Outline 2.

2. Distressed souls. - See the second Adam, “made to you of God, wisdom,” &c. You can do all things through Christ. Innocency, happiness, garments of righteousness, and glory in him. Believe, till you are changed. Plead, God was your Father.

3. Children of God. - Grow, walk in his image. Show you are born. Know your privileges in Jesus Christ are greater than in Adam. Seriousness, majesty, dignity, heavenly mindedness, contempt of earth, become you. “Whose image and superscription hath it?” See by thoughts, words, actions. See by the contrary, the glass of the law and the Gospel. O! pray, that God would deface with Jesus’ blood, and stamp you with his Spirit. New heart: till then, all is against you, creation, redemption, &c. OUTLINE 2.

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” 2 Corinthians 6:2.

INTRODUCTION. - Two grand devices of Satan, and mistakes of men.

1. Unbelief. - “God will not save us now.”

2. Impenitency. - “He will do it at death.”

I. What is “the accepted time?”

1. When God offers sinners to accept their persons, and pardon their sins.

2. When sinners can close with that offer.

Time of rejection. - Foolish virgins. Proverbs 1. Esau. II. What is “the day of salvation?”

1. As to Christ: days of his flesh, birth, temptation, agony, death, resurrection, intercession.

2. As to the Spirit: when he saves sinners by an application of what Christ has done and suffered.

(1.) From stupidity, by awakenings.

(2.) From guilt, by a pardon.

(3.) From uneasiness, by peace and joy.

(4.) From a spiritual hell, by a taste of heaven.

(5.) From sin, by righteousness and a new birth.

A day. - Short space, wasting, soon gone, to work in: followed by the night. Day of life, day of grace, Lord’s day, day of health, day of youth, day of the Gospel, day of power.

Remember Felix, Lot’s sons, Jerusalem.

III. “Now is the accepted time,” &c.

The Father calls, Jesus intercedes, ministers plead, the Spirit strives. While you have conscience to reprove, eyes to see, ears to hear, senses, health leisure.

Now Christ stands; now saints pray; now mercy courts; now sceptre of love; now door of heaven opened; now well of life unsealed; now the scale hovers; now a breath; now death is coming; now Gospel trump sounds; God about to summons; now that others enter in.

Behold, consider. Let not Satan, world, flesh, blind thee. Behold, soon the time of rejection, no time. Soon the day of death, of judgment, of condemnation. The day when the wheels of opportunity shall be fast. O who shall bear that day of God, that last day? APPLICATION. - To sinners. - Jesus weeps over you. Know, squander not your day; kill not time, soul, and Saviour together.

Mourners. - Publicans, now, Zaccheus, no to - morrow.

Believers. - Know, tell, show; day of glorification near. OUTLINE 3.

“This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance,” Matthew 21:38.

INTRODUCTION. - Speech both of the Jews, and of every unbeliever, at least in their hearts and actions. Barbarous mothers. Herod and Pharaoh kill. I. Jesus is the Son and heir.

1. Son, Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 3; Hebrews 1; Psalm 2. One in nature and essence, dignity. As old as his Father, as venerable; always begotten, and always in begetting; as brightness, and the sun.

2. Heir, Hebrews 1:2; Romans 8:17, and 4:13. II. What is his inheritance?

1. Heaven. - That part of it people do not trouble themselves much about.

2. Earth. - “The uttermost parts” of it, Psalm 2:8. For this many fight: they will seize on houses and lands, and those refined particles of the earth, called silver and gold, with all its fruits.

3. “The heathen for his inheritance.” - All nations, our souls and bodies, our senses, powers, members, hearts, are Christ’s, though we seize upon them as our own.

III. The unbelieving heart, the Jew within, says, “Let us kill him.” Let us see him killed without taking his part. Let us reject him. Let us not entertain him. Let us account his blood a common thing. Let us crucify him by sin. Let us look on him as dead and lost. Let us “seize on his inheritance.” He is come to take possession of thy thoughts and heart; seize them not; they are his right, as Son, as Redeemer, and heir. APPLICATION. -

1. Unconverted. - Too long have ye murdered him afresh; perhaps doubly on his holy days.

2. Ye unbelievers, though you do not kill him, yet, Pharaoh like, you take him not up, you nurse him not, as Pharaoh’s daughter did Moses. Mind now.

This is the heir, the Son; come let us kiss him, adore, serve him. Let us restore him his inheritance. Let us kiss him, with the shepherds; restore his own with the wise men: in so doing you will become heirs and joint heirs.

3. Ye believers, be as busy every one in saying, “This is the Son, believe on him,” as the Jews were in crying, “Crucify him!” Remember, you are his peculiar possession.