farewell ,sermon4 ,these are   
classic4 ,moreover1 they represent      
,edwards in four of his most            
distinguishing aspects3 as the powerful 
champion of a theology resting          
ultimately on the principle of a        
transcendent1 righteous1 sovereign      
,will2 as the equally convinced advocate
 of the mystical principle of an        
immediate1 intuitive apprehension1      
through supernatural illumination1 of   
divine truth2 as the flaming revivalist1
 with pitiless logic and terrible       
realism of description1 arousing1       
startling1 overwhelming the sinner with 
the sense of impending doom2 finally1 as

 the rejected minister appealing1       
without rancor or bitterness1 from the  
judgment of this world to the judgment  
of an infallible tribunal and displaying
 what must ever make him more           
interesting1 more precious as a heritage
 to the ,church and the world1 than any 
of his opinions or his works1 the       
dignity and repose1 the patience1       
strength and depth of a great character1
 perfected through suffering and        
apparent defeat1 in what was virtually  
the ,apologia of his ministerial life4  
,these sermons alone would suffice to   
justify ,edwards's reputation as the    
foremost preacher of his age4 ,still1   
they cannot1 of course1 be taken as     
adequately representing the whole range 
and power of his discourses4 ,in        
particular1 the ,enfield sermon1 which  
has loomed so large in the popular      
imagination of ,jonathan ,edwards1 and  
which1 in fact1 is but one--to be sure1 
the most extreme--of a number of the    
same type1 cannot be taken as fairly    

representative even of ,edwards's       
revival sermons4 ,there has1 therefore1 
been added1 in this reference1 a revival
 sermon of another type1 the sermon on  
,ruth's ,resolution4 ,this sermon was   
chosen1 not because it is better than   
some others1 but because1 while being an
 excellent sermon of its kind1 it is    
also brief1 and so better adapted to the
 scope of this volume4 ,there has been  
further added1 as representing a type   
distinctly different from any of the    
others1 the funeral sermon entitled ,a  
,strong ,rod ,broken and ,withered1     
which is certainly one of the noblest1  
in thought and expression1 of ,edwards's
 discourses1 and which is probably      
unique among his writings as dealing    
with the subject of civil government and
 the management of affairs4 ,had space  
permitted1 the picture of the ,christian
 statesman in this sermon might have    
been matched by the picture of the      
,christian minister in one of the       
ordination sermons2 but the omission is 

the less serious since the conception is
 so largely realized in ,edwards        
himself4  ,the above six sermons were   
selected independently of the fact that 
they are among the ten published by     
their author2 but this circumstance     
confirms the choice and1 moreover1      
serves to authenticate the text4        
,edwards has suffered not a little at   
the hands of his editors1 particularly  
,dwight1 who seems to have been         
possessed by the idea that his author   
would appear to better advantage in a   
style and language more elegant and     
refined4 ,don't do as ,orpah did1 pleads
 ,edwards in the ,ruth sermon2 ,do not  
as ,orpah did1 is the feeble refinement 
of his editor4 ,but even the generally  
accurate ,worcester or ,first ,american 
,edition 7#ahji7 is not to be implicitly
 trusted2 for instance1 two whole pages 
are omitted at the end of the ,enfield  
sermon1 giving to that sermon a         
startling and bizarre close1 wholly out 
of keeping with ,edwards's habitual     

manner4 ,later editions import other    
errors and1 even while professing to    
follow the ,worcester edition1          
sometimes1 in fact1 follow not that     
edition1 but ,dwight's 7e4g41 in the    
,ruth sermon74 ,the present text is     
based upon a careful comparison of the  
original editions1 now very scarce1 in  
the ,boston ,athenaeum4 ,the original   
expressions1 'tis1 won't1 don't1 etc41  
as ,edwards himself printed them1 have  
been restored1 a number of verbal errors
 in the later editions corrected and    
several omitted lines recovered1 besides
 the long passage already mentioned1    
which is1 however1 in ,dwight1 at the   
end of the ,enfield sermon4 ,no attempt1
 however1 has been made to give a       
facsimile reproduction of the first     
editions with all their printer's       
errors1 capricious spelling1 antiquated 
punctuation and uncouth use of capitals 
and italics4 ,these externalities could 
but distract the modern reader1 while   
adding nothing essential to accuracy4   

,in these respects1 therefore1 the more 
modern usage has been followed4 ,the aim
 has simply been to give the exact words
 of the originals and to preserve their 
spirit1 treating the sermons as sermons 
to be preached and not as essays to be  
read4 ,accordingly1 while avoiding the  
extremes of the first editions1 italics 
have been used where ,edwards used them 
to mark divisions1 or for special       
emphasis1 somewhat more freely than     
would be customary now4 ,this edition   
also follows his1 and the ,biblical1 use
 of ordinary type in personal pronouns  
referring to divine beings1 the verbal  
reverence in the modern use of capitals 
being regarded as needless to enhance   
the real reverence of ,edwards's thought
 and possibly a little out of place4    
,added words are enclosed within square 
brackets4  ,besides the six sermons     
mentioned1 the present collection       
includes one1 the interesting if not    
exactly great sermon on the ,many       
,mansions1 which has not before been    

published4 ,a copy of this sermon made  
for the late ,professor ,edwards ,a4    
,park1 of ,andover1 was kindly put at   
the disposal of the editor by his son1  
the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,william ,e4 ,park1 of   
,gloversville1 ,n4,y42 but it has also  
been carefully collated with the        
original manuscript4 ,the editor has    
also examined the original manuscripts  
of all the other sermons in this volume1
 except that of the ,farewell ,sermon1  
which could not be discovered4 ,these   
manuscripts are all in the collection of
 between eleven and twelve hundred of   
,edwards's sermons now in the ,yale     
,university ,library4 ,most of these    
manuscripts are written in an           
exceedingly minute hand1 with many      
abbreviations and occasionally with     
insertions in shorthand1 on sheets of   
paper about #c-e_/h x #d-a_/h in4 in    
size1 stoutly stitched together4 ,the   
facsimile of the first page of the      
sermon on ,spiritual ,light given in    
this volume opposite p4 #ba is          

representative2 a relatively small      
number are slightly larger4 ,of the     
particular manuscripts some account will
 be found in the notes4 ,the handling   
and deciphering of these manuscripts    
give one a curious sense of intimacy    
with the working of ,edwards's brain and
 heart3 one is with him in his workshop 
and sees1 as it were1 the very thing in 
the making4 ,one seems to feel the      
intensity of the excitement as1 with his
 audience present in imagination1 and   
with keen delight in the activity of    
literary creation1 he works out his     
theme4 ,one observes how alternative    
forms of expression1 alternative lines  
of development1 suggest themselves1 and 
how now whole paragraphs1 whole pages   
are struck off at white heat1 while now1
 oftenest towards the end1 the barest   
outlines are jotted down1 to be filled  
out in delivery4 ,but the manuscripts of
 the sermons which ,edwards himself     
published afford no help in the fixing  
of the text4 ,the sermons as he printed 

them are invariably expanded and often  
greatly altered in other respects2 and  
the copy prepared for the printer is no 
longer extant4#ad ,this circumstance    
should not be overlooked in judging of  
sermons printed directly from the       
manuscripts4 ,in the ,yale collection1  
there are sermons which were written out
 pretty fully2 others are only fairly   
fully written out in parts1 others again
 are mere skeletons4 ,the majority of   
those of the ,northampton period are of 
the second sort4 ,among the hundreds of 
,edwards's unpublished sermons1 there   
are doubtless many that it would be     
interesting to have in print just as    
they stand2 it is doubtful if there are 
any which would add materially to his   
reputation as a preacher in comparison  
with the great sermons already          
published4  ,the portrait of ,edwards in
 this volume is from a recent photograph
 of the original painting of #agdj4 ,the
 photograph was kindly furnished by the 
present owner of the painting1 ,mr4     

,eugene ,p4 ,edwards1 of ,chicago1 to   
whom the editor takes this opportunity  
of expressing his obligations4 ,he also 
desires to express his thanks to ,dr4   
,william ,e4 ,park for the use of the   
copy of the sermon on the ,many         
,mansions2 to the publishers for        
allowing the extra space required for   
printing this new sermon2 to ,professor 
,franklin ,b4 ,dexter for generous help 
in the study of the manuscripts and for 
permission to photograph the sermon on  
,spiritual ,light2 to ,mr4 ,charles ,k4 
,bolton1 ,librarian of the ,boston      
,athenaeum1 for courtesies in the use of
 the first editions2 and to ,mr4 ,george
 ,n4 ,whipple of ,boston1 for verifying 
a number of references4                 
,,northampton1 ,,mass41       ,march1   
#aijd4     ,,selected ,,sermons ,,of    
,,jonathan ,,edwards     ,i  ,,god      
,,glorified ,,in ,,man',s ,,dependence  
deg4  #a ,,cor4 i4 #bi-ca4--,that no    
flesh should glory in his presence4 ,but
 of him are ye in ,christ ,jesus1 who of

 ,god is made unto us wisdom1 and       
righteousness1 and sanctification1 and  
redemption3 that according as it is     
written1 ,he that glorieth1 let him     
glory in the ,lord4   ,those ,christians
 to whom the apostle directed this      
epistle dwelt in a part of the world    
where human wisdom was in great repute2 
as the apostle observes in the #bb;d    
verse of this chapter1 ,the ,greeks seek
 after wisdom4 ,corinth was not far from
 ,athens1 that had been for many ages   
the most famous seat of philosophy and  
learning in the world4  ,the apostle    
therefore observes to them how that     
,god1 by the gospel1 destroyed and      
brought to nought their human wisdom4   
,the learned ,grecians and their great  
philosophers by all their wisdom did not
 know ,god3 they were not able to find  
out the truth in divine things4 ,but    
after they had done their utmost to no  
effect1 it pleased ,god at length to    
reveal himself by the gospel1 which they
 accounted foolishness4 ,he chose the   

foolish things of the world to confound 
the wise1 and the weak things of the    
world to confound the things which are  
mighty1 and the base things of the      
world1 and things that are despised1    
yea1 and things which are not1 to bring 
to nought the things that are4 ,and the 
apostle informs them why he thus did1 in
 the verse of the text3 ,that no flesh  
should glory in his presence1 c4  ,in   
which words may be observed1  #a4 ,what 
,god aims at in the disposition of      
things in the affair of redemption1     
viz41 that man should not glory in      
himself1 but alone in ,god3 ,that no    
flesh should glory in his               
presence1--that1 according as it is     
written1 ,he that glorieth1 let him     
glory in the ,lord4  #b4 ,how this end  
is attained in the work of redemption1  
viz41 by that absolute and immediate    
dependence which men have upon ,god in  
that work for all their good4 ,inasmuch 
as1  ,first1 ,all the good that they    
have is in and through ,christ2 he is   

made unto us wisdom1 righteousness1     
sanctification1 and redemption4 ,all the
 good of the fallen and redeemed        
creature is concerned in these four     
things1 and cannot be better distributed
 than into them2 but ,christ is each of 
them to us1 and we have none of them any
 otherwise than in him4 ,he is made of  
,god unto us wisdom3 in him are all the 
proper good and true excellency of the  
understanding4 ,wisdom was a thing that 
the ,greeks admired2 but ,christ is the 
true light of the world1 it is through  
him alone that true wisdom is imparted  
to the mind4 ',tis in and by ,christ    
that we have righteousness3 it is by    
being in him that we are justified1 have
 our sins pardoned1 and are received as 
righteous into ,god's favor4 ',tis by   
,christ that we have sanctification3 we 
have in him true excellency of heart as 
well as of understanding2 and he is made
 unto us inherent1 as well as imputed   
righteousness4 ',tis by ,christ that we 
have redemption1 or actual deliverance  

from all misery1 and the bestowment of  
all happiness and glory4 ,thus we have  
all our good by ,christ1 who is ,god4   
,secondly1 ,another instance wherein our
 dependence on ,god for all our good    
appears1 is this1 that it is ,god that  
has given us ,christ1 that we might have
 these benefits through him2 he of ,god 
is made unto us wisdom1 righteousness1  
c4  ,thirdly1 ',tis of him that we are  
in ,christ ,jesus1 and come to have an  
interest in him1 and so do receive those
 blessings which he is made unto us4 ,it
 is ,god that gives us faith whereby we 
close with ,christ4  ,so that in this   
verse is shown our dependence on each   
person in the ,trinity for all our good4
 ,we are dependent on ,christ the ,son  
of ,god1 as he is our wisdom1           
righteousness1 sanctification and       
redemption4 ,we are dependent on the    
,father1 who has given us ,christ1 and  
made him to be these things to us4 ,we  
are dependent on the ,holy ,ghost1 for  
'tis of him that we are in ,christ      

,jesus2 'tis the ,spirit of ,god that   
gives faith in him1 whereby we receive  
him and close with him4   ,,doctrine    
,god is glorified in the work of        
redemption in this1 that there appears  
in it so absolute and universal a       
dependence of the redeemed on him4      
,here ,i propose to show1 ,i41 ,that    
there is an absolute and universal      
dependence of the redeemed on ,god for  
all their good4 ,and ,,ii41 ,that ,god  
hereby is exalted and glorified in the  
work of redemption4  ,i4 ,there is an   
absolute and universal dependence of the
 redeemed on ,god4 ,the nature and      
contrivance of our redemption is such1  
that the redeemed are in every thing    
directly1 immediately and entirely      
dependent on ,god3 they are dependent on
 him for all1 and are dependent on him  
every way4  ,the several ways wherein   
the dependence of one being may be upon 
another for its good1 and wherein the   
redeemed of ,jesus ,christ depend on    
,god for all their good1 are these1     

viz41 that they have all their good of  
him1 and that they have all through him1
 and that they have all in him4 ,that he
 is the cause and original whence all   
their good comes1 therein it is of him2 
and that he is the medium by which it is
 obtained and conveyed1 therein they    
have it through him2 and that he is that
 good itself that is given and conveyed1
 therein it is in him4  ,now those that 
are redeemed by ,jesus ,christ do1 in   
all these respects1 very directly and   
entirely depend on ,god for their all4  
,first1 ,the redeemed have all their    
good of ,god2 ,god is the great author  
of it2 he is the first cause of it1 and 
not only so1 but he is the only proper  
cause4  ',tis of ,god that we have our  
,redeemer3 it is ,god that has provided 
a ,saviour for us4 ,jesus ,christ is not
 only of ,god in his person1 as he is   
the only begotten ,son of ,god1 but he  
is from ,god1 as we are concerned in him
 and in his office of ,mediator3 he is  
the gift of ,god to us3 ,god chose and  

anointed him1 appointed him his work1   
and sent him into the world4  ,and as it
 is ,god that gives1 so 'tis ,god that  
accepts the ,saviour4 ,as it is ,god    
that provides and gives the ,redeemer to
 buy salvation for us1 so it is of ,god 
that salvation is bought3 he gives the  
purchaser1 and he affords the thing     
purchased4  ',tis of ,god that ,christ  
becomes ours1 that we are brought to him
 and are united to him3 it is of ,god   
that we receive faith to close with him1
 that we may have an interest in him4   
,eph4 ii4 #h1 ,for by grace ye are      
saved1 through faith2 and that not of   
yourselves1 it is the gift of ,god4     
',tis of ,god that we actually do       
receive all the benefits that ,christ   
has purchased4 ',tis ,god that pardons  
and justifies1 and delivers from going  
down to hell1 and it is his favor that  
the redeemed are received into1 and are 
made the objects of1 when they are      
justified4 ,so it is ,god that delivers 
from the dominion of sin1 and cleanses  

us from our filthiness1 and changes us  
from our deformity4 ,it is of ,god that 
the redeemed do receive all their true  
excellency1 wisdom and holiness2 and    
that two ways1 viz41 as the ,holy       
,ghost1 by whom these things are        
immediately wrought1 is from ,god1      
proceeds from him and is sent by him2   
and also as the ,holy ,ghost himself is 
,god1 by whose operation and indwelling 
the knowledge of divine things1 and a   
holy disposition1 and all grace1 are    
conferred and upheld4  ,and though means
 are made use of in conferring grace on 
men's souls1 yet 'tis of ,god that we   
have these means of grace1 and 'tis ,god
 that makes them effectual4 ',tis of    
,god that we have the holy ,scriptures2 
they are the word of ,god4 ',tis of ,god
 that we have ordinances1 and their     
efficacy depends on the immediate       
influence of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,the  
ministers of the gospel are sent of     
,god1 and all their sufficiency is of   
him4 #b ,cor4 iv4 #g1 ,we have this     

treasure in earthen vessels1 that the   
excellency of the power may be of ,god1 
and not of us4 ,their success depends   
entirely and absolutely on the immediate
 blessing and influence of ,god4 ,the   
redeemed have all4  #a4 ,of the grace of
 ,god4 ,it was of mere grace that ,god  
gave us his only begotten ,son4 ,the    
grace is great in proportion to the     
dignity and excellency of what is given3
 the gift was infinitely precious1      
because it was a person infinitely      
worthy1 a person of infinite glory2 and 
also because it was a person infinitely 
near and dear to ,god4 ,the grace is    
great in proportion to the benefit we   
have given us in him3 the benefit is    
doubly infinite1 in that in him we have 
deliverance from an infinite1 because an
 eternal1 misery2 and do also receive   
eternal joy and glory4 ,the grace in    
bestowing this gift is great in         
proportion to our unworthiness to whom  
it is given2 instead of deserving such a
 gift1 we merited infinitely ill of     

,god's hands4 ,the grace is great       
according to the manner of giving1 or in
 proportion to the humiliation and      
expense of the method and means by which
 way is made for our having of the gift4
 ,he gave him to us dwelling amongst us2
 he gave him to us incarnate1 or in our 
nature2 he gave him to us in our nature1
 in the like infirmities in which we    
have it in our fallen state1 and which  
in us do accompany and are occasioned by
 the sinful corruption of our nature4   
,he gave him to us in a low and         
afflicted state2 and not only so1 but he
 gave him to us slain1 that he might be 
a feast for our souls4 deg4  ,the grace 
of ,god in bestowing this gift is most  
free4 ,it was what ,god was under no    
obligation to bestow3 he might have     
rejected fallen man1 as he did the      
fallen angels4 ,it was what we never did
 any thing to merit4 ',twas given while 
we were yet enemies1 and before we had  
so much as repented4 ,it was from the   
love of ,god that saw no excellency in  

us to attract it2 and it was without    
expectation of ever being requited for  
it4  ,and 'tis from mere grace that the 
benefits of ,christ are applied to such 
and such particular persons4 ,those that
 are called and sanctified are to       
attribute it alone to the good pleasure 
of ,god's goodness1 by which they are   
distinguished4 ,he is sovereign1 and    
hath mercy on whom he will have mercy1  
and whom he will1 he hardens4  ,man hath
 now a greater dependence on the grace  
of ,god than he had before the fall4 ,he
 depends on the free goodness of ,god   
for much more than he did then3 then he 
depended on ,god's goodness for         
conferring the reward of perfect        
obedience3 for ,god was not obliged to  
promise and bestow that reward3 but now 
we are dependent on the grace of ,god   
for much more3 we stand in need of      
grace1 not only to bestow glory upon us1
 but to deliver us from hell and eternal
 wrath4 ,under the first covenant we    
depended on ,god's goodness to give us  

the reward of righteousness2 and so we  
do now4 ,and not only so1 but we stand  
in need of ,god's free and sovereign    
grace to give us that righteousness2 and
 yet not only so1 but we stand in need  
of his grace to pardon our sin and      
release us from the guilt and infinite  
demerit of it4  ,and as we are dependent
 on the goodness of ,god for more now   
than under the first covenant1 so we are
 dependent on a much greater1 more free 
and wonderful goodness4 ,we are now more
 dependent on ,god's arbitrary and      
sovereign good pleasure4 ,we were in our
 first estate dependent on ,god for     
holiness3 we had our original           
righteousness from him2 but then        
holiness was not bestowed in such a way 
of sovereign good pleasure as it is now4
 ,man was created holy1 and it became   
,god to create holy all the reasonable  
creatures he created3 it would have been
 a disparagement to the holiness of     
,god's nature1 if he had made an        
intelligent creature unholy4 ,but now   

when a man is made holy1 it is from mere
 and arbitrary grace2 ,god may forever  
deny holiness to the fallen creature if 
he pleases1 without any disparagement to
 any of his perfections4  ,and we are   
not only indeed more dependent on the   
grace of ,god1 but our dependence is    
much more conspicuous1 because our own  
insufficiency and helplessness in       
ourselves is much more apparent in our  
fallen and undone state than it was     
before we were either sinful or         
miserable4 ,we are more apparently      
dependent on ,god for holiness1 because 
we are first sinful1 and utterly        
polluted1 and afterward holy3 so the    
production of the effect is sensible1   
and its derivation from ,god more       
obvious4 ,if man was ever holy and      
always was so1 it would not be so       
apparent1 that he had not holiness      
necessarily1 as an inseparable          
qualification of human nature4 ,so we   
are more apparently dependent on free   
grace for the favor of ,god1 for we are 

first justly the objects of his         
displeasure and afterwards are received 
into favor4 ,we are more apparently     
dependent on ,god for happiness1 being  
first miserable and afterwards happy4   
,it is more apparently free and without 
merit in us1 because we are actually    
without any kind of excellency to merit1
 if there could be any such thing as    
merit in creature excellency4 ,and we   
are not only without any true           
excellency1 but are full of1 and wholly 
defiled with1 that which is infinitely  
odious4 ,all our good is more apparently
 from ,god1 because we are first naked  
and wholly without any good1 and        
afterwards enriched with all good4  #b4 
,we receive all of the power of ,god4   
,man's redemption is often spoken of as 
a work of wonderful power as well as    
grace4 ,the great power of ,god appears 
in bringing a sinner from his low state1
 from the depths of sin and misery1 to  
such an exalted state of holiness and   
happiness4 ,eph4 i4 #ai1 ,and what is   

the exceeding greatness of his power to 
usward who believe1 according to the    
working of his mighty power4  ,we are   
dependent on ,god's power through every 
step of our redemption4 ,we are         
dependent on the power of ,god to       
convert us1 and give faith in ,jesus    
,christ1 and the new nature4 ',tis a    
work of creation3 ,if any man be in     
,christ1 he is a new creature1 #b ,cor4 
v4 #ag4 ,we are created in ,christ      
,jesus1 ,eph4 ii4 #aj4 ,the fallen      
creature cannot attain to true holiness1
 but by being created again3 ,eph4 iv4  
#bd1 ,and that ye put on the new man1   
which after ,god is created in          
righteousness and true holiness4 ,it is 
a raising from the dead3 ,col ii4 #ab1  
#ac1 ,wherein ye also are risen with    
him1 through the faith of the operation 
of ,god1 who hath raised him from the   
dead4 ,yea1 it is a more glorious work  
of power than mere creation1 or raising 
a dead body to life1 in that the effect 
attained is greater and more excellent4 

,that holy and happy being and spiritual
 life which is reached in the work of   
conversion is a far greater and more    
glorious effect than mere being and     
life4 ,and the state from whence the    
change is made1 of such a death in sin1 
and total corruption of nature1 and     
depth of misery1 is far more remote from
 the state attained1 than mere death or 
nonentity4  ',tis by ,god's power also  
that we are preserved in a state of     
grace3 #a ,pet4 i4 #e1 ,who are kept by 
the power of ,god through faith unto    
salvation4 ,as grace is at first from   
,god1 so 'tis continually from him1 and 
is maintained by him1 as much as light  
in the atmosphere is all day long from  
the sun1 as well as at first dawning or 
at sunrising4  ,men are dependent on the
 power of ,god for every exercise of    
grace1 and for carrying on the work of  
grace in the heart1 for the subduing of 
sin and corruption1 and increasing holy 
principles1 and enabling to bring forth 
fruit in good works1 and at last        

bringing grace to its perfection1 in    
making the soul completely amiable in   
,christ's glorious likeness1 and filling
 of it with a satisfying joy and        
blessedness2 and for the raising of the 
body to life1 and to such a perfect     
state1 that it shall be suitable for a  
habitation and organ for a soul so      
perfected and blessed4 ,these are the   
most glorious effects of the power of   
,god that are seen in the series of     
,god's acts with respect to the         
creatures4  ,man was dependent on the   
power of ,god in his first estate1 but  
he is more dependent on his power now2  
he needs ,god's power to do more things 
for him1 and depends on a more wonderful
 exercise of his power4 ,it was an      
effect of the power of ,god to make man 
holy at the first2 but more remarkably  
so now1 because there is a great deal of
 opposition and difficulty in the way4  
',tis a more glorious effect of power to
 make that holy that was so depraved and
 under the dominion of sin1 than to     

confer holiness on that which before had
 nothing of the contrary4 ,it is a more 
glorious work of power to rescue a soul 
out of the hands of the devil1 and from 
the powers of darkness1 and to bring it 
into a state of salvation1 than to      
confer holiness where there was no      
prepossession or opposition4 ,luke xi4  
#ba1 #bb1 ,when a strong man armed      
keepeth his palace1 his goods are in    
peace2 but when a stronger than he shall
 come upon him1 and overcome him1 he    
taketh from him all his armor wherein he
 trusted1 and divideth his spoils4 ,so  
'tis a more glorious work of power to   
uphold a soul in a state of grace and   
holiness1 and to carry it on till it is 
brought to glory1 when there is so much 
sin remaining in the heart resisting1   
and ,satan with all his might opposing1 
than it would have been to have kept man
 from falling at first1 when ,satan had 
nothing in man4  ,thus we have shown how
 the redeemed are dependent on ,god for 
all their good1 as they have all of him4

  ,secondly1 ,they are also dependent on
 ,god for all1 as they have all through 
him4 ',tis ,god that is the medium of   
it1 as well as the author and fountain  
of it4 ,all that we have1 wisdom and the
 pardon of sin1 deliverance from hell1  
acceptance in ,god's favor1 grace and   
holiness1 true comfort and happiness1   
eternal life and glory1 we have from    
,god by a ,mediator2 and this ,mediator 
is ,god1 which ,mediator we have an     
absolute dependence upon as he through  
whom we receive all4 ,so that here is   
another way wherein we have our         
dependence on ,god for all good4 ,god   
not only gives us the ,mediator1 and    
accepts his mediation1 and of his power 
and grace bestows the things purchased  
by the ,mediator1 but he is the         
,mediator4  ,our blessings are what we  
have by purchase2 and the purchase is   
made of ,god1 the blessings are         
purchased of him1 and ,god gives the    
purchaser2 and not only so1 but ,god is 
the purchaser4 ,yea1 ,god is both the   

purchaser and the price2 for ,christ1   
who is ,god1 purchased these blessings  
for us by offering up himself as the    
price of our salvation4 ,he purchased   
eternal life by the sacrifice of        
himself3 ,heb4 vii4 #bg1 ,he offered up 
himself2 and ix4 #bf1 ,he hath appeared 
to take away sin by the sacrifice of    
himself4 ,indeed it was the human nature
 that was offered2 but it was the same  
person with the divine1 and therefore   
was an infinite price3 it was looked    
upon as if ,god had been offered in     
sacrifice4  ,as we thus have our good   
through ,god1 we have a dependence on   
,god in a respect that man in his first 
estate had not4 ,man was to have eternal
 life then through his own              
righteousness2 so that he had partly a  
dependence upon what was in himself2 for
 we have a dependence upon that through 
which we have our good1 as well as that 
from which we have it4 ,and though man's
 righteousness that he then depended on 
was indeed from ,god1 yet it was his    

own1 it was inherent in himself2 so that
 his dependence was not so immediately  
on ,god4 ,but now the righteousness that
 we are dependent on is not in          
ourselves1 but in ,god4 ,we are saved   
through the righteousness of ,christ3 he
 is made unto us righteousness2 and     
therefore is prophesied of1 ,jer4 xxiii4
 #f1 under that name of the ,lord our   
righteousness4 ,in that the             
righteousness we are justified by is the
 righteousness of ,christ1 it is the    
righteousness of ,god3 #b ,cor4 v4 #ba1 
,that we might be made the righteousness
 of ,god in him4  ,thus in redemption we
 han't only all things of ,god1 but by  
and through him3 #a ,cor4 viii4 #ba1    
,but to us there is but one ,god1 the   
,father1 of whom are all things1 and we 
in him2 and one ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by
 whom are all things1 and we by him4    
,thirdly1 ,the redeemed have all their  
good in ,god4 ,we not only have it of   
him1 and through him1 but it consists in
 him2 he is all our good4  ,the good of 

the redeemed is either objective or     
inherent4 ,by their objective good ,i   
mean that intrinsic object1 in the      
possession and enjoyment of which they  
are happy4 ,their inherent good is that 
excellency or pleasure which is in the  
soul itself4 ,with respect to both of   
which the redeemed have all their good  
in ,god1 or1 which is the same thing1   
,god himself is all their good4  #a4    
,the redeemed have all their objective  
good in ,god4 ,god himself is the great 
good which they are brought to the      
possession and enjoyment of by          
redemption4 ,he is the highest good and 
the sum of all that good which ,christ  
purchased4 ,god is the inheritance of   
the saints2 he is the portion of their  
souls4 ,god is their wealth and         
treasure1 their food1 their life1 their 
dwelling-place1 their ornament and      
diadem1 and their everlasting honor and 
glory4 ,they have none in heaven but    
,god2 he is the great good which the    
redeemed are received to at death1 and  

which they are to rise to at the end of 
the world4 ,the ,lord ,god1 he is the   
light of the heavenly ,jerusalem2 and is
 the river of the water of life1 that   
runs1 and the tree of life that grows1  
in the midst of the paradise of ,god4   
,the glorious excellencies and beauty of
 ,god will be what will forever         
entertain the minds of the saints1 and  
the love of ,god will be their          
everlasting feast4 ,the redeemed will   
indeed enjoy other things2 they will    
enjoy the angels1 and will enjoy one    
another2 but that which they shall enjoy
 in the angels1 or each other1 or in any
 thing else whatsoever that will yield  
them delight and happiness1 will be what
 will be seen of ,god in them4  #b4 ,the
 redeemed have all their inherent good  
in ,god4 ,inherent good is twofold2 'tis
 either excellency or pleasure4 ,these  
the redeemed not only derive from ,god1 
as caused by him1 but have them in him4 
,they have spiritual excellency and joy 
by a kind of participation of ,god4     

,they are made excellent by a           
communication of ,god's excellency3 ,god
 puts his own beauty1 i4e41 his         
beautiful likeness1 upon their souls3   
they are made partakers of the divine   
nature1 or moral image of ,god1 #b ,pet4
 i4 #d4 ,they are holy by being made    
partakers of ,god's holiness1 ,heb4 xii4
 #aj4 ,the saints are beautiful and     
blessed by a communication of ,god's    
holiness and joy1 as the moon and       
planets are bright by the sun's light4  
,the saint hath spiritual joy and       
pleasure by a kind of effusion of ,god  
on the soul4 ,in these things the       
redeemed have communion with ,god2 that 
is1 they partake with him and of him4   
,the saints have both their spiritual   
excellency and blessedness by the gift  
of the ,holy ,ghost1 or ,spirit of ,god1
 and his dwelling in them4 ,they are not
 only caused by the ,holy ,ghost1 but   
are in the ,holy ,ghost as their        
principle4 ,the ,holy ,spirit becoming  
an inhabitant1 is a vital principle in  

the soul3 he1 acting in1 upon and with  
the soul1 becomes a fountain of true    
holiness and joy1 as a spring is of     
water1 by the exertion and diffusion of 
itself3 ,john iv4 #ad1 ,but whosoever   
drinketh of the water that ,i shall give
 him1 shall never thirst2 but the water 
that ,i shall give him1 shall be in him 
a well of water springing up into       
everlasting life1--compared with chap4  
vii4 #ch1 #ci1 ,he that believeth on me1
 as the ,scripture hath said1 out of his
 belly shall flow rivers of living      
water2 but this spake he of the ,spirit1
 which they that believe on him should  
receive4 ,the sum of what ,christ has   
purchased for us is that spring of water
 spoken of in the former of those       
places1 and those rivers of living water
 spoken of in the latter4 ,and the sum  
of the blessings which the redeemed     
shall receive in heaven is that river of
 water of life that proceeds from the   
throne of ,god and the ,lamb1 ,rev4     
xxii4 #a1--which doubtless signifies the

 same with those rivers of living water 
explained ,john vii4 #ch1 #ci1 which is 
elsewhere called the river of ,god's    
pleasures4 ,herein consists the fulness 
of good which the saints receive by     
,christ4 ',tis by partaking of the ,holy
 ,spirit that they have communion with  
,christ in his fulness4 ,god hath given 
the ,spirit1 not by measure unto him1   
and they do receive of his fulness1 and 
grace for grace4 ,this is the sum of the
 saints' inheritance2 and therefore that
 little of the ,holy ,ghost which       
believers have in this world is said to 
be the earnest of their inheritance4 #b 
,cor4 i4 #bb1 ,who hath also sealed us1 
and given us the ,spirit in our hearts4 
,and chap4 v4 #e1 ,now he that hath     
wrought us for the selfsame thing is    
,god1 who also hath given unto us the   
earnest of the ,spirit4 ,and ,eph4 i4   
#ac1 #ad1 ,ye were sealed with that     
,holy ,spirit of promise1 which is the  
earnest of our inheritance1 until the   
redemption of the purchased possession4 

,the ,holy ,spirit and good things are  
spoken of in ,scripture as the same2 as 
if the ,spirit of ,god communicated to  
the soul comprised all good things3     
,matt4 vii4 #aa1 ,how much more shall   
your heavenly ,father give good things  
to them that ask him8 ,in ,luke it is1  
chap4 xi4 #ac1 ,how much more shall your
 heavenly ,father give the ,holy ,spirit
 to them that ask him8 ,this is the sum 
of the blessings that ,christ died to   
procure1 and that are the subject of    
gospel promises3 ,gal4 iii4 #ac1 #ad1   
,he was made a curse for us1 that we    
might receive the promise of the ,spirit
 through faith4 ,the ,spirit of ,god is 
the great promise of the ,father3 ,luke 
xxiv4 #di1 ,behold1 ,i send the promise 
of my ,father upon you4 ,the ,spirit of 
,god therefore is called the ,spirit of 
promise1 ,eph4 i4 #ac4 ,this promised   
thing ,christ received1 and had given   
into his hand1 as soon as he had        
finished the work of our redemption1 to 
bestow on all that he had redeemed3     

,acts ii4 #cc1 ,therefore1 being by the 
right hand of ,god exalted1 and having  
received of the ,father the promise of  
the ,holy ,ghost1 he hath shed forth    
this1 which ye both see and hear4 ,so   
that all the holiness and happiness of  
the redeemed is in ,god4 ',tis in the   
communications1 indwelling and acting of
 the ,spirit of ,god4 ,holiness and     
happiness are in the fruit1 here and    
hereafter1 because ,god dwells in them1 
and they in ,god4  ,thus 'tis ,god that 
has given us the ,redeemer1 and 'tis of 
him that our good is purchased3 so 'tis 
,god that is the ,redeemer and the      
price2 and 'tis ,god also that is the   
good purchased4 ,so that all that we    
have is of ,god1 and through him1 and in
 him3 ,rom4 xi4 #cf1 ,for of him1 and   
through him1 and to him 7or in him71 are
 all things4 ,the same in the ,greek    
that is here rendered to him is rendered
 in him1 #a ,cor4 vii4 #f4  ,,ii4 ,god  
is glorified in the work of redemption  
by this means1 viz41 by there being so  

great and universal a dependence of the 
redeemed on him4  #a4 ,man hath so much 
the greater occasion and obligation to  
take notice and acknowledge ,god's      
perfections and all-sufficiency4 ,the   
greater the creature's dependence is on 
,god's perfections1 and the greater     
concern he has with them1 so much the   
greater occasion has he to take notice  
of them4 ,so much the greater concern   
any one has with1 and dependence upon1  
the power and grace of ,god1 so much the
 greater occasion has he to take notice 
of that power and grace4 ,so much the   
greater and more immediate dependence   
there is on the divine holiness1 so much
 the greater occasion to take notice of 
and acknowledge that4 ,so much the      
greater and more absolute dependence we 
have on the divine perfections1 as      
belonging to the several persons of the 
,trinity1 so much the greater occasion  
have we to observe and own the divine   
glory of each of them4 ,that which we   
are most concerned with1 is surely most 

in the way of our observation and       
notice2 and this kind of concern with   
any thing1 viz41 dependence1 does       
especially tend to commend and oblige   
the attention and observation4 ,those   
things that we are not much dependent   
upon1 'tis easy to neglect2 but we can  
scarce do any other than mind that which
 we have a great dependence on4 ,by     
reason of our so great dependence on    
,god and his perfections1 and in so many
 respects1 he and his glory are the more
 directly set in our view1 which way    
soever we turn our eyes4  ,we have the  
greater occasion to take notice of      
,god's all-sufficiency1 when all our    
sufficiency is thus every way of him4   
,we have the more occasion to           
contemplate him as an infinite good1 and
 as the fountain of all good4 ,such a   
dependence on ,god demonstrates ,god's  
all-sufficiency4 ,so much as the        
dependence of the creature is on ,god1  
so much the greater does the creature's 
emptiness in himself appear to be2 and  

so much the greater the creature's      
emptiness1 so much the greater must the 
fulness of the ,being be who supplies   
him4 ,our having all of ,god shows the  
fulness of his power and grace3 our     
having all through him shows the fulness
 of his merit and worthiness2 and our   
having all in him demonstrates his      
fulness of beauty1 love and happiness4  
,and the redeemed1 by reason of the     
greatness of their dependence on ,god1  
han't only so much the greater occasion1
 but obligation to contemplate and      
acknowledge the glory and fulness of    
,god4 ,how unreasonable and ungrateful  
should we be if we did not acknowledge  
that sufficiency and glory that we do   
absolutely1 immediately and universally 
depend upon6  #b4 ,hereby is            
demonstrated how great ,god's glory is  
considered comparatively1 or as compared
 with the creature's4 ,by the creature's
 being thus wholly and universally      
dependent on ,god1 it appears that the  
creature is nothing and that ,god is    

all4 ,hereby it appears that ,god is    
infinitely above us2 that ,god's        
strength1 and wisdom and holiness are   
infinitely greater than ours4 ,however  
great and glorious the creature         
apprehends ,god to be1 yet if he be not 
sensible of the difference between ,god 
and him1 so as to see that ,god's glory 
is great1 compared with his own1 he will
 not be disposed to give ,god the glory 
due to his name4 ,if the creature1 in   
any respect1 sets himself upon a level  
with ,god1 or exalts himself to any     
competition with him1 however he may    
apprehend that great honor and profound 
respect may belong to ,god from those   
that are more inferior1 and at a greater
 distance1 he will not be so sensible of
 its being due from him4 ,so much the   
more men exalt themselves1 so much the  
less will they surely be disposed to    
exalt ,god4 ',tis certainly a thing that
 ,god aims at in the disposition of     
things in the affair of redemption 7if  
we allow the ,scriptures to be a        

revelation of ,god's mind71 that ,god   
should appear full1 and man in himself  
empty1 that ,god should appear all1 and 
man nothing4 ',tis ,god's declared      
design that others should not glory in  
his presence2 which implies that 'tis   
his design to advance his own           
comparative glory4 ,so much the more man
 glories in ,god's presence1 so much the
 less glory is ascribed to ,god4  #c4   
,by its being thus ordered1 that the    
creature should have so absolute and    
universal a dependence on ,god1         
provision is made that ,god should have 
our whole souls1 and should be the      
object of our undivided respect4 ,if we 
had our dependence partly on ,god and   
partly on something else1 man's respect 
would be divided to those different     
things on which he had dependence4 ,thus
 it would be if we depended on ,god only
 for a part of our good1 and on         
ourselves or some other being for       
another part3 or if we had our good only
 from ,god1 and through another that was

 not ,god1 and in something else        
distinct from both1 our hearts would be 
divided between the good itself1 and him
 from whom1 and him through whom we     
received it4 ,but now there is no       
occasion for this1 ,god being not only  
he from or of whom we have all good1 but
 also through whom1 and one that is that
 good itself1 that we have from him and 
through him4 ,so that whatsoever there  
is to attract our respect1 the tendency 
is still directly towards ,god1 all     
unites in him as the centre4   ,,use    
#a4 ,we may here observe the marvellous 
wisdom of ,god in the work of           
redemption4 ,god hath made man's        
emptiness and misery1 his low1 lost and 
ruined state into which he sunk by the  
fall1 an occasion of the greater        
advancement of his own glory1 as in     
other ways1 so particularly in this1    
that there is now a much more universal 
and apparent dependence of man on ,god4 
,though ,god be pleased to lift man out 
of that dismal abyss of sin and woe into

 which he was fallen1 and exceedingly to
 exalt him in excellency and honor1 and 
to a high pitch of glory and            
blessedness1 yet the creature hath      
nothing in any respect to glory of2 all 
the glory evidently belongs to ,god1 all
 is in a mere and most absolute and     
divine dependence on the ,father1 ,son  
and ,holy ,ghost4  ,and each person of  
the ,trinity is equally glorified in    
this work3 there is an absolute         
dependence of the creature on every one 
for all3 all is of the ,father1 all     
through the ,son1 and all in the ,holy  
,ghost4 ,thus ,god appears in the work  
of redemption as all in all4 ,it is fit 
that he that is1 and there is none else1
 should be the ,alpha and ,omega1 the   
first and the last1 the all1 and the    
only1 in this work4  #b4 ,hence those   
doctrines and schemes of divinity that  
are in any respect opposite to such an  
absolute and universal dependence on    
,god1 do derogate from ,god's glory1 and
 thwart the design of the contrivance   

for our redemption4 ,those schemes that 
put the creature in ,god's stead1 in any
 of the mentioned respects1 that exalt  
man into the place of either ,father1   
,son or ,holy ,ghost1 in any thing      
pertaining to our redemption2 that1     
however they may allow of a dependence  
of the redeemed on ,god1 yet deny a     
dependence that is so absolute and      
universal2 that own an entire dependence
 on ,god for some things1 but not for   
others2 that own that we depend on ,god 
for the gift and acceptance of a        
,redeemer1 but deny so absolute a       
dependence on him for the obtaining of  
an interest in the ,redeemer2 that own  
an absolute dependence on the ,father   
for giving his ,son1 and on the ,son for
 working out redemption1 but not so     
entire a dependence on the ,holy ,ghost 
for conversion and a being in ,christ1  
and so coming to a title to his         
benefits2 that own a dependence on ,god 
for means of grace1 but not absolutely  
for the benefit and success of those    

means2 that own a partial dependence on 
the power of ,god for the obtaining and 
exercising holiness1 but not a mere     
dependence on the arbitrary and         
sovereign grace of ,god2 that own a     
dependence on the free grace of ,god for
 a reception into his favor1 so far that
 it is without any proper merit1 but not
 as it is without being attracted1 or   
moved with any excellency2 that own a   
partial dependence on ,christ1 as he    
through whom we have life1 as having    
purchased new terms of life1 but still  
hold that the righteousness through     
which we have life is inherent in       
ourselves1 as it was under the first    
covenant2 and whatever other way any    
scheme is inconsistent with our entire  
dependence on ,god for all1 and in each 
of those ways1 of having all of him1    
through him1 and in him1 it is repugnant
 to the design and tenor of the gospel  
and robs it of that which ,god accounts 
its lustre and glory4  #c4 ,hence we may
 learn a reason why faith is that by    

which we come to have an interest in    
this redemption2 for there is included  
in the nature of faith a sensibleness   
and acknowledgment of this absolute     
dependence on ,god in this affair4 ',tis
 very fit that it should be required of 
all1 in order to their having the       
benefit of this redemption1 that they   
should be sensible of1 and acknowledge  
the dependence on ,god for it4 ',tis by 
this means that ,god hath contrived to  
glorify himself in redemption2 and 'tis 
fit that ,god should at least have this 
glory of those that are the subjects of 
this redemption1 and have the benefit of
 it4  ,faith is a sensibleness of what  
is real in the work of redemption2 and  
as we do really wholly depend on ,god1  
so the soul that believes doth entirely 
depend on ,god for all salvation1 in its
 own sense and act4 ,faith abases men   
and exalts ,god1 it gives all the glory 
of redemption to ,god alone4 ,it is     
necessary in order to saving faith1 that
 man should be emptied of himself1 that 

he should be sensible that he is        
wretched1 and miserable1 and poor1 and  
blind1 and naked4 ,humility is a great  
ingredient of true faith3 he that truly 
receives redemption1 receives it as a   
little child3 ,mark x4 #ae1 ,whosoever  
shall not receive the kingdom of heaven 
as a little child1 he shall not enter   
therein4 ,it is the delight of a        
believing soul to abase itself and exalt
 ,god alone3 that is the language of it1
 ,psalm cxv4 #a1 ,not unto us1 ,o ,lord1
 not unto us1 but to thy name give      
glory4  #d4 ,let us be exhorted to exalt
 ,god alone1 and ascribe to him all the 
glory of redemption4 ,let us endeavor to
 obtain1 and increase in a sensibleness 
of our great dependence on ,god1 to have
 our eye to him alone1 to mortify a     
self-dependent and self-righteous       
disposition4 ,man is naturally exceeding
 prone to be exalting himself and       
depending on his own power or goodness1 
as though he were he from whom he must  
expect happiness1 and to have respect to

 enjoyments alien from ,god and his     
,spirit1 as those in which happiness is 
to be found4  ,and this doctrine should 
teach us to exalt ,god alone1 as by     
trust and reliance1 so by praise4 ,let  
him that glorieth1 glory in the ,lord4  
,hath any man hope that he is converted 
and sanctified1 and that his mind is    
endowed with true excellency and        
spiritual beauty1 and his sins forgiven1
 and he received into ,god's favor1 and 
exalted to the honor and blessedness of 
being his child1 and an heir of eternal 
life3 let him give ,god all the glory2  
who alone makes him to differ from the  
worst of men in this world1 or the      
miserablest of the damned in hell4 ,hath
 any man much comfort and strong hope of
 eternal life1 let not his hope lift him
 up1 but dispose him the more to abase  
himself and reflect on his own exceeding
 unworthiness of such a favor1 and to   
exalt ,god alone4 ,is any man eminent in
 holiness and abundant in good works1   
let him take nothing of the glory of it 

to himself1 but ascribe it to him whose 
workmanship we are1 created in ,christ  
,jesus unto good works4                 
,illustration3 ,,facsimile ,,of         
,,manuscript ,,of ,,first ,,page ,,of   
,,sermon ,a ,,divine ,,and              
,,supernatural ,,light4   ,,ii  ,a      
,,divine ,,and ,,supernatural ,,light1  
,,immediately ,,imparted ,,to ,,the     
,,soul ,,by ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,god1  
,,shown ,,to ,,be ,,both ,a ,,scriptural
 ,,and ,,rational ,,doctrine4 deg4      
,,matt4 xvi4--,and ,jesus answered and  
said unto him1 ,blessed art thou1 ,simon
 ,barjona3 for flesh and blood hath not 
revealed it unto thee1 but my ,father   
which is in heaven4   ,christ says these
 words to ,peter upon occasion of his   
professing his faith in him as the ,son 
of ,god4 ,our ,lord was inquiring of his
 disciples1 who men said he was2 not    
that he needed to be informed1 but only 
to introduce and give occasion to what  
follows4 ,they answer1 that some said he
 was ,john the ,baptist1 and some       

,elias1 and others ,jeremias1 or one of 
the ,prophets4 ,when they had thus given
 an account who others said he was1     
,christ asks them1 who they said he was4
 ,simon ,peter1 whom we find always     
zealous and forward1 was the first to   
answer3 he readily replied to the       
question1 ,thou art ,christ1 the ,son of
 the living ,god4  ,upon this occasion1 
,christ says as he does to him1 and of  
him in the text3 in which we may        
observe1  #a4 ,that ,peter is pronounced
 blessed on this account4 ,blessed art  
,thou4--,thou art a happy man1 that thou
 art not ignorant of this1 that ,i am   
,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god4   
,thou art distinguishingly happy4       
,others are blinded1 and have dark and  
deluded apprehensions1 as you have now  
given an account1 some thinking that ,i 
am ,elias1 and some that ,i am          
,jeremias1 and some one thing1 and some 
another2 but none of them thinking      
right1 all of them misled4 ,happy art   
thou1 that art so distinguished as to   

know the truth in this matter4  #b4 ,the
 evidence of this his happiness         
declared2 viz41 that ,god1 and he only1 
had revealed it to him4 ,this is an     
evidence of his being blessed4  ,first1 
,as it shows how peculiarly favored he  
was of ,god above others2 q4 d41 ,how   
highly favored art thou1 that others    
that are wise and great men1 the        
,scribes1 ,pharisees and ,rulers1 and   
the nation in general1 are left in      
darkness1 to follow their own misguided 
apprehensions2 and that thou shouldst be
 singled out1 as it were1 by name1 that 
my ,heavenly ,father should thus set his
 love on thee1 ,simon ,barjona4 ,this   
argues thee blessed1 that thou shouldst 
thus be the object of ,god's            
distinguishing love4  ,secondly1 ,it    
evidences his blessedness also1 as it   
intimates that this knowledge is above  
any that flesh and blood can reveal4    
,this is such knowledge as my ,father   
which is in heaven only can give3 it is 
too high and excellent to be            

communicated by such means as other     
knowledge is4 ,thou art blessed1 that   
thou knowest that which ,god alone can  
teach thee4  ,the original of this      
knowledge is here declared1 both        
negatively and positively4 ,positively1 
as ,god is here declared the author of  
it4 ,negatively1 as it is declared1 that
 flesh and blood had not revealed it4   
,god is the author of all knowledge and 
understanding whatsoever4 ,he is the    
author of the knowledge that is obtained
 by human learning3 he is the author of 
all moral prudence1 and of the knowledge
 and skill that men have in their       
secular business4 ,thus it is said of   
all in ,israel that were wise-hearted   
and skilful in embroidering1 that ,god  
had filled them with the spirit of      
wisdom1 ,exod4 xxviii4 #c4  ,god is the 
author of such knowledge2 but yet not so
 but that flesh and blood reveals it4   
,mortal men are capable of imparting the
 knowledge of human arts and sciences1  
and skill in temporal affairs4 ,god is  

the author of such knowledge by those   
means3 flesh and blood is made use of by
 ,god as the mediate or second cause of 
it2 he conveys it by the power and      
influence of natural means4 ,but this   
spiritual knowledge1 spoken of in the   
text1 is what ,god is the author of1 and
 none else3 he reveals it1 and flesh and
 blood reveals it not4 ,he imparts this 
knowledge immediately1 not making use of
 any intermediate natural causes1 as he 
does in other knowledge4  ,what had     
passed in the preceding discourse       
naturally occasioned ,christ to observe 
this2 because the disciples had been    
telling how others did not know him1 but
 were generally mistaken about him1 and 
divided and confounded in their opinions
 of him3 but ,peter had declared his    
assured faith1 that he was the ,son of  
,god4 ,now it was natural to observe1   
how it was not flesh and blood that had 
revealed it to him1 but ,god3 for if    
this knowledge were dependent on natural
 causes or means1 how came it to pass   

that they1 a company of poor fishermen1 
illiterate men1 and persons of low      
education1 attained to the knowledge of 
the truth2 while the ,scribes and       
,pharisees1 men of vastly higher        
advantages1 and greater knowledge and   
sagacity in other matters1 remained in  
ignorance8 ,this could be owing only to 
the gracious distinguishing influence   
and revelation of the ,spirit of ,god4  
,hence1 what ,i would make the subject  
of my present discourse from these words
 is this   ,,doctrine  viz41 ,that there
 is such a thing as a ,spiritual and    
,divine ,light1 immediately imparted to 
the soul by ,god1 of a different nature 
from any that is obtained by natural    
means4  ,in what ,i say on this subject 
at this time ,i would  ,i4 ,show what   
this divine light is4  ,,ii4 ,how it is 
given immediately by ,god1 and not      
obtained by natural means4   ,,iii4     
,show the truth of the doctrine4  ,and  
then conclude with a brief improvement4 
,i4 ,i would show what this spiritual   

and divine light is4 ,and in order to   
it1 would show1  ,first1 ,in a few      
things what it is not4 ,and here1  #a4  
,those convictions that natural men may 
have of their sin and misery1 is not    
this spiritual and divine light4 ,men in
 a natural condition may have           
convictions of the guilt that lies upon 
them1 and of the anger of ,god and their
 danger of divine vengeance4 ,such      
convictions are from light or           
sensibleness of truth4 ,that some       
sinners have a greater conviction of    
their guilt and misery than others1 is  
because some have more light1 or more of
 an apprehension of truth than others4  
,and this light and conviction may be   
from the ,spirit of ,god2 the ,spirit   
convinces men of sin3 but yet nature is 
much more concerned in it than in the   
communication of that spiritual and     
divine light that is spoken of in the   
doctrine2 'tis from the ,spirit of ,god 
only as assisting natural principles1   
and not as infusing any new principles4 

,common grace differs from special1 in  
that it influences only by assisting of 
nature2 and not by imparting grace1 or  
bestowing anything above nature4 ,the   
light that is obtained is wholly        
natural1 or of no superior kind to what 
mere nature attains to1 though more of  
that kind be obtained than would be     
obtained if men were left wholly to     
themselves3 or1 in other words1 common  
grace only assists the faculties of the 
soul to do that more fully which they do
 by nature1 as natural conscience or    
reason will1 by mere nature1 make a man 
sensible of guilt1 and will accuse and  
condemn him when he has done amiss4     
,conscience is a principle natural to   
men2 and the work that it doth          
naturally1 or of itself1 is to give an  
apprehension of right and wrong1 and to 
suggest to the mind the relation that   
there is between right and wrong and a  
retribution4 ,the ,spirit of ,god1 in   
those convictions which unregenerate men
 sometimes have1 assists conscience to  

do this work in a further degree than it
 would do if they were left to          
themselves3 he helps it against those   
things that tend to stupefy it1 and     
obstruct its exercise4 ,but in the      
renewing and sanctifying work of the    
,holy ,ghost1 those things are wrought  
in the soul that are above nature1 and  
of which there is nothing of the like   
kind in the soul by nature2 and they are
 caused to exist in the soul habitually1
 and according to such a stated         
constitution or law that lays such a    
foundation for exercises in a continued 
course1 as is called a principle of     
nature4 ,not only are remaining         
principles assisted to do their work    
more freely and fully1 but those        
principles are restored that were       
utterly destroyed by the fall2 and the  
mind thenceforward habitually exerts    
those acts that the dominion of sin had 
made it as wholly destitute of1 as a    
dead body is of vital acts4  ,the       
,spirit of ,god acts in a very different

 manner in the one case from what he    
doth in the other4 ,he may indeed act   
upon the mind of a natural man1 but he  
acts in the mind of a saint as an       
indwelling vital principle4 ,he acts    
upon the mind of an unregenerate person 
as an extrinsic1 occasional agent2 for  
in acting upon them1 he doth not unite  
himself to them2 notwithstanding all his
 influences that they may be the        
subjects of1 they are still sensual1    
having not the ,spirit1 ,jude #ai4 ,but 
he unites himself with the mind of a    
saint1 takes him for his temple1        
actuates and influences him as a new1   
supernatural principle of life and      
action4 ,there is this difference1 that 
the ,spirit of ,god1 in acting in the   
soul of a godly man1 exerts and         
communicates himself there in his own   
proper nature4 ,holiness is the proper  
nature of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,the     
,holy ,spirit operates in the minds of  
the godly by uniting himself to them1   
and living in them1 and exerting his own

 nature in the exercise of their        
faculties4 ,the ,spirit of ,god may act 
upon a creature1 and yet not in acting  
communicate himself4 ,the ,spirit of    
,god may act upon inanimate creatures2  
as the ,spirit moved upon the face of   
the waters in the beginning of the      
creation2 so the ,spirit of ,god may act
 upon the minds of men many ways1 and   
communicate himself no more than when he
 acts upon an inanimate creature4 ,for  
instance1 he may excite thoughts in     
them1 may assist their natural reason   
and understanding1 or may assist other  
natural principles1 and this without any
 union with the soul1 but may act1 as it
 were1 as upon an external object4 ,but 
as he acts in his holy influences and   
spiritual operations1 he acts in a way  
of peculiar communication of himself2 so
 that the subject is thence denominated 
spiritual4  #b4 ,this spiritual and     
divine light don't consist in any       
impression made upon the imagination4   
,it is no impression upon the mind1 as  

though one saw any thing with the bodily
 eyes3 'tis no imagination or idea of an
 outward light or glory1 or any beauty  
of form or countenance1 or a visible    
lustre or brightness of any object4 ,the
 imagination may be strongly impressed  
with such things2 but this is not       
spiritual light4 ,indeed when the mind  
has a lively discovery of spiritual     
things1 and is greatly affected by the  
power of divine light1 it may1 and      
probably very commonly doth1 much affect
 the imagination2 so that impressions of
 an outward beauty or brightness may    
accompany those spiritual discoveries4  
,but spiritual light is not that        
impression upon the imagination1 but an 
exceeding different thing from it4      
,natural men may have lively impressions
 on their imaginations2 and we can't    
determine but that the devil1 who       
transforms himself into an angel of     
light1 may cause imaginations of an     
outward beauty1 or visible glory1 and of
 sounds and speeches and other such     

things2 but these are things of a vastly
 inferior nature to spiritual light4    
#c4 ,this spiritual light is not the    
suggesting of any new truths or         
propositions not contained in the word  
of ,god4 ,this suggesting of new truths 
or doctrines to the mind1 independent of
 any antecedent revelation of those     
propositions1 either in word or writing1
 is inspiration2 such as the prophets   
and apostles had1 and such as some      
enthusiasts pretend to4 ,but this       
spiritual light that ,i am speaking of1 
is quite a different thing from         
inspiration3 it reveals no new doctrine1
 it suggests no new proposition to the  
mind1 it teaches no new thing of ,god1  
or ,christ1 or another world1 not taught
 in the ,bible1 but only gives a due    
apprehension of those things that are   
taught in the word of ,god4  #d4 ',tis  
not every affecting view that men have  
of the things of religion that is this  
spiritual and divine light4 ,men by mere
 principles of nature are capable of    

being affected with things that have a  
special relation to religion as well as 
other things4 ,a person by mere nature1 
for instance1 may be liable to be       
affected with the story of ,jesus       
,christ1 and the sufferings he          
underwent1 as well as by any other      
tragical story3 he may be the more      
affected with it from the interest he   
conceives mankind to have in it3 yea1 he
 may be affected with it without        
believing it2 as well as a man may be   
affected with what he reads in a        
romance1 or sees acted in a stage play4 
,he may be affected with a lively and   
eloquent description of many pleasant   
things that attend the state of the     
blessed in heaven1 as well as his       
imagination be entertained by a romantic
 description of the pleasantness of     
fairy-land1 or the like4 ,and that      
common belief of the truth of the things
 of religion that persons may have from 
education or otherwise1 may help forward
 their affection4 ,we read in ,scripture

 of many that were greatly affected with
 things of a religious nature1 who yet  
are there represented as wholly         
graceless1 and many of them very ill    
men4 ,a person therefore may have       
affecting views of the things of        
religion1 and yet be very destitute of  
spiritual light4 ,flesh and blood may be
 the author of this3 one man may give   
another an affecting view of divine     
things with but common assistance2 but  
,god alone can give a spiritual         
discovery of them4  ,but ,i proceed to  
show1  ,secondly1 ,positively what this 
spiritual and divine light is4  ,and it 
may be thus described3 a true sense of  
the divine excellency of the things     
revealed in the word of ,god1 and a     
conviction of the truth and reality of  
them thence arising4  ,this spiritual   
light primarily consists in the former  
of these1 viz41 a real sense and        
apprehension of the divine excellency of
 things revealed in the word of ,god4 ,a
 spiritual and saving conviction of the 

truth and reality of these things arises
 from such a sight of their divine      
excellency and glory2 so that this      
conviction of their truth is an effect  
and natural consequence of this sight of
 their divine glory4 ,there is therefore
 in this spiritual light1  #a4 ,a true  
sense of the divine and superlative     
excellency of the things of religion2 a 
real sense of the excellency of ,god and
 ,jesus ,christ1 and of the work of     
redemption1 and the ways and works of   
,god revealed in the gospel4 ,there is a
 divine and superlative glory in these  
things2 an excellency that is of a      
vastly higher kind and more sublime     
nature than in other things2 a glory    
greatly distinguishing them from all    
that is earthly and temporal4 ,he that  
is spiritually enlightened truly        
apprehends and sees it1 or has a sense  
of it4 ,he does not merely rationally   
believe that ,god is glorious1 but he   
has a sense of the gloriousness of ,god 
in his heart4 ,there is not only a      

rational belief that ,god is holy and   
that holiness is a good thing1 but there
 is a sense of the loveliness of ,god's 
holiness4 ,there is not only a          
speculatively judging that ,god is      
gracious1 but a sense how amiable ,god  
is upon that account1 or a sense of the 
beauty of this divine attribute4  ,there
 is a twofold understanding or knowledge
 of good that ,god has made the mind of 
man capable of4 ,the first1 that which  
is merely speculative or notional2 as   
when a person only speculatively judges 
that anything is1 which1 by the         
agreement of mankind1 is called good or 
excellent1 viz41 that which is most to  
general advantage1 and between which and
 a reward there is a suitableness1 and  
the like4 ,and the other is that which  
consists in the sense of the heart3 as  
when there is a sense of the beauty1    
amiableness1 or sweetness of a thing2 so
 that the heart is sensible of pleasure 
and delight in the presence of the idea 
of it4 ,in the former is exercised      

merely the speculative faculty1 or the  
understanding1 strictly so called1 or as
 spoken of in distinction from the will 
or disposition of the soul4 ,in the     
latter1 the will1 or inclination1 or    
heart1 are mainly concerned4  ,thus     
there is a difference between having an 
opinion that ,god is holy and gracious1 
and having a sense of the loveliness and
 beauty of that holiness and grace4     
,there is a difference between having a 
rational judgment that honey is sweet1  
and having a sense of its sweetness4 ,a 
man may have the former1 that knows not 
how honey tastes2 but a man can't have  
the latter unless he has an idea of the 
taste of honey in his mind4 ,so there is
 a difference between believing that a  
person is beautiful1 and having a sense 
of his beauty4 ,the former may be       
obtained by hearsay1 but the latter only
 by seeing the countenance4 ,there is a 
wide difference between mere speculative
 rational judging anything to be        
excellent1 and having a sense of its    

sweetness and beauty4 ,the former rests 
only in the head1 speculation only is   
concerned in it2 but the heart is       
concerned in the latter4 ,when the heart
 is sensible of the beauty and          
amiableness of a thing1 it necessarily  
feels pleasure in the apprehension4 ,it 
is implied in a person's being heartily 
sensible of the loveliness of a thing1  
that the idea of it is sweet and        
pleasant to his soul2 which is a far    
different thing from having a rational  
opinion that it is excellent4  #b4      
,there arises from this sense of divine 
excellency of things contained in the   
word of ,god a conviction of the truth  
and reality of them2 and that either    
indirectly or directly4  ,first1        
,indirectly1 and that two ways4  #a4 ,as
 the prejudices that are in the heart   
against the truth of divine things are  
hereby removed2 so that the mind becomes
 susceptive of the due force of rational
 arguments for their truth4 ,the mind of
 man is naturally full of prejudices    

against the truth of divine things3 it  
is full of enmity against the doctrines 
of the gospel2 which is a disadvantage  
to those arguments that prove their     
truth1 and causes them to lose their    
force upon the mind4 ,but when a person 
has discovered to him the divine        
excellency of ,christian doctrines1 this
 destroys the enmity1 removes those     
prejudices1 and sanctifies the reason1  
and causes it to lie open to the force  
of arguments for their truth4  ,hence   
was the different effect that ,christ's 
miracles had to convince the disciples  
from what they had to convince the      
,scribes and ,pharisees4 ,not that they 
had a stronger reason1 or had their     
reason more improved2 but their reason  
was sanctified1 and those blinding      
prejudices1 that the ,scribes and       
,pharisees were under1 were removed by  
the sense they had of the excellency of 
,christ and his doctrine4  #b4 ,it not  
only removes the hinderances of reason1 
but positively helps reason4 ,it makes  

even the speculative notions the more   
lively4 ,it engages the attention of the
 mind1 with the more fixedness and      
intenseness to that kind of objects2    
which causes it to have a clearer view  
of them1 and enables it more clearly to 
see their mutual relations1 and         
occasions it to take more notice of     
them4 ,the ideas themselves that        
otherwise are dim and obscure are by    
this means impressed with the greater   
strength1 and have a light cast upon    
them2 so that the mind can better judge 
of them3 as he that beholds the objects 
on the face of the earth1 when the light
 of the sun is cast upon them1 is under 
greater advantage to discern them in    
their true forms and mutual relations   
than he that sees them in a dim         
starlight or twilight4  ,the mind having
 a sensibleness of the excellency of    
divine objects1 dwells upon them with   
delight2 and the powers of the soul are 
more awakened and enlivened to employ   
themselves in the contemplation of them1

 and exert themselves more fully and    
much more to the purpose4 ,the beauty   
and sweetness of the objects draws on   
the faculties1 and draws forth their    
exercises3 so that reason itself is     
under far greater advantages for its    
proper and free exercises1 and to attain
 its proper end1 free of darkness and   
delusion4 ,but1  ,secondly1 ,a true     
sense of the divine excellency of the   
things of ,god's word doth more directly
 and immediately convince of the truth  
of them2 and that because the excellency
 of these things is so superlative4     
,there is a beauty in them that is so   
divine and godlike1 that is greatly and 
evidently distinguishing of them from   
things merely human1 or that men are the
 inventors and authors of2 a glory that 
is so high and great that1 when clearly 
seen1 commands assent to their divinity 
and reality4 ,when there is an actual   
and lively discovery of this beauty and 
excellency1 it won't allow of any such  
thought as that it is a human work1 or  

the fruit of men's invention4 ,this     
evidence that they that are spiritually 
enlightened have of the truth of the    
things of religion is a kind of         
intuitive and immediate evidence4 ,they 
believe the doctrines of ,god's word to 
be divine1 because they see divinity in 
them2 i4e41 they see a divine1 and      
transcendent1 and most evidently        
distinguishing glory in them2 such a    
glory as1 if clearly seen1 does not     
leave room to doubt of their being of   
,god1 and not of men4  ,such a          
conviction of the truth of religion as  
this1 arising1 these ways1 from a sense 
of the divine excellency of them1 is    
that true spiritual conviction that     
there is in saving faith4 ,and this     
original of it is that by which it is   
most essentially distinguished from that
 common assent which unregenerate men   
are capable of4  ,,ii4 ,i proceed now to
 the second thing proposed1 viz41 to    
show how this light is immediately given
 by ,god1 and not obtained by natural   

means4 ,and here1  #a4 ',tis not        
intended that the natural faculties are 
not made use of in it4 ,the natural     
faculties are the subject of this light3
 and they are the subject in such a     
manner that they are not merely passive1
 but active in it2 the acts and         
exercises of man's understanding are    
concerned and made use of in it4 ,god1  
in letting in this light into the soul1 
deals with man according to his nature1 
or as a rational creature2 and makes use
 of his human faculties4 ,but yet this  
light is not the less immediately from  
,god for that2 though the faculties are 
made use of1 'tis as the subject and not
 as the cause2 and that acting of the   
faculties in it is not the cause1 but is
 either implied in the thing itself 7in 
the light that is imparted7 or is the   
consequence of it3 as the use that we   
make of our eyes in beholding various   
objects1 when the sun arises1 is not the
 cause of the light that discovers those
 objects to us4  #b4 ',tis not intended 

that outward means have no concern in   
this affair4 ,as ,i have observed       
already1 'tis not in this affair1 as it 
is in inspiration1 where new truths are 
suggested3 for here is by this light    
only given a due apprehension of the    
same truths that are revealed in the    
word of ,god2 and therefore it is not   
given without the word4 ,the gospel is  
made use of in this affair3 this light  
is the light of the glorious gospel of  
,christ1 #b ,cor4 iv4 #d4 ,the gospel is
 as a glass1 by which this light is     
conveyed to us1 #a ,cor4 xiii4 #ab3 ,now
 we see through a glass4--,but1  #c4    
,when it is said that this light is     
given immediately by ,god1 and not      
obtained by natural means1 hereby is    
intended1 that 'tis given by ,god       
without making use of any means that    
operate by their own power1 or a natural
 force4 ,god makes use of means2 but    
'tis not as mediate causes to produce   
this effect4 ,there are not truly any   
second causes of it2 but it is produced 

by ,god immediately4 ,the word of ,god  
is no proper cause of this effect3 it   
does not operate by any natural force in
 it4 ,the word of ,god is only made use 
of to convey to the mind the subject    
matter of this saving instruction3 and  
this indeed it doth convey to us by     
natural force or influence4 ,it conveys 
to our minds these and those doctrines2 
it is the cause of the notion of them in
 our heads1 but not of the sense of the 
divine excellency of them in our hearts4
 ,indeed a person can't have spiritual  
light without the word4 ,but that don't 
argue that the word properly causes that
 light4 ,the mind can't see the         
excellency of any doctrine1 unless that 
doctrine be first in the mind2 but the  
seeing of the excellency of the doctrine
 may be immediately from the ,spirit of 
,god2 though the conveying of the       
doctrine or proposition itself may be by
 the word4 ,so that the notions that are
 the subject matter of this light are   
conveyed to the mind by the word of     

,god2 but that due sense of the heart1  
wherein this light formally consists1 is
 immediately by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,as
 for instance1 that notion that there is
 a ,christ1 and that ,christ is holy and
 gracious1 is conveyed to the mind by   
the word of ,god3 but the sense of the  
excellency of ,christ by reason of that 
holiness and grace1 is nevertheless     
immediately the work of the ,holy       
,spirit4--,i come now1  ,,iii4 ,to show 
the truth of the doctrine2 that is1 to  
show that there is such a thing as that 
spiritual light that has been described1
 thus immediately let into the mind by  
,god4 ,and here ,i would show briefly1  
that this doctrine is both scriptural   
and rational4  ,first1 ',tis scriptural4
 ,my text is not only full to the       
purpose1 but 'tis a doctrine that the   
,scripture abounds in4 ,we are there    
abundantly taught that the saints differ
 from the ungodly in this1 that they    
have the knowledge of ,god1 and a sight 
of ,god1 and of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i shall

 mention but few texts of many4 #a ,john
 iii4 #f1 ,whosoever sinneth hath not   
seen him1 nor known him4 #c ,john #aa1  
,he that doeth good is of ,god3 but he  
that doeth evil hath not seen ,god4     
,john xiv4 #ai1 ,the world seeth me no  
more2 but ye see me4 ,john xvii4 #c1    
,and this is eternal life1 that they    
might know thee the only true ,god1 and 
,jesus ,christ1 whom thou hast sent4    
,this knowledge1 or sight of ,god and   
,christ1 can't be a mere speculative    
knowledge2 because it is spoken of as a 
seeing and knowing wherein they differ  
from the ungodly4 ,and by these         
,scriptures it must not only be a       
different knowledge in degree and       
circumstances1 and different in its     
effects2 but it must be entirely        
different in nature and kind4  ,and this
 light and knowledge is always spoken of
 as immediately given of ,god1 ,matt4   
xi4 #be1 #bf1 #bg3 ,at that time ,jesus 
answered and said1 ,i thank thee1 ,o    
,father1 ,lord of heaven and earth1     

because thou hast hid these things from 
the wise and prudent1 and hast revealed 
them unto babes4 ,even so1 ,father3 for 
so it seemed good in thy sight4 ,all    
things are delivered unto me of my      
father3 and no man knoweth the ,son1 but
 the ,father3 neither knoweth any man   
the ,father1 save the ,son1 and he to   
whomsoever the ,son will reveal him4    
,here this effect is ascribed alone to  
the arbitrary operation and gift of     
,god1 bestowing this knowledge on whom  
he will1 and distinguishing those with  
it1 that have the least natural         
advantage or means for knowledge1 even  
babes1 when it is denied to the wise and
 prudent4 ,and the imparting of the     
knowledge of ,god is here appropriated  
to the ,son of ,god as his sole         
prerogative4 ,and again1 #b ,cor4 iv4   
#f3 ,for ,god1 who commanded the light  
to shine out of darkness1 hath shined in
 our hearts1 to give the light of the   
knowledge of the glory of ,god in the   
face of ,jesus ,christ4 ,this plainly   

shows that there is such a thing as a   
discovery of the divine superlative     
glory and excellency of ,god and        
,christ1 and that peculiar to the       
saints3 and also1 that 'tis as          
immediately from ,god1 as light from the
 sun3 and that 'tis the immediate effect
 of his power and will2 for 'tis        
compared to ,god's creating the light by
 his powerful word in the beginning of  
the creation2 and is said to be by the  
,spirit of the ,lord1 in the #ahth verse
 of the preceding chapter4 ,god is      
spoken of as giving the knowledge of    
,christ in conversion1 as of what before
 was hidden and unseen in that1 ,gal4 i4
 #ae1 #af3 ,but when it pleased ,god1   
who separated me from my mother's womb1 
and called me by his grace1 to reveal   
his ,son in me4 ,the ,scripture also    
speaks plainly of such a knowledge of   
the word of ,god as has been described1 
as the immediate gift of ,god1 ,psal4   
cxix4 #ah3 ,open thou mine eyes1 that ,i
 may behold wondrous things out of thy  

law4 ,what could the ,psalmist mean when
 he begged of ,god to open his eyes8    
,was he ever blind8 ,might he not have  
resort to the law and see every word and
 sentence in it when he pleased8 ,and   
what could he mean by those wondrous    
things8 ,was it the wonderful stories of
 the creation and deluge1 and ,israel's 
passing through the ,red ,sea1 and the  
like8 ,were not his eyes open to read   
these strange things when he would8     
,doubtless by wondrous things in ,god's 
law1 he had respect to those            
distinguishing and wonderful            
excellencies1 and marvellous            
manifestations of the divine perfections
 and glory1 that there was in the       
commands and doctrines of the word1 and 
those works and counsels of ,god that   
were there revealed4 ,so the ,scripture 
speaks of a knowledge of ,god's         
dispensation1 and covenant of mercy1 and
 way of grace towards his people1 as    
peculiar to the saints1 and given only  
by ,god1 ,psal4 xxv4 #ad3 ,the secret of

 the ,lord is with them that fear him2  
and he will show them his covenant4     
,and that a true and saving belief of   
the truth of religion is that which     
arises from such a discovery1 is also   
what the ,scripture teaches4 ,as ,john  
vi4 #dj3 ,and this is the will of him   
that sent me1 that every one which seeth
 the ,son1 and believeth on him1 may    
have everlasting life2 where it is plain
 that a true faith is what arises from a
 spiritual sight of ,christ4 ,and ,john 
xvii4 #f1 #g1 #h3 ,i have manifested thy
 name unto the men which thou gavest me 
out of the world4 ,now they have known  
that all things whatsoever thou hast    
given me are of thee4 ,for ,i have given
 unto them the words which thou gavest  
me2 and they have received them1 and    
have known surely that ,i came out from 
thee1 and they have believed that thou  
didst send me2 where ,christ's          
manifesting ,god's name to the          
disciples1 or giving them the knowledge 
of ,god1 was that whereby they knew that

 ,christ's doctrine was of ,god1 and    
that ,christ himself was of him1        
proceeded from him1 and was sent by him4
 ,again1 ,john xii4 #dd1 #de1 #df3      
,jesus cried and said1 ,he that         
believeth on me1 believeth not on me1   
but on him that sent me4 ,and he that   
seeth me seeth him that sent me4 ,i am  
come a light into the world1 that       
whosoever believeth on me should not    
abide in darkness4 ,their believing in  
,christ1 and spiritually seeing him1 are
 spoken of as running parallel4  ,christ
 condemns the ,jews1 that they did not  
know that he was the ,messiah1 and that 
his doctrine was true1 from an inward   
distinguishing taste and relish of what 
was divine1 in ,luke xii4 #ef1 #eg4 ,he 
having there blamed the ,jews1 that     
though they could discern the face of   
the sky and of the earth1 and signs of  
the weather1 that yet they could not    
discern those times--or1 as 'tis        
expressed in ,matthew1 the signs of     
those times--he adds1 yea1 and why even 

of your own selves judge ye not what is 
right8 i4e41 without extrinsic signs4   
,why have ye not that sense of true     
excellency1 whereby ye may distinguish  
that which is holy and divine8 ,why have
 ye not that savor of the things of     
,god1 by which you may see the          
distinguishing glory and evident        
divinity of me and my doctrine8  ,the   
,apostle ,peter mentions it as what gave
 them 7the apostles7 good and well      
grounded assurance of the truth of the  
gospel1 that they had seen the divine   
glory of ,christ1 #b ,pet4 i4 #af3 ,for 
we have not followed cunningly devised  
fables when we made known unto you the  
power and coming of our ,lord ,jesus    
,christ1 but were eyewitnesses of his   
majesty4 ,the apostle has respect to    
that visible glory of ,christ which they
 saw in his transfiguration3 that glory 
was so divine1 having such an ineffable 
appearance and semblance of divine      
holiness1 majesty and grace1 that it    
evidently denoted him to be a divine    

person4 ,but if a sight of ,christ's    
outward glory might give a rational     
assurance of his divinity1 why may not  
an apprehension of his spiritual glory  
do so too8 ,doubtless ,christ's         
spiritual glory is in itself as         
distinguishing1 and as plainly showing  
his divinity1 as his outward glory2 and 
a great deal more3 for his spiritual    
glory is that wherein his divinity      
consists2 and the outward glory of his  
transfiguration showed him to be divine1
 only as it was a remarkable image or   
representation of that spiritual glory4 
,doubtless1 therefore1 he that has had a
 clear sight of the spiritual glory of  
,christ1 may say1 ,i have not followed  
cunningly devised fables1 but have been 
an eyewitness of his majesty1 upon as   
good grounds as the apostle1 when he had
 respect to the outward glory of ,christ
 that he had seen4  ,but this brings me 
to what was proposed next1 viz41 to show
 that1  ,secondly1 ,this doctrine is    
rational4  #a4 ',tis rational to suppose

 that there is really such an excellency
 in divine things1 that is so           
transcendent and exceedingly different  
from what is in other things1 that1 if  
it were seen1 would most evidently      
distinguish them4 ,we cannot rationally 
doubt but that things that are divine1  
that appertain to the ,supreme ,being1  
are vastly different from things that   
are human2 that there is that godlike1  
high and glorious excellency in them1   
that does most remarkably difference    
them from the things that are of men2   
insomuch that if the difference were but
 seen1 it would have a convincing1      
satisfying influence upon any one1 that 
they are what they are1 viz41 divine4   
,what reason can be offered against it8 
,unless we would argue1 that ,god is not
 remarkably distinguished in glory from 
men4  ,if ,christ should now appear to  
any one as he did on the mount at his   
transfiguration2 or if he should appear 
to the world in the glory that he now   
appears in in heaven as he will do at   

the day of judgment2 without doubt1 the 
glory and majesty that he would appear  
in1 would be such as would satisfy every
 one that he was a divine person1 and   
that religion was true3 and it would be 
a most reasonable and well grounded     
conviction too4 ,and why may there not  
be that stamp of divinity or divine     
glory on the word of ,god1 on the scheme
 and doctrine of the gospel1 that may be
 in like manner distinguishing and as   
rationally convincing1 provided it be   
but seen6 ',tis rational to suppose that
 when ,god speaks to the world1 there   
should be something in his word or      
speech vastly different from men's word4
 ,supposing that ,god never had spoken  
to the world1 but we had noticed that he
 was about to do it2 that he was about  
to reveal himself from heaven and speak 
to us immediately himself1 in divine    
speeches or discourses1 as it were from 
his own mouth1 or that he should give us
 a book of his own inditing3 after what 
manner should we expect that he would   

speak8 ,would it not be rational to     
suppose that his speech would be        
exceeding different from men's speech1  
that he should speak like a ,god2 that  
is1 that there should be such an        
excellency and sublimity in his speech  
or word1 such a stamp of wisdom1        
holiness1 majesty and other divine      
perfections1 that the word of men1 yea  
of the wisest of men1 should appear mean
 and base in comparison of it8          
,doubtless it would be thought rational 
to expect this1 and unreasonable to     
think otherwise4 ,when a wise man speaks
 in the exercise of his wisdom1 there is
 something in every thing he says that  
is very distinguishable from the talk of
 a little child4 ,so1 without doubt1 and
 much more1 is the speech of ,god 7if   
there be any such thing as the speech of
 ,god7 to be distinguished from that of 
the wisest of men2 agreeable to ,jer4   
xxiii4 #bh1 #bi4 ,god having there been 
reproving the false prophets that       
prophesied in his name and pretended    

that what they spake was his word1 when 
indeed it was their own word1 says1 ,the
 prophet that hath a dream1 let him tell
 a dream2 and he that hath my word1 let 
him speak my word faithfully4 ,what is  
the chaff to the wheat8 saith the ,lord4
 ,is not my word like as a fire8 saith  
the ,lord2 and like a hammer that       
breaketh the rock in pieces8  #b4 ,if   
there be such a distinguishing          
excellency in divine things1 'tis       
rational to suppose that there may be   
such a thing as seeing it4 ,what should 
hinder but that it may be seen6 ,it is  
no argument1 that there is no such thing
 as such a distinguishing excellency1 or
 that1 if there be1 that it can't be    
seen1 that some don't see it1 though    
they may be discerning men in temporal  
matters4 ,it is not rational to suppose1
 if there be any such excellency in     
divine things1 that wicked men should   
see it4 ',tis not rational to suppose   
that those whose minds are full of      
spiritual pollution1 and under the power

 of filthy lusts1 should have any relish
 or sense of divine beauty or           
excellency2 or that their minds should  
be susceptive of that light that is in  
its own nature so pure and heavenly4 ,it
 need not seem at all strange that sin  
should so blind the mind1 seeing that   
men's particular natural tempers and    
dispositions will so much blind them in 
secular matters2 as when men's natural  
temper is melancholy1 jealous1 fearful1 
proud1 or the like4  #c4 ',tis rational 
to suppose that this knowledge should be
 given immediately by ,god1 and not be  
obtained by natural means4 ,upon what   
account should it seem unreasonable1    
that there should be any immediate      
communication between ,god and the      
creature8 ,it is strange that men should
 make any matter of difficulty of it4   
,why should not he that made all things1
 still have something immediately to do 
with the things that he has made8 ,where
 lies the great difficulty1 if we own   
the being of a ,god1 and that he created

 all things out of nothing1 of allowing 
some immediate influence of ,god on the 
creation still8 ,and if it be reasonable
 to suppose it with respect to any part 
of the creation1 it is especially so    
with respect to reasonable1 intelligent 
creatures2 who are next to ,god in the  
gradation of the different orders of    
beings1 and whose business is most      
immediately with ,god2 who were made on 
purpose for those exercises that do     
respect ,god and wherein they have      
nextly to do with ,god3 for reason      
teaches1 that man was made to serve and 
glorify his ,creator4 ,and if it be     
rational to suppose that ,god           
immediately communicates himself to man 
in any affair1 it is in this4 ',tis     
rational to suppose that ,god would     
reserve that knowledge and wisdom1 that 
is of such a divine and excellent       
nature1 to be bestowed immediately by   
himself1 and that it should not be left 
in the power of second causes4          
,spiritual wisdom and grace is the      

highest and most excellent gift that    
ever ,god bestows on any creature3 in   
this the highest excellency and         
perfection of a rational creature       
consists4 ',tis also immensely the most 
important of all divine gifts3 'tis that
 wherein man's happiness consists1 and  
on which his everlasting welfare        
depends4 ,how rational is it to suppose 
that ,god1 however he has left meaner   
goods and lower gifts to second causes1 
and in some sort in their power1 yet    
should reserve this most excellent1     
divine and important of all divine      
communications in his own hands1 to be  
bestowed immediately by himself1 as a   
thing too great for second causes to be 
concerned in6 ',tis rational to suppose 
that this blessing should be immediately
 from ,god2 for there is no gift or     
benefit that is in itself so nearly     
related to the divine nature1 there is  
nothing the creature receives that is so
 much of ,god1 of his nature1 so much a 
participation of the deity3 'tis a kind 

of emanation of ,god's beauty1 and is   
related to ,god as the light is to the  
sun4 ',tis therefore congruous and fit1 
that when it is given of ,god1 it should
 be nextly from himself1 and by himself1
 according to his own sovereign will4   
',tis rational to suppose that it should
 be beyond a man's power to obtain this 
knowledge and light by the mere strength
 of natural reason2 for 'tis not a thing
 that belongs to reason1 to see the     
beauty and loveliness of spiritual      
things2 it is not a speculative thing1  
but depends on the sense of the heart4  
,reason1 indeed1 is necessary in order  
to it1 as 'tis by reason only that we   
are become the subjects of the means of 
it2 which means ,i have already shown to
 be necessary in order to it1 though    
they have no proper causal influence in 
the affair4 ',tis by reason that we     
become possessed of a notion of those   
doctrines that are the subject matter of
 this divine light2 and reason may many 
ways be indirectly and remotely an      

advantage to it4 ,and reason has also to
 do in the acts that are immediately    
consequent on this discovery3 a seeing  
the truth of religion from hence is by  
reason2 though it be but by one step1   
and the inference be immediate4 ,so     
reason has to do in that accepting of1  
and trusting in ,christ1 that is        
consequent on it4 ,but if we take reason
 strictly1 not for the faculty of mental
 perception in general1 but for         
ratiocination1 or a power of inferring  
by arguments2 ,i say1 if we take reason 
thus1 the perceiving of spiritual beauty
 and excellency no more belongs to      
reason than it belongs to the sense of  
feeling to perceive colors1 or to the   
power of seeing to perceive the         
sweetness of food4 ,it is out of        
reason's province to perceive the beauty
 or loveliness of any thing3 such a     
perception don't belong to that faculty4
 ,reason's work is to perceive truth and
 not excellency4 ,it is not             
ratiocination that gives men the        

perception of the beauty and amiableness
 of a countenance1 though it may be many
 ways indirectly an advantage to it2 yet
 'tis no more reason that immediately   
perceives it than it is reason that     
perceives the sweetness of honey3 it    
depends on the sense of the heart4      
,reason may determine that a countenance
 is beautiful to others1 it may         
determine that honey is sweet to others2
 but it will never give me a perception 
of its sweetness4--,i will conclude with
 a very brief   ,,improvement  of what  
has been said4  ,first1 ,this doctrine  
may lead us to reflect on the goodness  
of ,god1 that has so ordered it1 that a 
saving evidence of the truth of the     
gospel is such as is attainable by      
persons of mean capacities and          
advantages1 as well as those that are of
 the greatest parts and learning4 ,if   
the evidence of the gospel depended only
 on history1 and such reasonings as     
learned men only are capable of1 it     
would be above the reach of far the     

greatest part of mankind4 ,but persons  
with but an ordinary degree of knowledge
 are capable1 without a long and subtile
 train of reasoning1 to see the divine  
excellency of the things of religion3   
they are capable of being taught by the 
,spirit of ,god1 as well as learned men4
 ,the evidence that is this way obtained
 is vastly better and more satisfying   
than all that can be obtained by the    
arguings of those that are most learned1
 and greatest masters of reason4 ,and   
babes are as capable of knowing these   
things as the wise and prudent2 and they
 are often hid from these when they are 
revealed to those3 #a ,cor4 i4 #bf1 #bg1
 ,for ye see your calling1 brethren1 how
 that not many wise men after the flesh1
 not many mighty1 not many noble1 are   
called4 ,but ,god hath chosen the       
foolish things of the world4444         
,secondly1 ,this doctrine may well put  
us upon examining ourselves1 whether we 
have ever had this divine light that has
 been described let into our souls4 ,if 

there be such a thing indeed1 and it be 
not only a notion or whimsy of persons  
of weak and distempered brains1 then    
doubtless 'tis a thing of great         
importance1 whether we have thus been   
taught by the ,spirit of ,god2 whether  
the light of the glorious gospel of     
,christ1 who is the image of ,god1 hath 
shined unto us1 giving us the light of  
the knowledge of the glory of ,god in   
the face of ,jesus ,christ2 whether we  
have seen the ,son1 and believed on him1
 or have that faith of gospel doctrines 
that arises from a spiritual sight of   
,christ4  ,thirdly1 ,all may hence be   
exhorted earnestly to seek this         
spiritual light4 ,to influence and move 
to it1 the following things may be      
considered4  #a4 ,this is the most      
excellent and divine wisdom that any    
creature is capable of4 ',tis more      
excellent than any human learning2 'tis 
far more excellent than all the         
knowledge of the greatest philosophers  
or statesmen4 ,yea1 the least glimpse of

 the glory of ,god in the face of       
,christ doth more exalt and ennoble the 
soul than all the knowledge of those    
that have the greatest speculative      
understanding in divinity without grace4
 ,this knowledge has the most noble     
object that is or can be1 viz41 the     
divine glory or excellency of ,god and  
,christ4 ,the knowledge of these objects
 is that wherein consists the most      
excellent knowledge of the angels1 yea1 
of ,god himself4  #b4 ,this knowledge is
 that which is above all others sweet   
and joyful4 ,men have a great deal of   
pleasure in human knowledge1 in studies 
of natural things2 but this is nothing  
to that joy which arises from this      
divine light shining into the soul4     
,this light gives a view of those things
 that are immensely the most exquisitely
 beautiful1 and capable of delighting   
the eye of the understanding4 ,this     
spiritual light is the dawning of the   
light of glory in the heart4 ,there is  
nothing so powerful as this to support  

persons in affliction1 and to give the  
mind peace and brightness in this stormy
 and dark world4  #c4 ,this light is    
such as effectually influences the      
inclination1 and changes the nature of  
the soul4 ,it assimilates the nature to 
the divine nature1 and changes the soul 
into an image of the same glory that is 
beheld3 #b ,cor4 iii4 #ah1 ,but we all1 
with open face1 beholding as in a glass 
the glory of the ,lord1 are changed into
 the same image from glory to glory1    
even as by the ,spirit of the ,lord4    
,this knowledge will wean from the world
 and raise the inclination to heavenly  
things4 ,it will turn the heart to ,god 
as the fountain of good1 and to choose  
him for the only portion4 ,this light1  
and this only1 will bring the soul to a 
saving close with ,christ4 ,it conforms 
the heart to the gospel1 mortifies its  
enmity and opposition against the scheme
 of salvation therein revealed4 ,it     
causes the heart to embrace the joyful  
tidings1 and entirely to adhere to1 and 

acquiesce in the revelation of ,christ  
as our ,saviour4 ,it causes the whole   
soul to accord and symphonize with it1  
admitting it with entire credit and     
respect1 cleaving to it with full       
inclination and affection2 and it       
effectually disposes the soul to give up
 itself entirely to ,christ4  #d4 ,this 
light1 and this only1 has its fruit in  
an universal holiness of life4 ,no      
merely notional or speculative          
understanding of the doctrines of       
religion will ever bring to this4 ,but  
this light1 as it reaches the bottom of 
the heart1 and changes the nature1 so it
 will effectually dispose to an         
universal obedience4 ,it shows ,god's   
worthiness to be obeyed and served4 ,it 
draws forth the heart in a sincere love 
to ,god1 which is the only principle of 
a true1 gracious and universal          
obedience4 ,and it convinces of the     
reality of those glorious rewards that  
,god has promised to them that obey him4
     ,,iii  ,,ruth',s ,,resolution deg4 

,,ruth i4 #af4--;,and ,ruth said1       
,intreat me not to leave thee1 or to    
return from following after thee3 for   
whither thou goest1 ,i will go2 and     
where thou lodgest1 ,i will lodge3 thy  
people shall be my people1 and thy ,god 
my ,god4   ,the historical things in    
this book of ,ruth seem to be inserted  
into the canon of the ,scripture        
especially on two accounts3  ,first1    
,because ,christ was of ,ruth's         
posterity4 ,the ,holy ,ghost thought fit
 to take particular notice of that      
marriage of ,boaz with ,ruth1 whence    
sprang the ,saviour of the world4 ,we   
may often observe it1 that the ,holy    
,spirit who indited the ,scriptures1    
often takes notice of little things1    
minute occurrences1 that do but remotely
 relate to ,jesus ,christ4  ,secondly1  
,because this history seems to be       
typical of the calling of the ,gentile  
church1 and indeed of the conversion of 
every believer4 ,ruth was not originally
 of ,israel1 but was a ,moabitess1 an   

alien from the commonwealth of ,israel3 
but she forsook her own people1 and the 
idols of the ,gentiles1 to worship the  
,god of ,israel1 and to join herself to 
that people4 ,herein she seems to be a  
type of the ,gentile church1 and also of
 every sincere convert4 ,ruth was the   
mother of ,christ2 he came of her       
posterity3 so the church is ,christ's   
mother1 as she is represented1 ,rev4    
xii41 at the beginning4 ,and so also is 
every true ,christian his mother3 ,matt4
 xii4 #ej1 ,whosoever shall do the will 
of my ,father which is in heaven1 the   
same is my brother1 and sister1 and     
mother4 ,christ is what the soul of     
every one of the elect is in travail    
with in the new birth4 ,ruth forsook all
 her natural relations and her own      
country1 the land of her nativity1 and  
all her former possessions there1 for   
the sake of the ,god of ,israel2 as     
every true ,christian forsakes all for  
,christ4 ,psalm xlv4 #aj1 ,hearken1 ,o  
daughter1 and consider1 and incline     

thine ear2 forget also thine own people1
 and thy father's house4  ,naomi was now
 returning out of the land of ,moab into
 the land of ,israel with her two       
daughters in law1 ,orpah and ,ruth2 who 
will represent to us two sorts of       
professors of religion3 ,orpah1 that    
sort that indeed make a fair profession1
 and seem to set out well1 but dure but 
for a while1 and then turn back2 ,ruth1 
that sort that are sound and sincere1   
and therefore are steadfast and         
persevering in the way that they have   
set out in4 ,naomi in the preceding     
verses represents to these her daughters
 the difficulties of their leaving their
 own country to go with her4 ,and in    
this verse may be observed1  #a4 ,the   
remarkable conduct and behavior of ,ruth
 on this occasion2 with what inflexible 
resolution she cleaves to ,naomi and    
follows her4 ,when ,naomi first arose to
 return from the country of ,moab into  
the land of ,israel1 ,orpah and ,ruth   
both set out with her2 and ,naomi       

exhorts them both to return4 ,and they  
both of them wept1 and seemed as if they
 could not bear the thoughts of leaving 
her1 and appeared as if they were       
resolved to go with her3 verse #aj1 ,and
 they said unto her1 ,surely we will    
return with thee unto thy people4 ,then 
,naomi says to them again1 ,turn again1 
my daughters1 go your way1 c4 ,and then 
they were greatly affected again1 and   
,orpah returned and went back4 ,now     
,ruth's steadfastness in her purpose had
 a greater trial1 but yet is not        
overcome3 ,she clave unto her1 verse    
#ad4 ,then ,naomi speaks to her again1  
verse #ae1 ,behold1 thy sister in law is
 gone back unto her people1 and unto her
 gods3 return thou after thy sister in  
law4 ,and then she shows her immovable  
resolution in the text and following    
verse4  #b4 ,i would particularly       
observe that wherein the virtuousness of
 this her resolution consists1 viz41    
that it was for the sake of the ,god of 
,israel1 and that she might be one of   

his people1 that she was thus resolved  
to cleave to ,naomi3 ,thy people shall  
be my people1 and thy ,god my ,god4 ,it 
was for ,god's sake that she did thus2  
and therefore her so doing is afterwards
 spoken of as a virtuous behavior in    
her1 chap4 ii4 #aa1 #ab3 ,and ,boaz     
answered and said unto her1 ,it hath    
fully been showed me1 all that thou hast
 done unto thy mother in law since the  
death of thine husband3 and how thou    
hast left thy father1 and thy mother1   
and the land of thy nativity1 and art   
come unto a people which thou knewest   
not heretofore4 ,the ,lord recompense   
thy work1 and a full reward be given    
thee of the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 under
 whose wings thou art come to trust4    
,she left her father and mother1 and the
 land of her nativity1 to come and trust
 under the shadow of ,god's wings3 and  
she had indeed a full reward given her1 
as ,boaz wished2 for besides immediate  
spiritual blessings to her own soul and 
eternal rewards in another world1 she   

was rewarded with plentiful and         
prosperous outward circumstances in the 
family of ,boaz4 ,and ,god raised up    
,david and ,solomon of her seed1 and    
established the crown of ,israel 7the   
people that she chose before her own    
people7 in her posterity2 and--which is 
much more--of her seed he raised up     
,jesus ,christ1 in whom all the families
 of the earth are blessed4  ,from the   
words thus opened1 ,i observe this for  
the subject of my present discourse3    
,when those that we have formerly been  
conversant with1 are turning      to    
,god1 and joining themselves to his     
people1 it ought to be our      firm    
resolution1 that we will not leave them2
 but that their people      shall be our
 people1 and their ,god our ,god4  ,it  
sometimes happens1 that of those who    
have been conversant one with another1  
that have dwelt together as neighbors1  
and have been often together as         
companions1 or have been united in near 
relation1 and have been together in     

darkness1 bondage and misery in the     
service of ,satan1 some are enlightened1
 and have their minds changed1 are made 
to see the great evil of sin1 and have  
their hearts turned to ,god1 and are    
influenced by the ,holy ,spirit of ,god 
to leave their company that are on      
,satan's side to go and join themselves 
with that blessed company that are with 
,jesus ,christ2 they are made willing to
 forsake the tents of wickedness1 to    
dwell in the land of uprightness with   
the people of ,god4  ,and sometimes this
 proves a final parting or separation   
between them and those that they have   
been formerly conversant with4 ,though  
it may be no parting in outward         
respects1 they may still dwell together 
and may converse one with another2 yet  
in other respects1 it sets them at a    
great distance one from another3 one is 
a child of ,god1 and the other the enemy
 of ,god2 one is in a miserable1 and the
 other in a happy condition2 one is a   
citizen of the heavenly ,zion1 the other

 is under condemnation to hell4 ,they   
are no longer together in those respects
 wherein they used to be together4 ,they
 used to be of one mind to serve sin and
 do ,satan's work2 now they are of      
contrary minds4 ,they used to be        
together in worldliness and sinful      
vanity2 now they are of exceeding       
different dispositions4 ,they are       
separated as they are in different      
kingdoms2 the one remains in the kingdom
 of darkness1 the other is translated   
into the kingdom of ,god's dear ,son4   
,and sometimes they are finally         
separated in these respects2 while one  
dwells in the land of ,israel1 and in   
the house of ,god1 the other1 like      
,orpah1 lives and dies in the land of   
,moab4  ,now 'tis lamentable when it is 
thus4 ',tis awful being parted so4 ',tis
 doleful1 when of those that have       
formerly been together in sin1 some turn
 to ,god1 and join themselves with his  
people1 that it should prove a parting  
between them and their former companions

 and acquaintance4 ,it should be our    
firm and inflexible resolution in such a
 case that it shall be no parting1 but  
that we will follow them1 that their    
people shall be our people1 and their   
,god our ,god2 and that for the         
following reasons3  ,i4 ,because their  
,god is a glorious ,god4 ,there is none 
like him1 who is infinite in glory and  
excellency4 ,he is the most high ,god1  
glorious in holiness1 fearful in        
praises1 doing wonders4 ,his name is    
excellent in all the earth1 and his     
glory is above the earth and the        
heavens4 ,among the gods there is none  
like unto him2 there is none in heaven  
to be compared to him1 nor are there any
 among the sons of the mighty that can  
be likened unto him4 ,their ,god is the 
fountain of all good1 and an            
inexhaustible fountain2 he is an        
all-sufficient ,god1 able to protect and
 defend them1 and do all things for     
them4 ,he is the ,king of glory1 the    
,lord strong and mighty1 the ,lord      

mighty in battle3 a strong rock1 and a  
high tower4 ,there is none like the ,god
 of ,jeshurun1 who rideth on the heaven 
in their help1 and in his excellency on 
the sky4 ,the eternal ,god is their     
refuge1 and underneath are everlasting  
arms4 ,he is a ,god that hath all things
 in his hands1 and does whatsoever he   
pleases3 he killeth and maketh alive2 he
 bringeth down to the grave and bringeth
 up2 he maketh poor and maketh rich3 the
 pillars of the earth are the ,lord's4  
,their ,god is an infinitely holy ,god2 
there is none holy as the ,lord4 ,and he
 is infinitely good and merciful4 ,many 
that others worship and serve as gods   
are cruel beings1 spirits that seek the 
ruin of souls2 but this is a ,god that  
delighteth in mercy2 his grace is       
infinite and endures forever4 ,he is    
love itself1 an infinite fountain and   
ocean of it4  ,such a ,god is their     
,god6 ,such is the excellency of ,jacob6
 ,such is the ,god of them who have     
forsaken their sins and are converted6  

,they have made a wise choice who have  
chosen this for their ,god4 ,they have  
made a happy exchange indeed1 that have 
exchanged sin and the world for such a  
,god6  ,they have an excellent and      
glorious ,saviour1 who is the           
only-begotten ,son of ,god2 the         
brightness of his ,father's glory2 one  
in whom ,god from eternity had infinite 
delight2 a ,saviour of infinite love2   
one that has shed his own blood and made
 his soul an offering for their sins1   
and one that is able to save them to the
 uttermost4  ,,ii4 ,their people are an 
excellent and happy people4 ,god has    
renewed them1 and instamped his own     
image upon them1 and made them partakers
 of his holiness4 ,they are more        
excellent than their neighbors1 ,prov4  
xii4 #bf4 ,yea1 they are the excellent  
of the earth1 ,psalm xvi4 #c4 ,they are 
lovely in the sight of the angels2 and  
they have their souls adorned with those
 graces that in the sight of ,god       
himself are of great price4  ,the people

 of ,god are the most excellent and     
happy society in the world4 ,that ,god  
whom they have chosen for their ,god is 
their ,father2 he has pardoned all their
 sins1 and they are st peace with him2  
and he has admitted them to all the     
privileges of his children4 ,as they    
have devoted themselves to ,god1 so ,god
 has given himself to them4 ,he is      
become their salvation and their        
portion3 his power and mercy and all his
 attributes are theirs4 ,they are in a  
safe state1 free from all possibility of
 perishing3 ,satan has no power to      
destroy them4 ,god carries them on      
eagle's wings1 far above ,satan's reach1
 and above the reach of all the enemies 
of their souls4 ,god is with them in    
this world2 they have his gracious      
presence4 ,god is for them2 who then can
 be against them8 ,as the mountains are 
round about ,jerusalem1 so ,jehovah is  
round about them4 ,god is their shield  
and their exceeding great reward2 and   
their fellowship is with the ,father and

 with his ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,and they
 have the divine promise and oath that  
in the world to come they shall dwell   
forever in the glorious presence of     
,god4  ,it may well be sufficient to    
induce us to resolve to cleave to those 
that forsake their sins and idols to    
join themselves with this people1 that  
,god is with them1 ,zech4 viii4 #bc3    
,thus saith the ,lord of hosts2 ,in     
those days it shall come to pass1 that  
ten men shall take hold out of all      
languages of the nations1 even shall    
take hold of the skirt of him that is a 
,jew1 saying1 ,we will go with you3 for 
we have heard that ,god is with you4 ,so
 should persons as it were take hold of 
the skirt of their neighbors and        
companions that have turned to ,god1 and
 resolve that they will go with them1   
because ,god is with them4  ,,iii4      
,happiness is nowhere else to be had1   
but in their ,god1 and with their       
people4 ,there are that are called gods 
many1 and lords many4 ,some make gods of

 their pleasures2 some choose ,mammon   
for their god2 some make gods of their  
own supposed excellencies1 or the       
outward advantages they have above their
 neighbors3 some choose one thing for   
their god1 and others another4 ,but men 
can be happy in no other ,god but the   
,god of ,israel3 he is the only fountain
 of happiness4 ,other gods can't help in
 calamity2 nor can any of them afford   
what the poor empty soul stands in need 
of4 ,let men adore those other gods     
never so much1 and call upon them never 
so earnestly1 and serve them never so   
diligently1 they will nevertheless      
remain poor1 wretched1 unsatisfied1     
undone creatures4 ,all other people are 
miserable1 but that people whose ,god is
 the ,lord4--,the world is divided into 
two societies4 ,there are the people of 
,god1 the little flock of ,jesus        
,christ1 that company that we read of1  
,rev4 xiv4 #d4 ,these are they which    
were not defiled with women2 for they   
are virgins4 ,these are they which      

follow the ,lamb whithersoever he goeth4
 ,these were redeemed from among men1   
being the firstfruits unto ,god and to  
the ,lamb4 ,and there are those that    
belong to the kingdom of darkness1 that 
are without ,christ1 being aliens from  
the commonwealth of ,israel1 strangers  
from the covenant of promise1 having no 
hope1 and without ,god in the world4    
,all that are of this latter company are
 wretched and undone2 they are the      
enemies of ,god1 and under his wrath and
 condemnation4 ,they are the devil's    
slaves1 that serve him blindfold1 and   
are befooled and ensnared by him1 and   
hurried along in the broad way to       
eternal perdition4  ,,iv4 ,when those   
that we have formerly been conversant   
with are turning to ,god1 and to his    
people1 their example ought to influence
 us4 ,their example should be looked    
upon as the call of ,god to us to do as 
they have done4 ,god1 when he changes   
the heart of one1 calls upon another2   
especially does he loudly call on those 

that have been their friends and        
acquaintance4 ,we have been influenced  
by their examples in evil2 and shall we 
cease to follow them when they make the 
wisest choice that ever they made1 and  
do the best thing that ever they did8   
,if we have been companions with them in
 worldliness1 in vanity1 in unprofitable
 and sinful conversation1 it will be a  
hard case1 if there must be a parting   
now1 because we be not willing to be    
companions with them in holiness and    
true happiness4 ,men are greatly        
influenced by seeing one another's      
prosperity in other things4 ,if those   
whom they have been much conversant with
 grow rich1 and obtain any great earthly
 advantages1 it awakens their ambition  
and eager desire after the like         
prosperity4 ,how much more should they  
be influenced1 and stirred up to follow 
them1 and be like them1 when they obtain
 that spiritual and eternal happiness   
that is of infinitely more worth than   
all the prosperity and glory of this    

world6  ,v4 ,our resolutions to cleave  
to and follow those that are turning to 
,god1 and joining themselves to his     
people1 ought to be fixed and strong1   
because of the great difficulty of it4  
,if we will cleave to them1 and have    
their ,god for our ,god1 and their      
people for our people1 we must mortify  
and deny all our lusts1 and cross every 
evil appetite and inclination1 and      
forever part with all sin4 ,but our     
lusts are many and violent4 ,sin is     
naturally exceeding dear to us2 to part 
with it is compared to plucking out our 
right eyes4 ,men may refrain from wonted
 ways of sin for a little while1 and may
 deny their lusts in a partial degree1  
with less difficulty2 but 'tis          
heart-rending work1 finally to part with
 all sin1 and to give our dearest lusts 
a bill of divorce1 utterly to send them 
away4 ,but this we must do1 if we would 
follow those that are truly turning to  
,god4 ,yea1 we must not only forsake    
sin1 but must1 in a sense1 forsake all  

the world3 ,luke xiv4 #cc1 ,whosoever he
 be of you that forsaketh not all he    
hath1 he cannot be my disciple4 ,that   
is1 he must forsake all in his heart1   
and must come to a thorough disposition 
and readiness actually to quit all for  
,god and the glorious spiritual         
privileges of his people1 whenever the  
case may require it2 and that without   
any prospect of any thing of the like   
nature1 or any worldly thing whatsoever1
 to make amends for it2 and all to go   
into a strange country1 a land that has 
hitherto been unseen2 like ,abraham1 who
 being called of ,god1 went out of his  
own country1 and from his kindred1 and  
from his father's house1 for a land that
 ,god should show him1 not knowing      
whither he went4  ,thus it was a hard   
thing for ,ruth to forsake her native   
country and her father and mother1 her  
kindred and acquaintance1 and all the   
pleasant things she had in the land of  
,moab1 to dwell in the land of ,israel1 
where she never had been4 ,naomi told   

her of the difficulties once and again4 
,they were too hard for her sister      
,orpah2 the consideration of them turned
 her back after she was set out4 ,her   
resolution was not firm enough to       
overcome them4 ,but so firmly resolved  
was ,ruth1 that she broke through all2  
she was steadfast in it1 that1 let the  
difficulty be what it would1 she would  
not leave her mother in law4 ,so persons
 had need to be very firm in their      
resolution to conquer the difficulties  
that are in the way of cleaving to them 
who are indeed turning from sin to ,god4
  ,our cleaving to them1 and having     
their ,god for our ,god and their people
 for our people1 depends on our         
resolution and choice2 and that in two  
respects4  #a4 ,the firmness of         
resolution in using means in order to   
it1 is the way to have means effectual4 
,there are means appointed in order to  
our becoming some of the true ,israel   
and having their ,god for our ,god2 and 
the thorough use of these means is the  

way to have success2 but not a slack or 
slighty use of them4 ,and that we may be
 thorough1 there is need of strength of 
resolution1 a firm and inflexible       
disposition and bent of mind to be      
universal in the use of means1 and to do
 what we do with our might1 and to      
persevere in it4 ,matt4 xi4 #ab1 ,the   
kingdom of heaven suffereth violence1   
and the violent take it by force4  #b4  
,a choosing of their ,god and their     
people1 with a full determination and   
with the whole soul1 is the condition of
 an union with them4 ,god gives every   
man his choice in this matter3 as ,orpah
 and ,ruth had their choice1 whether    
they would go with ,naomi into the land 
of ,israel1 or stay in the land of      
,moab4 ,a natural man may choose        
deliverance from hell2 but no man doth  
ever heartily choose ,god and ,christ1  
and the spiritual benefits that ,christ 
has purchased1 and the happiness of     
,god's people1 till he is converted4 ,on
 the contrary1 he is averse to them2 he 

has no relish of them2 and is wholly    
ignorant of the inestimable worth and   
value of them4  ,many carnal men do seem
 to choose these things1 but do it not  
really3 as ,orpah seemed at first to    
choose to forsake ,moab to go into the  
land of ,israel4 ,but when ,naomi came  
to set before her the difficulty of it1 
she went back2 and thereby showed that  
she was not fully determined in her     
choice1 and that her whole soul was not 
in it as ,ruth's was4   ,,application   
,the use that ,i shall make of what has 
been said is to move sinners to this    
resolution1 with respect to those       
amongst us that have lately turned to   
,god1 and joined themselves to the flock
 of ,christ4 ,through the abundant mercy
 and grace of ,god to us in this place1 
it may be said of many of you that are  
in a ,christless condition1 that you    
have lately been left by those that were
 formerly with you in such a state4     
,there are those that you have formerly 
been conversant with that have lately   

forsaken a life of sin and the service  
of ,satan1 and have turned to ,god1 and 
fled to ,christ1 and joined themselves  
to that blessed company that are with   
him4 ,they formerly were with you in sin
 and in misery2 but now they are with   
you no more in that state or manner of  
life4 ,they are changed1 and have fled  
from the wrath to come2 they have chosen
 a life of holiness here and the        
enjoyment of ,god hereafter4 ,they were 
formerly your associates in bondage1 and
 were with you in ,satan's business2 but
 now you have their company no longer in
 these things4 ,many of you have seen   
those you live with1 under the same     
roof1 turning from being any longer with
 you in sin1 to be with the people of   
,jesus ,christ4 ,some of you that are   
husbands have had your wives2 and some  
of you that are wives have had your     
husbands2 some of you that are children 
have had your parents2 and parents have 
had your children2 many of you have had 
your brothers and sisters2 and many your

 near neighbors and acquaintance and    
special friends2 many of you that are   
young have had your companions3 ,i say1 
many of you have had those that you have
 been thus concerned with1 leaving you1 
forsaking that doleful life and wretched
 state that you still continue in4 ,god1
 of his good pleasure and wonderful     
grace1 hath lately caused it to be so in
 this place that multitudes have been   
forsaking their old abodes in the land  
of ,moab1 and under the gods of ,moab1  
and going into the land of ,israel1 to  
put their trust under the wings of the  
,lord ,god of ,israel4 ,though you and  
they have been nearly related1 and have 
dwelt together1 or have been often      
together and intimately acquainted one  
with another1 they have been taken and  
you hitherto left4 ,o let it not be the 
foundation of a final parting6 ,but     
earnestly follow them2 be firm in your  
resolution in this matter4 ,don't do as 
,orpah did1 who1 though at first she    
made as though she would follow ,naomi1 

yet when she had the difficulty of it   
set before her went back3 but say as    
,ruth1 ,i will not leave thee2 but where
 thou goest1 ,i will go3 thy people     
shall be my people1 and thy ,god my     
,god4 ,say as she said1 and do as she   
did4 ,consider the excellency of their  
,god and their ,saviour1 and the        
happiness of their people1 the blessed  
state that they are in1 and the doleful 
state that you are in4  ,you who are old
 sinners1 who have lived long in the    
service of ,satan1 have lately seen some
 that were with you1 that have travelled
 with you in the paths of sin these many
 years1 that with you enjoyed great     
means and advantages1 that have had     
calls and warnings with you1 and have   
with you passed through remarkable times
 of the pouring out of ,god's ,spirit in
 this place1 and have hardened their    
hearts and stood it out with you1 and   
with you have grown old in sin2 ,i say1 
you have seen some of them turning to   
,god1 i4e41 you have seen those         

evidences of it in them1 whence you may 
rationally judge that it is so4 ,o let  
it not be a final parting6 ,you have    
been thus long together in sin1 and     
under condemnation2 let it be your firm 
resolution1 that1 if possible1 you will 
be with them still1 now they are in a   
holy and happy state1 and that you will 
follow them into the holy and pleasant  
land4  ,you that tell of your having    
been seeking salvation for many years1  
though1 without doubt1 in a poor dull   
way1 in comparison of what you ought to 
have done1 have seen some that have been
 with you in that respect1 that were old
 sinners and old seekers1 as you are1   
obtaining mercy4 ,god has lately roused 
them from their dulness1 and caused them
 to alter their hand1 and put them on   
more thorough endeavors2 and they have  
now1 after so long a time1 heard ,god's 
voice1 and have fled for refuge to the  
,rock of ,ages4 ,let this awaken        
earnestness and resolution in you4      
,resolve that you will not leave them4  

,you that are in your youth1 how many   
have you seen of your age and standing  
that have of late hopefully chosen ,god 
for their ,god and ,christ for their    
,saviour6 ,you have followed them in    
sin1 and have perhaps followed them into
 vain company2 and will you not now     
follow them to ,christ8  ,and you that  
are children1 there have lately been    
some of your sort that have repented of 
their sins1 and have loved the ,lord    
,jesus ,christ1 and trusted in him1 and 
are become ,god's children1 as we have  
reason to hope3 let it stir you up to   
resolve to your utmost to seek and cry  
to ,god1 that you may have the like     
change made in your hearts1 that their  
people may be your people1 and their    
,god your ,god4  ,you that are great    
sinners1 that have made yourselves      
distinguishingly guilty by the wicked   
practices you have lived in1 there are  
some of your sort that have lately 7as  
we have reason to hope7 had their hearts
 broken for sin1 and have forsaken it1  

and trusted in the blood of ,christ for 
the pardon of it1 and have chosen a holy
 life1 and have betaken themselves to   
the ways of wisdom3 let it excite and   
encourage you resolutely to cleave to   
them and earnestly to follow them4  ,let
 the following things be here           
considered3--  #a4 ,that your soul is as
 precious as theirs4 ,it is immortal as 
theirs is2 and stands in as much need of
 happiness1 and can as ill bear eternal 
misery4 ,you were born in the same      
miserable condition that they were1     
having the same wrath of ,god abiding on
 you4 ,you must stand before the same   
,judge2 who will be as strict in        
judgment with you as with them2 and your
 own righteousness will stand you in no 
more stead before him than theirs2 and  
therefore you stand in as absolute      
necessity of a ,saviour as they4 ,carnal
 confidences can no more answer your end
 than theirs2 nor can this world or its 
enjoyments serve to make you happy      
without ,god and ,christ more than them4

 ,when the bridegroom comes1 the foolish
 virgins stand in as much need of oil as
 the wise1 ,matt4 xxv4 at the beginning4
  #b4 ,unless you follow them in their  
turning to ,god1 their conversion will  
be a foundation of an eternal separation
 between you and them4 ,you will be in  
different interests and in exceeding    
different states1 as long as you live2  
they the children of ,god1 and you the  
children of ,satan2 and you will be     
parted in another world2 when you come  
to die1 there will be a vast separation 
made between you3 ,luke xvi4 #bf1 ,and  
besides all this1 between us and you    
there is a great gulf fixed3 so that    
they which would pass from hence to you1
 cannot2 neither can they pass to us1   
that would come from thence4 ,and you   
will be parted at the day of judgment4  
,you will be parted at ,christ's first  
appearance in the clouds of heaven4     
,while they are caught up in the clouds 
to meet the ,lord in the air1 to be ever
 with the ,lord1 you will remain below1 

confined to this cursed ground1 that is 
kept in store1 reserved unto fire1      
against the day of judgment and         
perdition of ungodly men4 ,you will     
appear separated from them while you    
stand before the great judgment-seat1   
they being at the right hand1 while you 
are set at the left3 ,matt4 xxv4 #cb1   
#cc1 ,and before him shall be gathered  
all nations3 and he shall separate them 
one from another1 as a shepherd divideth
 his sheep from the goats3 and he shall 
set the sheep on his right hand1 but the
 goats on the left4 ,and you shall then 
appear in exceeding different           
circumstances4 ,while you stand with    
devils1 in the image and deformity of   
devils1 and in ineffable horror and     
amazement1 they shall appear in glory1  
sitting upon thrones1 as assessors with 
,christ1 and as such passing judgment   
upon you1 #a ,cor4 vi4 #b4 ,and what    
shame and confusion will then cover you1
 when so many of your contemporaries1   
your equals1 your neighbors1 relations  

and companions1 shall be honored1 and   
openly acknowledged and confessed by the
 glorious ,judge of the universe and    
,redeemer of saints1 and shall be seen  
by you sitting with him in such glory1  
and you shall appear to have neglected  
your salvation1 and not to have improved
 your opportunities1 and rejected the   
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the same person   
that will then appear as your great     
,judge1 and you shall be the subjects of
 wrath1 and1 as it were1 trodden down in
 eternal contempt and disgrace6 ,dan4   
xii4 #b1 ,some shall rise to everlasting
 life1 and some to shame and everlasting
 contempt4 ,and what a wide separation  
will the sentence then passed and       
executed make between you and them6     
,when you shall be sent away out of the 
presence of the ,judge with indignation 
and abhorrence1 as cursed and loathsome 
creatures1 and they shall be sweetly    
accosted and invited into his glory as  
his dear friends and the blessed of his 
,father6 ,when you1 with all that vast  

throng of wicked and accursed men and   
devils1 shall descend with loud         
lamentings and horrid shrieks into that 
dreadful gulf of fire and brimstone1 and
 shall be swallowed up in that great and
 everlasting furnace1 while they shall  
joyfully1 and with sweet songs of glory 
and praise1 ascend with ,christ1 and all
 that beauteous and blessed company of  
saints and angels1 into eternal         
felicity1 in the glorious presence of   
,god1 and the sweet embraces of his     
love2 and you and they shall spend      
eternity in such a separation and       
immensely different circumstances6 ,and 
that however you have been intimately   
acquainted and nearly related1 closely  
united and mutually conversant here in  
this world2 and how much soever you have
 taken delight in each other's company6 
,shall it be so after you have been     
together a great while1 each of you in  
undoing yourselves1 enhancing your      
guilt1 and heaping up wrath1 that their 
so wisely changing their minds and their

 course1 and choosing such happiness for
 themselves1 should now at length be the
 beginning of such an exceeding and     
everlasting separation between you and  
them8 ,how awful will it be to be parted
 so6  #c4 ,consider the great           
encouragement that ,god gives you1      
earnestly to strive for the same        
blessing that others have obtained4     
,there is great encouragement in the    
word of ,god to sinners to seek         
salvation1 in the revelation we have of 
the abundant provision made for the     
salvation even of the chief of sinners1 
and in the appointment of so many means 
to be used with and by sinners1 in order
 to their salvation2 and by the blessing
 which ,god in his word connects with   
the means of his appointment4 ,there is 
hence great encouragement for all1 at   
all times1 that will be thorough in     
using of these means4 ,but now ,god     
gives extraordinary encouragement in his
 providence1 by pouring out his ,spirit 
so remarkably amongst us1 and bringing  

savingly home to himself all sorts1     
young and old1 rich and poor1 wise and  
unwise1 sober and vicious1 old          
self-righteous seekers and profligate   
livers3 no sort are exempt4 ,there is   
now at this day amongst us the loudest  
call and the greatest encouragement and 
the widest door open to sinners1 to     
escape out of a state of sin and        
condemnation that perhaps ,god ever     
granted in ,new ,england4 ,who is there 
that has an immortal soul so sottish as 
not to improve such an opportunity1 and 
that won't bestir himself with all his  
might now8 ,how unreasonable is         
negligence1 and how exceeding           
unseasonable is discouragement1 at such 
a day as this6 ,will you be so stupid as
 to neglect your soul now8 ,will any    
mortal amongst us be so unreasonable as 
to lag behind1 or look back in          
discouragement when ,god opens such a   
door8 ,let every single person be       
thoroughly awake6 ,let every one        
encourage himself now to press forward1 

and fly for his life6  #d4 ,consider how
 earnestly desirous they that have      
obtained are that you should follow     
them1 and that their people should be   
your people1 and their ,god your ,god4  
,they desire that you should partake of 
that great good that ,god has given     
them1 and that unspeakable and eternal  
blessedness that he has promised them4  
,they wish and long for it4 ,if you do  
not go with them1 and are not still of  
their company1 it won't be for want of  
their willingness1 but your own4 ,that  
of ,moses to ,hobab is the language of  
every true saint of your acquaintance to
 you1 ,numb4 x4 #bi1 ,we are journeying 
unto the place of which the ,lord said1 
,i will give it you3 come thou with us1 
and we will do thee good3 for the ,lord 
hath spoken good concerning ,israel4 ,as
 ,moses1 when on his journey through the
 wilderness1 following the pillar of    
cloud and fire1 invited ,hobab1 that he 
had been acquainted with and nearly     
allied to out of the land of ,midian1   

where ,moses had formerly dwelt with    
him1 to go with him and his people to   
,canaan1 to partake with them in the    
good that ,god had promised them2 so do 
those of your friends and acquaintance  
invite you1 out of a land of darkness   
and wickedness1 where they have formerly
 been with you1 to go with them to the  
heavenly ,canaan4 ,the company of       
saints1 the true church of ,christ1     
invite you4 ,the lovely bride calls you 
to the marriage supper4 ,she hath       
authority to invite guests to her own   
wedding2 and you ought to look on her   
invitation and desire as the call of    
,christ the bridegroom2 for it is the   
voice of his ,spirit in her3 ,rev4 xxii4
 #ag1 ,the ,spirit and the bride say1   
,come4 ,where seems to be a reference to
 what had been said1 chap4 xix4 #g-i1   
,the marriage of the ,lamb is come1 and 
his wife hath made herself ready4 ,and  
to her was granted that she should be   
arrayed in fine linen1 clean and white3 
for the fine linen is the righteousness 

of saints4 ,and he saith unto me1       
,write1 ,blessed are they which are     
called to the marriage supper of the    
,lamb4 ',tis with respect to this her   
marriage supper that she1 from the      
motion of the ,spirit of the ,lamb in   
her1 says1 ,come4 ,so that you are      
invited on all hands2 all conspire to   
call you4 ,god the ,father invites you3 
this is the ,king that has made a       
marriage for his ,son2 and he sends     
forth his servants1 the ministers of the
 gospel1 to invite the guests4 ,and the 
,son himself invites you3 'tis he that  
speaks1 ,rev4 xvii4 #ag1 ,and let him   
that heareth say1 ,come2 and let him    
that is athirst1 come2 and whosoever    
will1 let him come4 ,he tells us who he 
is in the foregoing verse1 ,i ,jesus1   
the root and offspring of ,david1 the   
bright and morning star4 ,and ,god's    
ministers invite you1 and all the church
 invites you2 and there will be joy in  
the presence of the angels of ,god that 
hour that you accept the invitation4    

#e4 ,consider what a doleful company    
that will be that be left after this    
extraordinary time of mercy is over4 ,we
 have reason to think that there will be
 a number left4 ,we read that when      
,ezekiel's healing waters increased so  
abundantly1 and the healing effect of   
them was so very general2 yet there were
 certain places1 where the water came1  
that never were healed3 ,ezek4 xlvii4   
#i-aa1 ,and it shall come to pass1 that 
every thing that liveth1 which moveth1  
whithersoever the rivers shall come1    
shall live3 and there shall be a very   
great multitude of fish1 because these  
waters shall come thither3 for they     
shall be healed2 and every thing shall  
live whither the river cometh4 ,and it  
shall come to pass1 that the fishers    
shall stand upon it from ,en-gedi even  
unto ,en-eglaim2 they shall be a place  
to spread forth nets2 their fish shall  
be according to their kinds1 as the fish
 of the great sea1 exceeding many4 ,but 
the miry places thereof and the marshes 

thereof shall not be healed2 they shall 
be given to salt4 ,and even in the      
apostles' times1 when there was such    
wonderful success of the gospel1 yet    
wherever they came1 there were some that
 did not believe3 ,acts xiii4 #dh1 ,and 
when the ,gentiles heard this1 they were
 glad1 and glorified the word of the    
,lord2 and as many as were ordained to  
eternal life1 believed4 ,and chap4      
xxviii4 #bd1 ,and some believed1 and    
some believed not4 ,so we have no reason
 to expect but there will be some left  
amongst us4 ',tis to be hoped it will be
 a small company4 ,but what a doleful   
company will it be6 ,how darkly and     
awfully will it look upon them6 ,if you 
shall be of that company1 how well may  
your friends and relations lament over  
you1 and bemoan your dark and dangerous 
circumstances6 ,if you would not be one 
of them1 make haste1 delay not and look 
not behind you4 ,shall all sorts obtain1
 shall every one press into the kingdom 
of ,god1 while you stay loitering behind

 in a doleful undone condition8 ,shall  
every one take heaven1 while you remain 
with no other portion but this world8   
,now take up that resolution1 that if it
 be possible you will cleave to them    
that have fled for refuge to lay hold of
 the hope set before them4 ,count the   
cost of a thorough1 violent1 and        
perpetual pursuit of salvation1 and     
forsake all1 as ,ruth forsook her own   
country and all her pleasant enjoyments 
in it4 ,don't do as ,orpah did2 who set 
out1 and then was discouraged1 and went 
back3 but hold out with ,ruth through   
all discouragement and opposition4 ,when
 you consider others that have chosen   
the better part1 let that resolution be 
ever firm with you3 ,where thou goest1  
,i will go2 where thou lodgest1 ,i will 
lodge3 thy people shall be my people1   
and thy ,god my ,god4     ,,iv  ,,the   
,,many ,,mansions deg4  ,,john xiv4     
#b4--;,in my ,father's house are many   
mansions4   ,in these words may be      
observed two things1  #a4 ,the thing    

described1 viz41 ,christ's ,father's    
house4 ,christ spoke to his disciples in
 the foregoing chapter as one that was  
about to leave them4 ,he told 'em1 verse
 #ca1 ,now is the ,son of ,man          
glorified1 and ,god is glorified in him1
 and then goes to giving of them counsel
 to live in unity and love one another1 
as one that was going from them4 ,by    
which they seemed somewhat surprised and
 hardly knew what to make of it4 ,and   
one of them1 viz41 ,peter1 asked him    
where he was going2 verse #cf1 ,simon   
,peter said unto him1 ,lord1 whither    
goest thou8 ,christ did not directly    
answer and tell him where he was going1 
but he signifies where in these words of
 the text1 viz41 to his ,father's house1
 i4e41 to heaven1 and afterwards1 in the
 verse #ab1 he tells 'em plainly that he
 was going to his ,father4  #b4 ,we may 
observe the description given of it1    
viz41 that in it there are many         
mansions4 ,the disciples seemed very    
sorrowful at the news of ,christ's going

 away1 but ,christ comforts 'em with    
that1 that in his ,father's house where 
he was going there was not only room for
 him1 but room for them too4 ,there were
 many mansions4 ,there was not only a   
mansion there for him1 but there were   
mansions enough for them all2 there was 
room enough in heaven for them4 ,when   
the disciples perceived that ,christ was
 going away1 they manifested a great    
desire to go with him1 and particularly 
,peter4 ,peter in the latter part of the
 foregoing chapter asked him whither he 
went to that end that he might follow   
him4 ,christ told him that whither he   
went he could not follow him now1 but   
that he should follow him afterwards4   
,but ,peter1 not content with ,christ1  
seemed to have a great mind to follow   
him now4 ,lord1 says he1 why cannot ,i  
follow thee now8 ,so that the disciples 
had a great mind still to be with       
,christ1 and ,christ in the words of the
 text intimates that they shall be with 
him4 ,christ signifies to 'em that he   

was going home to his ,father's house1  
and he encourages 'em that they shall be
 with him there in due time1 in that    
there were many mansions there4 ,there  
was a mansion provided not only for him1
 but for them all 7for ,judas was not   
then present71 and not only for them1   
but for all that should ever believe in 
him to the end of the world2 and though 
he went before1 he only went to prepare 
a place for them that should follow4    
,the text is a plain sentence2 'tis     
therefore needless to press any doctrine
 in other words from it3 so that ,i     
shall build my discourse on the words of
 the text4 ,there are two propositions  
contained in the words1 viz41 ,i1 that  
heaven is ,god's house1 and ,,ii1 that  
in this house of ,god there are many    
mansions4  ,prop4 ,i4 ,heaven is ,god's 
house4 ,an house of public worship is an
 house where ,god's people meet from    
time to time to attend on ,god's        
ordinances1 and that is set apart for   
that and is called ,god's house4 ,the   

temple of ,solomon was called ,god's    
house4 ,god was represented as dwelling 
there4 ,there he had his throne in the  
holy of holies1 even the mercy-seat over
 the ark and between the cherubims4     
,sometimes the whole universe is        
represented in ,scripture as ,god's     
house1 built with various stories one   
above another3 ,amos ix4 #f1 ,it is he  
that buildeth his stories in the heaven2
 and ,ps4 civ4 #c1 ,who layeth the beams
 of his chambers in the waters4 ,but the
 highest heaven is especially           
represented in ,scripture as the house  
of ,god4 ,as to other parts of the      
creation1 ,god hath appointed them to   
inferior uses2 but this part he has     
reserved for himself for his own abode4 
,we are told that the heavens are the   
,lord's1 but the earth he hath given to 
the sons of men4 ,god1 though he is     
everywhere present1 is represented both 
in ,old ,testament and ,new as being in 
heaven in a special and peculiar manner4
 ,heaven is the temple of ,god4 ,thus we

 read of ,god's temple in heaven1 ,rev4 
xv4 #e4 ,solomon's temple was a type of 
heaven2 it was made exceeding           
magnificent and1 costly partly to that  
end1 that it might be the most lively   
type of heaven4 ,the apostle ,paul in   
his epistle to the ,hebrews does from   
time to time call heaven the holy of    
holies1 as being the antitype not only  
of the temple of ,solomon1 but of the   
most holy place in that temple1 which   
was the place of ,god's most immediate  
residence3 ,heb4 ix4 #ab1 ,he entered in
 once into the holy place2 verse #bd1   
,for ,christ is not entered into the    
holy places made with hands1 which are  
the figures of the true1 but into heaven
 itself4 ,houses where assemblies of    
,christians worship ,god are in some    
respects figures of this house of ,god  
above4 ,when ,god is worshipped in them 
in spirit and truth1 they become the    
outworks of heaven and as it were its   
gates4 ,as in houses of public worship  
here there are assemblies of ,christians

 meeting to worship ,god1 so in heaven  
there is a glorious assembly1 or        
,church1 continually worshipping ,god3  
,heb4 xii4 #bb1 #bc1 ,but ye are come   
unto mount ,sion1 and unto the city of  
the living ,god1 the heavenly           
,jerusalem1 and to an innumerable       
company of angels1 to the general       
assembly and church of the firstborn1   
that are written in heaven4  ,heaven is 
represented in ,scripture as ,god's     
dwelling-house2 ,ps4 cxiii4 #e1 ,who is 
like unto the ,lord our ,god1 who       
dwelleth on high1 and ,ps4 cxxiii4 #a1  
,unto thee ,i lift up mine eyes1 ,o thou
 that dwellest in the heavens4 ,heaven  
is ,god's palace4 ',tis the house of the
 great ,king of the universe2 there he  
has his throne1 which is therefore      
represented as his house or temple2 ,ps4
 xi4 #d1 ,the ,lord is in his holy      
temple2 the ,lord's throne is in heaven4
  ,heaven is the house where ,god dwells
 with his family4 ,god is represented in
 ,scripture as having a family2 and     

though some of this family are now on   
earth1 yet in so being they are abroad  
and not at home1 but all going home3    
,eph4 iii4 #ae1 ,of whom the whole      
family in heaven and earth is named4    
,heaven is the place that ,god has built
 for himself and his children4 ,god has 
many children1 and the place designed   
for them is heaven2 therefore the       
saints1 being the children of ,god1 are 
said to be of the household of ,god1    
,eph4 ii4 #ai3 ,now therefore ye are no 
more strangers and foreigners1 but      
fellow-citizens with the saints1 and of 
the household of ,god4 ,god is          
represented as a householder or head of 
a family1 and heaven is his house4      
,heaven is the house not only where ,god
 hath his throne1 but also where he doth
 as it were keep his table1 where his   
children sit down with him at his table 
and where they are feasted in a royal   
manner becoming the children of so great
 a ,king3 ,luke xxii4 #cj1 ,that ye may 
eat and drink at my table in my kingdom2

 ,matt4 xxvi4 #bi1 ,but ,i say unto you1
 ,i will not drink henceforth of this   
fruit of the vine until that day when ,i
 drink it new with you in my ,father's  
kingdom4  ,god is the ,king of kings1   
and heaven is the place where he keeps  
his court4 ,there are his angels and    
archangels that as the nobles of his    
court do attend upon him4  ,prop4 ,,ii4 
,there are many mansions in the house of
 ,god4 ,by many mansions is meant many  
seats or places of abode4 ,as it is a   
king's palace1 there are many mansions4 
,kings' houses are wont to be built very
 large1 with many stately rooms and     
apartments4 ,so there are many mansions 
in ,god's house4  ,when this is spoken  
of heaven1 it is chiefly to be          
understood in a figurative sense1 and   
the following things seem to be taught  
us in it4  #a4 ,there is room in this   
house of ,god for great numbers4 ,there 
is room in heaven for a vast multitude1 
yea1 room enough for all mankind that   
are or ever shall be2 ,luke xiv4 #bb1   

,lord it is done as thou hast commanded1
 and yet there is room4  ,it is not with
 the heavenly temple as it often is with
 houses of public worship in this world1
 that they fill up and become too small 
and scanty for those that would meet in 
them1 so that there is not convenient   
room for all4 ,there is room enough in  
our heavenly ,father's house4 ,this is  
partly what ,christ intended in the     
words of the text1 as is evident from   
the occasion of his speaking them4 ,the 
disciples manifested a great desire to  
be where ,christ was1 and ,christ       
therefore1 to encourage them that it    
should be as they desired1 tells them   
that in his ,father's house where he was
 going were many mansions1 i4e41 room   
enough for them4  ,there is mercy enough
 in ,god to admit an innumerable        
multitude into heaven4 ,there is mercy  
enough for all1 and there is merit      
enough in ,christ to purchase heavenly  
happiness for millions of millions1 for 
all men that ever were1 are or shall be4

 ,and there is a sufficiency in the     
fountain of heaven's happiness to supply
 and fill and satisfy all3 and there is 
in all respects enough for the happiness
 of all4  #b4 ,there are sufficient and 
suitable accommodations for all the     
different sorts of persons that are in  
the world3 for great and small1 for high
 and low1 rich and poor1 wise and       
unwise1 bond and free1 persons of all   
nations and all conditions and          
circumstances1 for those that have been 
great sinners as well as for moral      
livers2 for weak saints and those that  
are babes in ,christ as well as for     
those that are stronger and more grown  
in grace4 ,there is in heaven a         
sufficiency for the happiness of every  
sort2 there is a convenient             
accommodation for every creature that   
will hearken to the calls of the        
,gospel4 ,none that will come to        
,christ1 let his condition be what it   
will1 need to fear but that ,christ will
 provide a place suitable for him in    

heaven4  ,this seems to be another thing
 implied in ,christ's words4 ,the       
disciples were persons of very different
 condition from ,christ3 he was their   
,master1 and they were his disciples2 he
 was their ,lord1 and they were the     
servants2 he was their ,guide1 and they 
were the followers2 he was their        
,captain1 and they the soldiers2 he was 
the ,shepherd1 and they the sheep2 he   
was1 as it were1 the ,father1 and they  
the children2 he was the glorious1 holy 
,son of ,god1 they were poor1 sinful1   
corrupt men4 ,but yet1 though they were 
in such different circumstances from    
him1 yet ,christ encourages them that   
there shall not only be room in heaven  
for him1 but for them too2 for there    
were many mansions there4 ,there was not
 only a mansion to accommodate the      
,lord1 but the disciples also2 not only 
the head1 but the members2 not only the 
,son of ,god1 but those that are        
naturally poor1 sinful1 corrupt men3 as 
in a king's palace there is not only a  

mansion or room of state built for the  
king himself and for his eldest son and 
heir1 but there are many rooms1 mansions
 for all his numerous household1        
children1 attendants and servants4  #c4 
,it is further implied that heaven is a 
house that was actually built and       
prepared for a great multitude4 ,when   
,god made heaven in the beginning of the
 world1 he intended it for an           
everlasting dwelling-place for a vast   
and innumerable multitude4 ,when heaven 
was made1 it was intended and prepared  
for all those particular persons that   
,god had from eternity designed to save3
 ,matt4 xxv4 #cd1 ,come1 ye blessed of  
my ,father1 inherit the ,kingdom        
prepared for you from the foundation of 
the world4 ,and that is a very great and
 innumerable multitude3 ,rev4 vii4 #i1  
,after this ,i beheld1 and1 lo1 a great 
multitude which no man could number1 of 
all nations1 and kindreds1 and peoples1 
and tongues1 stood before the throne and
 before the ,lamb1 clothed with white   

robes4 ,heaven being built designedly   
for these was built accordingly2 it was 
built so as most conveniently to        
accommodate all this multitude3 as a    
house that is built for a great family  
is built large and with many rooms in   
it2 as a palace that is built for a     
great king that keeps a great court with
 many attendants is built exceeding     
great with a great many apartments2 and 
as an house of public worship that is   
built for a great congregation is built 
very large with many seats in it4  #d4  
,when it is said1 ,in my father's house 
are many mansions1 it is meant that     
there are seats of various dignity and  
different degrees and circumstances of  
honor and happiness4 ,there are many    
mansions in ,god's house because heaven 
is intended for various degrees of honor
 and blessedness4 ,some are designed to 
sit in higher places there than others2 
some are designed to be advanced to     
higher degrees of honor and glory than  
others are2 and1 therefore1 there are   

various mansions1 and some more         
honorable mansions and seats1 in heaven 
than others4 ,though they are all seats 
of exceeding honor and blessedness1 yet 
some are more so than others4  ,thus a  
palace is built4 ,though every part of  
the palace is magnificent as becomes the
 palace of a king1 yet there are many   
apartments of various honor1 and some   
are more stately and costly than others1
 according to the degree of dignity4    
,there is one apartment that is the     
king's presence-chamber2 there are other
 apartments for the next heir to the    
crown2 there are others for other       
children2 and others for their          
attendants and the great officers of the
 household3 one for the high steward1   
and another for the chamberlain1 and    
others for meaner officers and servants4
  ,another image of this was in         
,solomon's temple4 ,there were many     
mansions of different degrees of honor  
and dignity4 ,there was the holy of     
holies1 where the ark was that was the  

place of ,god's immediate residence1    
where the high priest alone might come2 
and there was another apartment called  
the holy place1 where the other priests 
might come2 and next to that was the    
inner court of the temple1 where the    
,levites were admitted3 and there they  
had many chambers or mansions built for 
lodging-rooms for the priests2 and next 
to that was the court of ,israel where  
the people of ,israel might come2 and   
next to that was the court of the       
,gentiles where the ,gentiles1 those    
that were called the ,proselytes of the 
,gate1 might come4  ,and we have an     
image of this in houses built for the   
worship of ,christian assemblies4 ,in   
such houses of ,god there are many seats
 of different honor and dignity1 from   
the most honorable to the most inferior 
of the congregation4  ,not that we are  
to understand the words of ,christ so   
much in a literal sense1 as that every  
saint in heaven was to have a certain   
seat or room or place of abode where he 

was to be locally fixed4 ',tis not the  
design of the ,scriptures to inform us  
much about the external circumstances of
 heaven or the state of heaven locally  
considered2 but we are to understand    
what ,christ says chiefly in a spiritual
 sense4 ,persons shall be set in        
different degrees of honor and glory in 
heaven1 as is abundantly manifested in  
,scripture3 which may fitly be          
represented to our imaginations by there
 being different seats of various honor1
 as it was in the temple1 as it is in   
kings' courts4 ,some seats shall be     
nearer the throne than others4 ,some    
shall sit next to ,christ in glory3     
,matt4 xx4 #bc1 ,to sit on my right hand
 and on my left1 is not mine to give1   
but it shall be given to them for whom  
it is prepared of my ,father4  ,christ  
has doubtless respect to these different
 degrees of glory in the text4 ,when he 
was going to heaven and the disciples   
were sorrowful at the thoughts of       
parting with their ,lord1 he lets them  

know that there are seats or mansions of
 various degrees of honor in his        
,father's house1 that there was not only
 one for him1 who was the ,head of the  
,church and the elder brother1 but also 
for them that were his disciples and    
younger brethren4  ,christ also may     
probably have respect not only to       
different degrees of glory in heaven1   
but different circumstances4 ,though the
 employment and happiness of all the    
heavenly assembly shall in the general  
be the same1 yet 'tis not improbable    
that there may be circumstantial        
difference4 ,we know what their         
employment is in general1 but not in    
particular4 ,we know not how one may be 
employed to subserve and promote the    
happiness of another1 and all to help   
one another4 ,some may there be set in  
one place for one office or employment1 
and others in another1 as 'tis in the   
,church on earth4 ,god hath set every   
one in the body as it hath pleased him2 
one is the eye1 another the ear1 another

 the head1 etc4 ,but because ,god has   
not been pleased expressly to reveal how
 it shall be in this respect1 therefore 
,i shall not insist upon it1 but pass to
 make some   ,,improvement  of what has 
been offered4  ,i4 ,here is             
encouragement for sinners that are      
concerned and exercised for the         
salvation of their souls1 such as are   
afraid that they shall never go to      
heaven or be admitted to any place of   
abode there1 and are sensible that they 
are hitherto in a doleful state and     
condition in that they are out of       
,christ1 and so have no right to any    
inheritance in heaven1 but are in danger
 of going to hell and having their place
 of eternal abode fixed there4 ,you may 
be encouraged by what has been said1    
earnestly to seek heaven2 for there are 
many mansions there4 ,there is room     
enough there4 ,let your case be what it 
will1 there is suitable provision there 
for you2 and if you come to ,christ1 you
 need not fear but that he will prepare 

a place for you2 he'll see to it that   
you shall be well accommodated in       
heaven4  ,but ,,ii4 ,i would improve    
this doctrine in a twofold exhortation4 
#a4 ,let all be hence exhorted earnestly
 to seek that they may be admitted to a 
mansion in heaven4 ,you have heard that 
this is ,god's house2 it is his temple4 
,if ,david1 when he was in the          
wilderness of ,judah and in the land of 
,geshur and of the ,philistines1 so     
longed that he might again return into  
the land of ,israel that he might have a
 place in the house of ,god here on     
earth1 and prized a place there so much1
 though it was but that of a            
door-keeper1 how great a happiness will 
it be to have a place in this heavenly  
temple of ,god6 ,if they are looked upon
 as enjoying a high privilege that have 
a seat appointed them in kings' courts  
or in apartments in kings' palaces1     
especially those that have an abode     
there in the quality of the king's      
children1 then how great a privilege    

will it be to have an apartment or      
mansion assigned to us in ,god's        
heavenly palace1 and to have a place    
there as his children6 ,how great is    
their glory and honor that are admitted 
to be of the household of ,god6  ,and   
seeing there are many mansions there1   
mansions enough for us all1 our folly   
will be the greater if we neglect to    
seek a place in heaven1 having our minds
 foolishly taken up about the worthless1
 fading things of this world4 ,here     
consider three things3  7#a7 ,how little
 a while you can have any mansion or    
place of abode in this world4 ,now you  
have a dwelling amongst the living4 ,you
 have a house or mansion of your own1 or
 at least one that is at present for    
your use1 and now you have a seat in the
 house of ,god2 but how little a while  
will this continue6 ,in a very little   
while1 and the place that now knows you 
in this world will know you no more4    
,the habitation you have here will be   
empty of you2 you will be carried dead  

out of it1 or shall die at a distance   
from it1 and never enter into it any    
more1 or into any other abode in this   
world4 ,your mansion or place of abode  
in this world1 however convenient or    
commodious it may be1 is but as a tent  
that shall soon be taken down1 but a    
lodge in a garden of cucumbers4 ,your   
stay is as it were but for a night4     
,your body itself is but a house of clay
 which will quickly moulder and tumble  
down1 and you shall have no other       
habitation here in this world but the   
grave4  ,thus ,god in his providence is 
putting you in mind by the repeated     
instances of death that have been in the
 town within the two weeks past1 both in
 one house3 in which death he has shown 
his dominion over old and young4 ,the   
son was taken away first before the     
father1 being in his full strength and  
flower of his days2 and the father1 who 
was then well and having no appearance  
of approaching death1 followed in a few 
days3 and their habitation and their    

seat in the house of ,god in this world 
will know them no more4  ,take warning  
by these warnings of ,providence to     
improve your time that you may have a   
mansion in heaven4 ,we have a house of  
worship newly created amongst us which  
now you have a seat in1 and probably are
 pleased with the ornaments of it2 and  
though you have a place in so comely a  
house1 yet you know not how little a    
while you shall have a place in this    
house of ,god4 ,here are a couple       
snatched away by death that had met in  
it but a few times1 that have been      
snatched out of it before it was fully  
finished and never will have any more a 
seat in it4 ,you know not how soon you  
may follow1 and then of great importance
 will it be to you to have a seat in    
,god's house above4 ,both of the persons
 lately deceased were much on their     
death-beds warning others to improve    
their precious time4 ,the first of them 
was much in expressing his sense of the 
vast importance of an interest in       

,christ1 as ,i was a witness1 and was   
earnest in calling on others to improve 
their time1 to be thorough1 to get an   
interest in ,christ1 and seemed very    
desirous that young people might receive
 council and warning from him1 as the   
words of a dying man1 to do their utmost
 to make sure of conversion2 and a      
little before he died left a request to 
me that ,i would warn the young people  
in his room4 ,god has been warning of   
you in his death and the death of his   
father that so soon followed4 ,the words
 of dying persons should be of special  
weight with us1 for then they are in    
circumstances wherein they are most     
capable to look on things as they are   
and judge aright of 'em1--between both  
worlds as it were4 ,still that we must  
all be in4  ,let our young people1      
therefore1 take warning from hence1 and 
don't be such fools as to neglect       
seeking a place and mansion in heaven4  
,young persons are especially apt to be 
taken with the pleasing things of this  

world4 ,you are now1 it may be1 much    
pleased with hopes of your future       
circumstances in this world2 and you are
 now1 it may be1 much pleased with the  
ornaments of that house of worship that 
you with others have a place in4 ,but1  
alas1 do you not too little consider how
 soon you may be taken away from all    
these things1 and no more forever have  
any part in any mansion or house or     
enjoyment or happiness under the sun8   
,therefore let it be your main care to  
secure an everlasting habitation for    
hereafter4  7#b7 ,consider when you die1
 if you have no mansion in the house of 
,god in heaven1 you must have your place
 of abode in the habitation of devils4  
,there is no middle place between them1 
and when you go hence1 you must go to   
one or the other of these4 ,some have a 
mansion prepared for them in heaven from
 the foundation of the world2 others are
 sent away as cursed into everlasting   
burnings prepared for the devil and his 
angels4 ,consider how miserable those   

must be that shall have their habitation
 with devils to all eternity4 ,devils   
are foul spirits2 ,god's great enemies4 
,their habitation is the blackness of   
darkness2 a place of the utmost         
filthiness1 abomination1 darkness1      
disgrace and torment4 ,o1 how would you 
rather ten thousand times have no place 
of abode at all1 have no being1 than to 
have a place with devils6  7#c7 ,if you 
die unconverted1 you will have the worse
 place in hell for having had a seat or 
place in ,god's house in this world4 ,as
 there are many mansions1 places of     
different degrees of honor in heaven1 so
 there are various abodes and places or 
degrees of torment and misery in hell2  
and those will have the worst place     
there that dying unconverted1 have had  
the best place in ,god's house here4    
,solomon speaks of a peculiarly awful   
sight that he had seen1 that of a wicked
 man buried that had gone from the place
 of the holy1 ,eccl4 viii4 #aj4 ,such as
 have had a seat in ,god's house1 have  

been in a sense exalted up to heaven1   
set on the gate of heaven1 if they die  
unconverted1 shall be cast down to hell4
  #b4 ,the second exhortation that ,i   
would offer from what has been said is  
to seek a high place in heaven4 ,seeing 
there are many mansions of different    
degrees of honor and dignity in heaven1 
let us seek to obtain a mansion of      
distinguished glory4 ',tis revealed to  
us that there are different degrees of  
glory to that end that we might seek    
after the higher degrees4 ,god offered  
high degrees of glory to that end1 that 
we might seek them by eminent holiness  
and good works3 #b ,cor4 ix4 #f1 ,he    
that sows sparingly shall reap also     
sparingly2 and he that soweth           
bountifully shall reap also bountifully4
 ,it is not becoming persons to be over 
anxious about an high seat in ,god's    
house in this world1 for that is the    
honor that is of men2 but we can't too  
earnestly seek after an high seat in    
,god's house above1 by seeking eminent  

holiness1 for that is the honor that is 
of ,god4  ',tis very little worth the   
while for us to pursue after honor in   
this world1 where the greatest honor is 
but a bubble and will soon vanish away1 
and death will level all4 ,some have    
more stately houses than others1 and    
some are in higher office than others1  
and some are richer than others and have
 higher seats in the meeting-house than 
others2 but all graves are upon a level4
 ,one rotting1 putrefying corpse is as  
ignoble as another2 the worms are as    
bold with one carcass as another4  ,but 
the mansions in ,god's house above are  
everlasting mansions4 ,those that have  
seats allotted 'em there1 whether of    
greater or lesser dignity1 whether      
nearer or further from the throne1 will 
hold 'em to all eternity4 ,this is      
promised1 ,rev4 iii4 #ab3 ,him that     
overcometh ,i will make him a pillar in 
the temple of my ,god1 and he shall go  
no more out4 ,if it be worth the while  
to desire and seek high seats in the    

meeting-house1 where you are one day in 
a week1 and where you shall never come  
but few days in all2 if it be worth the 
while much to prize one seat above      
another in the house of worship only    
because it is the pew or seat that is   
ranked first in number1 and to be seen  
here for a few days1 how will it be     
worth the while to seek an high mansion 
in ,god's temple and in that glorious   
place that is the everlasting habitation
 of ,god and all his children6 ,you that
 are pleased with your seats in this    
house because you are seated high or in 
a place that is looked upon honorable by
 those that sit round about1 and because
 many can behold you1 consider how short
 a time you will enjoy this pleasure4   
,and if there be any that are not suited
 in their seats because they are too low
 for them1 let them consider that it is 
but a very little while before it will  
be all one to you whether you have sat  
high or low here4 ,but it will be of    
infinite and everlasting concern to you 

where your seat is in another world4    
,let your great concern be while in this
 world so to improve your opportunities 
in ,god's house in this world1 whether  
you sit high or low1 as that you may    
have a distinguished and glorious       
mansion in ,god's house in heaven1 where
 you may be fixed in your place in that 
glorious assembly in an everlasting     
rest4  ,let the main thing that we prize
 in ,god's house be1 not the outward    
ornaments of it1 or a high seat in it1  
but the word of ,god and his ordinances 
in it4 ,and spend your time here in     
seeking ,christ1 that he may prepare a  
place for you in his ,father's house1   
that when he comes again to this world1 
he may take you to himself1 that where  
he is1 there you may be also4     ,v    
,,sinners ,,in ,,the ,,hands ,,of ,,an  
,,angry ,,god deg4  ,,deuteronomy xxxii4
 #ce4--,their foot shall slide in due   
time4   ,in this verse is threatened the
 vengeance of ,god on the wicked        
unbelieving ,israelites1 that were      

,god's visible people1 and lived under  
means of grace2 and that notwithstanding
 all ,god's wonderful works that he had 
wrought towards that people1 yet        
remained1 as is expressed verse #bh1    
void of counsel1 having no understanding
 in them2 and that1 under all the       
cultivations of heaven1 brought forth   
bitter and poisonous fruit2 as in the   
two verses next preceding the text4     
,the expression that ,i have chosen for 
my text1 their foot shall slide in due  
time1 seems to imply the following      
things relating to the punishment and   
destruction that these wicked           
,israelites were exposed to4  #a4 ,that 
they were always exposed to destruction2
 as one that stands or walks in slippery
 places is always exposed to fall4 ,this
 is implied in the manner of their      
destruction's coming upon them1 being   
represented by their foot's sliding4    
,the same is expressed1 ,psalm lxxiii4  
#ah3 ,surely thou didst set them in     
slippery places2 thou castedst them down

 into destruction4  #b4 ,it implies that
 they were always exposed to sudden1    
unexpected destruction2 as he that walks
 in slippery places is every moment     
liable to fall1 he can't foresee one    
moment whether he shall stand or fall   
the next2 and when he does fall1 he     
falls at once1 without warning1 which is
 also expressed in that ,psalm lxxiii4  
#ah1 #ai3 ,surely thou didst set them in
 slippery places3 thou castedst them    
down into destruction4 ,how are they    
brought into desolation1 as in a moment6
  #c4 ,another thing implied is1 that   
they are liable to fall of themselves1  
without being thrown down by the hand of
 another2 as he that stands or walks on 
slippery ground needs nothing but his   
own weight to throw him down4  #d4 ,that
 the reason why they are not fallen     
already1 and don't fall now1 is only    
that ,god's appointed time is not come4 
,for it is said that when that due time1
 or appointed time comes1 their foot    
shall slide4 ,then they shall be left to

 fall1 as they are inclined by their own
 weight4 ,god won't hold them up in     
these slippery places any longer1 but   
will let them go2 and then1 at that very
 instant1 they shall fall to            
destruction2 as he that stands in such  
slippery declining ground on the edge of
 a pit that he can't stand alone1 when  
he is let go he immediately falls and is
 lost4  ,the observation from the words 
that ,i would now insist upon is this1  
,there is nothing that keeps wicked men 
at any one moment out of      hell1 but 
the mere pleasure of ,god4  ,by the mere
 pleasure of ,god1 ,i mean his sovereign
 pleasure1 his arbitrary will1          
restrained by no obligation1 hindered by
 no manner of difficulty1 any more than 
if nothing else but ,god's mere will had
 in the least degree or in any respect  
whatsoever any hand in the preservation 
of wicked men one moment4  ,the truth of
 this observation may appear by the     
following considerations4  #a4 ,there is
 no want of power in ,god to cast wicked

 men into hell at any moment4 ,men's    
hands can't be strong when ,god rises   
up3 the strongest have no power to      
resist him1 nor can any deliver out of  
his hands4  ,he is not only able to cast
 wicked men into hell1 but he can most  
easily do it4 ,sometimes an earthly     
prince meets with a great deal of       
difficulty to subdue a rebel that has   
found means to fortify himself1 and has 
made himself strong by the number of his
 followers4 ,but it is not so with ,god4
 ,there is no fortress that is any      
defence against the power of ,god4      
,though hand join in hand1 and vast     
multitudes of ,god's enemies combine and
 associate themselves1 they are easily  
broken in pieces3 they are as great     
heaps of light chaff before the         
whirlwind2 or large quantities of dry   
stubble before devouring flames4 ,we    
find it easy to tread on and crush a    
worm that we see crawling on the earth2 
so 'tis easy for us to cut or singe a   
slender thread that any thing hangs by2 

thus easy is it for ,god1 when he       
pleases1 to cast his enemies down to    
hell4 ,what are we1 that we should think
 to stand before him1 at whose rebuke   
the earth trembles1 and before whom the 
rocks are thrown down6  #b4 ,they       
deserve to be cast into hell2 so that   
divine justice never stands in the way1 
it makes no objection against ,god's    
using his power at any moment to destroy
 them4 ,yea1 on the contrary1 justice   
calls aloud for an infinite punishment  
of their sins4 ,divine justice says of  
the tree that brings forth such grapes  
of ,sodom1 ,cut it down1 why cumbereth  
it the ground8 ,luke xiii4 #g4 ,the     
sword of divine justice is every moment 
brandished over their heads1 and 'tis   
nothing but the hand of arbitrary mercy1
 and ,god's mere will1 that holds it    
back4  #c4 ,they are already under a    
sentence of condemnation to hell4 ,they 
don't only justly deserve to be cast    
down thither1 but the sentence of the   
law of ,god1 that eternal and immutable 

rule of righteousness that ,god has     
fixed between him and mankind1 is gone  
out against them1 and stands against    
them2 so that they are bound over       
already to hell3 ,john iii4 #ah1 ,he    
that believeth not is condemned already4
 ,so that every unconverted man properly
 belongs to hell2 that is his place2    
from thence he is3 ,john viii4 #bc1 ,ye 
are from beneath3 and thither he is     
bound2 'tis the place that justice1 and 
,god's word1 and the sentence of his    
unchangeable law1 assigns to him4  ,they
 are now the objects of that very same  
anger and wrath of ,god1 that is        
expressed in the torments of hell3 and  
the reason why they don't go down to    
hell at each moment is not because ,god1
 in whose power they are1 is not then   
very angry with them2 as angry as he is 
with many of those miserable creatures  
that he is now tormenting in hell1 and  
do there feel and bear the fierceness of
 his wrath4 ,yea1 ,god is a great deal  
more angry with great numbers that are  

now on earth1 yea1 doubtless1 with many 
that are now in this congregation1 that1
 it may be1 are at ease and quiet1 than 
he is with many of those that are now in
 the flames of hell4  ,so that it is not
 because ,god is unmindful of their     
wickedness1 and don't resent it1 that he
 don't let loose his hand and cut them  
off4 ,god is not altogether such a one  
as themselves1 though they may imagine  
him to be so4 ,the wrath of ,god burns  
against them2 their damnation don't     
slumber2 the pit is prepared2 the fire  
is made ready2 the furnace is now hot1  
ready to receive them2 the flames do now
 rage and glow4 ,the glittering sword is
 whet1 and held over them1 and the pit  
hath opened her mouth under them4  #e4  
,the devil stands ready to fall upon    
them1 and seize them as his own1 at what
 moment ,god shall permit him4 ,they    
belong to him2 he has their souls in his
 possession1 and under his dominion4    
,the ,scripture represents them as his  
goods1 ,luke xi4 #ba4 ,the devils watch 

them2 they are ever by them1 at their   
right hand2 they stand waiting for them1
 like greedy hungry lions that see their
 prey1 and expect to have it1 but are   
for the present kept back2 if ,god      
should withdraw his hand by which they  
are restrained1 they would in one moment
 fly upon their poor souls4 ,the old    
serpent is gaping for them2 hell opens  
its mouth wide to receive them2 and if  
,god should permit it1 they would be    
hastily swallowed up and lost4  #f4     
,there are in the souls of wicked men   
those hellish principles reigning1 that 
would presently kindle and flame out    
into hell-fire1 if it were not for      
,god's restraints4 ,there is laid in the
 very nature of carnal men a foundation 
for the torments of hell3 there are     
those corrupt principles1 in reigning   
power in them1 and in full possession of
 them1 that are seeds of hell-fire4     
,these principles are active and        
powerful1 exceeding violent in their    
nature1 and if it were not for the      

restraining hand of ,god upon them1 they
 would soon break out1 they would flame 
out after the same manner as the same   
corruptions1 the same enmity does in the
 heart of damned souls1 and would beget 
the same torments in 'em as they do in  
them4 ,the souls of the wicked are in   
,scripture compared to the troubled sea1
 ,isaiah lvii4 #bj4 ,for the present    
,god restrains their wickedness by his  
mighty power1 as he does the raging     
waves of the troubled sea1 saying1      
,hitherto shalt thou come1 and no       
further2 but if ,god should withdraw    
that restraining power1 it would soon   
carry all afore it4 ,sin is the ruin and
 misery of the soul2 it is destructive  
in its nature2 and if ,god should leave 
it without restraint1 there would need  
nothing else to make the soul perfectly 
miserable4 ,the corruption of the heart 
of man is a thing that is immoderate and
 boundless in its fury2 and while wicked
 men live here1 it is like fire pent up 
by ,god's restraints1 whenas if it were 

let loose1 it would set on fire the     
course of nature2 and as the heart is   
now a sink of sin1 so1 if sin was not   
restrained1 it would immediately turn   
the soul into a fiery oven1 or a furnace
 of fire and brimstone4  #g4 ,it is no  
security to wicked men for one moment1  
that there are no visible means of death
 at hand4 ',tis no security to a natural
 man1 that he is now in health1 and that
 he don't see which way he should now   
immediately go out of the world by any  
accident1 and that there is no visible  
danger in any respect in his            
circumstances4 ,the manifold and        
continual experience of the world in all
 ages shows that this is no evidence    
that a man is not on the very brink of  
eternity1 and that the next step won't  
be into another world4 ,the unseen1     
unthought of ways and means of persons' 
going suddenly out of the world are     
innumerable and inconceivable4          
,unconverted men walk over the pit of   
hell on a rotten covering1 and there are

 innumerable places in this covering so 
weak that they won't bear their weight1 
and these places are not seen4 ,the     
arrows of death fly unseen at noonday2  
the sharpest sight can't discern them4  
,god has so many different1 unsearchable
 ways of taking wicked men out of the   
world and sending 'em to hell1 that     
there is nothing to make it appear that 
,god had need to be at the expense of a 
miracle1 or go out of the ordinary      
course of his providence1 to destroy any
 wicked man1 at any moment4 ,all the    
means that there are of sinners' going  
out of the world are so in ,god's hands1
 and so absolutely subject to his power 
and determination1 that it don't depend 
at all less on the mere will of ,god1   
whether sinners shall at any moment go  
to hell1 than if means were never made  
use of1 or at all concerned in the case4
  #h4 ,natural men's prudence and care  
to preserve their own lives1 or the care
 of others to preserve them1 don't      
secure 'em a moment4 ,this1 divine      

providence and universal experience does
 also bear testimony to4 ,there is this 
clear evidence that men's own wisdom is 
no security to them from death2 that if 
it were otherwise we should see some    
difference between the wise and politic 
men of the world and others1 with regard
 to their liableness to early and       
unexpected death2 but how is it in fact8
 ,eccles4 ii4 #af1 ,how dieth the wise  
man8 ,as the fool4  #i4 ,all wicked     
men's pains and contrivance they use to 
escape hell1 while they continue to     
reject ,christ1 and so remain wicked    
men1 don't secure 'em from hell one     
moment4 ,almost every natural man that  
hears of hell flatters himself that he  
shall escape it2 he depends upon himself
 for his own security1 he flatters      
himself in what he has done1 in what he 
is now doing1 or what he intends to do2 
every one lays out matters in his own   
mind how he shall avoid damnation1 and  
flatters himself that he contrives well 
for himself1 and that his schemes won't 

fail4 ,they hear indeed that there are  
but few saved1 and that the bigger part 
of men that have died heretofore are    
gone to hell2 but each one imagines that
 he lays out matters better for his own 
escape than others have done3 he don't  
intend to come to that place of torment2
 he says within himself1 that he intends
 to take care that shall be effectual1  
and to order matters so for himself as  
not to fail4  ,but the foolish children 
of men do miserably delude themselves in
 their own schemes1 and in their        
confidence in their own strength and    
wisdom2 they trust to nothing but a     
shadow4 ,the bigger part of those that  
heretofore have lived under the same    
means of grace1 and are now dead1 are   
undoubtedly gone to hell2 and it was not
 because they were not as wise as those 
that are now alive2 it was not because  
they did not lay out matters as well for
 themselves to secure their own escape4 
,if it were so that we could come to    
speak with them1 and could inquire of   

them1 one by one1 whether they expected1
 when alive1 and when they used to hear 
about hell1 ever to be subjects of that 
misery1 we1 doubtless1 should hear one  
and another reply1 ,no1 ,i never        
intended to come here3 ,i had laid out  
matters otherwise in my mind2 ,i thought
 ,i should contrive well for myself3 ,i 
thought my scheme good3 ,i intended to  
take effectual care2 but it came upon me
 unexpected2 ,i did not look for it at  
that time1 and in that manner2 it came  
as a thief3 death outwitted me3 ,god's  
wrath was too quick for me4 ,o my cursed
 foolishness6 ,i was flattering myself1 
and pleasing myself with vain dreams of 
what ,i would do hereafter2 and when ,i 
was saying peace and safety1 then sudden
 destruction came upon me4  #aj4 ,god   
has laid himself under no obligation1 by
 any promise1 to keep any natural man   
out of hell one moment4 ,god certainly  
has made no promises either of eternal  
life1 or of any deliverance or          
preservation from eternal death1 but    

what are contained in the covenant of   
grace1 the promises that are given in   
,christ1 in whom all the promises are   
yea and amen4 ,but surely they have no  
interest in the promises of the covenant
 of grace that are not the children of  
the covenant1 and that do not believe in
 any of the promises of the covenant1   
and have no interest in the ,mediator of
 the covenant4  ,so that1 whatever some 
have imagined and pretended about       
promises made to natural men's earnest  
seeking and knocking1 'tis plain and    
manifest1 that whatever pains a natural 
man takes in religion1 whatever prayers 
he makes1 till he believes in ,christ1  
,god is under no manner of obligation to
 keep him a moment from eternal         
destruction4  ,so that thus it is1 that 
natural men are held in the hand of ,god
 over the pit of hell2 they have        
deserved the fiery pit1 and are already 
sentenced to it2 and ,god is dreadfully 
provoked1 his anger is as great towards 
them as to those that are actually      

suffering the executions of the         
fierceness of his wrath in hell1 and    
they have done nothing in the least to  
appease or abate that anger1 neither is 
,god in the least bound by any promise  
to hold 'em up one moment2 the devil is 
waiting for them1 hell is gaping for    
them1 the flames gather and flash about 
them1 and would fain lay hold on them   
and swallow them up2 the fire pent up in
 their own hearts is struggling to break
 out2 and they have no interest in any  
,mediator1 there are no means within    
reach that can be any security to them4 
,in short they have no refuge1 nothing  
to take hold of2 all that preserves them
 every moment is the mere arbitrary     
will1 and uncovenanted1 unobliged       
forbearance of an incensed ,god4        
,,application  ,the use may be of       
awakening to unconverted persons in this
 congregation4 ,this that you have heard
 is the case of every one of you that   
are out of ,christ4 ,that world of      
misery1 that lake of burning brimstone1 

is extended abroad under you4 ,there is 
the dreadful pit of the glowing flames  
of the wrath of ,god2 there is hell's   
wide gaping mouth open2 and you have    
nothing to stand upon1 nor any thing to 
take hold of4 ,there is nothing between 
you and hell but the air2 'tis only the 
power and mere pleasure of ,god that    
holds you up4  ,you probably are not    
sensible of this2 you find you are kept 
out of hell1 but don't see the hand of  
,god in it1 but look at other things1 as
 the good state of your bodily          
constitution1 your care of your own     
life1 and the means you use for your own
 preservation4 ,but indeed these things 
are nothing2 if ,god should withdraw his
 hand1 they would avail no more to keep 
you from falling than the thin air to   
hold up a person that is suspended in   
it4  ,your wickedness makes you as it   
were heavy as lead1 and to tend         
downwards with great weight and pressure
 towards hell2 and if ,god should let   
you go1 you would immediately sink and  

swiftly descend and plunge into the     
bottomless gulf1 and your healthy       
constitution1 and your own care and     
prudence1 and best contrivance1 and all 
your righteousness1 would have no more  
influence to uphold you and keep you out
 of hell than a spider's web would have 
to stop a falling rock4 ,were it not    
that so is the sovereign pleasure of    
,god1 the earth would not bear you one  
moment2 for you are a burden to it2 the 
creation groans with you2 the creature  
is made subject to the bondage of your  
corruption1 not willingly2 the sun don't
 willingly shine upon you to give you   
light to serve sin and ,satan2 the earth
 don't willingly yield her increase to  
satisfy your lusts2 nor is it willingly 
a stage for your wickedness to be acted 
upon2 the air don't willingly serve you 
for breath to maintain the flame of life
 in your vitals1 while you spend your   
life in the service of ,god's enemies4  
,god's creatures are good1 and were made
 for men to serve ,god with1 and don't  

willingly subserve to any other purpose1
 and groan when they are abused to      
purposes so directly contrary to their  
nature and end4 ,and the world would    
spew you out1 were it not for the       
sovereign hand of him who hath subjected
 it in hope4 ,there are the black clouds
 of ,god's wrath now hanging directly   
over your heads1 full of the dreadful   
storm1 and big with thunder2 and were it
 not for the restraining hand of ,god1  
it would immediately burst forth upon   
you4 ,the sovereign pleasure of ,god1   
for the present1 stays his rough wind2  
otherwise it would come with fury1 and  
your destruction would come like a      
whirlwind1 and you would be like the    
chaff of the summer threshing floor4    
,the wrath of ,god is like great waters 
that are dammed for the present2 they   
increase more and more1 and rise higher 
and higher1 till an outlet is given2 and
 the longer the stream is stopped1 the  
more rapid and mighty is its course1    
when once it is let loose4 ',tis true1  

that judgment against your evil work has
 not been executed hitherto2 the floods 
of ,god's vengeance have been withheld2 
but your guilt in the mean time is      
constantly increasing1 and you are every
 day treasuring up more wrath2 the      
waters are continually rising1 and      
waxing more and more mighty2 and there  
is nothing but the mere pleasure of ,god
 that holds the waters back1 that are   
unwilling to be stopped1 and press hard 
to go forward4 ,if ,god should only     
withdraw his hand from the floodgate1 it
 would immediately fly open1 and the    
fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath
 of ,god would rush forth with          
inconceivable fury1 and would come upon 
you with omnipotent power2 and if your  
strength were ten thousand times greater
 than it is1 yea1 ten thousand times    
greater than the strength of the        
stoutest1 sturdiest devil in hell1 it   
would be nothing to withstand or endure 
it4  ,the bow of ,god's wrath is bent1  
and the arrow made ready on the string1 

and justice bends the arrow at your     
heart1 and strains the bow1 and it is   
nothing but the mere pleasure of ,god1  
and that of an angry ,god1 without any  
promise or obligation at all1 that keeps
 the arrow one moment from being made   
drunk with your blood4  ,thus are all   
you that never passed under a great     
change of heart by the mighty power of  
the ,spirit of ,god upon your souls2 all
 that were never born again1 and made   
new creatures1 and raised from being    
dead in sin to a state of new and before
 altogether unexperienced light and     
life1 7however you may have reformed    
your life in many things1 and may have  
had religious affections1 and may keep  
up a form of religion in your families  
and closets1 and in the house of ,god1  
and may be strict in it71 you are thus  
in the hands of an angry ,god2 'tis     
nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps
 you from being this moment swallowed up
 in everlasting destruction4  ,however  
unconvinced you may now be of the truth 

of what you hear1 by and by you will be 
fully convinced of it4 ,those that are  
gone from being in the like             
circumstances with you see that it was  
so with them2 for destruction came      
suddenly upon most of them2 when they   
expected nothing of it1 and while they  
were saying1 ,peace and safety3 now they
 see1 that those things that they       
depended on for peace and safety were   
nothing but thin air and empty shadows4 
,the ,god that holds you over the pit of
 hell1 much as one holds a spider or    
some loathsome insect over the fire1    
abhors you1 and is dreadfully provoked2 
his wrath towards you burns like fire2  
he looks upon you as worthy of nothing  
else1 but to be cast into the fire2 he  
is of purer eyes than to bear to have   
you in his sight2 you are ten thousand  
times so abominable in his eyes1 as the 
most hateful and venomous serpent is in 
ours4 ,you have offended him infinitely 
more than ever a stubborn rebel did his 
prince3 and yet it is nothing but his   

hand that holds you from falling into   
the fire every moment4 ',tis ascribed to
 nothing else1 that you did not go to   
hell the last night2 that you was       
suffered to awake again in this world   
after you closed your eyes to sleep2 and
 there is no other reason to be given   
why you have not dropped into hell since
 you arose in the morning1 but that     
,god's hand has held you up4 ,there is  
no other reason to be given why you     
han't gone to hell since you have sat   
here in the house of ,god1 provoking his
 pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner 
of attending his solemn worship4 ,yea1  
there is nothing else that is to be     
given as a reason why you don't this    
very moment drop down into hell4 deg4   
,o sinner6 consider the fearful danger  
you are in4 ',tis a great furnace of    
wrath1 a wide and bottomless pit1 full  
of the fire of wrath1 that you are held 
over in the hand of that ,god whose     
wrath is provoked and incensed as much  
against you as against many of the      

damned in hell4 ,you hang by a slender  
thread1 with the flames of divine wrath 
flashing about it1 and ready every      
moment to singe it and burn it asunder2 
and you have no interest in any         
,mediator1 and nothing to lay hold of to
 save yourself1 nothing to keep off the 
flames of wrath1 nothing of your own1   
nothing that you ever have done1 nothing
 that you can do1 to induce ,god to     
spare you one moment4  ,and consider    
here more particularly several things   
concerning that wrath that you are in   
such danger of4  #a4 ,whose wrath it is4
 ,it is the wrath of the infinite ,god4 
,if it were only the wrath of man1      
though it were of the most potent       
prince1 it would be comparatively little
 to be regarded4 ,the wrath of kings is 
very much dreaded1 especially of        
absolute monarchs1 that have the        
possessions and lives of their subjects 
wholly in their power1 to be disposed of
 at their mere will4 ,prov4 xx4 #b1 ,the
 fear of a king is as the roaring of a  

lion3 whoso provoketh him to anger      
sinneth against his own soul4 ,the      
subject that very much enrages an       
arbitrary prince is liable to suffer the
 most extreme torments that human art   
can invent1 or human power can inflict4 
,but the greatest earthly potentates1 in
 their greatest majesty and strength1   
and when clothed in their greatest      
terrors1 are but feeble1 despicable     
worms of the dust1 in comparison of the 
great and almighty ,creator and ,king of
 heaven and earth3 it is but little that
 they can do when most enraged1 and when
 they have exerted the utmost of their  
fury4 ,all the kings of the earth before
 ,god are as grasshoppers2 they are     
nothing1 and less than nothing3 both    
their love and their hatred is to be    
despised4 ,the wrath of the great ,king 
of kings is as much more terrible than  
theirs1 as his majesty is greater4 ,luke
 xii4 #d1 #e1 ,and ,i say unto you my   
friends1 ,be not afraid of them that    
kill the body1 and after that have no   

more that they can do4 ,but ,i will     
forewarn you whom you shall fear3 ,fear 
him1 which after he hath killed hath    
power to cast into hell2 yea1 ,i say    
unto you1 ,fear him4  #b4 ',tis the     
fierceness of his wrath that you are    
exposed to4 ,we often read of the fury  
of ,god2 as in ,isaiah lix4 #ah3        
,according to their deeds1 accordingly  
he will repay fury to his adversaries4  
,so ,isaiah lxvi4 #ae1 ,for1 behold1 the
 ,lord will come with fire1 and with his
 chariots like a whirlwind1 to render   
his anger with fury1 and his rebuke with
 flames of fire4 ,and so in many other  
places4 ,so we read of ,god's           
fierceness1 ,rev4 xix4 #ae4 ,there we   
read of the wine-press of the fierceness
 and wrath of ,almighty ,god4 ,the words
 are exceeding terrible3 if it had only 
been said1 the wrath of ,god1 the words 
would have implied that which is        
infinitely dreadful3 but 'tis not only  
said so1 but the fierceness and wrath of
 ,god4 ,the fury of ,god6 ,the          

fierceness of ,jehovah6 ,oh1 how        
dreadful must that be6 ,who can utter or
 conceive what such expressions carry in
 them6 ,but it is not only said so1 but 
the fierceness and wrath of ,almighty   
,god4 ,as though there would be a very  
great manifestation of his almighty     
power in what the fierceness of his     
wrath should inflict1 as though         
omnipotence should be as it were        
enraged1 and exerted1 as men are wont to
 exert their strength in the fierceness 
of their wrath4 ,oh6 then1 what will be 
the consequence6 ,what will become of   
the poor worm that shall suffer it6     
,whose hands can be strong6 ,and whose  
heart endure6 ,to what a dreadful1      
inexpressible1 inconceivable depth of   
misery must the poor creature be sunk   
who shall be the subject of this6       
,consider this1 you that are here       
present1 that yet remain in an          
unregenerate state4 ,that ,god will     
execute the fierceness of his anger     
implies that he will inflict wrath      

without any pity4 ,when ,god beholds the
 ineffable extremity of your case1 and  
sees your torment so vastly             
disproportioned to your strength1 and   
sees how your poor soul is crushed1 and 
sinks down1 as it were1 into an infinite
 gloom2 he will have no compassion upon 
you1 he will not forbear the executions 
of his wrath1 or in the least lighten   
his hand2 there shall be no moderation  
or mercy1 nor will ,god then at all stay
 his rough wind2 he will have no regard 
to your welfare1 nor be at all careful  
lest you should suffer too much in any  
other sense1 than only that you should  
not suffer beyond what strict justice   
requires3 nothing shall be withheld     
because it is so hard for you to bear4  
,ezek4 viii4 #ah1 ,therefore will ,i    
also deal in fury3 mine eye shall not   
spare1 neither will ,i have pity3 and   
though they cry in mine ears with a loud
 voice1 yet will ,i not hear them4 ,now 
,god stands ready to pity you2 this is a
 day of mercy2 you may cry now with some

 encouragement of obtaining mercy3 but  
when once the day of mercy is past1 your
 most lamentable and dolorous cries and 
shrieks will be in vain2 you will be    
wholly lost and thrown away of ,god1 as 
to any regard to your welfare2 ,god will
 have no other use to put you to1 but   
only to suffer misery2 you shall be     
continued in being to no other end2 for 
you will be a vessel of wrath fitted to 
destruction2 and there will be no other 
use of this vessel1 but only to be      
filled full of wrath3 ,god will be so   
far from pitying you when you cry to    
him1 that 'tis said he will only laugh  
and mock1 ,prov4 i4 #be1 #bf1 c4  ,how  
awful are those words1 ,isaiah lxiii4   
#c1 which are the words of the great    
,god3 ,i will tread them in mine anger1 
and trample them in my fury2 and their  
blood shall be sprinkled upon my        
garments1 and ,i will stain all my      
raiment4 ',tis perhaps impossible to    
conceive of words that carry in them    
greater manifestations of these three   

things1 viz41 contempt and hatred and   
fierceness of indignation4 ,if you cry  
to ,god to pity you1 he will be so far  
from pitying you in your doleful case1  
or showing you the least regard or      
favor1 that instead of that he'll only  
tread you under foot3 and though he will
 know that you can't bear the weight of 
omnipotence treading upon you1 yet he   
won't regard that1 but he will crush you
 under his feet without mercy2 he'll    
crush out your blood1 and make it fly1  
and it shall be sprinkled on his        
garments1 so as to stain all his        
raiment4 ,he will not only hate you1 but
 he will have you in the utmost         
contempt2 no place shall be thought fit 
for you but under his feet1 to be       
trodden down as the mire of the streets4
  #c4 ,the misery you are exposed to is 
that which ,god will inflict to that    
end1 that he might show what that wrath 
of ,jehovah is4 ,god hath had it on his 
heart to show to angels and men1 both   
how excellent his love is1 and also how 

terrible his wrath is4 ,sometimes       
earthly kings have a mind to show how   
terrible their wrath is1 by the extreme 
punishments they would execute on those 
that provoke 'em4 ,nebuchadnezzar1 that 
mighty and haughty monarch of the       
,chaldean empire1 was willing to show   
his wrath when enraged with ,shadrach1  
,meshech1 and ,abednego2 and accordingly
 gave order that the burning fiery      
furnace should be heated seven times    
hotter than it was before2 doubtless1 it
 was raised to the utmost degree of     
fierceness that human art could raise   
it2 but the great ,god is also willing  
to show his wrath1 and magnify his awful
 ,majesty and mighty power in the       
extreme sufferings of his enemies4 ,rom4
 ix4 #bb1 ,what if ,god1 willing to show
 his wrath1 and to make his power known1
 endured with much long-suffering the   
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction8 
,and seeing this is his design1 and what
 he has determined1 to show how terrible
 the unmixed1 unrestrained wrath1 the   

fury and fierceness of ,jehovah is1 he  
will do it to effect4 ,there will be    
something accomplished and brought to   
pass that will be dreadful with a       
witness4 ,when the great and angry ,god 
hath risen up and executed his awful    
vengeance on the poor sinner1 and the   
wretch is actually suffering the        
infinite weight and power of his        
indignation1 then will ,god call upon   
the whole universe to behold that awful 
majesty and mighty power that is to be  
seen in it4 ,isa4 xxxiii4 #ab1 #ac1 #ad1
 ,and the people shall be as the        
burnings of lime1 as thorns cut up shall
 they be burnt in the fire4 ,hear1 ye   
that are far off1 what ,i have done2 and
 ye that are near1 acknowledge my might4
 ,the sinners in ,zion are afraid2      
fearfulness hath surprised the          
hypocrites1 c4  ,thus it will be with   
you that are in an unconverted state1 if
 you continue in it2 the infinite might1
 and majesty1 and terribleness1 of the  
,omnipotent ,god shall be magnified upon

 you in the ineffable strength of your  
torments4 ,you shall be tormented in the
 presence of the holy angels1 and in the
 presence of the ,lamb2 and when you    
shall be in this state of suffering1 the
 glorious inhabitants of heaven shall go
 forth and look on the awful spectacle1 
that they may see what the wrath and    
fierceness of the ,almighty is2 and when
 they have seen it1 they will fall down 
and adore that great power and majesty4 
,isa4 lxvi4 #bc1 #bd1 ,and it shall come
 to pass1 that from one new moon to     
another1 and from one sabbath to        
another1 shall all flesh come to worship
 before me1 saith the ,lord4 ,and they  
shall go forth1 and look upon the       
carcasses of the men that have          
transgressed against me3 for their worm 
shall not die1 neither shall their fire 
be quenched2 and they shall be an       
abhorring unto all flesh4  #d4 ,it is   
everlasting wrath4 ,it would be dreadful
 to suffer this fierceness and wrath of 
,almighty ,god one moment2 but you must 

suffer it to all eternity3 there will be
 no end to this exquisite1 horrible     
misery4 ,when you look forward1 you     
shall see a long forever1 a boundless   
duration before you1 which will swallow 
up your thoughts1 and amaze your soul2  
and you will absolutely despair of ever 
having any deliverance1 any end1 any    
mitigation1 any rest at all2 you will   
know certainly that you must wear out   
long ages1 millions of millions of ages1
 in wrestling and conflicting with this 
almighty1 merciless vengeance2 and then 
when you have so done1 when so many ages
 have actually been spent by you in this
 manner1 you will know that all is but a
 point to what remains4 ,so that your   
punishment will indeed be infinite4 ,oh1
 who can express what the state of a    
soul in such circumstances is6 ,all that
 we can possibly say about it gives but 
a very feeble1 faint representation of  
it2 it is inexpressible and             
inconceivable3 for who knows the power  
of ,god's anger8  ,how dreadful is the  

state of those that are daily and hourly
 in danger of this great wrath and      
infinite misery6 ,but this is the dismal
 case of every soul in this congregation
 that has not been born again1 however  
moral and strict1 sober and religious1  
they may otherwise be4 ,oh1 that you    
would consider it1 whether you be young 
or old6 ,there is reason to think that  
there are many in this congregation now 
hearing this discourse1 that will       
actually be the subjects of this very   
misery to all eternity4 ,we know not who
 they are1 or in what seats they sit1 or
 what thoughts they now have4 ,it may be
 they are now at ease1 and hear all     
these things without much disturbance1  
and are now flattering themselves that  
they are not the persons1 promising     
themselves that they shall escape4 ,if  
we knew that there was one person1 and  
but one1 in the whole congregation1 that
 was to be the subject of this misery1  
what an awful thing it would be to think
 of6 ,if we knew who it was1 what an    

awful sight would it be to see such a   
person6 ,how might all the rest of the  
congregation lift up a lamentable and   
bitter cry over him6 ,but alas6 instead 
of one1 how many is it likely will      
remember this discourse in hell6 ,and it
 would be a wonder1 if some that are now
 present should not be in hell in a very
 short time1 before this year is out4   
,and it would be no wonder if some      
persons that now sit here in some seats 
of this meeting-house in health1 and    
quiet and secure1 should be there before
 to-morrow morning4 ,those of you that  
finally continue in a natural condition1
 that shall keep out of hell longest1   
will be there in a little time6 ,your   
damnation don't slumber2 it will come   
swiftly and1 in all probability1 very   
suddenly upon many of you4 ,you have    
reason to wonder that you are not       
already in hell4 ',tis doubtless the    
case of some that heretofore you have   
seen and known1 that never deserved hell
 more than you and that heretofore      

appeared as likely to have been now     
alive as you4 ,their case is past all   
hope2 they are crying in extreme misery 
and perfect despair4 ,but here you are  
in the land of the living and in the    
house of ,god1 and have an opportunity  
to obtain salvation4 ,what would not    
those poor1 damned1 hopeless souls give 
for one day's such opportunity as you   
now enjoy6  ,and now you have an        
extraordinary opportunity1 a day wherein
 ,christ has flung the door of mercy    
wide open1 and stands in the door       
calling and crying with a loud voice to 
poor sinners2 a day wherein many are    
flocking to him and pressing into the   
,kingdom of ,god4 ,many are daily coming
 from the east1 west1 north and south2  
many that were very likely in the same  
miserable condition that you are in are 
in now a happy state1 with their hearts 
filled with love to him that has loved  
them and washed them from their sins in 
his own blood1 and rejoicing in hope of 
the glory of ,god4 ,how awful is it to  

be left behind at such a day6 ,to see so
 many others feasting1 while you are    
pining and perishing6 ,to see so many   
rejoicing and singing for joy of heart1 
while you have cause to mourn for sorrow
 of heart and howl for vexation of      
spirit6 ,how can you rest for one moment
 in such a condition8 ,are not your     
souls as precious as the souls of the   
people at ,suffield1#ae where they are  
flocking from day to day to ,christ8    
,are there not many here that have lived
 long in the world that are not to this 
day born again1 and so are aliens from  
the commonwealth of ,israel and have    
done nothing ever since they have lived 
but treasure up wrath against the day of
 wrath8 ,oh1 sirs1 your case in an      
especial manner is extremely dangerous2 
your guilt and hardness of heart is     
extremely great4 ,don't you see how     
generally persons of your years are     
passed over and left in the present     
remarkable and wonderful dispensation of
 ,god's mercy8 ,you had need to consider

 yourselves and wake thoroughly out of  
sleep2 you cannot bear the fierceness   
and the wrath of the infinite ,god4     
,and you that are young men and young   
women1 will you neglect this precious   
season that you now enjoy1 when so many 
others of your age are renouncing all   
youthful vanities and flocking to       
,christ8 ,you especially have now an    
extraordinary opportunity2 but if you   
neglect it1 it will soon be with you as 
it is with those persons that spent away
 all the precious days of youth in sin  
and are now come to such a dreadful pass
 in blindness and hardness4  ,and you   
children that are unconverted1 don't you
 know that you are going down to hell to
 bear the dreadful wrath of that ,god   
that is now angry with you every day and
 every night8 ,will you be content to be
 the children of the devil1 when so many
 other children in the land are         
converted and are become the holy and   
happy children of the ,king of kings8   
,and let every one that is yet out of   

,christ and hanging over the pit of     
hell1 whether they be old men and women 
or middle-aged or young people or little
 children1 now hearken to the loud calls
 of ,god's word and providence4 ,this   
acceptable year of the ,lord that is a  
day of such great favor to some will    
doubtless be a day of as remarkable     
vengeance to others4 ,men's hearts      
harden and their guilt increases apace  
at such a day as this1 if they neglect  
their souls4 ,and never was there so    
great danger of such persons being given
 up to hardness of heart and blindness  
of mind4 ,god seems now to be hastily   
gathering in his elect in all parts of  
the land2 and probably the bigger part  
of adult persons that ever shall be     
saved will be brought in now in a little
 time1 and that it will be as it was on 
that great outpouring of the ,spirit    
upon the ,jews in the ,apostles' days1  
the election will obtain and the rest   
will be blinded4 ,if this should be the 
case with you1 you will eternally curse 

this day1 and will curse the day that   
ever you was born to see such a season  
of the pouring out of ,god's ,spirit1   
and will wish that you had died and gone
 to hell before you had seen it4 ,now   
undoubtedly it is as it was in the days 
of ,john the ,baptist1 the axe is in an 
extraordinary manner laid at the root of
 the trees1 that every tree that        
bringeth not forth good fruit may be    
hewn down and cast into the fire4       
,therefore let every one that is out of 
,christ now awake and fly from the wrath
 to come4 ,the wrath of ,almighty ,god  
is now undoubtedly hanging over great   
part of this congregation4 ,let every   
one fly out of ,sodom4 ,haste and escape
 for your lives1 look not behind you1   
escape to the mountain1 lest ye be      
consumed4     ,,vi  ,,god',s ,,awful    
,,judgment ,,in ,,the ,,breaking ,,and  
,,withering ,,of ,,the ,,strong ,,rods  
,,of ,a ,,community deg4  ,,ezek4 xix4  
#ab4--;,her strong rods were broken and 
withered4   ,in order to a right        

understanding and improving these words1
 these four things must be observed and 
understood concerning them4  #a4 ,who   
she is that is here represented as      
having had strong rods1 viz41 the       
,jewish community1 who here1 as often   
elsewhere1 is called the people's       
mother4 ,she is here compared to a vine 
planted in a very fruitful soil1 verse  
#aj4 ,the ,jewish church and state is   
often elsewhere compared to a vine2 as  
,psalm lxxx4 #h1 c41 ,isai4 v4 #b1 ,jer4
 ii4 #ba1 ,ezek4 xv41 and chapter xvii4 
#f4  #b4 ,what is meant by her strong   
rods1 viz41 her wise1 able1 and well    
qualified magistrates or rulers4 ,that  
the rulers or magistrates are intended  
is manifest by verse #aa3 ,and she had  
strong rods for the sceptres of them    
that bare rule4 ,and by rods that were  
strong1 must be meant such rulers as    
were well qualified for magistracy1 such
 as had great abilities and other       
qualifications fitting them for the     
business of rule4 ,they were wont to    

choose a rod or staff of the strongest  
and hardest sort of wood that could be  
found1 for the mace or sceptre of a     
prince2 such a one only being counted   
fit for such a use3 and this generally  
was overlaid with gold4  ,it is very    
remarkable that such a strong rod should
 grow out of a weak vine2 but so it had 
been in ,israel1 through ,god's         
extraordinary blessing1 in times past4  
,though the nation is spoken of here1   
and frequently elsewhere1 as weak and   
helpless in itself and entirely         
dependent as a vine1 that is the weakest
 of all trees1 that can't support itself
 by its own strength1 and never stands  
but as it leans on or hangs by something
 else that is stronger than itself2 yet 
,god had caused many of her sons to be  
strong rods1 fit for sceptres2 he had   
raised up in ,israel many able and      
excellent princes and magistrates in    
days past1 that had done worthily in    
their day4   ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,meeting-,,house ,,at ,,northampton    

,,in ,,which ,,edwards ,,preached4      
,,erected #agcg4   #c4 ,it should be    
understood and observed what is meant by
 these strong rods being broken and     
withered1 viz41 these able and excellent
 rulers being removed by death4 ,man's  
dying is often compared in ,scripture to
 the withering of the growth of the     
earth4  #d4 ,it should be observed after
 what manner the breaking and withering 
of these strong rods is here spoken of1 
viz41 as a great and awful calamity that
 ,god had brought upon that people4     
',tis spoken of as one of the chief     
effects of ,god's fury and dreadful     
displeasure against them4 ,but she was  
plucked up in fury1 she was cast down to
 the ground1 and the east wind dried up 
her fruit2 her strong rods were broken  
and withered1 the fire hath consumed    
them4 ,the great benefits she enjoyed   
while her strong rods remained are      
represented in the preceding verse3 ,and
 she had strong rods for the sceptres of
 them that bare rule1 and her stature   

was exalted among the thick branches1   
and she appeared in her height with the 
multitude of her branches4 ,and the     
terrible calamities that attended the   
breaking and withering of her strong    
rods1 are represented in the two verses 
next following the text3 ,and now she is
 planted in the wilderness1 in a dry and
 thirsty ground4 ,and fire is gone out  
of a rod of her branches1 which hath    
devoured her fruit4 ,and in the         
conclusion in the next words is very    
emphatically declared the worthiness of 
such a dispensation to be greatly       
lamented3 ,so that she hath no strong   
rod to be a sceptre to rule4 ,this is a 
lamentation1 and shall be for a         
lamentation4  ,that which ,i therefore  
observe from the words of the text to be
 the subject of discourse at this time1 
is this3       ,when ,god by death      
removes from a people those in place of 
public      authority and rule that have
 been as strong rods1 'tis an awful     
judgment of ,god on that people1 and    

worthy of great lamentation4  ,in       
discoursing on this proposition1 ,i     
would1  ,i4 ,show what kind of rulers   
may fitly be called strong rods4  ,,ii4 
,show why the removal of such rulers    
from a people1 by death1 is to be looked
 upon as an awful judgment of ,god on   
that people1 and is greatly to be       
lamented4  ,i4 ,i would observe what    
qualifications of those who are in      
public authority and rule may properly  
give them the denomination of strong    
rods4  #a4 ,one qualification of rulers 
whence they may properly be denominated 
strong rods is great ability for the    
management of public affairs4 ,when they
 that stand in place of public authority
 are men of great natural abilities1    
when they are men of uncommon strength  
of reason and largeness of              
understanding2 especially when they have
 remarkably a genius for government1 a  
peculiar turn of mind fitting them to   
gain an extraordinary understanding in  
things of that nature1 giving ability1  

in an especial manner1 for insight into 
the mysteries of government1 and        
discerning those things wherein the     
public welfare or calamity consists and 
the proper means to avoid the one and   
promote the other2 an extraordinary     
talent at distinguishing what is right  
and just from that which is wrong and   
unequal1 and to see through the false   
colors with which injustice is often    
disguised1 and unravel the false1 subtle
 arguments and cunning sophistry that is
 often made use of to defend iniquity2  
and when they have not only great       
natural abilities in these respects1 but
 when their abilities and talents have  
been improved by study1 learning1       
observation and experience2 and when by 
these means they have obtained great    
actual knowledge2 when they have        
acquired great skill in public affairs  
and things requisite to be known in     
order to their wise1 prudent1 and       
effectual management2 when they have    
obtained a great understanding of men   

and things1 a great knowledge of human  
nature and of the way of accommodating  
themselves to it1 so as most effectually
 to influence it to wise purposes2 when 
they have obtained a very extensive     
knowledge of men with whom they are     
concerned in the management of public   
affairs1 either those that have a joint 
concern in government or those that are 
to be governed2 and when they have also 
obtained a very full and particular     
understanding of the state and          
circumstances of the country or people  
that they have the care of1 and know    
well their laws and constitution and    
what their circumstances require2 and   
likewise have a great knowledge of the  
people of neighbor nations1 states1 or  
provinces with whom they have occasion  
to be concerned in the management of    
public affairs committed to them2 these 
things all contribute to the rendering  
those that are in authority fit to be   
denominated strong rods4  #b4 ,when they
 have not only great understanding but  

largeness of heart and a greatness and  
nobleness of disposition1 this is       
another qualification that belongs to   
the character of a strong rod4  ,those  
that are by divine ,providence set in   
places of public authority and rule are 
called gods1 and sons of the ,most      
,high1 ,psalm lxxxii4 #f4 ,and therefore
 'tis peculiarly unbecoming them to be  
of a mean spirit1 a disposition that    
will admit of their doing those things  
that are sordid and vile2 as when they  
are persons of a narrow1 private spirit1
 that may be found in little tricks and 
intrigues to promote their private      
interest1 will shamefully defile their  
hands to gain a few pounds1 are not     
ashamed to nip and bite others1 grind   
the faces of the poor and screw upon    
their neighbors1 and will take advantage
 of their authority or commission to    
line their own pockets with what is     
fraudulently taken or withheld from     
others4 ,when a man in authority is of  
such a mean spirit1 it weakens his      

authority and makes him justly          
contemptible in the eyes of men and is  
utterly inconsistent with his being a   
strong rod4  ,but on the contrary1 it   
greatly establishes his authority1 and  
causes others to stand in awe of him1   
when they see him to be a man of        
greatness of mind1 one that abhors those
 things that are mean and sordid1 and   
not capable of a compliance with them2  
one that is of a public spirit1 and not 
of a private1 narrow disposition2 a man 
of honor1 and not a man of mean artifice
 and clandestine management for filthy  
lucre1 and one that abhors trifling and 
impertinence1 or to waste away his time1
 that should be spent in the service of 
,god1 his king1 or his country1 in vain 
amusements and diversions and in the    
pursuit of the gratifications of sensual
 appetites2 as ,god charges the rulers  
in ,israel1 that pretended to be their  
great and mighty men1 with being mighty 
to drink wine and men of strength to    
mingle strong drink4 ,there don't seem  

to be any reference to their being men  
of strong heads and able to bear a great
 deal of strong drink1 as some have     
supposed4 ,there is a severe sarcasm in 
the words2 for the prophet is speaking  
of the great men1 princes and judges in 
,israel 7as appears by the verse next   
following71 which should be mighty men1 
strong rods1 men of eminent             
qualifications1 excelling in nobleness  
of spirit1 of glorious strength and     
fortitude of mind2 but instead of that1 
they were mighty or eminent for nothing 
but gluttony and drunkenness4  #c4 ,when
 those that are in authority are endowed
 with much of a spirit of government1   
this is another thing that entitles them
 to the denomination of strong rods4    
,when they not only are men of great    
understanding and wisdom in affairs that
 appertain to government1 but have also 
a peculiar talent at using their        
knowledge and exerting themselves in    
this great and important business1      
according to their great understanding  

in it2 when they are men of eminent     
fortitude and are not afraid of the     
faces of men1 are not afraid to do the  
part that properly belongs to them as   
rulers1 though they meet with great     
opposition1 and the spirits of men are  
greatly irritated by it2 when they have 
a spirit of resolution and activity1 so 
as to keep the wheels of government in  
proper motion and to cause judgment and 
justice to run down as a mighty stream2 
when they have not only a great         
knowledge of government and the things  
that belong to it in the theory1 but it 
is1 as it were1 natural to them to apply
 the various powers and faculties with  
which ,god has endowed them1 and the    
knowledge they have obtained by study   
and observation1 to that business1 so as
 to perform it most advantageously and  
effectually4  #d4 ,stability and        
firmness of integrity1 fidelity and     
piety in the exercise of authority is   
another thing that greatly contributes  
to1 and is very essential in1 the       

character of a strong rod4  ,when he    
that is in authority is not only a man  
of strong reason and great discerning to
 know what is just1 but is a man of     
strict integrity and righteousness1 is  
firm and immovable in the execution of  
justice and judgment2 and when he is not
 only a man of great ability to bear    
down vice and immorality1 but has a     
disposition agreeable to such ability2  
is one that has a strong aversion to    
wickedness and is disposed to use the   
power ,god has put into his hands to    
suppress it2 and is one that not only   
opposes vice by his authority1 but by   
his example2 when he is one of          
inflexible fidelity1 will be faithful to
 ,god whose minister he is to his people
 for good1 is immovable in his regard to
 his supreme authority1 his commands and
 his glory1 and will be faithful to his 
king and country2 will not be induced by
 the many temptations that attend the   
business of men in public authority     
basely to betray his trust2 will not    

consent to do what he thinks not to be  
for the public good for his own gain or 
advancement1 or any private interest2 is
 one that is well principled1 and is    
firm in acting agreeably to his         
principles1 and will not be prevailed   
with to do otherwise through fear or    
favor1 to follow a multitude1 or to     
maintain his interest in any on whom he 
depends for the honor or profit of his  
place1 whether it be prince or people2  
and is also one of that strength of     
mind1 whereby he rules his own          
spirit1--these things do very eminently 
contribute to a ruler's title to the    
denomination of a strong rod4  #e4 ,and 
lastly1 it also contributes to the      
strength of a man in authority by which 
he may be denominated a strong rod1 when
 he is in such circumstances as give him
 advantage for the exercise of his      
strength for the public good2 as his    
being a person of honorable descent1 of 
a distinguished education1 his being a  
man of estate1 one that is advanced in  

years1 one that has long been in        
authority1 so that it is become1 as it  
were1 natural for the people to pay him 
deference1 to reverence him1 to be      
influenced and governed by him and      
submit to his authority2 his being      
extensively known and much honored and  
regarded abroad2 his being one of a good
 presence1 majesty of countenance1      
decency of behavior1 becoming one in    
authority2 of forcible speech1 c4 ,these
 things add to his strength and increase
 his ability and advantage to serve his 
generation in the place of a ruler1 and 
therefore in some respect serve to      
render him one that is the more fitly   
and eminently called a strong rod4  ,i  
now proceed1  ,,ii4 ,to show that when  
such strong rods are broken and withered
 by death1 'tis an awful judgment of    
,god on the people that are deprived of 
them and worthy of great lamentation4   
,and that on two accounts3  #a4 ,by     
reason of the many positive benefits and
 blessings to a people that such rulers 

are the instruments of4  ,almost all the
 prosperity of a public society and     
civil community does1 under ,god1 depend
 on their rulers4 ,they are like the    
main springs or wheels in a machine that
 keep every part in their due motion1   
and are in the body politic1 as the     
vitals in the body natural1 and as the  
pillars and foundation in a building4   
,civil rulers are called the foundations
 of the earth1 ,psalm lxxxii4 #e1 and   
xi4 #c4  ,the prosperity of a people    
depends more on their rulers than is    
commonly imagined4 ,as they have the    
public society under their care and     
power1 so they have advantage to promote
 the public interest every way2 and if  
they are such rulers as have been spoken
 of1 they are some of the greatest      
blessings to the public4 ,their         
influence has a tendency to promote     
their wealth and cause their temporal   
possessions and blessings to abound3 and
 to promote virtue amongst them1 and so 
to unite them one to another in peace   

and mutual benevolence1 and make them   
happy in society1 each one the          
instrument of his neighbor's quietness1 
comfort and prosperity2 and by these    
means to advance their reputation and   
honor in the world2 and which is much   
more1 to promote their spiritual and    
eternal happiness4 ,therefore1 the wise 
man says1 ,eccles4 x4 #ag1 ,blessed art 
thou1 ,o land1 when thy king is the son 
of nobles4  ,we have a remarkable       
instance and evidence of the happy and  
great influence of such a strong rod as 
has been described to promote the       
universal prosperity of a people in the 
history of the reign of ,solomon1 though
 many of the people were uneasy under   
his government1 and thought him too     
rigorous in his administration 7see #a  
,kings xii4 #d74 ,judah and ,israel     
dwelt safely1 every man under his vine  
and under his fig-tree1 from ,dan even  
to ,beersheba1 all the days of ,solomon1
 #a ,kings iv4 #be4 ,and he made silver 
to be among them as stones for          

abundance1 chap x4 #bg4 ,and ,judah and 
,israel were many1 eating and drinking  
and making merry1 chap4 iv4 #bj4 ,the   
queen of ,sheba admired and was greatly 
affected with the happiness of the      
people under the government of such a   
strong rod3 #a ,kings x4 #h1 #i1 says   
she1 ,happy are thy men1 happy are these
 thy servants which stand continually   
before thee1 and that hear thy wisdom4  
,blessed be the ,lord thy ,god which    
delighted in thee1 to set thee on the   
throne of ,israel2 because the ,lord    
loved ,israel forever1 therefore made he
 thee king1 to do judgment and justice4 
,the flourishing state of the kingdom of
 ,judah1 while they had strong rods for 
the sceptres of them that bare rule1 is 
taken notice of in our context3 ,her    
stature was exalted among the thick     
branches1 and she appeared in her height
 with the multitude of her branches4    
,such rulers are eminently the ministers
 of ,god to his people for good3 they   
are great gifts of the ,most ,high to a 

people and blessed tokens of his favor  
and vehicles of his goodness to them1   
and therein images of his own ,son1 the 
grand medium of all ,god's goodness to  
fallen mankind3 and therefore1 all of   
them are called sons of the ,most ,high4
 ,all civil rulers1 if they are1 as they
 ought to be1 such strong rods as have  
been described1 will be like the ,son of
 the ,most ,high1 vehicles of good to   
mankind1 and like him1 will be as the   
light of the morning when the sun       
riseth1 even a morning without clouds1  
as the tender grass springeth out of the
 earth1 by clear shining after rain4    
,and therefore1 when a people are       
bereaved of them1 they sustain an       
unspeakable loss and are the subjects of
 a judgment of ,god that is greatly to  
be lamented4  #b4 ,on account of the    
great calamities such rulers are a      
defence from4 ,innumerable are the      
grievous and fatal calamities which     
public societies are exposed to in this 
evil world1 which they can have no      

defence from without order and          
authority4 ,if a people are without     
government1 they are like a city broken 
down and without walls1 encompassed on  
every side by enemies and become        
unavoidably subject to all manner of    
confusion and misery4  ,government is   
necessary to defend communities from    
miseries from within themselves2 from   
the prevalence of intestine discord1    
mutual injustice and violence2 the      
members of the society continually      
making a prey one of another1 without   
any defence one from another4 ,rulers   
are the heads of union in public        
societies1 that hold the parts together2
 without which nothing else is to be    
expected than that the members of the   
society will be continually divided     
against themselves1 every one acting the
 part of an enemy to his neighbor1 every
 one's hand against every man and every 
man's hand against him2 going on in     
remediless and endless broils and       
jarring till the society be utterly     

dissolved and broken in pieces and life 
itself1 in the neighborhood of our      
fellow creatures1 becomes miserable and 
intolerable4  ,we may see the need of   
government in societies by what is      
visible in families1 those lesser       
societies of which all public societies 
are constituted4 ,how miserable would   
these little societies be1 if all were  
left to themselves1 without any         
authority or superiority in one above   
another or any head of union and        
influence among them8 ,we may be        
convinced by what we see of the         
lamentable consequences of the want of a
 proper exercise of authority and       
maintenance of government in families   
that yet are not absolutely without all 
authority4 ,no less need is there of    
government in public societies1 but much
 more1 as they are larger4 ,a very few  
may possibly1 without any government1   
act by concert1 so as to concur in what 
shall be for the welfare of the whole2  
but this is not to be expected among a  

multitude1 constituted of many          
thousands1 of a great variety of        
tempers1 and different interests4  ,as  
government is absolutely necessary1 so  
there is a necessity of strong rods in  
order to it3 the business being such as 
requires persons so qualified3 no other 
being sufficient for1 or well capable of
 the government of1 public societies3   
and therefore1 those public societies   
are miserable that have not such strong 
rods for sceptres to rule3 ,eccles4 x4  
#af1 ,woe to thee1 ,o land1 when thy    
king is a child4  ,as government1 and   
strong rods for the exercise of it1 are 
necessary to preserve public societies  
from dreadful and fatal calamities      
arising from among themselves2 so no    
less requisite are they to defend the   
community from foreign enemies4 ,as they
 are like the pillars of a building1 so 
they are also like the walls and        
bulwarks of a city3 they are under ,god 
the main strength of a people in a time 
of war and the chief instruments of     

their preservation1 safety and rest4    
,this is signified in a very lively     
manner in the words that are used by the
 ,jewish community in her ,lamentations 
to express the expectations she had from
 her princes3 ,lam4 iv4 #bi1 ,the breath
 of our nostrils1 the anointed of the   
,lord1 was taken in their pits1 of whom 
we said1 ,under his shadow we shall live
 among the heathen4 ,in this respect    
also such strong rods are sons of the   
,most ,high and images or resemblances  
of the ,son of ,god1 viz41 as they are  
their saviours from their enemies2 as   
the judges that ,god raised up of old in
 ,israel are called1 ,nehem4 ix4 #bg3   
,therefore thou deliveredst them into   
the hand of their enemies1 who vexed    
them3 and in the time of their trouble1 
when they cried unto thee1 thou heardest
 them from heaven2 and according to thy 
manifold mercies thou gavest them       
saviours1 who saved them out of the hand
 of their enemies4  ,thus both the      
prosperity and safety of a people under 

,god1 depends on such rulers as are     
strong rods4 ,while they enjoy such     
blessings1 they are wont to be like a   
vine planted in a fruitful soil1 with   
her stature exalted among the thick     
branches1 appearing in her height with  
the multitude of her branches2 but when 
they have no strong rod to be a sceptre 
to rule1 they are like a vine planted in
 a wilderness that is exposed to be     
plucked up and cast down to the ground1 
to have her fruit dried up with the east
 wind1 and to have fire coming out of   
her own branches to devour her fruit4   
,on these accounts1 when a people's     
strong rods are broken and withered1    
'tis an awful judgment of ,god on that  
people1 and worthy of great lamentation3
 as when ,king ,josiah 7who was         
doubtless one of the strong rods        
referred to in the text7 was dead1 the  
people made great lamentation for him1  
#b ,chron4 xxxv4 #bd1 #be3 ,and they    
brought him to ,jerusalem1 and he died1 
and was buried in one of the sepulchres 

of his fathers4 ,and all ,judah and     
,jerusalem mourned for ,josiah4 ,and    
,jeremiah lamented for ,josiah3 and all 
the singing men and the singing women   
spake of ,josiah in their lamentations  
to this day1 and made them an ordinance 
in ,israel3 and1 behold1 they are       
written in the ,lamentations4           
,,application  ,i come now to apply     
these things to our own case1 under the 
late awful frown of divine ,providence  
upon us in removing by death that       
honorable person in public rule and     
authority1 an inhabitant of this town   
and belonging to this congregation and  
church1 who died at ,boston the last    
,lord's day4  ,he was eminently a strong
 rod in the forementioned respects4 ,as 
to his natural abilities1 strength of   
reason1 greatness and clearness of      
discerning and depth of penetration1 he 
was one of the first rank3 it may be    
doubted whether he has left his superior
 in these respects in these parts of the
 world4 ,he was a man of a truly great  

genius1 and his genius was peculiarly   
fitted for the understanding and        
managing of public affairs4  ,and as his
 natural capacity was great1 so was the 
knowledge that he had acquired1 his     
understanding being greatly improved by 
close application of mind to those      
things he was called to be concerned in1
 and by a very exact observation of them
 and long experience in them4 ,he had   
indeed a great insight into the nature  
of public societies1 the mysteries of   
government and the affairs of peace and 
war3 he had a discerning that very few  
have of the things wherein the public   
weal consists1 and what those things are
 that do expose public societies1 and of
 the proper means to avoid the latter   
and promote the former4 ,he was quick in
 his discerning1 in that in most cases1 
especially such as belonged to his      
proper business1 he at first sight would
 see further than most men when they had
 done their best2 but yet he had a      
wonderful faculty of improving his own  

thoughts by meditation1 and carrying his
 views a greater and greater length by  
long and close application of mind4 ,he 
had an extraordinary ability to         
distinguish right and wrong in the midst
 of intricacies and circumstances that  
tended to perplex and darken the case3  
he was able to weigh things1 as it were1
 in a balance1 and to distinguish those 
things that were solid and weighty from 
those that had only a fair show without 
substance1 which he evidently discovered
 in his accurate1 clear and plain way of
 stating and committing causes to a     
jury1 from the bench1 as by others hath 
been observed4 ,he wonderfully          
distinguished truth from falsehood1 and 
the most labored cases seemed always to 
lie clear in his mind1 his ideas        
properly ranged--and he had a talent of 
communicating them to every one's       
understanding1 beyond almost any one2   
and if any were misguided1 it was not   
because truth and falsehood1 right and  
wrong1 were not well distinguished4  ,he

 was probably one of the ablest         
politicians that ever ,new ,england     
bred3 he had a very uncommon insight    
into human nature1 and a marvellous     
ability to penetrate into the particular
 tempers and dispositions of such as he 
had to deal with1 and to discern the    
fittest way of treating them1 so as most
 effectually to influence them to any   
good and wise purpose4  ,and never      
perhaps was there a person that had a   
more extensive and thorough knowledge of
 the state of this land and its public  
affairs1 and of persons that were       
jointly concerned in them3 he knew this 
people and their circumstances1 and what
 their circumstances required3 he       
discerned the diseases of this body1 and
 what were the proper remedies1 as an   
able and masterly physician4 ,he had a  
great acquaintance with the neighboring 
colonies1 and also the neighbor nations 
on this continent1 with whom we are     
concerned in our public affairs3 he had 
a far greater knowledge than any other  

person in the land of the several       
nations of ,indians in these northern   
parts of ,america1 their tempers1       
manners and the proper way of treating  
them1 and was more extensively known by 
them than any other person in the       
country3 and no other person in         
authority in this province had such an  
acquaintance with the people and country
 of ,canada1 the land of our enemies1 as
 he4  ,he was exceeding far from a      
disposition and forwardness to          
intermeddle with other people's         
business2 but as to what belonged to the
 offices he sustained and the important 
affairs that he had the care of1 he had 
a great understanding of what belonged  
to them4 ,i have often been surprised at
 the length of his reach1 and what ,i   
have seen of his ability to foresee and 
determine the consequences of things1   
even at a great distance1 and quite     
beyond the sight of other men4 ,he was  
not wavering and unsteady in his        
opinion3 his manner was never to pass a 

judgment rashly1 but was wont first     
thoroughly to deliberate and weigh an   
affair2 and in this1 notwithstanding his
 great abilities1 he was glad to improve
 by the help of conversation and        
discourse with others1 and often spake  
of the great advantage he found by it2  
but when1 on mature consideration1 he   
had settled his judgment1 he was not    
easily turned from it by false colors   
and plausible pretences and appearances4
  ,and besides his knowledge of things  
belonging to his particular calling as a
 ruler1 he had also a great degree of   
understanding in things belonging to his
 general calling as a ,christian4 ,he   
was no inconsiderable divine4 ,he was a 
wise casuist1 as ,i know by the great   
help ,i have found from time to time by 
his judgment and advice in cases of     
conscience wherein ,i have consulted    
him3 and indeed ,i scarce knew the      
divine that ,i ever found more able to  
help and enlighten the mind in such     
cases than he4 ,and he had no small     

degree of knowledge in things pertaining
 to experimental religion2 but was wont 
to discourse on such subjects1 not only 
with accurate doctrinal distinctions1   
but as one intimately and feelingly     
acquainted with these things4  ,he was  
not only great in speculative knowledge1
 but his knowledge was practical2 such  
as tended to a wise conduct in the      
affairs1 business and duties of life2 so
 as properly to have the denomination of
 wisdom1 and so as properly and         
eminently to invest him with the        
character of a wise man4 ,and he was not
 only eminently wise and prudent in his 
own conduct1 but was one of the ablest  
and wisest counsellors of others in any 
difficult affair4  ,the greatness and   
honorableness of his disposition was    
answerable to the largeness of his      
understanding4 ,he was naturally of a   
great mind4 ,in this respect he was     
truly the son of nobles4 ,he greatly    
abhorred things which were mean and     
sordid1 and seemed to be incapable of a 

compliance with them4 ,how far was he   
from trifling and impertinence in his   
conversation6 ,how far from a busy1     
meddling disposition6 ,how far from any 
sly and clandestine management to fill  
his pockets with what was fraudulently  
withheld or violently squeezed from the 
laborer1 soldier or inferior officer6   
,how far from taking advantage from his 
commission or authority or any superior 
power he had in his hands1 or the       
ignorance1 dependence or necessities of 
others1 to add to his own gains with    
what property belonged to them1 and with
 what they might justly expect as a     
proper reward for any of their services6
 ,how far was he from secretly taking   
bribes offered to induce him to favor   
any man in his cause1 or by his power or
 interest to promote his being advanced 
to any place of public trust1 honor or  
profit6 ,how greatly did he abhor lying 
and prevaricating6 ,and how immovably   
steadfast was he to exact truth6 ,his   
hatred of those things that were mean   

and sordid was so apparent and well     
known1 that it was evident that men     
dreaded to appear in any thing of that  
nature in his presence4  ,he was a man  
remarkably of a public spirit1 a true   
lover of his country and greatly        
abhorred the sacrificing the public     
welfare to private interest4  ,he was   
very eminently endowed with a spirit of 
government4 ,the ,god of nature seemed  
to have formed him for government1 as   
though he had been made on purpose1 and 
cast into a mould by which he should be 
every way fitted for the business of a  
man in public authority4 ,such a        
behavior and conduct was natural to him 
as tended to maintain his authority and 
possess others with awe and reverence1  
and to enforce and render effectual what
 he said and did in the exercise of his 
authority4 ,he did not bear the sword in
 vain3 he was truly a terror to evil    
doers4 ,what ,i saw in him often put me 
in mind of that saying of the wise man1 
,prov4 xx4 #h1 ,the king that sitteth on

 the throne of judgment scattereth away 
all evil with his eyes4 ,he was one that
 was not afraid of the faces of men2 and
 every one knew that it was in vain to  
attempt to deter him from doing what1 on
 mature consideration1 he had determined
 he ought to do4 ,every thing in him was
 great and becoming a man in his public 
station4 ,perhaps never was there a man 
that appeared in ,new ,england to whom  
the denomination of a great man did more
 properly belong4  ,but though he was   
one that was great among men1 exalted   
above others in abilities and greatness 
of mind and in place of rule1 and feared
 not the faces of men1 yet he feared    
,god4 ,he was strictly conscientious in 
his conduct1 both in public and private4
 ,i never knew the man that seemed more 
steadfastly and immovably to act by     
principle and according to rules and    
maxims1 established and settled in his  
mind by the dictates of his judgment and
 conscience4 ,he was a man of strict    
justice and fidelity4 ,faithfulness was 

eminently his character4 ,some of his   
greatest opponents that have been of the
 contrary party to him in public        
affairs1 yet have openly acknowledged   
this of him1 that he was a faithful man4
 ,he was remarkably faithful in his     
public trusts3 he would not basely      
betray his trust1 from fear or favor4   
,it was in vain to expect it1 however   
men might oppose him or neglect him1 and
 how great soever they were4 ,nor would 
he neglect the public interest1 wherein 
committed to him1 for the sake of his   
own ease1 but diligently and laboriously
 watched and labored for it night and   
day4 ,and he was faithful in private    
affairs as well as public3 he was a most
 faithful friend1 faithful to any one   
that in any case asked his counsel2 and 
his fidelity might be depended on in    
whatever affair he undertook for any of 
his neighbors4  ,he was a noted instance
 of the virtue of temperance1           
unalterable in it1 in all places1 in all
 companies1 and in the midst of all     

temptations4  ,though he was a man of a 
great spirit1 yet he had a remarkable   
government of his spirit2 and excelled  
in the government of his tongue4 ,in the
 midst of all provocations he met with1 
among the multitudes he had to deal     
with1 and the great multiplicity of     
perplexing affairs in which he was      
concerned1 and all the opposition and   
reproaches he was at any time the       
subject of2 yet what was there that ever
 proceeded out of his mouth that his    
enemies could lay hold of8 ,no profane  
language1 no vain1 rash1 unseemly and   
unchristian speeches4 ,if at any time he
 expressed himself with great warmth and
 vigor1 it seemed to be from principle  
and determination of his judgment1      
rather than from passion4 ,when he      
expressed himself strongly and with     
vehemence1 those that were acquainted   
with him1 and well observed him from    
time to time1 might evidently see it was
 done in consequence of thought and     
judgment1 weighing the circumstances and

 consequences of things4  ,the calmness 
and steadiness of his behavior in       
private1 particularly in his family1    
appeared remarkable and exemplary to    
those who had most opportunity to       
observe it4  ,he was thoroughly         
established in those religious          
principles and doctrines of the first   
fathers of ,new ,england1 usually called
 the doctrines of grace1 and had a great
 detestation of the opposite errors of  
the present fashionable divinity1 as    
very contrary to the word of ,god and   
the experience of every true ,christian4
 ,and as he was a friend to truth1 so he
 was a friend to vital piety and the    
power of godliness1 and ever            
countenanced and favored it on all      
occasions4  ,he abhorred profaneness1   
and was a person of a serious and decent
 spirit1 and ever treated sacred things 
with reverence4 ,he was exemplary for   
his decent attendance on the public     
worship of ,god4 ,who ever saw him      
irreverently and indecently lolling and 

laying down his head to sleep1 or gazing
 and staring about the meeting-house in 
time of divine service8 ,and as he was  
able 7as was before observed7 to        
discourse very understandingly of       
experimental religion1 so to some       
persons with whom he was very intimate1 
he gave intimations sufficiently plain1 
while conversing of these things1 that  
they were matters of his own experience4
 ,and some serious persons in civil     
authority that have ordinarily differed 
from him in matters of government1 yet1 
on some occasional close conversation   
with him on things of religion1 have    
manifested a high opinion of him as to  
real experimental piety4  ,as he was    
known to be a serious person1 and an    
enemy to a profane or vain conversation1
 so he was feared on that account by    
great and small4 ,when he was in the    
room1 only his presence was sufficient  
to maintain decency2 though many were   
there that were accounted gentlemen and 
great men1 who otherwise were disposed  

to take a much greater freedom in their 
talk and behavior than they dared to do 
in his presence4  ,he was not unmindful 
of death1 nor insensible of his own     
frailty1 nor did death come unexpected  
to him4 ,for some years past he has     
spoken much to some persons of dying and
 going into the eternal world1          
signifying that he did not expect to    
continue long here4  ,added to all these
 things that have been mentioned to     
render him eminently a strong rod1 he   
was attended with many circumstances    
which tended to give him advantage for  
the exerting of his strength for the    
public good4 ,he was honorably          
descended1 was a man of considerable    
substance1 had been long in authority1  
was extensively known and honored       
abroad1 was high in the esteem of the   
many tribes of ,indians in the          
neighborhood of the ,british colonies1  
and so had great influence upon them    
above any other man in ,new ,england2   
,god had endowed him with a comely      

presence and majesty of countenance1    
becoming the great qualities of his mind
 and the place in which ,god had set    
him4  ,in the exercise of these         
qualities and endowments1 under these   
advantages1 he has been1 as it were1 a  
father to this part of the land1 on whom
 the whole county had1 under ,god1 its  
dependence in all its public affairs1   
and especially since the beginning of   
the present war4 deg4 ,how much the     
weight of all the warlike concerns of   
the county 7which above any part of the 
land lies exposed to the enemy7 has lain
 on his shoulders1 and how he has been  
the spring of all motion and the doer of
 every thing that has been done1 and how
 wisely and faithfully he has conducted 
these affairs1 ,i need not inform this  
congregation4 ,you well know that he    
took care of the county as a father of a
 family of children1 not neglecting     
men's lives and making light of their   
blood2 but with great diligence1        
vigilance and prudence applying himself 

continually to the proper means of our  
safety and welfare4 ,and especially has 
this his native town1 where he has dwelt
 from his infancy1 reaped the benefit of
 his happy influence3 his wisdom has    
been1 under ,god1 very much our guide1  
and his authority our support and       
strength1 and he has been a great honor 
to ,northampton and ornament to our     
church4  ,he continued in full capacity 
of usefulness while he lived2 he was    
indeed considerably advanced in years1  
but his powers of mind were not sensibly
 abated1 and his strength of body was   
not so impaired but that he was able to 
go long journeys1 in extreme heat and   
cold1 and in a short time4  ,but now    
this strong rod is broken and withered1 
and surely the judgment of ,god therein 
is very awful1 and the dispensation that
 which may well be for a lamentation4   
,probably we shall be more sensible of  
the worth and importance of such a      
strong rod by the want of it4 ,the awful
 voice of ,god in this providence is    

worthy to be attended to by this whole  
province1 and especially by the people  
of this county1 but in a more peculiar  
manner by us of this town4 ,we have now 
this testimony of the divine displeasure
 added to all the other dark clouds ,god
 has lately brought over us1 and his    
awful frowns upon us4 ',tis a           
dispensation1 on many accounts1 greatly 
calling for our humiliation and fear    
before ,god2 an awful manifestation of  
his supreme1 universal and absolute     
dominion1 calling us to adore the divine
 sovereignty and tremble at the presence
 of this great ,god4 ,and it is a lively
 instance of human frailty and          
mortality4 ,we see how that none are out
 of the reach of death1 that no         
greatness1 no authority1 no wisdom and  
sagacity1 no honorableness of person or 
station1 no degree of valuableness and  
importance exempts from the stroke of   
death4 ,this is therefore a loud and    
solemn warning to all sorts to prepare  
for their departure hence4  ,and the    

memory of this person who is now gone1  
who was made so great a blessing while  
he lived1 should engage us to show      
respect and kindness to his family4     
,this we should do both out of respect  
to him and to his father1 your former   
eminent pastor1 who in his day was1 in a
 remarkable manner1 a father to this    
part of the land in spirituals1 and     
especially to this town1 as this his son
 has been in temporals4--,god greatly   
resented it1 when the children of       
,israel did not show kindness to the    
house of ,jerubbaal that had been made  
an instrument of so much good to them3  
,judges viii4 #ce1 ,neither showed they 
kindness to the house of ,jerrubbaal1   
according to all the good which he had  
showed unto ,israel4     ,,vii  ,a      
,,farewell ,,sermon deg4  #b ,,cor4 i4  
#ad4--;,as also you have acknowledged us
 in part1 that we are your rejoicing1   
even as ye also are ours in the day of  
the ,lord ,jesus4   ,the apostle1 in the
 preceding part of the chapter1 declares

 what great troubles he met with in the 
course of his ministry4 ,in the text and
 two foregoing verses1 he declares what 
were his comforts and supports under the
 troubles he met with4 ,there are four  
things in particular4  #a4 ,that he had 
approved himself to his own conscience1 
verse #ab3 ,for our own rejoicing is    
this1 the testimony of our conscience1  
that in simplicity and godly sincerity1 
not with fleshly wisdom1 but by the     
grace of ,god1 we have had our          
conversation in the world1 and more     
abundantly to you-ward4  #b4 ,another   
thing he speaks of as matter of comfort 
is1 that as he had approved himself to  
his own conscience1 so he had also to   
the consciences of his hearers1 the     
,corinthians1 whom he now wrote to1 and 
that they should approve of him at the  
day of judgment4  #c4 ,the hope he had  
of seeing the blessed fruit of his      
labors and sufferings in the ministry1  
in their happiness and glory1 in that   
great day of accounts4  #d4 ,that1 in   

his ministry among the ,corinthians1 he 
had approved himself to his ,judge1 who 
would approve and reward his            
faithfulness in that day4  ,these three 
last particulars are signified in my    
text and the preceding verse2 and1      
indeed1 all the four are implied in the 
text4 ',tis implied that the            
,corinthians had acknowledged him as    
their spiritual father and as one that  
had been faithful among them1 and as the
 means of their future joy and glory at 
the day of judgment1 and one whom they  
should then see1 and have a joyful      
meeting with as such4 ',tis implied1    
that the apostle expected at that time  
to have a joyful meeting with them      
before the ,judge1 and with joy to      
behold their glory1 as the fruit of his 
labors2 and so they would be his        
rejoicing4 ',tis implied also that he   
then expected to be approved of the     
great ,judge1 when he and they should   
meet together before him2 and that he   
would then acknowledge his fidelity1 and

 that this had been the means of their  
glory2 and that thus he would1 as it    
were1 give them to him as his crown of  
rejoicing4 ,but this the apostle could  
not hope for1 unless he had the         
testimony of his own conscience in his  
favor4 ,and therefore the words do      
imply1 in the strongest manner1 that he 
had approved himself to his own         
conscience4  ,there is one thing implied
 in each of these particulars1 and in   
every part of the text1 which is that   
point ,i shall make the subject of my   
present discourse1 viz43   ,,doct,,rine 
,ministers1 and the people that are     
under their care1 must meet one another 
before ,christ's tribunal at the day of 
judgment4  ,ministers1 and the people   
that have been under their care1 must be
 parted in this world1 how well soever  
they have been united3 if they are not  
separated before1 they must be parted by
 death2 and they may be separated while 
life is continued4 ,we live in a world  
of change1 where nothing is certain or  

stable2 and where a little time1 a few  
revolutions of the sun bring to pass    
strange things1 surprising alterations1 
in particular persons1 in families1 in  
towns and churches1 in countries and    
nations4 ,it often happens1 that those  
who seem most united1 in a little time  
are most disunited1 and at the greatest 
distance4 ,thus ministers and people1   
between whom there has been the greatest
 mutual regard and strictest union1 may 
not only differ in their judgments1 and 
be alienated in affection1 but one may  
rend from the other1 and all relation   
between them be dissolved2 the minister 
may be removed to a distant place1 and  
they may never have any more to do with 
one another in this world4 ,but if it be
 so1 there is one meeting more that they
 must have1 and that is in the last     
great day of accounts4  ,here ,i would  
show1  ,i4 ,in what manner ministers1   
and the people who have been under their
 care1 shall meet one another at the day
 of judgment4  ,,ii4 ,for what purposes4

  ,,iii4 ,for what reasons ,god has so  
ordered it1 that ministers and their    
people shall then meet together in such 
a manner1 and for such purposes4  ,i4 ,i
 would show1 in some particulars1 in    
what manner ministers1 and the people   
who have been under their care1 shall   
meet one another at the day of judgment4
 ,concerning this ,i would observe two  
things in general4  #a4 ,that they shall
 not then meet only as all mankind must 
then meet1 but there will be something  
peculiar in the manner of their meeting4
  #b4 ,that their meeting together at   
that time shall be very different from  
what used to be in the house of ,god in 
this world4  #a4 ,they shall not meet at
 that day as all the world must then    
meet together4 ,i would observe a       
difference in two things4  7#a7 ,as to a
 clear actual view1 and distinct        
knowledge and notice of each other4     
,although the whole world will be then  
present1 all mankind of all generations 
gathered in one vast assembly1 with all 

of the angelic nature1 both elect and   
fallen angels2 yet we need not suppose  
that every one will have a distinct and 
particular knowledge of each individual 
of the whole assembled multitude1 which 
will undoubtedly consist of many        
millions of millions4 ,though 'tis      
probable that men's capacities will be  
much greater than in the present state1 
yet they will not be infinite2 though   
their understanding and comprehension   
will be vastly extended1 yet men will   
not be deified4 ,there will probably be 
a very enlarged view that particular    
persons will have of various parts and  
members of that vast assembly1 and so of
 the proceedings of that great day2 but 
yet it must needs be1 that according to 
the nature of finite minds1 some persons
 and some things at that day shall fall 
more under the notice of particular     
persons than others2 and this 7as we may
 well suppose7 according as they shall  
have a nearer concern with some than    
others1 in the transactions of the day4 

,there will be special reason why those 
who have had special concerns together  
in this world1 in their state of        
probation1 and whose mutual affairs will
 be then to be tried and judged1 should 
especially be set in one another's view4
 ,thus we may suppose that rulers and   
subjects1 earthly judges and those whom 
they have judged1 neighbors who have had
 mutual converse1 dealings and contests1
 heads of families and their children   
and servants1 shall then meet1 and in a 
peculiar distinction be set together4   
,and especially will it be thus with    
ministers and their people4 ',tis       
evident by the text that these shall be 
in each other's view1 shall distinctly  
know each other1 and shall have         
particular notice one of another at that
 time4  7#b7 ,they shall meet together1 
as having a special concern one with    
another in the great transactions of    
that day4  ,although they shall meet the
 whole world at that time1 yet they will
 not have any immediate and particular  

concern with all4 ,yea1 the far greater 
part of those who shall then be gathered
 together1 will be such as they have had
 no intercourse with in their state of  
probation1 and so will have no mutual   
concerns to be judged of4 ,but as to    
ministers1 and the people that have been
 under their care1 they will be such as 
have had much immediate concern one with
 another1 in matters of the greatest    
moment1 that ever mankind have to do one
 with another in4 ,therefore they       
especially must meet and be brought     
together before the judge1 as having    
special concern one with another in the 
design and business of that great day of
 accounts4  ,thus their meeting1 as to  
the manner of it1 will be diverse from  
the meeting of mankind in general4  #b4 
,their meeting at the day of judgment   
will be very diverse from their meetings
 one with another in this world4        
,ministers and their people1 while their
 relation continues1 often meet together
 in this world4 ,they are wont to meet  

from ,sabbath to ,sabbath1 and at other 
times1 for the public worship of ,god1  
and administration of ordinances1 and   
the solemn services of ,god's house4    
,and besides these meetings1 they have  
also occasions to meet for the          
determining and managing their          
ecclesiastical affairs1 for the exercise
 of church discipline1 and the settling 
and adjusting those things which concern
 the purity and good order of public    
administrations4 ,but their meeting at  
the day of judgment will be exceeding   
diverse1 in its manner and circumstance1
 from any such meetings and interviews  
as they have one with another in the    
present state4 ,i would observe how1 in 
a few particulars4  7#a7 ,now they meet 
together in a preparatory mutable state1
 but then in an unchangeable state4     
,now sinners in the congregation meet   
their minister in a state wherein they  
are capable of a saving change1 capable 
of being turned1 through ,god's blessing
 on the ministrations and labors of     

their pastor1 from the power of ,satan  
unto ,god2 and being brought out of a   
state of guilt1 condemnation and wrath1 
to a state of peace and favor with ,god1
 to the enjoyment of the privileges of  
his children1 and a title to their      
eternal inheritance4 ,and saints now    
meet their minister with great remains  
of corruption1 and sometimes under great
 spiritual difficulties and affliction3 
and therefore are yet the proper        
subjects of means of an happy alteration
 of their state1 consisting in a greater
 freedom from these things1 which they  
have reason to hope for in the way of an
 attendance on ordinances1 and of which 
,god is pleased commonly to make his    
ministers the instruments4 ,and         
ministers and their people now meet in  
order to the bringing to pass such happy
 changes2 they are the great benefits   
sought in their solemn meetings in this 
world4  ,but when they shall meet       
together at the day of judgment1 it will
 be far otherwise4 ,they will not then  

meet in order to the use of means for   
the bringing to effect any such changes2
 for they will all meet in an           
unchangeable state4 ,sinners will be in 
an unchangeable state3 they who then    
shall be under the guilt and power of   
sin1 and have the wrath of ,god abiding 
on them1 shall be beyond all remedy or  
possibility of change1 and shall meet   
their ministers without any hopes of    
relief or remedy1 or getting any good by
 their means4 ,and as for the saints1   
they will be already perfectly delivered
 from all their before remaining        
corruption1 temptation1 and calamities  
of every kind1 and set forever out of   
their reach2 and no deliverance1 no     
happy alteration1 will remain to be     
accomplished in the way of the use of   
means of grace1 under the               
administrations of ministers4 ,it will  
then be pronounced1 ,he that is unjust1 
let him be unjust still2 and he that is 
filthy1 let him be filthy still2 and he 
that is righteous1 let him be righteous 

still2 and he that is holy1 let him be  
holy still4  7#b7 ,then they shall meet 
together in a state of clear1 certain   
and infallible light4  ,ministers are   
set as guides and teachers1 and are     
represented in ,scripture as lights set 
up in the churches2 and in the present  
state meet their people from time to    
time in order to instruct and enlighten 
them1 to correct their mistakes1 and to 
be a voice behind them1 when they turn  
aside to the right hand or to the left1 
saying1 ,this is the way1 walk in it2 to
 evince and confirm the truth by        
exhibiting the proper evidences of it1  
and to refute errors and corrupt        
opinions1 to convince the erroneous and 
establish the doubting4 ,but when       
,christ shall come to judgment1 every   
error and false opinion shall be        
detected2 all deceit and illusion shall 
vanish away before the light of that    
day1 as the darkness of the night       
vanishes at the appearance of the rising
 sun2 and every doctrine of the word of 

,god shall then appear in full evidence1
 and none shall remain unconvinced2 all 
shall know the truth with the greatest  
certainty1 and there shall be no        
mistakes to rectify4  ,now ministers and
 their people may disagree in their     
judgments concerning some matters of    
religion1 and may sometimes meet to     
confer together concerning those things 
wherein they differ1 and to hear the    
reasons that may be offered on one side 
and the other2 and all may be           
ineffectual as to any conviction of the 
truth3 they may meet and part again1 no 
more agreed than before2 and that side  
which was in the wrong may remain so    
still2 sometimes the meetings of        
ministers with their people in such a   
case of disagreeing sentiments are      
attended with unhappy debate and        
controversy1 managed with much prejudice
 and want of candor2 not tending to     
light and conviction1 but rather to     
confirm and increase darkness1 and      
establish opposition to the truth and   

alienation of affection one from        
another4 ,but when they shall hereafter 
meet together1 at the day of judgment1  
before the tribunal of the great ,judge1
 the mind and will of ,christ will be   
made known2 and there shall no longer be
 any debate or difference of opinions2  
the evidence of the truth shall appear  
beyond all dispute1 and all             
controversies shall be finally and      
forever decided4  ,now ministers meet   
their people in order to enlighten and  
awaken the consciences of sinners3      
setting before them the great evil and  
danger of sin1 the strictness of ,god's 
law1 their own wickedness of heart and  
practice1 the great guilt they are      
under1 the wrath that abides upon them1 
and their impotence1 blindness1 poverty1
 and helpless and undone condition3 but 
all is often in vain2 they remain still1
 notwithstanding all their ministers can
 say1 stupid and unawakened1 and their  
consciences unconvinced4 ,but it will   
not be so at their last meeting at the  

day of judgment2 sinners1 when they     
shall meet their minister before their  
great ,judge1 will not meet him with a  
stupid conscience3 they will then be    
fully convinced of the truth of those   
things which they formerly heard from   
him1 concerning the greatness and       
terrible majesty of ,god1 his holiness1 
and hatred of sin1 and his awful justice
 in punishing it1 the strictness of his 
law1 and the dreadfulness and truth of  
his threatenings1 and their own         
unspeakable guilt and misery3 and they  
shall never more be insensible of these 
things3 the eyes of conscience will now 
be fully enlightened1 and never shall be
 blinded again3 the mouth of conscience 
shall now be opened1 and never shall be 
shut any more4  ,now ministers meet with
 their people1 in public and private1 in
 order to enlighten them concerning the 
state of their souls2 to open and apply 
the rules of ,god's word to them1 in    
order to their searching their own      
hearts1 and discerning the state that   

they are in4 ,but now ministers have no 
infallible discerning of the state of   
the souls of their own people2 and the  
most skilful of them are liable to      
mistakes1 and often are mistaken in     
things of this nature4 ,nor are the     
people able certainly to know the state 
of their minister1 or one another's     
state2 very often those pass among them 
for saints1 and it may be eminent       
saints1 that are grand hypocrites2 and  
on the other hand1 those are sometimes  
censured1 or hardly received into their 
charity1 that are indeed some of ,god's 
jewels4 ,and nothing is more common than
 for men to be mistaken concerning their
 own state3 many that are abominable to 
,god1 and the children of his wrath1    
think highly of themselves1 as his      
precious saints and dear children4 ,yea1
 there is reason to think that often    
some that are most bold in their        
confidence of their safe and happy      
state1 and think themselves not only    
true saints1 but the most eminent saints

 in the congregation1 are in a peculiar 
manner a smoke in ,god's nose4 ,and thus
 it undoubtedly often is in those       
congregations where the word of ,god is 
most faithfully dispensed1              
notwithstanding all that ministers can  
say in their clearest explications and  
most searching applications of the      
doctrines and rules of ,god's word to   
the souls of their hearers1 in their    
meetings one with another4 ,but in the  
day of judgment they shall have another 
sort of meeting2 then the secrets of    
every heart shall be made manifest1 and 
every man's state shall be perfectly    
known3 #a ,cor4 iv4 #e1 ,therefore1     
judge nothing before the time1 until the
 ,lord come1 who will both bring to     
light the hidden things of darkness1 and
 will make manifest the counsels of the 
hearts3 and then shall every man have   
praise of ,god4 ,then none shall be     
deceived concerning his own state1 nor  
shall be any more in doubt about it4    
,there shall be an eternal end to all   

the ill conceit and vain hopes of       
deluded hypocrites1 and all the doubts  
and fears of sincere ,christians4 ,and  
then shall all know the state of one    
another's souls3 the people shall know  
whether their minister has been sincere 
and faithful1 and the ministers shall   
know the state of every one of their    
people1 and to whom the word and        
ordinances of ,god have been a savor of 
life unto life1 and to whom a savor of  
death unto death4  ,now in this present 
state it often happens that when        
ministers and people meet together to   
debate and manage their ecclesiastical  
affairs1 especially in a state of       
controversy1 they are ready to judge and
 censure one another with regard to each
 other's views and designs1 and the     
principles and ends that each is        
influenced by2 and are greatly mistaken 
in their judgment1 and wrong one another
 with regard to each other's views and  
designs and the principles and ends that
 each is influenced by1 and are greatly 

mistaken in their judgment1 and wrong   
one another in their censures4 ,but at  
that future meeting1 things will be set 
in a true and perfect light1 and the    
principles and aims that every one has  
acted from shall be certainly known2 and
 there will be an end to all errors of  
this kind1 and all unrighteous censures4
  7#c7 ,in this world1 ministers and    
their people often meet together to hear
 of and wait upon an unseen ,lord2 but  
at the day of judgment they shall meet  
in his most immediate and visible       
presence4  ,ministers1 who now often    
meet their people to preach to 'em the  
,king eternal1 immortal1 and invisible1 
to convince 'em that there is a ,god1   
and declare to 'em what manner of being 
he is1 and to convince 'em that he      
governs and will judge the world1 and   
that there is a future state of rewards 
and punishments1 and to preach to 'em a 
,christ in heaven and at the right hand 
of ,god in an unseen world1 shall then  
meet their people in the most immediate 

sensible presence of this great ,god1   
,saviour and ,judge1 appearing in the   
most plain1 visible and open manner1    
with great glory1 with all his holy     
angels1 before them and the whole world4
 ,they shall not meet them to hear about
 an absent ,christ1 an unseen ,lord and 
future ,judge2 but to appear before that
 ,judge1 and as being set together in   
the presence of that supreme ,lord1 in  
his immense glory and awful majesty1    
whom they have heard so often of in     
their meetings together on earth4  7#d7 
,the meeting1 at the last day1 of       
ministers1 and the people that have been
 under their care1 will not be attended 
by any one with a careless1 heedless    
heart4  ,with such an heart are their   
meetings often attended in this world by
 many persons1 having little regard to  
him whom they pretend unitedly to adore 
in the solemn duties of his public      
worship1 taking little heed to their own
 thoughts or frame of their minds1 not  
attending to the business they are      

engaged in1 or considering the end for  
which they are come together4 ,but the  
meeting at that great day will be very  
different3 there will not be one        
careless heart1 no sleeping1 no         
wandering of mind from the great concern
 of the meeting1 no inattentiveness to  
the business of the day1 no             
regardlessness of the presence they are 
in1 or of those great things which they 
shall hear from ,christ at that meeting1
 or that they formerly heard from him   
and of him by their ministers1 in their 
meeting in a state of trial1 or which   
they shall now hear their ministers     
declaring concerning them before their  
judge4  ,having observed these things   
concerning the manner and circumstances 
of this future meeting of ministers and 
the people that have been under their   
care1 before the tribunal of ,christ at 
the day of judgment1 ,i now proceed1    
,,ii4 ,to observe to what purposes they 
shall then meet4  #a4 ,to give an       
account1 before the great ,judge1 of    

their behavior one to another in the    
relation they stood in to each other in 
this world4  ,ministers are sent forth  
by ,christ to their people on his       
business1 are his servants and          
messengers2 and1 when they have finished
 their service1 they must return to     
their master to give him an account of  
what they have done1 and of the         
entertainment they have had in          
performing their ministry4 ,thus we     
find1 in ,luke xiv4 #af-ba1 that when   
the servant who was sent forth to call  
the guests to the great supper had done 
his errand1 and finished his appointed  
service1 he returned to his master1 and 
gave him an account of what he had done1
 and of the entertainment he had        
received4 ,and when the master1 being   
angry1 sent his servant to others1 he   
returns again1 and gives his master an  
account of his conduct and success4 ,so 
we read1 in ,heb4 xiii4 #ag1 of         
ministers being rulers in the house of  
,god1 that watch for souls1 as those    

that must give account4 ,and we see by  
the forementioned ,luke xiv41 that      
ministers must give an account to their 
master1 not only of their own behavior  
in the discharge of their office1 but   
also of their people's reception of     
them1 and of the treatment they have met
 with among them4  ,and therefore1 as   
they will be called to give an account  
of both1 they shall give an account at  
the great day of accounts in the        
presence of their people2 they and their
 people being both present before their 
,judge4  ,faithful ministers will then  
give an account with joy1 concerning    
those who have received them well and   
made a good improvement of their        
ministry2 and these will be given 'em1  
at that day1 as their crown of          
rejoicing4 ,and1 at the same time1 they 
will give an account of the ill         
treatment of such as have not well      
received them and their messages from   
,christ3 they will meet these1 not as   
they used to do in this world1 to       

counsel and warn them1 but to bear      
witness against them1 and as their      
judges and assessors with ,christ1 to   
condemn them4 ,and on the other hand1   
the people will1 at that day1 rise up in
 judgment against wicked and unfaithful 
ministers who have sought their own     
temporal interest more than the good of 
the souls of their flock4  #b4 ,at that 
time ministers1 and the people who have 
been under their care1 shall meet       
together before ,christ1 that he may    
judge between them1 as to any           
controversies which have subsisted      
between them in this world4  ,so it very
 often comes to pass in this evil world1
 that great differences and             
controversies arise between ministers   
and the people that are under their     
pastoral care4 ,though they are under   
the greatest obligations to live in     
peace1 above persons in almost any      
relation whatever2 and although contests
 and dissensions between persons so     
related are the most unhappy and        

terrible in their consequences1 on many 
accounts1 of any sort of contentions2   
yet how frequent have such contentions  
been6 ,sometimes a people contest with  
their ministers about their doctrine1   
sometimes about their administrations   
and conduct1 and sometimes about their  
maintenance2 and sometimes such contests
 continue a long time2 and sometimes    
they are decided in this world according
 to the prevailing interest of one party
 or the other1 rather than by the word  
of ,god and the reason of things2 and   
sometimes such controversies never have 
any proper determination in this world4 
,but at the day of judgment there will  
be a full1 perfect and everlasting      
decision of them4 ,the infallible       
,judge1 the infinite fountain of light1 
truth and justice1 will judge between   
the contending parties1 and will declare
 what is the truth1 who is in the right1
 and what is agreeable to his mind and  
will4 ,and in order hereto the parties  
must stand together before him at the   

last day2 which will be the great day of
 finishing and determining all          
controversies1 rectifying all mistakes  
and abolishing all unrighteous          
judgments1 errors and confusions1 which 
have before subsisted in the world of   
mankind4  #c4 ,ministers1 and the people
 that have been under their care1 must  
meet together at that time to receive an
 eternal sentence and retribution from  
the judge1 in the presence of each      
other1 according to their behavior in   
the relation they stood in one to       
another in the present state4  ,the     
,judge will not only declare justice1   
but he will do justice between ministers
 and their people4 ,he will declare what
 is right between them1 approving him   
that has been just and faithful1 and    
condemning the unjust2 and perfect truth
 and equity shall take place in the     
sentence which he passes1 in the rewards
 he bestows and the punishments which he
 inflicts4 ,there shall be a glorious   
reward to faithful ministers3 to those  

who have been successful3 ,dan4 xii4 #c1
 ,and they that be wise shall shine as  
the brightness of the firmament2 and    
they that turn many to righteousness as 
the stars forever and ever2 and also to 
those who have been faithful1 and yet   
not successful3 ,isa4 xlix4 #d1 ,then ,i
 said1 ,i have labored in vain1 ,i have 
spent my strength for nought3 yet surely
 my judgment is with the ,lord1 and my  
reward with my ,god4 ,and those who have
 well received and entertained them     
shall be gloriously rewarded3 ,matt4 x4 
#dj1 #da1 ,he that receiveth you        
receiveth me1 and he that receiveth me  
receiveth him that sent me4 ,he that    
receiveth a prophet in the name of a    
prophet shall receive a prophet's       
reward2 and he that receiveth a         
righteous man in the name of a righteous
 man shall receive a righteous man's    
reward4 ,such people1 and their faithful
 ministers1 shall be each other's crown 
of rejoicing3 #a ,thess4 ii4 #ai1 #bj1  
,for what is our hope1 or joy1 or crown 

of rejoicing8 ,are not even ye in the   
presence of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ at 
his coming8 ,for ye are our glory and   
joy4 ,and in the text1 ,we are your     
rejoicing1 as ye also are ours1 in the  
day of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,but they that 
evil entreat ,christ's faithful         
ministers1 especially in that wherein   
they are faithful1 shall be severely    
punished3 ,matt4 x4 #ad1 #ae1 ,and      
whosoever shall not receive you1 nor    
hear your words1 when ye depart out of  
that house or city1 shake off the dust  
of your feet4 ,verily ,i say unto you1  
,it shall be more tolerable for the     
sinners of ,sodom and ,gomorrah in the  
day of judgment1 than for that city4    
,deut4 xxxiii4 #h-aa1 ,and of ,levi he  
said1 ,let thy ,urim and thy ,thummim be
 with thy holy one4444 ,they shall teach
 ,jacob thy judgments1 and ,israel thy  
law4444 ,bless1 ,lord1 his substance1   
and accept the work of his hands3 smite 
through the loins of them that rise     
against him1 and of them that hate him1 

that they rise not again4 ,on the other 
hand1 those ministers who are found to  
have been unfaithful shall have a most  
terrible punishment4 ,see ,ezek4 xxxiii4
 #f2 ,matt4 xxiii4 #a-cc4  ,thus justice
 shall be administered at the great day 
to ministers and their people4 ,and to  
that end they shall meet together1 that 
they may not only receive justice to    
themselves1 but see justice done to the 
other party3 for this is the end of that
 great day1 to reveal or declare the    
righteous judgment of ,god1 ,rom4 ii4   
#e4 ,ministers shall have justice done  
them1 and they shall see justice done to
 their people3 and the people shall     
receive justice and see justice done to 
their minister4 ,and so all things will 
be adjusted and settled forever between 
them2 every one being sentenced and     
recompensed according to his works1     
either in receiving and wearing a crown 
of eternal joy and glory1 or in         
suffering everlasting shame and pain4   
,i come now to the next thing proposed1 

viz41  ,,iii4 ,to give some reasons why 
we may suppose ,god has so ordered it1  
that ministers1 and the people that have
 been under their care1 shall meet      
together at the day of judgment1 in such
 a manner and for such purposes4  ,there
 are two things which ,i would now      
observe3  #a4 ,the mutual concerns of   
ministers and their people are of the   
greatest importance4  ,the ,scripture   
declares1 that ,god will bring every    
work into judgment with every secret    
thing1 whether it be good or whether it 
be evil4 ',tis fit that all the concerns
 and all the behavior of mankind1 both  
public and private1 should be brought at
 last before ,god's tribunal1 and       
finally determined by an infallible     
,judge3 but it is especially requisite  
that it should be thus1 as to affairs of
 very great importance4  ,now the mutual
 concerns of a ,christian minister and  
his church and congregation are of the  
vastest importance3 in many respects1 of
 much greater moment than the temporal  

concerns of the greatest earthly        
monarchs and their kingdoms or empires4 
,it is of vast consequence how ministers
 discharge their office1 and conduct    
themselves towards their people in the  
work of the ministry1 and in affairs    
appertaining to it4 ',tis also a matter 
of vast importance1 how a people receive
 and entertain a faithful minister of   
,christ1 and what improvement they make 
of his ministry4 ,these things have a   
more immediate and direct respect to the
 great and last end for which man was   
made1 and the eternal welfare of        
mankind1 than any of the temporal       
concerns of men1 whether public or      
private4 ,and therefore 'tis especially 
fit that these affairs should be brought
 into judgment and openly determined and
 settled in truth and righteousness2 and
 that to this end1 ministers and their  
people should meet together before the  
omniscient and infallible ,judge4  #b4  
,the mutual concerns of ministers and   
their people have a special relation to 

the main things appertaining to the day 
of judgment4  ,they have a special      
relation to that great and divine person
 who will then appear as ,judge4        
,ministers are his messengers1 sent     
forth by him2 and1 in their office and  
administrations among their people1     
represent his person1 stand in his      
stead1 as those that are sent to declare
 his mind1 to do his work and to speak  
and act in his name4 ,and therefore 'tis
 especially fit that they should return 
to him1 to give an account of their work
 and success4 ,the king is judge of all 
his subjects1 they are all accountable  
to him4 ,but it is more especially      
requisite that the king's ministers1 who
 are especially intrusted with the      
administrations of his kingdom1 and that
 are sent forth on some special         
negotiation1 should return to him1 to   
give an account of themselves1 and their
 discharge of their trust1 and the      
reception they have met with4           
,ministers are not only messengers of   

the person who at the last day will     
appear as ,judge1 but the errand they   
are sent upon1 and the affairs they have
 committed to them as his ministers1 do 
most immediately concern his honor and  
the interest of his kingdom4 ,the work  
they are sent upon is to promote the    
designs of his administration and       
government2 and therefore their business
 with their people has a near relation  
to the day of judgment2 for the great   
end of that day is completely to settle 
and establish the affairs of his        
kingdom1 to adjust all things that      
pertain to it1 that every thing that is 
opposite to the interests of his kingdom
 may be removed1 and that every thing   
which contributes to the completeness   
and glory of it may be perfected and    
confirmed1 that this great ,king may    
receive his due honor and glory4        
,again1 the mutual concerns of ministers
 and their people have a direct relation
 to the concerns of the day of judgment1
 as the business of ministers with their

 people is to promote the eternal       
salvation of the souls of men and their 
escape from eternal damnation2 and the  
day of judgment is the day appointed for
 that end1 openly to decide and settle  
men's eternal state1 to fix some in a   
state of eternal salvation and to bring 
their salvation to its utmost           
consummation1 and to fix others in a    
state of everlasting damnation and most 
perfect misery4 ,the mutual concerns of 
ministers and people have a most direct 
relation to the day of judgment1 as the 
very design of the work of the ministry 
is the people's preparation for that    
day4 ,ministers are sent to warn them of
 the approach of that day1 to forewarn  
them of the dreadful sentence then to be
 pronounced on the wicked1 and declare  
to them the blessed sentence then to be 
pronounced on the righteous1 and to use 
means with them that they may escape the
 wrath which is then to come on the     
ungodly1 and obtain the reward then to  
be bestowed on the saints4  ,and as the 

mutual concerns of ministers and their  
people have so near and direct a        
relation to that day1 it is especially  
fit that those concerns should be       
brought into that day1 and there settled
 and issued2 and that in order to this1 
ministers and their people should meet  
and appear together before the great    
,judge at that day4   ,,application     
,the improvement ,i would make of the   
things which have been observed1 is to  
lead the people here present who have   
been under my pastoral care to some     
reflections1 and give them some advice  
suitable to our present circumstances2  
relating to what has been lately done in
 order to our being separated1 as to the
 relation we have heretofore stood in   
one to another2 but expecting to meet   
each other before the great tribunal at 
the day of judgment4  ,the deep and     
serious consideration of that our future
 most solemn meeting is certainly most  
suitable at such a time as this2 there  
having so lately been that done1 which1 

in all probability1 will 7as to the     
relation we have heretofore stood in7 be
 followed with an everlasting           
separation4  ,how often have we met     
together in the house of ,god in this   
relation6 ,how often have ,i spoke to   
you1 instructed1 counselled1 warned1    
directed and fed you1 and administered  
ordinances among you1 as the people     
which were committed to my care1 and    
whose precious souls ,i had the charge  
of6 ,but in all probability this never  
will be again4 deg4  ,the prophet       
,jeremiah 7chap4 xxv4 #c71 puts the     
people in mind how long he had labored  
among them in the work of the ministry3 
,from the thirteenth year of ,josiah the
 son of ,amon king of ,judah1 even unto 
this day1 that is the three and         
twentieth year1 the word of the ,lord   
came unto me1 and ,i have spoken unto   
you1 rising early and speaking4 ,i am   
not about to compare myself with the    
prophet ,jeremiah2 but in this respect  
,i can say as he did1 that ,i have      

spoken the word of ,god to you unto the 
three and twentieth year1 rising early  
and speaking4 ,it was three and twenty  
years1 the #aeth day of last ,february1 
since ,i have labored in the work of the
 ministry1 in the relation of a pastor  
to this church and congregation4 ,and   
though my strength has been weakness1   
having always labored under great       
infirmity of body1 besides my           
insufficiency for so great a charge in  
other respects1 yet ,i have not spared  
my feeble strength1 but have exerted it 
for the good of your souls4 ,i can      
appeal to you as the apostle does to his
 bearers1 ,gal4 iv4 #ac1 ,ye know how   
through infirmity of the flesh ,i       
preached the gospel unto you4 ,i have   
spent the prime of my life and strength 
in labors for your eternal welfare4 ,you
 are my witnesses1 that what strength ,i
 have had ,i have not neglected in      
idleness1 nor laid out in prosecuting   
worldly schemes and managing temporal   
affairs1 for the advancement of my      

outward estate1 and aggrandizing myself 
and family2 but have given myself wholly
 to the work of the ministry1 laboring  
in it night and day1 rising early and   
applying myself to this great business  
to which ,christ appointed me4 ,i have  
found the work of the ministry among you
 to be a great work indeed1 a work of   
exceeding care1 labor and difficulty3   
many have been the heavy burdens that ,i
 have borne in it1 which my strength has
 been very unequal to4 ,god called me to
 bear these burdens2 and ,i bless his   
name1 that he has so supported me as to 
keep me from sinking under them1 and    
that his power herein has been          
manifested in my weakness2 so that      
although ,i have often been troubled on 
every side1 yet ,i have not been        
distressed2 perplexed1 but not in       
despair2 cast down1 but not destroyed4  
,but now ,i have reason to think my work
 is finished which ,i had to do as your 
minister3 you have publicly rejected me1
 and my opportunities cease4  ,how      

highly therefore does it now become us  
to consider of that time when we must   
meet one another before the chief       
,shepherd6 ,when ,i must give an account
 of my stewardship1 of the service ,i   
have done for1 and the reception and    
treatment ,i have had among1 the people 
he sent me to3 and you must give an     
account of your own conduct towards me1 
and the improvement you have made of    
these three and twenty years of my      
ministry4 ,for then both you and ,i must
 appear together1 and we both must give 
an account1 in order to an infallible1  
righteous and eternal sentence to be    
passed upon us by him who will judge us 
with respect to all that we have said or
 done in our meeting here1 all our      
conduct one towards another1 in the     
house of ,god and elsewhere1 on ,sabbath
 days and on other days2 who will try   
our hearts and manifest our thoughts1   
and the principles and frames of our    
minds1 will judge us with respect to all
 the controversies which have subsisted 

between us1 with the strictest          
impartiality1 and will examine our      
treatment of each other in those        
controversies4 ,there is nothing covered
 that shall not be revealed1 nor hid    
which shall not be known2 all will be   
examined in the searching1 penetrating  
light of ,god's omniscience and glory1  
and by him whose eyes are as a flame of 
fire2 and truth and right shall be made 
plainly to appear1 being stripped of    
every veil2 and all error1 falsehood1   
unrighteousness and injury shall be laid
 open1 stripped of every disguise2 every
 specious pretence1 every cavil and all 
false reasoning shall vanish in a       
moment1 as not being able to bear the   
light of that day4 ,and then our hearts 
will be turned inside out1 and the      
secrets of them will be made more       
plainly to appear than our outward      
actions do now4 ,then it shall appear   
what the ends are which we have aimed   
at1 what have been the governing        
principles which we have acted from1 and

 what have been the dispositions we have
 exercised in our ecclesiastical        
disputes and contests4 ,then it will    
appear whether ,i acted uprightly1 and  
from a truly conscientious1 careful     
regard to my duty to my great ,lord and 
,master1 in some former ecclesiastical  
controversies1 which have been attended 
with exceeding unhappy circumstances and
 consequences3 it will appear whether   
there was any just cause for the        
resentment which was manifested on those
 occasions4 ,and then our late grand    
controversy1 concerning the             
qualifications necessary for admission  
to the privileges of members in complete
 standing in the visible church of      
,christ1 will be examined and judged in 
all its parts and circumstances1 and the
 whole set forth in a clear1 certain and
 perfect light4 ,then it will appear    
whether the doctrine which ,i have      
preached and published concerning this  
matter be ,christ's own doctrine1       
whether he will not own it as one of the

 precious truths which have proceeded   
from his own mouth1 and vindicate and   
honor as such before the whole universe4
 ,then it will appear what is meant by  
the man that comes without the wedding  
garment2 for that is the day spoken of1 
,matt4 xxii4 #ac1 wherein such an one   
shall be bound hand and foot1 and cast  
into outer darkness1 where shall be     
weeping and gnashing of teeth4 ,and then
 it will appear whether1 in declaring   
this doctrine1 and acting agreeable to  
it1 and in my general conduct in the    
affair1 ,i have been influenced from any
 regard to my own temporal interest or  
honor1 or desire to appear wiser than   
others2 or have acted from any sinister1
 secular views whatsoever2 and whether  
what ,i have done has not been from a   
careful1 strict and tender regard to the
 will of my ,lord and ,master1 and      
because ,i dare not offend him1 being   
satisfied what his will was1 after a    
long1 diligent1 impartial and prayerful 
inquiry2 having this constantly in view 

and prospect to engage me to great      
solicitude not rashly to determine truth
 to be on this side of the question1    
where ,i am now persuaded it is1 that   
such a determination would not be for my
 temporal interest1 but every way       
against it1 bringing a long series of   
extreme difficulties and plunging me    
into an abyss of trouble and sorrow4    
,and then it will appear whether my     
people have done their duty to their    
pastor with respect to this matter2     
whether they have shown a right temper  
and spirit on this occasion2 whether    
they have done me justice in hearing1   
attending to and considering what ,i had
 to say in evidence of what ,i believed 
and taught as part of the counsel of    
,god2 whether ,i have been treated with 
that impartiality1 candor and regard    
which the just ,judge esteemed due2 and 
whether1 in the many steps which have   
been taken and the many things that have
 been said and done in the course of    
this controversy1 righteousness and     

charity and ,christian decorum have been
 maintained2 or1 if otherwise1 to how   
great a degree these things have been   
violated4 ,then every step of the       
conduct of each of us in this affair1   
from first to last1 and the spirit we   
have exercised in all shall be examined 
and manifested1 and our own consciences 
shall speak plain and loud1 and each of 
us shall be convinced1 and the world    
shall know2 and never shall there be any
 more mistake1 misrepresentation or     
misapprehension of the affair to        
eternity4  ,this controversy is now     
probably brought to an issue between you
 and me as to this world2 it has issued 
in the event of the week before last3   
but it must have another decision at    
that great day1 which certainly will    
come1 when you and ,i shall meet        
together before the great judgment seat3
 and therefore ,i leave it to that time1
 and shall say no more about it at      
present4  ,but ,i would now proceed to  
address myself particularly to several  

sorts of persons4  ,i4 ,to those who are
 professors of godliness amongst us4  ,i
 would now call you to a serious        
consideration of that great day wherein 
you must meet him who has heretofore    
been your pastor1 before the ,judge     
whose eyes are as a flame of fire4  ,i  
have endeavored1 according to my best   
ability1 to search the word of ,god1    
with regard to the distinguishing notes 
of true piety1 those by which persons   
might best discover their state1 and    
most surely and clearly judge of        
themselves4 ,and these rules and marks  
,i have from time to time applied to you
 in the preaching of the word to the    
utmost of my skill1 and in the most     
plain and searching manner that ,i have 
been able1 in order to the detecting the
 deceived hypocrite and establishing the
 hopes and comforts of the sincere4 ,and
 yet 'tis to be feared1 that after all  
that ,i have done1 ,i now leave some of 
you in a deceived1 deluded state2 for   
'tis not to be supposed that among      

several hundred professors1 none are    
deceived4  ,henceforward ,i am like to  
have no more opportunity to take the    
care and charge of your souls1 to       
examine and search them4 ,but still ,i  
entreat you to remember and consider the
 rules which ,i have often laid down to 
you during my ministry1 with a solemn   
regard to the future day when you and ,i
 must meet together before our ,judge2  
when the uses of examination you have   
heard from me must be rehearsed again   
before you1 and those rules of trial    
must be tried1 and it will appear       
whether they have been good or not2 and 
it will also appear whether you have    
impartially heard them1 and tried       
yourselves by them2 and the ,judge      
himself1 who is infallible1 will try    
both you and me3 and after this none    
will be deceived concerning the state of
 their souls4  ,i have often put you in 
mind that1 whatever your pretences to   
experiences1 discoveries1 comforts and  
joys have been1 at that day every one   

will be judged according to his works2  
and then you will find it so4  ,may you 
have a minister of greater knowledge of 
the word of ,god and better acquaintance
 with soul cases1 and of greater skill  
in applying himself to souls1 whose     
discourses may be more searching and    
convincing2 that such of you as have    
held fast deceit under my preaching may 
have your eyes opened by his2 that you  
may be undeceived before that great day4
  ,what means and helps for instruction 
and self-examination you may hereafter  
have is uncertain2 but one thing is     
certain1 that the time is short1 your   
opportunity for rectifying mistakes in  
so important a concern will soon come to
 an end4 ,we live in a world of great   
changes4 ,there is now a great change   
come to pass2 you have withdrawn        
yourselves from my ministry under which 
you have continued for so many years3   
but the time is coming1 and will soon   
come1 when you will pass out of time    
into eternity2 and so will pass from    

under all means of grace whatsoever4    
,the greater part of you who are        
professors of godliness have 7to use the
 phrase of the apostle7 acknowledged me 
in part3 you have heretofore            
acknowledged me to be your spiritual    
father1 the instrument of the greatest  
good to you that ever is or can be      
obtained by any of the children of men4 
,consider of that day when you and ,i   
shall meet before our ,judge1 when it   
shall be examined whether you have had  
from me the treatment which is due to   
spiritual children1 and whether you have
 treated me as you ought to have treated
 a spiritual father4 ,as the relation of
 a natural parent brings great          
obligations on children in the sight of 
,god2 so much more1 in many respects1   
does the relation of a spiritual father 
bring great obligations on such whose   
conversation and eternal salvation they 
suppose ,god has made them the          
instrument of3 #a ,cor4 iv4 #ae4 ,for   
though you have ten thousand instructors

 in ,christ1 yet have ye not many       
fathers3 for in ,christ ,jesus ,i have  
begotten you through the gospel4  ,,ii4 
,now ,i am taking my leave of this      
people ,i would apply myself to such    
among them as ,i leave in a ,christless1
 graceless condition2 and would call on 
such seriously to consider of that      
solemn day when they and ,i must meet   
before the ,judge of the world4  ,my    
parting with you is in some respects in 
a peculiar manner a melancholy parting2 
inasmuch as ,i leave you in most        
melancholy circumstances2 because ,i    
leave you in the gall of bitterness and 
bond of iniquity1 having the wrath of   
,god abiding on you1 and remaining under
 condemnation to everlasting misery and 
destruction4 ,seeing ,i must leave you1 
it would have been a comfortable and    
happy circumstance of our parting if ,i 
had left you in ,christ1 safe and       
blessed in that sure refuge and glorious
 rest of the saints4 ,but it is         
otherwise4 ,i leave you far off1 aliens 

and strangers1 wretched subjects and    
captives of sin and ,satan and prisoners
 of vindictive justice2 without ,christ 
and without ,god in the world4  ,your   
consciences bear me witness1 that while 
,i had opportunity1 ,i have not ceased  
to warn you and set before you your     
danger4 ,i have studied to represent the
 misery and necessity of your           
circumstances in the clearest manner    
possible4 ,i have tried all ways that ,i
 could think of tending to awaken your  
consciences1 and make you sensible of   
the necessity of your improving your    
time1 and being speedy in flying from   
the wrath to come and thorough in the   
use of means for your escape and safety4
 ,i have diligently endeavored to find  
out and use the most powerful motives to
 persuade you to take care for your own 
welfare and salvation4 ,i have not only 
endeavored to awaken you1 that you might
 be moved with fear1 but ,i have used my
 utmost endeavors to win you3 ,i have   
sought out acceptable words1 that if    

possible ,i might prevail upon you to   
forsake sin1 and turn to ,god1 and      
accept of ,christ as your ,saviour and  
,lord4 ,i have spent my strength very   
much in these things4 ,but yet1 with    
regard to you whom ,i am now speaking   
to1 ,i have not been successful3 but    
have this day reason to complain in     
those words1 ,jer4 vi4 #bi3 ,the bellows
 are burnt1 the lead is consumed of the 
fire2 the founder melteth in vain3 for  
the wicked are not plucked away4 ',tis  
to be feared that all my labors1 as to  
many of you1 have served no other       
purpose but to harden you2 and that the 
word which ,i have preached1 instead of 
being a savor of life unto life1 has    
been a savor of death unto death4       
,though ,i shall not have any account to
 give for the future of such as have    
openly and resolutely renounced my      
ministry1 as of a betrustment committed 
to me3 yet remember you must give       
account for yourselves of your care of  
your own souls1 and your improvement of 

all means past and future1 through your 
whole lives4 ,god only knows what will  
become of your poor1 perishing souls1   
what means you may hereafter enjoy1 or  
what disadvantages and temptations you  
may be under4 ,may ,god in his mercy    
grant that1 however all past means have 
been unsuccessful1 you may have future  
means which may have a new effect2 and  
that the word of ,god1 as it shall be   
hereafter dispensed to you1 may prove as
 the fire and the hammer that breaketh  
the rock in pieces4 ,however1 let me now
 at parting exhort and beseech you not  
wholly to forget the warnings you have  
had while under my ministry4 ,when you  
and ,i shall meet at the day of         
judgment1 then you will remember 'em3   
the sight of me1 your former minister1  
on that occasion1 will soon revive 'em  
in your memory2 and that in a very      
affecting manner4 ,o don't let that be  
the first time that they are so revived4
  ,you and ,i are now parting one from  
another as to this world2 let us labor  

that we mayn't be parted after our      
meeting at the last day4 ,if ,i have    
been your faithful pastor 7which will   
that day appear1 whether ,i have or no71
 then ,i shall be acquitted1 and shall  
ascend with ,christ4 ,o do your part1   
that in such a case it may not be so1   
that you should be forced eternally to  
part from me and all that have been     
faithful in ,christ ,jesus4 ,this is a  
sorrowful parting that now is between   
you and me1 but that would be a more    
sorrowful parting to you than this4     
,this you may perhaps bear without being
 much affected with it1 if you are not  
glad of it2 but such a parting in that  
day will most deeply1 sensibly and      
dreadfully affect you4  ,,iii4 ,i would 
address myself to those who are under   
some awakenings4  ,blessed be ,god that 
there are some such1 and that 7although 
,i have reason to fear ,i leave         
multitudes in this large congregation in
 a ,christless state7 yet ,i do not     
leave them all in total stupidity and   

carelessness about their souls4 ,some of
 you that ,i have reason to hope are    
under some awakenings1 have acquainted  
me with your circumstances2 which has a 
tendency to cause me1 now ,i am leaving 
you1 to take my leave of you with       
peculiar concern for you4 ,what will be 
the issue of your present exercise of   
mind ,i know not3 but it will be known  
at that day1 when you and ,i shall meet 
before the judgment seat of ,christ4    
,therefore now be much in consideration 
of that day4  ,now ,i am parting with   
this flock1 ,i would once more press    
upon you the counsels ,i have heretofore
 given1 to take heed of being slighty in
 so great a concern1 to be thorough and 
in good earnest in the affair1 and to   
beware of backsliding1 to hold on and   
hold out to the end4 ,and cry mightily  
to ,god1 that these great changes that  
pass over this church and congregation  
don't prove your overthrow4 ,there is   
great temptation in them2 and the devil 
will undoubtedly seek to make his       

advantage of them1 if possible to cause 
your present convictions and endeavors  
to be abortive4 ,you had need to double 
your diligence1 and watch and pray1 lest
 you be overcome by temptation4         
,whoever may hereafter stand related to 
you as your spiritual guide1 my desire  
and prayer is1 that the great ,shepherd 
of the sheep would have a special       
respect to you1 and be your guide 7for  
there is none teacheth like him71 and   
that he who is the infinite fountain of 
light would open your eyes1 and turn you
 from darkness unto light1 and from the 
power of ,satan unto ,god2 that you may 
receive forgiveness of sins1 and        
inheritance among them that are         
sanctified1 through faith that is in    
,christ2 that so1 in that great day1    
when ,i shall meet you again before your
 ,judge and mine1 we may meet in joyful 
and glorious circumstances1 never to be 
separated any more4  ,,iv4 ,i would     
apply myself to the young people of the 
congregation4  ,since ,i have been      

settled in the work of the ministry in  
this place ,i have ever had a peculiar  
concern for the souls of the young      
people1 and a desire that religion might
 flourish among them3 and have          
especially exerted myself in order to   
it2 because ,i knew the special         
opportunity they had beyond others1 and 
that ordinarily those whom ,god intended
 mercy for1 were brought to fear and    
love him in their youth4 ,and it has    
ever appeared to me a peculiarly amiable
 thing1 to see young people walking in  
the ways of virtue and ,christian piety1
 having their hearts purified and       
sweetened with a principle of divine    
love4 ,and it has appeared a thing      
exceeding beautiful1 and what would be  
much to the adorning and happiness of   
the town1 if the young people could be  
persuaded when they meet together1 to   
converse as ,christians1 and as the     
children of ,god2 avoiding impurity1    
levity and extravagance2 keeping        
strictly to the rules of virtue1 and    

conversing together of the things of    
,god and ,christ and heaven4 ,this is   
what ,i have longed for3 and it has been
 exceeding grievous to me when ,i have  
heard of vice1 vanity and disorder among
 our youth4 ,and so far as ,i know my   
own heart1 it was from hence that ,i    
formerly led this church to some        
measures for the suppressing of vice    
among our young people1 which gave so   
great offence1 and by which ,i became so
 obnoxious4 deg4 ,i have sought the     
good1 and not the hurt of our young     
people4 ,i have desired their truest    
honor and happiness1 and not their      
reproach2 knowing that true virtue and  
religion tended not only to the glory   
and felicity of young people in another 
world1 but their greatest peace and     
prosperity1 and highest dignity and     
honor1 in this world2 and above all     
things to sweeten and render pleasant   
and delightful even the days of youth4  
,but whether ,i have loved you and      
sought your good more or less1 yet ,god 

in his providence now calling me to part
 with you1 committing your souls to him 
who once committed the pastoral care of 
them to me1 nothing remains but only 7as
 ,i am now taking my leave of you7      
earnestly to beseech you1 from love to  
yourselves1 if you have none to me1 not 
to despise and forget the warnings and  
counsels ,i have so often given you2    
remembering the day when you and ,i must
 meet again before the great ,judge of  
quick and dead2 when it will appear     
whether the things ,i have taught you   
were true1 whether the counsels ,i have 
given you were good1 and whether ,i     
truly sought your good1 and whether you 
have well improved my endeavors4  ,i    
have1 from time to time1 earnestly      
warned you against frolicking 7as it is 
called71 and some other liberties       
commonly taken by young people in the   
land4 ,and whatever some may say in     
justification of such liberties and     
customs1 and may laugh at warnings      
against them1 ,i now leave you my       

parting testimony against such things2  
not doubting but ,god will approve and  
confirm it in that day when we shall    
meet before him4 deg4  ,v4 ,i would     
apply myself to the children of the     
congregation1 the lambs of this flock1  
who have been so long under my care4  ,i
 have just now said that ,i have had a  
peculiar concern for the young people2  
and in so saying ,i did not intend to   
exclude you4 ,you are in youth1 and in  
the most early youth3 and therefore ,i  
have been sensible that if those that   
were young had a precious opportunity   
for their souls' good1 you who are very 
young had1 in many respects1 a          
peculiarly precious opportunity4 ,and   
accordingly ,i have not neglected you3  
,i have endeavored to do the part of a  
faithful shepherd1 in feeding the lambs 
as well as the sheep4 ,christ did once  
commit the care of your souls to me as  
your minister2 and you know1 dear       
children1 how ,i have instructed you1   
and warned you from time to time2 you   

know how ,i have often called you       
together for that end2 and some of you1 
sometimes1 have seemed to be affected   
with what ,i have said to you4 ,but ,i  
am afraid it has had no saving effects  
as to many of you2 but that you remain  
still in an unconverted condition1      
without any real saving work wrought in 
your souls1 convincing you thoroughly of
 your sin and misery1 causing you to see
 the great evil of sin1 and to mourn for
 it1 and hate it above all things1 and  
giving you a sense of the excellency of 
the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 bringing you  
with all your hearts to cleave to him as
 your ,saviour1 weaning your hearts from
 the world1 and causing you to love ,god
 above all1 and to delight in holiness  
more than in all the pleasant things of 
this earth2 and so that ,i now leave you
 in a miserable condition1 having no    
interest in ,christ1 and so under the   
awful displeasure and anger of ,god1 and
 in danger of going down to the pit of  
eternal misery4  ,but now ,i must bid   

you farewell3 ,i must leave you in the  
hands of ,god2 ,i can do no more for you
 than to pray for you4 ,only ,i desire  
you not to forget1 but often think of   
the counsels and warnings ,i have given 
you1 and the endeavors ,i have used1    
that your souls might be saved from     
everlasting destruction4  ,dear         
children1 ,i leave you in an evil world1
 that is full of snares and temptations4
 ,god only knows what will become of    
you4 ,this the ,scripture hath told us1 
that there are but few saved2 and we    
have abundant confirmation of it from   
what we see4 ,this we see1 that children
 die as well as others3 multitudes die  
before they grow up2 and of those that  
grow up1 comparatively few ever give    
good evidence of saving conversion to   
,god4 ,i pray ,god to pity you1 and take
 care of you1 and provide for you the   
best means for the good of your souls2  
and that ,god himself would undertake   
for you to be your heavenly ,father and 
the mighty ,redeemer of your immortal   

souls4 ,do not neglect to pray for      
yourselves3 take heed you ben't of the  
number of those who cast off fear and   
restrain prayer before ,god4 ,constantly
 pray to ,god in secret2 and often      
remember that great day when you must   
appear before the judgment seat of      
,christ1 and meet your minister there1  
who has so often counselled and warned  
you4  ,i conclude with a few words of   
advice to all in general1 in some       
particulars1 which are of great         
importance in order to the welfare and  
prosperity of this church and           
congregation4  #a4 ,one thing that      
greatly concerns you1 as you would be a 
happy people1 is the maintaining of     
family order4  ,we have had great       
disputes how the church ought to be     
regulated2 and indeed the subject of    
these disputes was of great importance3 
but the due regulation of your families 
is of no less1 and1 in some respects1 of
 much greater importance4 ,every        
,christian family ought to be as it were

 a little church1 consecrated to        
,christ1 and wholly influenced and      
governed by his rules4 ,and family      
education and order are some of the     
chief of the means of grace4 ,if these  
fail1 all other means are like to prove 
ineffectual4 ,if these are duly         
maintained1 all the means of grace will 
be like to prosper and be successful4   
,let me now1 therefore1 once more1      
before ,i finally cease to speak to this
 congregation1 repeat and earnestly     
press the counsel which ,i have often   
urged on heads of families here1 while  
,i was their pastor1 to great           
painfulness in teaching1 warning and    
directing their children2 bringing them 
up in the nurture and admonition of the 
,lord2 beginning early1 where there is  
yet opportunity1 and maintaining a      
constant diligence in labors of this    
kind2 remembering that1 as you would not
 have all your instructions and counsels
 ineffectual1 there must be government  
as well as instructions1 which must be  

maintained with an even hand and steady 
resolution1 as a guard to the religion  
and morals of the family and the support
 of its good order4 ,take heed that it  
be not with any of you as with ,eli of  
old1 who reproved his children but      
restrained them not2 and that1 by this  
means1 you don't bring the like curse on
 your families as he did on his4  ,and  
let children obey their parents1 and    
yield to their instructions1 and submit 
to their orders1 as they would inherit a
 blessing and not a curse4 ,for we have 
reason to think1 from many things in the
 word of ,god1 that nothing has a       
greater tendency to bring a curse on    
persons in this world1 and on all their 
temporal concerns1 than an undutiful1   
unsubmissive1 disorderly behavior in    
children towards their parents4  #b4 ,as
 you would seek the future prosperity of
 this society1 it is of vast importance 
that you should avoid contention4  ,a   
contentious people will be a miserable  
people4 ,the contentions which have been

 among you1 since ,i first became your  
pastor1 have been one of the greatest   
burdens ,i have labored under in the    
course of my ministry3 not only the     
contentions you have had with me1 but   
those which you have had one with       
another about your lands and other      
concerns3 because ,i knew that          
contention1 heat of spirit1 evil        
speaking1 and things of the like nature1
 were directly contrary to the spirit of
 ,christianity1 and did1 in a peculiar  
manner1 tend to drive away ,god's       
,spirit from a people and to render all 
means of grace ineffectual1 as well as  
to destroy a people's outward comfort   
and welfare4  ,let me therefore         
earnestly exhort you1 as you would seek 
your own future good hereafter1 to watch
 against a contentious spirit4 deg4 ,if 
you would see good days1 seek peace1 and
 ensue it1 #a ,pet4 iii4 #aj1 #aa4 ,let 
the contention which has lately been    
about the terms of ,christian communion1
 as it has been the greatest of your    

contentions1 so be the last of them4 ,i 
would1 now ,i am preaching my farewell  
sermon1 say to you1 as the ,apostle to  
the ,corinthians1 #b ,cor4 xiii4 #aa1   
#ab3 ,finally1 brethren1 farewell4 ,be  
perfect1 be of one mind1 live in peace2 
and the ,god of love and peace shall be 
with you4  ,and here ,i would           
particularly advise those that have     
adhered to me in the late controversy1  
to watch over their spirits and avoid   
all bitterness towards others4 ,your    
temptations are1 in some respects1 the  
greatest2 because what has been lately  
done is grievous to you4 ,but however   
wrong you may think others have done1   
maintain1 with great diligence and      
watchfulness1 a ,christian meekness and 
sedateness of spirit2 and labor1 in this
 respect1 to excel others who are of the
 contrary part4 ,and this will be the   
best victory3 for he that rules his     
spirit1 is better than he that takes a  
city4 ,therefore let nothing be done    
through strife or vainglory4 ,indulge no

 revengeful spirit in any wise2 but     
watch and pray against it2 and1 by all  
means in your power1 seek the prosperity
 of the town3 and never think you behave
 yourselves as becomes ,christians1 but 
when you sincerely1 sensibly and        
fervently love all men1 of whatever     
party or opinion1 and whether friendly  
or unkind1 just or injurious1 to you or 
your friends1 or to the cause and       
kingdom of ,christ4  #c4 ,another thing 
that vastly concerns the future         
prosperity of this town1 is1 that you   
should watch against the encroachments  
of error2 and particularly ,arminianism 
and doctrines of like tendency4  ,you   
were1 many of you1 as ,i well remember1 
much alarmed with the apprehension of   
the danger of the prevailing of these   
corrupt principles near sixteen years   
ago4 ,but the danger then was small in  
comparison of what appears now4 ,these  
doctrines at this day are much more     
prevalent than they were then3 the      
progress they have made in the land1    

within this seven years1 seems to have  
been vastly greater than at any time in 
the like space before3 and they are     
still prevailing and creeping into      
almost all parts of the land1           
threatening the utter ruin of the credit
 of those doctrines which are the       
peculiar glory of the gospel1 and the   
interests of vital piety4 ,and ,i have  
of late perceived some things among     
yourselves that show that you are far   
from being out of danger1 but on the    
contrary remarkably exposed4 ,the older 
people may perhaps think themselves     
sufficiently fortified against          
infection2 but it is fit that all should
 beware of self-confidence and carnal   
security1 and should remember those     
needful warnings of sacred writ1 ,be not
 high-minded1 but fear2 and let him that
 stands1 take heed lest he fall4 ,but   
let the case of the older people be as  
it will1 the rising generation are      
doubtless greatly exposed4 ,these       
principles are exceeding taking with    

corrupt nature1 and are what young      
people1 at least such as have not their 
hearts established with grace1 are      
easily led away with4  ,and if these    
principles should greatly prevail in    
this town1 as they very lately have done
 in another large town ,i could name1   
formerly greatly noted for religion1 and
 so for a long time1 it will threaten   
the spiritual and eternal ruin of this  
people in the present and future        
generations4 ,therefore you have need of
 the greatest and most diligent care and
 watchfulness with respect to this      
matter4  #d4 ,another thing which ,i    
would advise to1 that you may hereafter 
be a prosperous people1 is1 that you    
would give yourselves much to prayer4   
,god is the fountain of all blessing and
 prosperity1 and he will be sought to   
for his blessing4 ,i would therefore    
advise you not only to be constant in   
secret and family prayer1 and in the    
public worship of ,god in his house1 but
 also often to assemble yourselves in   

private praying societies4 ,i would     
advise all such as are grieved for the  
afflictions of ,joseph1 and sensibly    
affected with the calamities of this    
town1 of whatever opinion they be with  
relation to the subject of our late     
controversy1 often to meet together for 
prayer1 and to cry to ,god for his mercy
 to themselves1 and mercy to this town1 
and mercy to ,zion and the people of    
,god in general through the world4  #e4 
,the last article of advice ,i would    
give 7which doubtless does greatly      
concern your prosperity71 is1 that you  
would take great care with regard to the
 settlement of a minister1 to see to it 
who1 or what manner of person he is that
 you settle2 and particularly in these  
two respects3  7#a7 ,that he be a man of
 thoroughly sound principles in the     
scheme of doctrine which he maintains4  
,this you will stand in the greatest    
need of1 especially at such a day of    
corruption as this is4 ,and in order to 
obtain such a one1 you had need to      

exercise extraordinary care and         
prudence4 ,i know the danger4 ,i know   
the manner of many young gentlemen of   
corrupt principles1 their ways of       
concealing themselves1 the fair1        
specious disguises they are wont to put 
on1 by which they deceive others1 to    
maintain their own credit1 and get      
themselves into others' confidence and  
improvement1 and secure and establish   
their own interest1 until they see a    
convenient opportunity to begin more    
openly to broach and propagate their    
corrupt tenets4  7#b7 ,labor to obtain a
 man who has an established character1  
as a person of serious religion and     
fervent piety4  ,it is of vast          
importance that those who are settled in
 this work should be men of true piety1 
at all times1 and in all places2 but    
more especially at some times1 and in   
some towns and churches4 ,and this      
present time1 which is a time wherein   
religion is in danger1 by so many       
corruptions in doctrine and practice1 is

 in a peculiar manner a day wherein such
 ministers are necessary4 ,nothing else 
but sincere piety of heart is at all to 
be depended on1 at such a time as this1 
as a security to a young man1 just      
coming into the world1 from the         
prevailing infection1 or thoroughly to  
engage him in proper and successful     
endeavors to withstand and oppose the   
torrent of error and prejudice against  
the high1 mysterious1 evangelical       
doctrines of the religion of ,jesus     
,christ1 and their genuine effects in   
true experimental religion4 ,and this   
place is a place that does peculiarly   
need such a minister1 for reasons       
obvious to all4  ,if you should happen  
to settle a minister who knows nothing  
truly of ,christ and the way of         
salvation by him1 nothing experimentally
 of the nature of vital religion2 alas1 
how will you be exposed as sheep without
 a shepherd6 ,here is need of one in    
this place1 who shall be eminently fit  
to stand in the gap and make up the     

hedge1 and who shall be as the chariots 
of ,israel and the horsemen thereof4    
,you need one that shall stand as a     
champion in the cause of truth and the  
power of godliness4  ,having briefly    
mentioned these important articles of   
advice1 nothing remains but that ,i now 
take my leave of you1 and bid you all   
farewell2 wishing and praying for your  
best prosperity4 ,i would now commend   
your immortal souls to him1 who formerly
 committed them to me1 expecting the    
day1 when ,i must meet you again before 
him1 who is the ,judge of quick and     
dead4 ,i desire that ,i may never forget
 this people1 who have been so long my  
special charge1 and that ,i may never   
cease fervently to pray for your        
prosperity4 ,may ,god bless you with a  
faithful pastor1 one that is well       
acquainted with his mind and will1      
thoroughly warning sinners1 wisely and  
skilfully searching professors1 and     
conducting you in the way to eternal    
blessedness4 ,may you have truly a      

burning and shining light set up in this
 candlestick2 and may you1 not only for 
a season1 but during his whole life1 and
 that a long life1 be willing to rejoice
 in his light4  ,and let me be          
remembered in the prayers of all ,god's 
people that are of a calm spirit1 and   
are peaceable and faithful in ,israel1  
of whatever opinion they may be with    
respect to terms of church communion4   
,and let us all remember and never      
forget our future solemn meeting on that
 great day of the ,lord2 the day of     
infallible decision and of the          
everlasting and unalterable sentence4   
,,amen4     ,,notes   ,,god ,,glorified 
,,in ,,man',s ,,dependence  #a4 ,god    
,glorified4 ,the title-page of the      
original edition of this sermon1 the    
first work published by the author1     
reads as follows3 ,god ,glorified in the
 ,work of ,redemption by the ,greatness 
of ,man's ,dependance upon ,him1 in the 
,whole of it4 ,preached on the ,publick 
,lecture in ,boston1 ,july #h1 #agca4   

,and published at the ,desire of        
several1 ,ministers and ,others1 in     
,boston1 who heard it4 ,by ,jonathan    
,edwards ,a4,m4 ,pastor of the ,church  
of ,christ in ,northampton4 ,judges #g4 
#b4--,lest ,israel vaunt themselves     
against me1 saying1 mine own hand hath  
saved me4 ,boston3 ,printed by ,s4      
,kneeland1 and ,t4 ,green1 for ,d4      
,henchman1 at the ,corner ,shop on the  
,south-side of the ,town-,house4 #agca4 
,the ,public or ,thursday ,lecture1     
dating from the ordination of the ,rev4 
,john ,cotton1 in #afcc1 continued with 
occasional interruptions till the siege 
of #agge1 later revived and existing1 it
 is claimed1 still1 or until recently   
7see ,dr4 ,samuel ,a4 ,eliot's ,preface 
to ,pioneers of ,religious ,liberty in  
,america1 ,boston1 #aijc71 was famous   
among the social and religious          
institutions of colonial ,boston4 ,at   
one time the ,general ,court regularly  
adjourned for it2 that the ,governor    
should keep ,christmas and neglect it1  

was regarded by old ,judge ,sewall as a 
matter of grave reproach4 ,the preachers
 were selected from the most eminent    
divines1 not only of ,boston1 but       
throughout the colony4 ,it is recorded1 
for instance1 of ,solomon ,stoddard1    
,edwards's grandfather and predecessor  
in the ,northampton pastorate1 that he  
annually attended the ,harvard          
,commencement and the day after preached
 the ,public ,lecture4 ,it was a great  
honor1 therefore1 for ,edwards1 a young 
man of twenty-seven1 to be invited to   
preach on this foundation4  ,he himself 
seems to have fully appreciated both the
 honor and the opportunity4 ,the        
original manuscript shows the most      
careful preparation4 ,in the statement  
of the ,doctrine1 for example1 there are
 several erasures and corrections before
 the right formula is hit upon4 ,the    
printed sermon shows still more         
elaboration4 ,edwards chose as his      
subject one aspect of a theme which was 
central and controlling in his          

thought--,god's sovereignty4 ,his mind  
had dwelt on this subject in all its    
bearings from childhood4 ,he had        
especially meditated upon it as it      
related to the doctrine of decrees1 a   
doctrine which he found at first        
revolting1 but in the end exceedingly   
pleasant1 bright1 and sweet4 ,no one    
since ,augustine has emphasized as he   
has done the absolute sovereignty of    
,god and the corresponding dependence of
 man4 ,this conception of ,god's        
arbitrary will--arbitrary1 not as       
irrational or unrelated to the divine   
justice and benevolence1 but as being   
without restraint1 or constraint1 or    
obligation--was not only the backbone of
 his system1 but its heart1 the         
principle which animates and pulses     
through the whole of it4 ,it is the     
ultimate basis alike of his philosophy  
and of his religious faith4 ,in this his
 first publication as in the great      
theological treatises which were his    
last1 he is everywhere the prophet-like 

champion of this supreme idea in        
opposition to all those schemes of      
divinity1 generally denominated         
,arminian1 which implied in his view a  
degree of independence in man           
inconsistent with the absolute          
sovereignty he regarded as the          
distinguishing glory of ,god4  ,the     
sermon created a profound impression1 as
 is evident both from the immediate     
demand for its publication1 indicated on
 the title-page1 and from the           
commendatory preface to the original    
edition signed by two of the foremost   
ministers of ,boston1 the ,rev4 ,thomas 
,prince1 of the ,old ,south ,church1 and
 the ,rev4 ,william ,cooper1 of the     
,brattle ,street ,church4 ,it was with  
no small difficulty1 these gentlemen    
write1 that the author's youth and      
modesty were prevailed on1 to let him   
appear a preacher in our public lecture1
 and afterwards to give us a copy of his
 discourse1 at the desire of diverse    
ministers1 and others who heard it4     

,but1 as we quickly found him to be a   
workman that need not be ashamed before 
his brethren1 our satisfaction was the  
greater1 to see him pitching upon so    
noble a subject1 and treating it with so
 much strength and clearness1 as the    
judicious will perceive in the following
 composure3 a subject which secures to  
,god his great design1 in the work of   
fallen man's redemption by the ,lord    
,jesus ,christ1 which is evidently so   
laid out1 as that the glory of the whole
 should return to him the blessed       
ordainer1 purchaser1 and applier2 a     
subject which enters deep into practical
 religion2 without the belief in which1 
that must soon die in the hearts and    
lives of men4 ,we cannot1 therefore1 but
 express our joy and thankfulness1 that 
the great ,head of the ,church is       
pleased still to raise up1 from among   
the children of his people1 for the     
supply of his churches1 those who assert
 and maintain these evangelical         
principles2 and that our churches1      

notwithstanding all their degeneracies1 
have still a high value for just        
principles1 and for those who publicly  
own and teach them4 ,and1 as we cannot  
but wish and pray1 that the ,college in 
the neighbouring colony1 as well as our 
own1 may be a fruitful mother of many   
such sons as the author2 so we heartily 
rejoice1 in the special favour of       
,providence1 in bestowing such a rich   
gift on the happy church of             
,northampton1 which has1 for so many    
lustres of years1 flourished under the  
influence of such pious doctrines1      
taught them in the excellent ministry of
 their late venerable pastor1 whose gift
 and spirit we hope will long live and  
shine in his grandson1 to the end that  
they may abound in all the lovely fruits
 of evangelical humility and            
thankfulness1 to the glory of ,god4  #f4
 ,it was of mere grace 444 for our      
souls4 ,this passage may serve to       
illustrate the way ,edwards expanded his
 sermons for the press 7see             

,introduction1 p4 xxix74 ,the manuscript
 reads as follows3 ,the ,grace in giving
 this ,gift was great in proportion to  
our unworthiness1 it was given to us who
 instead of meriting that of ,g4 which  
is of such ,infinite ,value merited     
,infinite ,ill of him4 ,then follows a  
space1 above and beneath which1 between 
the lines1 are the words1 in proportion 
to the blessedness we have benefit we   
have given in him4 ,continuing3 the     
giver in giving this gift is great      
according to the manner of giving4 ,he  
gave him to us ,incarnate he gave him to
 us slain that he might be a feast to   
our souls4   ,,the ,,reality ,,of       
,,spiritual ,,light  #ba4 ,divine and   
,supernatural ,light4 ,the original     
title-page of this1 the author's second 
published sermon1 reads as follows3 ,a  
,divine and ,supernatural ,light1       
,immediately imparted to the ,soul by   
the ,spirit of ,god1 shown to be both a 
,scriptural1 and ,rational ,doctrine2   
,in a ,sermon ,preach'd at ,northampton1

 and ,published at the ,desire of some  
of the ,hearers4 ,by ,jonathan ,edwards1
 ,a4,m4 ,pastor of the ,church there4   
,job #bh1 #bj4 ,whence then cometh      
wisdom8 and where is the place of       
understanding8 ,prov4 #b1 #f4 ,the ,lord
 giveth wisdom4 ,is4 #db1 #ah4 ,look ye 
blind1 that ye may see4 #b4 ,pet4 #a1   
#ai4 ,until the day dawn and the        
day-star arise in your hearts4 ,boston3 
,printed by ,s4 ,kneeland and ,t4       
,green1 ,m1,,dcc1,,xxxiv4 ,the sermon   
has a preface in which ,edwards modestly
 disclaims any forwardness or vanity in 
publishing it and begs his readers to   
peruse it without prejudice on this     
score1 or because of the                
unfashionableness of the subject4 ,this 
to the general public4 ,what he says to 
his own people shows how affectionate   
their relations to their young minister 
were at this time and how high his      
regard was for them2 it has a pathetic  
interest in view of their passionate    
rejection of him at the last4 ,i have   

reason to bless ,god1 he writes1 that   
there is a more happy union between us1 
than that you should be prejudiced      
against any thing of mine1 because 'tis 
mine4 ,he felicitates them on having    
been instructed in such doctrines as    
those in the sermon from the beginning4 
,and ,i rejoice in it1 he adds1 that    
,providence1 in this day of ,corruption 
and ,confusion1 has cast my lot where   
such doctrines1 that ,i look upon so    
much the life and glory of the ,gospel1 
are not only own'd1 but where there are 
so many1 in whom the truth of them is so
 apparently manifest in their           
experience1 that any one who has had the
 opportunity of acquaintance with them1 
in such matters1 that ,i have had1 must 
be very unreasonable to doubt of it4    
,this is justly regarded as one of the  
most beautiful and most eloquent of     
,edwards's sermons 7,a4 ,v4 ,g4 ,allen1 
,jonathan ,edwards1 p4 #fg74 ,it was    
preached at a time when the signs were  
multiplying of an increased interest in 

religion among the people of            
,northampton1 preluding the great       
revival of the next and the following   
years4 ,the original manuscript bears   
the date1 ,august1 #agcc4 ,the death of 
,mr4 ,stoddard in #agbi had removed the 
restraints of a long-established and    
unquestioned authority1 and the results1
 as ,edwards describes them1 were       
deplorable4 ,it seemed1 he says1 to be a
 time of extraordinary dullness in      
religion3 licentiousness for some years 
greatly prevailed among the youth of the
 town2 they were many of them very much 
addicted to night walking1 and          
frequenting the tavern1 and lewd        
practices1 wherein some by their example
 exceedingly corrupted others4 ,but in  
two or three years 444 there began to be
 a sensible amendment of these evils1   
and at the latter end of the year #agcc1
 there appeared a very unusual          
flexibleness and yielding to advice in  
the young 7,narrative of ,surprising    
,conversions74 ,the improved conditions 

reacted on the preacher and1 as a       
consequence1 we have the sermon on      
,spiritual ,light4  ,the principle      
enunciated in this sermon is the        
cardinal and controlling principle of   
the whole revival4 ,the revival is just 
its exhibition and the experienced      
evidence1 for ,edwards at least1 of its 
truth4 ,nothing in his account of the   
movement is more impressive than the way
 he studies it1 tracing minutely the    
details of the process1 wondering at its
 variety1 whereby the ,holy ,spirit     
makes real and effectual the divine     
message 7see ,allen1 op4 cit4 pp4 #adc  
ff474 ,there was nothing essentially new
 in the principle itself2 that ,god     
directly influences the soul1 that the  
soul is capable of an immediate         
intuition of divine things1 this had    
been the common teaching of all1 and    
especially of all the ,christian1       
mystics4 ,indeed1 it may be doubted     
whether religion as a form of personal  
experience does not universally involve 

a consciousness of some such            
transcendent relationship 7see ,w4      
,james1 ,varieties of ,religious        
,experience1 ,boston1 #aijb1 passim74   
,what was new in ,edwards's formulation 
of the doctrine was his manner of       
defining it1 the way in which he relates
 it to the other parts of his system1   
his insistence on the supernatural      
character of this divine illumination1  
his sharp distinction between common and
 special grace4 ,his doctrine of        
supernatural light appears1 in fact1 as 
a necessary corollary of his conception 
of the relation of man and ,god in the  
work of redemption expressed in his     
sermon on ,man's ,dependence4 ,it is    
partly1 at least1 from this point of    
view that it seems to him not only      
scriptural1 but reasonable4 ,it was a   
doctrine intimately connected with his  
views of conversion4 ,it was on this    
account no less than because of its     
emphasis of a mystical rather than a    
moral or legal principle in religion1   

that ,edwards can speak of the doctrine 
as unfashionable4 ,the tendency of the  
age was to find more power in the       
natural constitution of man than he was 
willing to allow4 ,historically1        
however1 it is in just this emphasis on 
the inner experience of the light and   
life of ,god in the heart that ,edwards 
makes the transition from the older     
,calvinism to the more liberal theology 
of our own day4  ,the manuscript of this
 sermon is more than usually full of    
erasures and insertions1 making it      
almost impossible to read1 but          
suggesting something of the labor and   
care expended on its composition4 ,it is
 written on twenty-six pages of the size
 of the facsimile in this volume1 the   
last page containing only a line and a  
half4 ,but the printed sermon is more   
fully elaborated4   ,,ruth',s           
,,resolution  #de4 ,ruth's ,resolution4 
,this sermon was one of five ,discourses
 on ,various ,important ,subjects1      
,nearly concerning the great ,affair of 

the ,soul's ,eternal ,salvation3 viz4   
,i4 ,justification by ,faith ,alone4    
,,ii4 ,pressing into the ,kingdom of    
,god4 ,,iii4 ,ruth's ,resolution4 ,,iv4 
,the ,justice of ,god in the ,damnation 
of ,sinners4 ,v4 ,the ,excellency of    
,jesus ,christ4 ,delivered in           
,northampton1 chiefly in the time of the
 late wonderful pouring out of the      
,spirit of ,god there4 ,by ,jonathan    
,edwards ,a4,m4 ,pastor of the ,church  
of ,christ in ,northampton4 ,deut4 iv4  
#h #i--,take heed to thyself1 and keep  
thy soul diligently1 lest thou forget   
the things which thine eyes have seen1  
and lest they depart from thy heart all 
the days of thy life4 ,boston3 ,printed 
and sold by ,s4 ,kneeland and ,t4       
,green1 in ,queen ,street over against  
the ,prison4 ,,mdccxxxviii4 ,the first  
four of these discourses were preached  
during the revival of #agcd-agce and    
were selected by the desire of the      
people as those from which they had     
derived special benefit2 the fifth was  

selected by ,edwards himself at the     
request of some persons from a          
neighboring town who heard it1 and      
because he thought that a sermon on the 
excellency of ,christ might             
appropriately follow the others1 which  
were of an awakening character4 ,they   
were prefixed to the ,american reprint  
of the ,narrative of ,surprising        
,conversions1 which was first published 
in ,england4 ,the cost of their         
publication was defrayed by the         
congregation1--a clear evidence of their
 deep interest1 as they were at the time
 heavily burdened by the expenses of the
 new meeting-house4 ,see ,dwight1 ,life 
of ,edwards1 pp4 #adj f42 cf4 n4 here   
following1 p4 #afb4  ,the sermon on     
,ruth's ,resolution has been selected as
 the shortest of the above discourses to
 illustrate a type of revival sermon in 
marked contrast to the sermon on        
,sinners in the ,hands of an ,angry     
,god4 ,they all1 however1 bear out      
,edwards's own testimony concerning his 

preaching3 ,i have not only endeavored  
to awaken you1 that you might be moved  
with fear1 but ,i have used my utmost   
endeavors to win you 7,farewell         
,sermon74 ,the manuscript of the sermon 
is dated ,april1 #agce1 and it seems to 
have been printed very nearly as it was 
written4   ,,the ,,many ,,mansions  #ei4
 ,the ,many ,mansions4 ,the ,ms4 of this
 hitherto unpublished sermon is dated1  
,the ,sabbath after the seating of the  
,new ,meeting ,house1 ,dec4 #be1 #agcg4 
,the occasion was one of special        
interest to the people of ,northampton4 
,the old meeting-house1 erected in      
#affa1 had become too small for the     
congregation and dangerously            
dilapidated2 in fact1 on a ,sunday in   
,march in the year the new building was 
completed1 while ,edwards was preaching1
 just after he had laid down his        
doctrines from the text1 ,behold1 ye    
despisers1 wonder and perish1 the front 
gallery1 with a noise like a clap of    
thunder1 suddenly and dramatically fell4

 ,fortunately--by a special providence1 
it seemed to ,edwards--no one of the    
hundred and fifty persons1 more or less1
 involved in the catastrophe perished1  
or even had a bone broken1 and only ten 
were hurt so as to make any great matter
 of it4 ,but the event showed that the  
building of a new meeting-house had been
 undertaken none too soon4 ,the question
 of this new building had been brought  
forward in the town meeting of the      
spring of #agcc1 but it was first       
decided on in ,november1 #agce1         
determined in part1 no doubt1 by the    
great revival of that year1 when sixty1 
eighty1 and a hundred were received into
 the church on successive communions4   
,it then took two years to complete the 
structure4 ,incidentally1 sixty-nine    
gallons of rum1 besides numerous barrels
 of cyder and beer1 were consumed by the
 workmen during the erection of the     
framework alone4 ,sixty men were engaged
 at #es4 a day for this part of the     
work1 they keeping themselves--as       

,deacon ,hunt's journal has             
it--excepting drinks4  ,when the        
building1 like several others of the    
period1 a commodious1 oblong structure  
with a tower1 belfry and weather-cock   
vane at one end of it1 was nearly       
finished1 the important matter of       
seating the congregation was taken up4  
,this also was an affair of the town4   
,it had already been decided at the     
annual town meeting in the spring to    
have pews along the walls and seats or  
benches only on both sides of the alley 
7broad aisle74 ,the actual plan of the  
sittings1 still extant1 shows pews also 
around the benches on the floor1        
separated from the wall-pews by the     
narrow aisles1 and five pews in the     
gallery4 ,these pews were of the high1  
square variety1 with seats on hinges1   
and were evidently regarded as places of
 superior dignity4 ,towards the end of  
the year1 the town held a series of     
meetings with especial reference to the 
seating4 ,the question of primary       

importance concerned the apportioning of
 the sittings according to social rank4 
,at the meeting in ,november1 a         
committee of five of the most prominent 
citizens was instructed to draw up their
 ,scheam or ,platt for ,seating of the  
meeting ,house and present it to the    
,town for approval4 ,the following month
 the committee was further instructed by
 the following votes3  #a4 ,voted ,that 
in ,seating the new meeting ,house the  
committee have ,respect principally to  
men's estate4  #b4 ,to have ,regard to  
men's ,age4  #c4 ,voted that some       
,regard and ,respect be paid to men's   
usefullness1 but in a less ,degree4 ,and
 that no mistake should be made1 a      
committee of six was appointed to       
estimate the pews and seats1 that is1 to
 dignify or appraise their social value4
  ,another connected question concerned 
the seating of the sexes4 ,at the       
meeting in ,november1 it was voted that 
males should be at the south1 females at
 the north1 end2 the men at the right of

 the pulpit1 the women at the left4 ,at 
the first meeting in ,december the town 
distinctly refused to allow men and     
their wives to sit together4 ,but this  
was clearly opposed to the sentiment of 
some of the more influential members of 
the community1 for at the adjourned     
meeting four days later1 when ,the      
,question was put whether the ,committee
 be forbidden to ,seat men  their wives 
together1 ,especially ,such as ,incline 
to ,sit together3 ,it passed in the     
,negative4 ,under this indirect and     
qualified authorization1 married people 
were for the most part seated together  
in the pews1 but apart on the benches1  
while in some cases the husband was     
assigned to a pew and the wife to a     
bench4  ,the events and conditions here 
described are reflected in ,edwards's   
sermon1 especially in what he says of   
the extent of the accommodations in     
heaven and in his remarks on the seats  
of various dignity and different degrees
 and circumstances of honor and         

happiness there1 as compared with what  
we find in houses of worship on earth4  
,as indicating the size of ,edwards's   
,northampton congregation1 it may be    
interesting to observe that the         
seating-plan above referred to contains 
the names of nearly six hundred persons4
 ,and he had his audience all about him4
 ,the pulpit1 surmounted by a huge      
sounding board1 was in the middle of one
 of the longer sides of the building1   
not at the end1 as is the custom now4   
,for further particulars1 see ,j4 ,r4   
,trumbull1 ,history of ,northampton1    
,vol4 ,,ii1 ,chap4 vi4  ,this sermon is 
more fully written out than most of     
,edwards's unpublished sermons4 ,in     
preparing the copy for the present      
volume1 the editor had in mind the      
general analogy of the other sermons    
here published4 ,the abbreviations--,x  
7,christ71 ,g4 7,god71 ,f4 ,h4          
7,father's ,house71 etc4--have          
accordingly been interpreted1 and       
omitted sentences or phrases1 indicated 

in the ,ms4 by dashes or spaces1 have   
been supplied from the context4 ,all    
such additions1 however1 are inserted   
within square brackets4   ,,sinners ,,in
 ,,the ,,hands ,,of ,,an ,,angry ,,god  
#gh4 ,sinners in the ,hands of an ,angry
 ,god4 ,the full title-page of this1    
,edwards's most famous sermon1 read in  
the original edition as follows3        
,sinners in the ,hands of an ,angry     
,god4 ,a sermon ,preached at ,enfield1  
,july #hth #agda4 ,at a time of great   
,awakenings2 and attended with          
remarkable ,impressions on many of the  
,hearers4 ,by ,jonathan ,edwards ,a4,m4 
,pastor of the ,church of ,christ in    
,northampton4 ,amos ix4 #b1 #c4--,though
 they dig into ,hell1 thence shall mine 
,hand take them2 though they climb up to
 ,heaven1 thence will ,i bring them     
down4 ,and though they hide themselves  
in the ,top of ,carmel1 ,i will search  
and take them out thence2 and though    
they be hid from my ,sight in the       
,bottom of the ,sea1 thence will ,i     

command the ,serpent1 and he shall bite 
them4 ,boston3 ,printed and ,sold by ,s4
 ,kneeland and ,t4 ,green in ,queen     
,street over against the ,prison1 #agda4
  ,benjamin ,trumbull in his ,history of
 ,connecticut 7,new ,haven1 #ahah71     
,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #ade1 records the        
circumstances under which this sermon   
was delivered as told to him by ,mr4    
,wheelock1 a minister from ,connecticut 
7,enfield1 ,conn41 was at that time     
included in ,hampshire ,county1 ,mass471
 who heard it4 ,while the people in     
neighboring towns1 writes ,trumbull1    
were in great distress for their souls1 
the inhabitants of that town were very  
secure1 loose1 and vain4 ,a lecture had 
been appointed at ,enfield1 and the     
neighboring people1 the night before1   
were so affected at the thoughtlessness 
of the inhabitants1 and in such fear    
that ,god would1 in his righteous       
judgment1 pass them by1 while the divine
 showers were falling all around them1  
as to be prostrate before him a         

considerable part of it1 supplicating   
mercy for their souls4 ,when the time   
appointed for the lecture came1 a number
 of the neighboring ministers attended1 
and some from a distance4 ,when they    
went into the meeting-house1 the        
appearance of the assembly was          
thoughtless and vain4 ,the people hardly
 conducted themselves with common       
decency4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,edwards1 of   
,northampton1 preached1 and before the  
sermon was ended1 the assembly appeared 
deeply impressed and bowed down1 with an
 awful conviction of their sin and      
danger4 ,there was such a breathing of  
distress and weeping1 that the preacher 
was obliged to speak to the people and  
desire silence1 that he might be heard4 
,this was the beginning of the same     
great and prevailing concern in that    
place1 with which the colony in general 
was visited4 ,the circumstances1 thus1  
under which this sermon was preached    
were exceptional2 the excitement of the 
,great ,awakening was at its height2 the

 congregation to whom the sermon was    
addressed were notorious for their      
apathy2 ,edwards doubtless felt that an 
exceptionally strong presentation of    
their danger was necessary to arouse    
them4 ,and this sermon is probably the  
most tremendous of its kind ever        
delivered by a ,christian minister4     
,the kind1 however1 was by no means     
exceptional in ,edwards's preaching1    
particularly at this period4 ,believing 
as he did that the decisions of men in  
this life were fraught with the most    
momentous issues to all eternity1 he    
held it his bounden duty to present     
these issues before them in the         
liveliest manner possible4#af ,the      
,justice of ,god in the ,damnation of   
,sinners2 ,the ,future ,punishment of   
the ,wicked ,unavoidable and            
,intolerable2 ,the ,eternity of ,hell   
,torments2 ,when the ,wicked shall have 
filled up the ,measure of their ,sin1   
,wrath will come upon them to the       
,uttermost2 ,the ,end of the ,wicked    

contemplated by the ,righteous2 or1 ,the
 ,torments of the ,wicked in ,hell1 no  
occasion of grief to the ,saints in     
,heaven2 ,wicked ,men useful in their   
,destruction only1--these are among the 
titles of his sermons4 ,moreover1 there 
is reason to believe that this very     
sermon1 or its like1 was used on other  
occasions besides the one to which it is
 explicitly ascribed4 ,there is a       
tradition#ag that ,edwards preached it  
once when ,whitfield had disappointed an
 audience by not appearing1 and that he 
produced a great effect by it4 ,the     
manuscript is dated ,june1 #agda1 which 
suggests that it may have been preached 
in ,northampton1 or elsewhere1 the month
 before it was attended with such       
remarkable impressions on the hearers in
 ,enfield4 ,but still more significant  
is the existence of an undated second   
sermon from the same text4 ,in this1    
which was undoubtedly of earlier origin1
 the thought is somewhat differently    
worked out3 it is less lurid1 less fully

 elaborated1 less terrific2 but it      
contains many of the ideas1 for example1
 on the uncertainty of life1 the        
suddenness with which destruction may   
overtake the sinner1 etc41 that are     
found in the ,enfield sermon4 ,edwards  
was evidently fascinated by the theme2  
he works it out with the sure touch of a
 great artist1 with the intellectual    
force of the skilled dialectician4 ,and 
he proclaims his message with the       
intensity of conviction of an ,old      
,testament prophet4 ,no wonder his      
hearers were moved4 ,the effect would   
certainly have been less great had there
 been any note or personal              
vindictiveness in the preaching4 ,but   
there is nothing of this2 it is not in  
this sense that the sermon can be called
 imprecatory4 ,on the contrary1 so far  
as ,edwards's personal attitude is      
concerned1 it is not difficult to detect
 in it the pathos and the pity of the   
gentlest of men weeping over the        
senseless folly of those who1 blind to  

impending destruction1 refuse repeated  
invitations of safety 7cf4 ,matt4 xxiii4
 #cg74 ,for the rest1 he is quite       
impersonal1 detached2 the truth he      
preaches is sure1 awful1 but objective4 
,on the modern reader the sermon is     
likely to produce a very painful        
impression1 unless he1 for his part1    
reads it in the same impersonal1        
detached way4 ,it is not only the       
realism of the presentation1 but the    
harshness of the doctrine1 which        
offends4 ,edwards1 for instance1        
frequently speaks of the reason why     
sinners are not immediately cast into   
hell2 but the reason assigned is not the
 mercy or goodness or love of ,god1 but 
,his mere power and sovereign pleasure4 
,this is one aspect of the truth of the 
spiritual universe as ,edwards sees it4 
,he is not a sentimentalist2 he         
proclaims the truth as he finds it4 ,as 
far as ,edwards himself is concerned1   
there is nothing in the whole sermon1 or
 in any of his imprecatory sermons1 so  

called1 half as revolting as ,dante's   
attitude towards sinners in hell4 ,take1
 for instance1 the case of ,filippo     
,argenti in the ,lake of ,mud 7,inferno1
 ,canto viii473 ',master1 ,i should much
 like to see him ducked in this broth   
before we depart from the lake4' ,and he
 to me1 ',ere the shore allows thee to  
see it thou shalt be satisfied2 it will 
be fitting that thou enjoy such a       
desire4' ,after this a little ,i saw    
such rending of him by the muddy folk   
that ,i still praise ,god therefor1 and 
thank ,him for it4 ,all cried1 ',at     
,filippo ,argenti6' and the raging      
,florentine spirit turned upon himself  
with his teeth4  #hi4 ,the ,god that    
holds you 444 drop down into hell4 ,this
 is probably the best remembered        
paragraph in this all too well          
remembered sermon4 ,comparison with the 
original manuscript shows some          
interesting variants from the printed   
text1 and at the same time gives        
evidence of the deliberateness with     

which the sentences were wrought out    
with reference to their calculated      
effect4 ,for both reasons the passage is
 here reproduced as written4  ,you are  
over the pit of hell in ,gods hand very 
much as one holds a spider or some      
loathsome ,insect over the fire  'tis   
nothing but for ,god to let you go  you 
fall in4 7,here follow four             
undecipherable lines1 which apparently1 
however1 do not belong in this          
connection4 ,the passage then continues 
on the next page of the ,ms47  this ,g4 
that thus holds you in his hand is very 
angry with you  dreadfully provoked4    
his wrath burns like fire4  you are     
lothsome and hatefull in his eyes  and  
worthy to be burnt--he looks upon you as
 worthy of nothing else but to be cast  
into the fire you are ten thous4 times  
more loathsome in his eyes than the most
 noisome insect in the eyes of us men   
you have offended him a thous4 times so 
much as ever an obstinate rebel did his 
prince4   yet you are in his hands  tis 

nothing at all but his mere pleasure    
that he keeps you from falling into hell
 every moment  there is no other reason 
to be given why you did not go to hell  
last night why you did not wake up in   
hell after you had closed your eyes to  
sleep  there is no other reason to be   
given why you have not drop'd since you 
rose in the morning  yea since you sit  
on here in the house of ,g4 ,provoking  
his pure ,eyes by your sinfull wicked   
manner of attending his ,holy worship   
,yea there is nothing else to be given  
as the ,reason why you don't this very  
moment drop down into hell4  ,between   
the sentences here separated by longer  
spaces1 lines curving from the lower    
part of the preceding to the upper part 
of the following are drawn1 indicating  
possibly rhetorical pauses in the       
delivery and suggesting to the modern   
reader a succession of waves1 wave on   
wave of horror1 each more overwhelming  
than the one that went before4  ,the    
above passage is contained in the       

manuscript under division ,i4 of the    
,application1 division ,,ii4 beginning1 
,and consider here more particularly 7p4
 #hi74 ,the four divisions thereafter   
following correspond roughly to those in
 the printed edition1 but are mere      
headings1 and differ from the six       
divisions first sketched4 ,inserted in  
the manuscript is a loose sheet         
containing in ,edwards's handwriting a  
careful outline of the whole sermon1    
such as he might have made when         
preparing the sermon for the press or   
used as notes for preaching4 ,the       
manuscript of the entire sermon is      
short1 but twenty-two pages of writing  
and one blank leaf4   ,a ,,strong ,,rod 
,,broken  #ih4 ,god's ,awful ,judgment4 
,the manuscript of this sermon is dated1
 ,on occasion of the death of ,col4     
,stoddard ,june #agdh4 ,it consists of  
fifty-two pages of the usual size of    
,edwards's manuscript sermons1 but with 
the unusual feature of being written in 
double columns4 ,the paper used was     

partly that of letters addressed to     
,edwards1 the writing being in places   
across the address1 and the stamp marks 
being removed2 partly--about twenty     
pages--pieces of fine1 soft paper1 deep 
cut around the upper edges1 believed to 
be scraps of the paper used by ,mrs4    
,edwards and her daughters in making    
fans4 ,the sermon is evidently written  
at high pressure1 with few corrections  
and fairly fully4 ,the title-page of the
 first edition reads as follows3 ,a     
,strong ,rod broken and withered4 ,a    
,sermon ,preached in ,northampton1 in   
the ,lord's ,day1 ,june #bf4 #agdh ,on  
the ,death of ,the ,honourable ,john    
,stoddard1 ,esq4 ,often a ,member of his
 ,majesty's ,council1 ,for many ,years  
,chief ,justice of the ,court of ,common
 ,pleas for the ,county of ,hampshire1  
,judge of the ,probate of ,wills1 and   
,chief ,colonel of the ,regiment1 c4    
,who died in ,boston ,june #ai4 #agdh4  
in the #fgth ,year of his ,age4 ,by     
,jonathan ,edwards ,a4,m4 ,pastor of the

 first ,church in ,northampton4 ,dan4   
iv4 #ce--;,he doth according to his     
,will in the ,army of ,heaven1 and among
 the inhabitants of the ,earth2 and none
 can stay his ,hand1 or say unto ,him1  
,what dost thou8 ,boston ,printed by    
,rogers and ,fowle for ,j4 ,edwards in  
,cornhill #agdh4  ,colonel ,stoddard was
 the eighth child and fourth son of the 
,rev4 ,solomon ,stoddard1 and therefore 
,edwards's uncle on his mother's side4  
,he was a man of great prominence in all
 the leading affairs of the town1 the   
county1 and the colony4 ,his life1 says 
,trumbull 7,history of ,northampton1    
,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #agb71 was the connecting
 link between the two series of great   
leaders who controlled the affairs of   
,western ,massachusetts for nearly a    
century and three-quarters4 ,his        
predecessors were ,john ,pynchon of     
,springfield and ,samuel ,partridge of  
,hatfield2 following him came ,joseph   
,hawley and ,caleb ,strong of           
,northampton1 and these five men were   

the leaders in the ,colony1 the         
,province and the ,state4 ,he was a     
stalwart upholder of royalty and the    
royal prerogative1 and for this reason  
had many opponents2 but the general     
esteem in which he was held is evidenced
 by his many offices and by the fact    
that he was seventeen times reelected   
the representative of the county to the 
,general ,court4 ,he was a valued friend
 of ,governor ,shirley1 in connection   
with whom there is a characteristic     
story of him4 ,it is that he once called
 and asked to see the ,governor when the
 latter had a party dining with him1 but
 declined the servant's invitation to   
come in4 ,the company were surprised and
 shocked at what they regarded as an act
 of discourtesy to the chief magistrate4
 ,what is the gentleman's name8 asked   
the ,governor4 ,i think1 replied the    
servant1 he told me his name was        
,stoddard4 ,is it8 said the ,governor4  
,excuse me1 gentlemen1 if it is ,col4   
,stoddard1 ,i must go to him4 7,from    

,dwight's ,travels1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #ccb1  
quoted by ,trumbull1 op4 cit4 p4 #agc47 
,his death removed one of ,edwards's    
strongest supporters and probably       
contributed to the tragic issue of the  
great controversy in which the preacher 
was now engaged4 ,in this connection it 
is interesting to find that ,colonel    
,stoddard in #agcf helped to lay out the
 township of ,stockbridge and that he   
had much to do toward establishing the  
mission to the ,indians there1 to the   
conduct of which ,edwards was called    
after his dismissal from ,northampton4  
,edwards's sermon is an eulogy1 but     
there is every reason to suppose that it
 gives on the whole a just impression of
 ,stoddard's character1 services1 and   
attainments4 ,on him1 see further       
,trumbull1 op4 cit4 ,vol4 ,,ii1 ,chap4  
xiii4  #aaf4 ,present war4 ,king        
,george's ,french and ,indian ,war      
7#agdd-agdh-i74 ,colonel ,stoddard1 as  
commander of the ,hampshire forces1     
directed the military operations in that

 part of the country until his death4   
,major ,israel ,williams of ,hatfield1  
who later succeeded to the command1     
writing under date of ,june #be1 #agdh1 
to ,secretary ,willard1 says3 ,we are   
now like sheep without a shepherd4444   
,god has been pleased to take him 7who  
was in a great measure our wisdom and   
strength and glory7 from us at a time   
when we could least spare him4          
7,trumbull1 op4 cit4 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4     
#aeh47   ,,farewell ,,sermon  #aah4 ,a  
,farewell ,sermon4 ,a ,farewel-,sermon  
,preached at the first ,precinct in     
,northampton1 ,after the ,people's      
publick ,rejection of their ,minister1  
and renouncing their ,relation to ,him  
as ,pastor of the ,church there1 ,on    
,june #bb4 #agej ,occasion'd by         
,difference of ,sentiments1 concerning  
the requisite ,qualifications of        
,members of the ,church1 in compleat    
,standing4 ,by ,jonathan ,edwards1      
,a4,m4 ,acts xx4 #ah4 ,ye know1 from the
 first day that ,i came into ,asia1     

after what ,manner ,i have been with    
you1 at all ,seasons4 ver4 #bj4 ,and how
 ,i kept back nothing that was          
profitable unto you1 but have showed    
you1 and have taught you publickly1 and 
from ,house to ,house4 ver4 #bf1 #bg4   
,wherefore ,i take you to ,record this  
,day1 that ,i am pure from the ,blood of
 all ,men3 ,for ,i have not shunned to  
declare unto you all the ,counsel of    
,god4 ,gal4 iv4 #ae1 #af4 ,where is then
 the ,blessedness ye spake of8 ,for ,i  
bear you ,record1 that if it had been   
possible1 ye would have plucked out your
 own ,eyes1 and have given them to me4  
,am ,i then become your ,enemy1 because 
,i tell you the ,truth8 ,boston ,printed
 and sold by ,s4 ,kneeland over against 
the ,prison in ,queen-,street4          
#agea4--,title-page of the first        
edition4  ,the preface to this sermon is
 a document so important for the        
understanding of it1 that it is here1 as
 is usual also in other editions1       
printed in full4  ,preface4 ,it is not  

unlikely1 that some of the readers of   
the following sermon may be inquisitive 
concerning the circumstances of the     
difference between me and the people of 
,northampton1 that issued in that       
separation between me and them1 which   
occasioned the preaching of this        
farewell sermon4 ,there is1 by no means1
 room here for a full account of that   
matter3 but yet it seems to be proper1  
and even necessary1 here to correct some
 gross misrepresentations1 which have   
been abundantly1 and 7'tis to be feared7
 by some affectedly and industriously   
made1 of that difference3 such as1 that 
,i insisted on persons being assured of 
their being in a state of salvation1 in 
order to my admitting them into the     
church2 that ,i required a particular   
relation of the method and order of a   
person's inward experience1 and of the  
time and manner of his conversion1 as   
the test of his fitness for ,christian  
communion2 yea1 that ,i have undertaken 
to set up a pure church1 and to make an 

exact and certain distinction between   
saints and hypocrites1 by a pretended   
infallible discerning of the state of   
men's souls2 that in these things ,i had
 fallen in with those wild people1 who  
have lately appeared in ,new ,england1  
called ,separatists2 and that ,i myself 
was become a grand ,separatist2 and that
 ,i arrogated all the power of judging  
of the qualifications of candidates for 
communion wholly to myself1 and insisted
 on acting by my sole authority1 in the 
admission of members into the church1 c4
  ,in opposition to these slanderous    
representations1 ,i shall at present    
only give my reader an account of some  
things which ,i laid before the council1
 that separated between me and my       
people1 in order to their having a just 
and full view of my principles relating 
to the affair in controversy4  ,long    
before the sitting of the council1 my   
people had sent to the ,reverend ,mr4   
,clark of ,salem village1 desiring him  
to write in opposition to my principles4

 ,which gave me occasion to write to    
,mr4 ,clark1 that he might have true    
information what my principles were4    
,and in the time of the sitting of the  
council1 ,i did1 for their information1 
make a public declaration of my         
principles before them and the church1  
in the meeting-house1 of the same import
 with that in my letter to ,mr4 ,clark1 
and very much in the same words3 and    
then1 afterwards1 sent in to the council
 in writing1 an extract of that letter1 
containing the information ,i had given 
to ,mr4 ,clark1 in the very words of my 
letter to him1 that the council might   
read and consider it at their leisure1  
and have a more certain and satisfactory
 knowledge what my principles were4 ,the
 extract which ,i sent in to them was in
 the following words3       ,i am often 
and ,i don't know but pretty generally1 
in the country1      represented as of a
 new and odd opinion with respect to the
 terms of      ,christian communion1 and
 as being for introducing a peculiar way

 of      my own4 ,whereas ,i don't      
perceive that ,i differ at all from the 
scheme      of ,dr4 ,watts in his book  
entitled1 ,the ,rational ,foundation of 
a      ,christian ,church1 and the      
,terms of ,christian ,communion2 which1 
he      says1 is the common sentiment of
 all reformed churches4 ,i had not      
seen this book of ,dr4 ,watts' when ,i  
published what ,i have written on       
the subject4 ,but yet ,i think my       
sentiments1 as ,i have expressed them1  
are as exactly agreeable to what he lays
 down1 as if ,i had been his      pupil4
 ,nor do ,i at all go beyond what ,dr4  
,doddridge plainly shows to      be his 
sentiments1 in his ,rise and ,progress  
of ,religion1 and his      ,sermons on  
,regeneration1 and his ,paraphrase and  
,notes on the ,new      ,testament4 ,nor
 indeed1 sir1 when ,i consider the      
sentiments you have      expressed in   
your letters to ,major ,pomroy and ,mr4 
,billing1 can ,i      perceive but that 
they come exactly to the same thing that

 ,i      maintain4 ,you suppose the     
sacraments are not converting           
ordinances3      but that1 'as seals of 
the covenant1 they presuppose           
conversion1      especially in the      
adult2 and that it is visible saintship1
 or1 in      other words1 a credible    
profession of faith and repentance1 a   
solemn      consent to the gospel       
covenant1 joined with a good            
conversation1 and      competent measure
 of ,christian knowledge1 is what gives 
a gospel      right to all sacred       
ordinances3 but that it is necessary to 
those      that come to these           
ordinances1 and in those that profess a 
consent to      the gospel covenant1    
that they be sincere in their           
profession1' or at      least should    
think themselves so4--,the great thing  
which ,i have      scrupled in the      
established method of this church's     
proceeding1 and      which ,i dare no   
longer go on in1 is their publicly      
assenting to the      form of words     

rehearsed on occasion of their admission
 to the      communion1 without         
pretending thereby to mean any such     
thing as any      hearty consent to the 
terms of the gospel covenant1 or to mean
 any      such faith or repentance as   
belong to the covenant of grace1 and are
      the grand conditions of that      
covenant3 it being1 at the same time    
that the words are used1 their known and
 established principle which      they  
openly profess and proceed upon1 that   
men may and ought to use      these     
words and mean no such thing1 but       
something else of a nature      far     
inferior2 which ,i think they have no   
distinct1 determinate notion      of2   
but something consistent with their     
knowing that they do not      choose    
,god as their chief good1 but love the  
world more than him1 and      that they 
do not give themselves up entirely to   
,god1 but make      reserves2 and in    
short1 knowing that they do not heartily
 consent to      the gospel covenant1   

but live still under the reigning power 
of the      love of the world1 and      
enmity to ,god and ,christ4 ,so that the
 words of      their public profession1 
according to their openly established   
use1      cease to be of the nature of  
any profession of gospel faith and      
repentance1 or any proper compliance    
with the covenant3 for 'tis      their  
profession1 that the words1 as used1    
mean no such thing4 ,the      words used
 under these circumstances1 do at least 
fail of being a      credible profession
 of these things4 ,i can conceive of no 
such      virtue in a certain set of    
words1 that it is proper1 merely on the 
making of these sounds1 to admit persons
 to ,christian sacraments1      without 
any regard to any pretended meaning of  
these sounds3 nor can      ,i think that
 any institution of ,christ has         
established any such terms      of      
admission into the ,christian church4   
,it does not belong to the              
controversy between me and my people1   

how particular or large the             
profession should be that is required4  
,i should not choose to be      confined
 to exact limits as to that matter2 but 
rather than contend1      ,i should     
content myself with a few words1 briefly
 expressing the      cardinal virtues or
 acts implied in a hearty compliance    
with the      covenant1 made 7as should 
appear by inquiry into the person's     
doctrinal knowledge7 understandingly2 if
 there were an external                 
conversation agreeable thereto3 yea1 ,i 
should think1 that such a      person1  
solemnly making such a profession1 had a
 right to be received      as the object
 of a public charity1 however he himself
 might scruple      his own conversion1 
on account of his not remembering the   
time1 not      knowing the method of his
 conversion1 or finding so much         
remaining      sin1 c4 ,and 7if his own 
scruples did not hinder his coming to   
the      ,lord's table7 ,i should think 
the minister or church had no right to  

debar such a professor1 though he should
 say he did not think himself           
converted2 for ,i call that a profession
 of godliness1 which is a               
profession of the great things wherein  
godliness consists1 and not a           
profession of his own opinion of his    
good estate4       ,northampton1 ,may   
#g1 #agej4        ,thus far my ,letter  
to ,mr4 ,clark4  ,the council having    
heard that ,i had made certain draughts 
of the covenant1 or forms of a public   
profession of religion which ,i stood   
ready to accept of from the candidates  
for church communion1 they1 for their   
further information1 sent for them4     
,accordingly ,i sent them four distinct 
draughts or forms1 which ,i had drawn up
 about a twelvemonth before1 as what ,i 
stood ready to accept of 7any one of    
them7 rather than contend and break with
 my people4  ,the two shortest of these 
forms are here inserted for the         
satisfaction of the reader4 ,they are as
 follows4       ,i hope ,i do truly find

 a heart to give up myself wholly to    
,god1      according to the tenor of    
that covenant of grace which was sealed 
in      my baptism2 and to walk in a way
 of that obedience to all the           
commandments of ,god1 which the covenant
 of grace requires1 as long as      ,i  
live4 ,another1       ,i hope ,i truly  
find in my heart a willingness to comply
 with all the      commandments of ,god1
 which require me to give up myself     
wholly to      him1 and to serve him    
with my body and my spirit4 ,and do     
accordingly      now promise to walk in 
a way of obedience to all the           
commandments of      ,god1 as long as ,i
 live4  ,such kind of professions as    
these ,i stood ready to accept1 rather  
than contend and break with my people4  
,not but that ,i think it much more     
convenient1 that ordinarily the public  
profession of religion that is made by  
,christians should be much fuller and   
more particular2 and that 7as ,i hinted 
in my letter to ,mr4 ,clark7 ,i should  

not choose to be tied up to any certain 
form of words1 but to have liberty to   
vary the expressions of a public        
profession the more exactly to suit the 
sentiments and experience of the        
professor1 that it might be a more just 
and free expression of what each one    
finds in his heart4  ,and moreover it   
must be noted1 that ,i ever insisted on 
it1 that it belonged to me as a pastor1 
before a profession was accepted1 to    
have full liberty to instruct the       
candidate in the meaning of the terms of
 it1 and in the nature of the things    
proposed to be professed2 and to inquire
 into his doctrinal understanding of    
these things1 according to my best      
discretion2 and to caution the person1  
as ,i should think needful1 against     
rashness in making such a profession1 or
 doing it mainly for the credit of      
himself or his family1 or from any      
secular views whatsoever1 and to put him
 on serious self-examination1 and       
searching his own heart1 and prayer to  

,god to search and enlighten him that he
 may not be hypocritical and deceived in
 the profession he makes2 withal        
pointing forth to him the many ways in  
which professors are liable to be       
deceived4  ,nor do ,i think it improper 
for a minister in such a case1 to       
inquire and know of the candidate what  
can be remembered of the circumstances  
of his ,christian experience2 as this   
may tend much to illustrate his         
profession and give a minister great    
advantage for proper instructions3      
though a particular knowledge and       
remembrance of the time and method of   
the first conversion to ,god is not to  
be made the test of a person's          
sincerity1 nor insisted on as necessary 
in order to his being received into full
 charity4 ,not that ,i think it at all  
improper or unprofitable1 that in some  
special cases a declaration of the      
particular circumstances of a person's  
first awakening and the manner of his   
convictions1 illuminations and comforts1

 should be publicly exhibited before the
 whole congregation1 on occasion of his 
admission into the church2 though this  
be not demanded as necessary to         
admission4 ,i ever declared against     
insisting on a relation of experience1  
in this sense 7viz41 a relation of the  
particular time and steps of the        
operation of the ,spirit in first       
conversion71 as the term of communion3  
yet1 if by a relation of experiences1 he
 meant a declaration of experience of   
the great things wrought1 wherein true  
grace and the essential acts and habits 
of holiness consist2 in this sense1 ,i  
think an account of a person's          
experiences necessary in order to his   
admission into full communion in the    
church4 ,but that in whatever inquiries 
are made1 and whatever accounts are     
given1 neither minister nor church are  
to set up themselves as searchers of    
hearts1 but are to accept the serious1  
solemn profession of the well instructed
 professor1 of a good life1 as best able

 to determine what he finds in his own  
heart4  ,these things may serve in some 
measure to set right those of my readers
 who have been misled in their          
apprehensions of the state of the       
controversy between me and my people1 by
 the forementioned misrepresentations4  
,,jonathan ,,edwards4  #ace4 ,but in all
 probability this will never be again4  
,it is sometimes asserted that ,edwards 
never again occupied the pulpit in      
,northampton4 ,this is not true4 ,he    
preached1 in fact1 twelve ,sundays1     
though1 to be sure1 not consecutively   
and only when other supplies could not  
be secured1 before his removal to       
,stockbridge4 ,there is perhaps more    
reason for the statement of ,dr4        
,hopkins1 quoted by ,dwight 7op4 cit4 p4
 #dah71 that the town at last--it is    
thought in ,november1 #agej--voted that 
he should preach no longer4 ,but the    
records of town and precinct are alike  
silent on this matter1 the only vote    
bearing on it being one passed by the   

precinct in ,november1 to pay ,mr4      
,edwards ,l#aj old tenor per ,sabbath   
for the time he preached here since he  
was dismissed4 ,trumbull1 who has       
established this fact 7,history of      
,northampton1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #bbg71 says
 that the last sermon by ,edwards in    
,northampton was in the afternoon of    
,october #ac1 #agea1 from the text ,heb4
 xi4 #af4 ,but even this is doubtful2   
for among the manuscripts in ,new       
,haven1 ,professor ,dexter discovered a 
sermon on #b ,cor4 iv4 #f marked as     
preached in ,northampton1 ,may #agee1   
and in a book of plans of sermons at    
least three notes of texts and doctrines
 of the same period marked as designed  
for ,northampton4 7,f4 ,b4 ,dexter1 ,the
 ,manuscripts of ,jonathan ,edwards1 p4 
#h47  #ade4 ,by which ,i became so      
obnoxious4 ,the excitement of the ,great
 ,awakening was followed by a period of 
laxity4 ,in #agdd ,edwards was informed 
that a number of the young people of his
 congregation1 of both sexes1 were      

reading immoral books1 which fostered   
lascivious and obscene conversation4 ,to
 check the evil1 he preached a sermon1  
of the frankness of which we may judge  
from the published sermon on ,joseph's  
,temptation1 from ,heb4 xii4 #ae1 #af1  
and after the service communicated to   
the brethren of the church the evidence 
in his possession with a view to further
 action4 ,a committee of inquiry was    
appointed to assist the pastor in       
examining into the affair at a meeting  
at his house4 ,edwards then read the    
names of the young people to be summoned
 as witnesses or as accused1 but without
 discriminating between the two classes4
 ,when the names were thus published1 it
 was found that most of the leading     
families of the town were implicated4   
,the town was suddenly all on a blaze4  
,many of the heads of families refused  
to proceed with the investigation2 many 
of the young people summoned to the     
meeting refused to come1 and those who  
did come acted with insolence4 ,edwards 

never thereafter succeeded in           
reestablishing his authority4 ,for years
 not a single candidate appeared for    
admission to the church4 ,see ,hopkins1 
,life of ,edwards 7#agfe71 pp4 #ec ff4  
,dwight1 op4 cit4 pp4 #bii f41 copies   
,hopkins's account almost verbatim1 but 
without acknowledgment4  #adf4 ,i have  
444 meet before him4 ,the company       
keeping and worldly amusements of the   
young people were an old grievance with 
,edwards4 ,writing of the period before 
the revival of #agcd-agce1 he says1 ,it 
was their manner very frequently to get 
together in conventions of both sexes1  
for mirth and jollity1 which they called
 frolicks2 and they would often spend   
the greater part of the night in them1  
without any regard to order in the      
families they belong to4 ,how the young 
people amused themselves in these       
conventions1 we can only conjecture2 it 
is certain that some1 at least1 of the  
parents saw no harm in them4 ,but       
,edwards's idea of family government was

 very different4 ,he allowed not his    
children to be from home after nine     
o'clock at night1 when they went abroad 
to see their friends and companions4    
,neither were they allowed to sit up    
much after that time1 in his own house1 
when any came to make them a visit4 ,if 
any gentleman desired acquaintance with 
his daughters1 after handsomely         
introducing himself1 by properly        
consulting the parents1 he was allowed  
all proper opportunity for it3 a room   
and fire1 if needed2 but must not       
intrude on the proper hours of rest and 
sleep1 or the religion and order of the 
family4 7,hopkins1 op4 cit4 p4 #dd47 ,we
 have reason to think that some of the  
other liberties commonly taken by young 
people in the land were calculated to   
favor anything rather than refinement   
and spirituality4  #adi4 ,a contentious 
spirit4 ,history in a general way       
corroborates the following testimony of 
,edwards concerning the contentious     
spirit in the people of ,northampton3   

,there were some mighty contests and    
controversies among them in ,mr4        
,stoddard's day1 which were managed with
 great heat and violence2 some great    
quarrels in the church1 wherein ,mr4    
,stoddard1 great as his authority was1  
knew not what to do with them4 ,in one  
ecclesiastical controversy in ,mr4      
,stoddard's day1 wherein the church was 
divided into two parties1 the heat of   
spirit was raised to such a degree1 that
 it came to hard blows4 ,a member of one
 party met the head of the opposite     
party and assaulted him and beat him    
unmercifully4 ,there has been for forty 
or fifty years a sort of settled        
division of the people into two parties1
 somewhat like the ,court and ,country  
party in ,england 7if ,i may compare    
small things with great74 ,there have   
been some of the chief men in the town1 
of chief authority and wealth1 that have
 been great proprietors of their lands1 
who have had one party with them4 ,and  
the other party1 which has commonly been

 the greatest1 have been of those who   
have been jealous of them1 apt to envy  
them1 and afraid of their having too    
much power and influence in town and    
church4 ,this has been a foundation of  
innumerable contentions among the       
people1 from time to time1 which have   
been exceedingly grievous to me1 and by 
which doubtless ,god has been dreadfully
 provoked1 and his ,spirit grieved and  
quenched1 and much confusion and many   
evil works have been introduced4 ,letter
 of ,july #a1 #agea to ,rev4 ,thomas    
,gillespie4 ,cf4 ,trumbull1 ,history of 
,northampton1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cf4       
,footnotes3  #a ,see ,j4 ,a4 ,stoughton1
 ,windsor ,farmes1 p4 #ci and p4 #fi n4 
,students of heredity may perhaps here  
find a clew to the character of         
,edwards's brilliant1 wayward grandson1 
,aaron ,burr4  #b ,see ,h4 ,n4          
,gardiner1 ,the ,early ,idealism of     
,edwards in ,jonathan ,edwards3 a       
,retrospect1 pp4 #aae-afj3 ,boston1     
#aija4 ,cf4 ,j4 ,h4 ,mac,cracken1 ,the  

,sources of ,jonathan ,edwards's        
,idealism1 ,philos4 ,rev41 xi4 #bf ff4  
7,jan4 #aijb74  #c ,that to the church  
at ,bolton1 ,conn4 ,but for some reason1
 not now apparent1 he was never         
installed there4 ,see ,s4 ,simpson1     
,jonathan ,edwards--a ,historical       
,review1 ,hartford ,seminary ,record4   
xiv4 #aa 7,november1 #aijc74  #d ,first 
printed by ,dwight1 ,life of ,president 
,edwards1 p4 #aad1 and frequently       
reproduced4 ,it has been compared to    
,dante's description of ,beatrice1 which
 in pure lyric quality it certainly     
equals1 though it lacks the latter's    
sensuous coloring and imaginative       
idealization4 ,the comparison is made by
 ,a4 ,v4 ,g4 ,allen1 ,the ,place of     
,edwards in ,history1 in ,jonathan      
,edwards3 a ,retrospect1 p4 #g2 the     
contrast is pointed out by ,john ,de    
,witt1 ,stockbridge 7#aijc71 ,oration1  
p4 #de 7pub4 by the ,berkshire          
,conference74  #e ,solomon ,clark1      
,historical ,catalogue of the           

,northampton ,first ,church1 pp4 #dj-fg 
7,northampton1 #ahia71 prints the list  
in full4  #f ,see note1 p4 #agi4  #g ,it
 is impossible here to go into the      
history of this famous controversy4     
,something concerning it will be found  
in the notes1 pp4 #agb ff42 ,dwight1 op4
 cit41 pp4 #bih-ddh1 prints the         
documents from ,edwards's ,journal in   
full2 the records of the church are     
silent4 ,it should be stated1 perhaps1  
in fairness to the ,northampton people1 
that the pastoral relation was not then1
 as is sometimes supposed1 regarded as  
indissoluble2 six clergymen were        
dismissed from neighboring churches     
between #agba and #agee4 ,moreover1     
,edwards1 eminent as he undoubtedly was 
as a preacher1 was to them only the     
parish minister2 his great fame as a    
theologian was established later4 ,cf4  
,trumbull1 ,history of ,northampton1    
,,ii1 #bbe4 ,it is also not unreasonable
 to suppose that the spiritual          
capacities of the people had been       

overstimulated4 ,the later repentance of
 ,joseph ,hawley 7see ,dwight1 op4 cit41
 p4 #dba71 ,edwards's cousin1 who had   
taken a leading part in the movement    
against him1 concerns only the spirit of
 the opposition2 it does not seriously  
question the wisdom1 under the          
circumstances1 of the separation4  #h   
,aaron ,burr1 the ,vice-,president of   
the ,united ,states1 who killed         
,alexander ,hamilton in a duel1 was     
their son4  #i ,see1 e4g41 the incident 
recorded by ,dwight1 op4 cit41 p4 #acc1 
where the rapture lasts for about an    
hour1 accompanied for the greater part  
of the time with tears and weeping      
aloud4  #aj ,see ,f4 ,b4 ,dexter1 ,the  
,manuscripts of ,jonathan ,edwards1 p4  
#g4 7,reprinted from the ,proceedings of
 the ,mass4 ,hist4 ,soc41 ,march1       
#aija47  #aa ,as1 e4g41 in the great    
ethical sermon on the ,sin of ,theft and
 of ,injustice from the text1 ,thou     
shalt not steal4 ,works1 ,worcester     
reprint1 ,,iv1 #fja4  #ab ,examples of  

this are found in the manuscript sermons
 on ,john i4 #dg and ,john i4 #da1 #db1 
which are here taken as typical4  #ac   
,samuel ,hopkins1 ,life of ,edwards1 p4 
#dh4  #ad ,as illustrating the expansion
 in the printed sermon as compared with 
the manuscript prepared for preaching1  
see note p4 #aeg4  #ae ,the next        
neighbor town4  #af ,if ,i am in danger 
of going to hell1 ,i should be glad to  
know as much as possibly ,i can of the  
dreadfulness of it4 ,if ,i am very prone
 to neglect due care to avoid it1 he    
does me the best kindness who does most 
to represent to me the truth of the     
case1 that sets forth my misery and     
danger in the liveliest manner4--,sermon
 on ,the ,distinguishing ,marks of a    
,work of the ,spirit of ,god4  #ag ,as  
,professor ,a4 ,v4 ,g4 ,allen informs   
the editor in a letter1 ,jan4 #bc1      
#aijd4     ,transcriber's ,notes3       
,passages in italics are indicated by   
italics4  ,passages in bold are         
indicated by bold4  ,the original text  

includes several intentional blank      
spaces4 ,these are represented by  in   
this text version4  ,the misprint dont  
has been corrected to don't 7page #afi74