PREFACE.

IN presenting the numbers of these Village Sermons, so as to give sufficient variety, and yet never to lose sight of the main object intended; namely, as instrumental in the Lord's hand, by the ministry of the Lord's word, "to make wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus: " (2 Tim. iii. 15.) the Sermon here presented to the cottager, for himself and family, or for himself and the villagers around him, is a continuation of the same subject as before was brought them in the first number. In that, it was meant to make manifest (and on Scripture ground) that they, and they only, prove themselves to be "the servants of the most high God, which shew unto his people the way of salvation." (Acts xvi. 17.) In this sermon it is intended no less to prove, (and from the same authority,) that the people of the most high God do shew whose they are, and to whom they belong, in having obtained "the knowledge of salvation by the remission of their sins." (Luke i. 77.) This forms, therefore, the most suitable subject to follow the former; and, under the Lord's blessing, it is hoped that both will minister to the Lord's glory, in the promotion of the spiritual edification and comfort of the Lord's people. And what a blessed event will it be to this labour of love, if, while the servants of the most high God are enabled of the Lord "to shew the way of salvation to his people;" the people have the knowledge of salvation given them by the Lord himself, "in the remission of their sins." This will be the same testimony as the apostle declared to the church, when he said, "Knowing brethren beloved, your election of God; for our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power; and in the Holy Ghost; and in much assurance." (1 Thess. i. 4, 5.)

PRAYER BEFORE READING.

GRACIOUS Lord God! we humbly beg to present ourselves before thy divine majesty, who art the high and lofty One, inhabiting eternity, having revealed thyself in thy trinity of persons, to whom we are permitted to approach in and through the mediation of our most glorious Christ. About to read thine Holy Word, and to hear the observations made on thy Holy Word in the Sermon sent into our Village; will the Lord graciously condescend to bless it to our spiritual understanding, as far as it is in agreement "to the truth as it is in Jesus ;" and as it shall please our God to make it profitable to our souls, in Christ Jesus? Lord! give to us the hearing ear, the seeing eye, and the understanding and believing heart; that our little assembly may have assurance of thy presence, from an unction attending thy word, and from "the savour of thy name, being as the ointment poured forth." Blessedly suit thy mercies to the wants of thy people now before thee; that as the word of thy grace is delivered before in every part of it, and to the close of it, our souls may be so refreshed for the consolation, that like him of old, the secrets of whose heart were made manifest by the ministry of divine things, "we may each for ourselves fall humbly on our face before our God, and report that God is in us of a truth." (1 Cor. xiv. 25.) The Lord hear and answer prayer, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

us,

SERMON II.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF SALVATION BY THE REMISSION OF SINS, THE SURE PROOF OF THE GOSPEL.

LUKE i. 77.

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins.

SALVATION! What a mighty word! And taken in all its bearings, of what a vast, and infinite extension! It is far beyond that great millstone, which John in vision saw the mighty angel take up, and cast into the sea; saying, "Thus, with violence, shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." (Rev. xviii. 21.) But what is the destruction of Babylon, which is but one foe of the church, compared to the destruction of all the enemies of our God, and of his Christ-sin, death, hell, and the grave, which our most glorious Lord, in his own Almighty person, and by his own Almighty arm, wrought out, and accomplished, so that their places in Christ's eternal kingdom, "shall be found no more at all?" He hath "finished transgression, (as the prophet foretold of him) made an end of sin:” (Daniel ix. 24.) so that "the iniquity of Israel, when sought for, there shall be none; and the sins of Judah shall not be found." (Jer. 1. 20.) "He hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light by his gospel." (2 Tim. i. 10.) Nay, he hath not only abolished death, but “ destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil.” (Heb. ii. 14.) And both hell and the grave he hath vanquished; "having spoiled principalities, and

powers, and made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Coloss. ii. 15.) So that looking to him and his finished salvation as the sole cause of all our triumphs over those tremendous foes of ours, we may, and do take up the language of the apostle, and which he found in Christ, and say with him, "O death! where is thy sting? O grave! where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law: but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. xv. 55-57. compared with Hosea xiii. 14.) Oh! what a mighty word, and of what infinite extent is salvation!

more,

But we must not stop here. Salvation, by the sole incommunicable work of our most glorious Christ, hath not only done all these things, and infinitely in relation to the life that now is; but hath secured all the promises of the life that is to come. God manifest in our flesh, by his great salvation hath recovered to his body the church all our justly forfeited inheritance, to which the church from everlasting was chosen in Christ, and to which she is now restored in Christ; and to have and to hold in Christ to all eternity. The apostle Peter, under the inspiration of God the Holy Ghost, hath very blessedly stated this, when he saith, "The God of all grace hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus." (1 Pet. v. 10). So that you observe, "eternal glory" is included in this great salvation: yea, it is the erowning point of all. It is the great and leading cause for which Christ came down from heaven, to bring all his people after him there. What this eternal glory is, I stay not at this time to enquire. Indeed we are told, that it is so inconceivably great and blessed, that "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”