perfect holiness in the fear of God, 2 Cor. vii. 1. We are told by St. Peter, that these exceeding great and precious promises are given to us, that by them we might be partakers of a divine nature, having escaped the pollution that is in the world through lust, 2 Pet. i. 4; and that we might give all diligence to add to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and patience, and brotherly kindness, and charity.

And the threatenings of the gospel are so many powerful arguments against sin; therefore the apostle calls the gospel the power of God unto salvation, because therein the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, Rom. i. 17, 18. So that if we call ourselves Christians, we profess to embrace the holy doctrine of the Christian religion, which is perfectly opposite to all wickedness; to be governed by those laws which strictly enjoin holiness and virtue; and to be persuaded that all the promises and threatenings of the gospel are true, which offer such glorious rewards to obedience, and threaten disobedience with such dreadful punishments.

2. He who calls himself a Christian professeth to live in the imitation of Christ's example, and to follow his steps who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. The Son of God came into the world not only by his doctrine to instruct us in the way to happiness,

and by his death to make expiation of sin; but by his life to be an example to us of holiness and virtue; therefore in Scripture we find several titles given him which relate to this character, as of a prince, a captain, a master, and a guide. Now, if he be our pattern, we should endeavour to be like him; to have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus; to walk in love as he also hath loved us, and given himself for us. We should make it our sincere endeavour to please God and do his will, and to fulfil all righteousness as he did. Does any man profess himself a Christian, and yet abandon him- ' self to intemperate and filthy lusts? Is this like our Saviour? Are we cruel and unmerciful? Is this like the high-priest of our profession? Are we proud and passionate, malicious and revengeful? Is this to be like-minded with Christ, who was meek and lowly of spirit, who prayed for his enemies, and offered up his blood to God on the behalf of them that shed it? If we call ourselves Christians, we profess to have the life of Christ continually before us, and to be always correcting and reforming our lives by that pattern.

3. He who calls himself a Christian has solemnly engaged to renounce all sin, and to live a holy life. By baptism we have solemnly taken upon us the profession of Christianity, and engaged ourselves to renounce the devil and all his works, and obediently to keep

God's commandments. And this obligation we renew as often as we receive the blessed sacrament of Christ's body and blood; therefore the cup in the sacrament is called the new covenant in his blood; that is, this represents the shedding of Christ's blood, by which rite the covenant between God and man is ratified. And as by this God confirms his promises to us, so we oblige ourselves to be faithful and obedient to him; and if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth; that is, after we are become Christians, we account the blood of the covenant a common thing; or we make nothing of the most solemn rite that ever was used in the world for confirmation of any covenant, the shedding of the blood of the Son of God.

II. I come now to the second thing proposed; and that is, to persuade those who profess Christianity to answer the obligations to a holy life, which their religion lays upon them. And in order to this I will urge these three considerations:

First, The indecency of the contrary.

Secondly, The great scandal of it to our blessed Saviour, and his holy religion.

Thirdly, The infinite danger of it to our own souls.

First, Consider how unbecoming it is for a man to live unsuitably to his profession. If we call ourselves Christians, we profess to be instructed by the best master; to be the dis

ciples of the most perfect institution that ever was in the world; to have embraced a religion which contains the most exact rules for the government of our lives; which lays down the plainest precepts, sets before us the best patterns of a holy life, and offers us the greatest assistances and encouragements to this purpose; we profess to be furnished with the best arguments to excite us to holiness and virtue, to be awed with the greatest fears, and animated with the best hopes of any men in the world.

Now, whoever makes such a profession as this, obliges himself to live answerably; to do nothing that shall contradict it. What is more absurd than for a man to act contrary to his profession; to pretend to great matters, and to perform nothing of what he pretends to ?

If we profess to believe the Christian religion, we expose ourselves to the scorn and contempt of every discerning man, if we do not live up to it. With what face can he continue in the practice of any known sin, who professes to believe the holy doctrine of the gospel, which forbids all sin under the severest penalties? If we did but believe the history of the gospel, as we do any ordinary credible story; did we but regard the laws of Christianity, as we do the laws of the land; were we but persuaded that fraud, oppression, lying, perjury, intemperance, uncleanness, covetousness, pride, malice, revenge, neglect of God and religion, will

bring men to hell, as certain as treason and felony will bring them under the sentence of the law; had we but the same awe and regard for the threatenings and promises of the gospel, that we have for the frowns and smiles of those who are in power; even this would be effectual to keep us from sin and if the gospel have not this effect upon us, it is an argument that we do not believe it.

It is to no purpose to go about to persuade men that we heartily entertain the doctrine of Christ, (that doctrine which hath all the characters of piety and justice, of holiness and virtue, upon it; which obligeth men to whatsoever things are true, honest, chaste, lovely, and of good report), if we have no regard to it in our lives. He that would know what a man believes, let him attend rather to what he does, than to what he says; he that leads a wicked life makes a more effectual profession of infidelity, than he who in words only denies the gospel. If we profess ourselves Christians, it may justly be expected from us that we should live at another rate than the heathens did; that we who worship a holy and just God, should not allow ourselves the liberty of sin as those did who worshipped such gods as were examples of sin, and patterns of their vices.

When thou art ready to debase thyself to any vile lust, remember that thou art a Christian; consider what title thou bearest, by what name thou art called, whose disciple thou art;