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great, and the fcorchings of the awakened confcience are fevere. It is faid, "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmities, but a wounded fpirit who can bear ?” Prov. xviii. 14. The foul of a man will bear his bodily troubles; but when the foul itself is troubled and wounded, who can bear him up? Who but he that healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds, Pfalm cxlvii. 3. Although a real convert, after the first convictions have iffued in converfion, doth not receive the fpirit of bondage again unto fear, in the manner as before, yet after grievous backflidings, he may, in a manner, be fent back to mount Sinai, and find great flames of the fiery law flashing in his face: his convictions may be greater, and the fcorchings hoter than before, because now he sees he hath finned against so many mercies, fo much light, and fo many experiences of God's goodness, fo many fweet ejoyments and enlargements, that he is thunder-ftruck with the fearful apprehenfions, that he hath finned the unpardonable fin, the fin against the Holy Ghoft; though the trouble on that head gives him the lie, and manifefts that that is not the cafe, yet the wound is deep, and the foul is thus fcorched almoft to death, till, in anfwer to the call, "Return, backfliding children, for I am married to you,' it returns again to its refting-place, and fits down under the fhadow of the Apple-tree. I go on, therefore,

II. To the fecond thing propofed, To speak of the object of faith, Christ, as a fhadow and fhelter for the fcorched foul. And here you may take both a negative and positive view of this fhadow.

1ft, View it negatively; and remember there is no other shadow, no other reft for the foul but Chrift; all other fhadows are but refuges of lies: "There is no other name under heaven given, among men, whereby we must be saved; neither is there falvation in any other," Acts iv. 12. Other shelters are broken reeds. What fays God to them that trufted in the fhadow of Egypt, and in the strength of Pharaoh? "The strength of Pharaoh fhall be your shame; and truft in the shadow of Egypt your confufion?" Ifa. xxx. 2, 3. They that

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to any other fhadow, both rebel against God, and ruin themselves, Ifa. xxxvi. 5, 6. Jer. xlviii. 45.-" Truly in vain is falvation looked for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the falvation of Ifrael," Jer. iii. 23. All other fhadows that men betake themfelves to, will bring them to a bed of forrow, Isa. 1. 11.; they will prove as Jonah's gourd, having a worm at the root, that will wither them.Whatever fhadow men truft to, whether it be the fhadow of worldly props and miflaken providences, the fhadow of unfound experiences, the fhadow of natural and common graces, the fhadow of gofpel-privileges, the fhadow of legal righteoufnels; duties of civility, morality, or whatever elfe, unhappy are they to find a fhadow to reft under without Chrift: "Their forrow fhall be multiplied that hallen after another God:" their forrows will but gather into a dam, to meet them in their extremity, when they have little need of fuch an encounter.Happy only are they that find no reft for the fole of their feet, till, with the dove, they come to the ark, Chrift. Here, by the bye, is a touch-ftone of a good or bad condition: he that is in a bad condition, any fhadow, without Chrift, will fatisfy and content him; . but he that is in a good condition, no fhadow, in the world, but Chrift, will eafe and please him.

2dly, View this object pofitively; Chrift is the fhadow indeed, and he alone, for the relief of poor fcorched fouls, the fun-beaten, and fin-bitten foul. I fhall direct you to fome fcriptures for fhewing this; and then obferve that he is a fhadow for all fad cafes, and having all good qualities.

1. For the fcripture-expreffions hereof, fee Pfalm xxxi. 20. He is faid to " Hide them in the fecret of his prefence, from the pride of men: and keep them fecretly in a pavilion, from the ftrife of tongues." Hence fays David, Pfalm Ivii. 1. "In the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, till thefe calamities be over-paft :" and Pfalm xci. I." He that dwelleth in the fecret place of the Moft High, fhall abide under the fhadow of the Almighty.-Pfalm cxxi. 5, 9. The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy fhade upon thy right-hand; the fun fhall

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not fmite thee by day, nor the moon by night.-Ifa. iv.6. And there fhall be a tabernacle, for a fhadow, in the day-time, from the heat; and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from ftorm, and from rain.-Ifa. xxv.4. For thou hast been a ftrength to the poor, a ftrength to the needy in his diftrefs, a refuge from the ftorm, a fhadow from the heat, &c.-Ifa. xxxii. 2. A man fhall be a hid ing place from the wind, a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, and as the fhadow of a great rock in a weary land."

2. Here is a fhadow in all cafes, particularly in the four following ones.

(1.) A fhadow and fhelter against the wrath of God, for guilty finners to fly to, that would fly from the wrath to come: he is "Jefus, who delivers us from the wrath to come," and from the curfe of the fiery law; for, he hath righteoufnefs without the law to give, whereby he juftifies the ungodly, in a way that magnifies that law, by paying all the debt of obedience and fatiffaction it can crave; and fo is, "The end of the law, for righteoufnefs, to every one that believeth."

(2.) He is a fhadow against all challenges and charges whatfoever, in fo much, that the believing foul, that fits under this fhadow, may fay, "Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that juftifieth, who is he that condemneth?" Rom. viii. 33, 34. He is a fhadow again every raging and impetuous luft and corruption, that toffes and vexes his people like the raging waves of the fea; and that by the mortifying virtue of his death and blood; hence these two things go together, Rom. xiii. 14. "The putting on Chrift Jefus the Lord, and the making no provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts thereof:". the raging heat of corruption. is abated under this cool fhadow.-He is a fhadow from all fears and cares, anxieties and grievances, relating to worldly circumftances, when a believer hath the faith of Chrift's care and providence between him and the ftorm, according to that word, Matth. vi. 31. 34. "Take no thought what ye fhall eat, or what you fhall drink, or wherewithal you fhall be clothed.-Take no thought for to-morrow, for to-morrow fhall take thought for itfelf."

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And Phil. iv. 6. "Be careful for nothing, &c.-1 Pet. v. 6. Calling all your care upon him, for he careth for you."

(3.) He is a fhadow from the fcorching heat of the fiery darts of Satan's temptations: for, who is it that rebukes the tempter? It is the Lord Jefus Chrift, with a" Get thee behind me, Satan."-Who is it that prays always acceptably for the tempted and fcorched believer? It is Chrift: "Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired thee, that he may fift and winnow thee as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not."-Who is he that is always a friend at hand, when the believer is at the laft gafp, ready to be scorched to death? It is Chrift; I Cor. x. 13. "There hath no temptation taken you, but what is common to men: but God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above what ye are able to bear; but will with the temptation make a way to efcape, that you may be able to bear it."-What fhould one do for relief against all the temptations and delufions of the day, but just come under the fhadow of the Apple-tree. "Chrift himself fuffered, being tempted, that he might fuccour them that are tempted," Heb. ii. 18.

(4.) He is a fhadow against the fcorching heat of afflictions, and that either when he prevents them, and keeps them off, and Stays his rough wind in the day of his eaft wind; being a prefent help in the time of trouble" or, when he fanctifies troubles, and bleffes them to the advantage of his people; "By this fhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged;" or, when he fupports under trouble, and enables them to bear, and by faith to quench the violence of fire, and out of weaknefs makes them ftrong: or, when, whatever be their loffes by affliction, he makes up their lofs with a hundred fold more; and makes them, with all other things, to work for their good, though fome trials may feparate them from friends and brethren; but here is a fhadow againft that forrow, namely, "Who fhall feparate me from the love of Chrift?"&c. Rom. viii. 35,-39.

3. Here is a fhadow with all the good qualities of a fhadow; particularly, a thick, a bread, a lafting, and a living fhadow.

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(1.) It

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(1.) It is a thick fhadow. Some trees have fhadows, but in hot days the beams of the fun will pierce through them, because they are thin; but this is a thick fhadow no fcorching wrath of divine difpleasure can get into the foul that is under it. The deftroying angel, that flew the firft-born of Egypt, could not come near the door that was fprinkled with the blood of the lamb; no more can the wrath of God reach these that are under the cover and fhadow of the blood of Chrift, that fpotlefs "Lamb of God, that taketh away the fin

of the world."

(2.) As it is a thick, fo it is a broad fhadow, it covers the whole man; and it covers all that come under it notwithstanding of the multitude of the receivers of Chrift; yet a numberless number may get room here: notwithstanding all the redeemed, from the beginning, who have come, yet there is room for more: "Whofoever will, let him come.-God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth on him, might not perish, but have everlasting life."

(3.) It is a lafting fhadow: not like Jonah's gourd, that came up in a night, and withered in a night; it fenced him from the fun's heat, and from the east wind, and that only for a night, and then went away: but, this is a fhadow of goodness and mercy, that follows the believer all the days of his life, as the pillar of cloud that followed Ifrael in the wildernefs, and never left them as long as they had occafion for it: Chrift never leaves the foul till he fets it beyond all hazard and danger in the heavenly Canaan. Whatever are or may be your trials, this is a fhadow that was, and is, and is to come. For,

(4.) It is a living fhadow: it is the fhadow of the Tree of life, that hath life in itfelf, and that gives life and health to all that fit down under it; "The leaves of this tree are for the healing of the nations," Rev. xxii. 2. Was there a healing virtue in Peter's shadow, Acts v. 15. that the fick were brought forth to the street, and laid in beds and couches, that at leaft the fhadow of Peter paffing by, might overshadow fome of them? O! what must be the healing and quickening virtue of

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