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ity; a Christian without gratitude to his Maker, or affiance in his goodness, a Christian without love to Christ, without piety, without humility? Take away any one of these disposition, and you rob the soul of that which must express the spiritual life it pos

sesses.

Examine therefore yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves. If a man say he hath faith, and hath no works, can that faith save him? You may leave out, or put what you please into the character of one you choose to call a Christian. You may make baptism sufficient, or an assent to the truth of scripture, and that capital doctrine in it, that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ who should come into the world, and on this ground worship among Christians. Nevertheless the unchange. able standard is, the character of a Christian delineated in the word of God. This speaks so plainly, it needs no comment. It speaks to men of every age; it makes no difference, and allows of no abatement; it peremptorily affirms, in a variety of expressions, all importing the same universal change of temper respecting God, that they who are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts.

This alone is the Christian character, though it were to be found only in one of a thousand, in one of a nation. To delude ourselves with popular notions which reduce the Christian character to a receiving certain articles of faith, and a regular observance of some religious ceremonies, is the sure way to confirm infidels in contempt of the gospel, and sooth men in their ruinous conceit, that the form of godliness is sufficient without the power.

As you desire, therefore, to obtain salvation, and would not be found a hypocrite in the great day, take good heed that you worship God in spirit and

in truth; that the most exact observer of your life and tempers shall be compelled to own, that all the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, prove, and strongly recommend, the excellency of your faith in his name.

PRAYER,

Suited to the preceding Subject.

O GOD, Father of angels and men, who wast in Christ Jesus reconciling the world unto thyself, give us grace, we beseech thee, to serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear, that we may have respect to all thy commandments. Add, O our God, to all the multitude of mercies we have received, this great one, of a thankful heart; penetrate our souls with a sense of our infinite obligations to thee. Created, preserved, and redeemed by thee, give us grace to present ourselves, our souls, and bodies, a living sacrifice. Save us from an evil heart of unbelief. In pressing difficulties, how ready are we to distrust thy goodness! How hard do we find it, to rely upon thy word and thy invisible power! We have often given thee cause to complain of us, and say, How long is it ere this people will believe me? May we receive thy promises in the full assurance of faith, and wait the accomplishment of them in hope, though all things seem to go contrary to

them.

To thy rich bounty, O our God, we are indebted for all our talents and faculties, which exalt us above the beasts of the field; and thou hast given them to us, for thy own glory. May we diligently use them all to promote that great end; to spread the savour of the knowledge of thy truth, and convince all men who observe our life, that we desire God in all things

may be glorified. Give us grace to honor, thee by hating vain thoughts, by never suffering that to lodge within, which we dare not indulge. May we have power to walk in this world as Christ walked in love to thee, in victory over the temptations which surround us, in the enjoyment of thy presence, waiting till we come to the spirits of the just made perfect. Till that blessed change takes place, teach us diligently, and with delight, to use every means which thou hast appointed to keep the remembrance of thee and thy benefits fresh upon our minds; and, sensible of the glory of thy Majesty, and our own meanness, of thy spotless purity, and our great and manifold pollutions, may we ever walk humbly with our God, judging ourselves unworthy to lift up our eyes unto Heaven, or take thy name within our lips, though thou humblest thyself to dwell with men.

In this manner may we, day by day, worship thee, O Lord our God, in the beauty of holiness; and may every thing short of such substantial goodness. appear to us no better than empty form. Till we finish our course, be thou our exceeding joy; that when we enter eternity, we may find the delight of angels and glorified saints, the very happiness we were accustomed, in a measure, to enjoy before.

We beg an answer to these our requests for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Redeemer. Amen.

SUNDAY XXIX.

CHAP. XXIX.

The Tempers of a Christian towards his Fellow creatures.

THE scriptuse teaches us, that God has made all things for his own glory. Yet, far from requiring any duty from us detrimental to men, it is impos sible to please him without being a friend to human kind. No parent ever so affectionately studied the happiness of his offspring, or took so much pleasure in their harmony, as the Father of our spirits in seeing us all obey his great command, of loving one another.

Were his command universally obeyed, the church of Christ would be a picture of Heaven, a perpetual circulation of mutual good will. It is, alas! too true, that few out of a multitude of Christians professed have ever been subject to this law of love. Nevertheless, it is the noble peculiarity of a real Christian to behave towards others as every man living would wish to have all men do towards himself; and to stand as much distinguished by excellent tempers towards men, as by faith, love, and devotion towards God.

These excellent tempers I shall now delineate, proving every real Christian must be an invaluable blessing to society, whilst he stands forth an intrepid witness for the peculiar doctrines of the everlasting gospel.

May the God of the Christians make this representation of their duty towards men effectual to convince the reader, that if he wishes well to mankind, their good can never be so much promoted, nor so,

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in fact, secured by any thing, as embracing the faith of Christ.

In delineating the tempers of a Christian, I shall begin with that eminent one, sincerity. As a Christian, you will esteem it your duty constantly to speak you do the truth; to give no commendations where not think they are due; to flatter no one as possessing excellencies he hath not; nor speak as if you regarded them with peculiar affection, when by this you only mean to pay court. Though, amongst the refinements of the polite, and in the commerce of the world, this be a requisite accomplishment, in fact it is a mean and detestable dissimulation.

Sincerity in your conversation will be attended with equal sincerity respecting all your promises and engagements. Besides a general obligation to speak truth, which breach of promise violates, you would in this case incur additional guilt; since, when you promised to do a good office, or confer a benefit, immediately in the court of conscience, before the God of truth, the right of the thing promised passes from you to the receiver of it. Wherefore, without his leave, you have no more right to recal it than if you had given him a legal bond; consequently you will esteem yourself obliged to perform your word, though it may be much to your prejudice, in every instance where you have made a promise; unless some specified conditions not fulfilled, or something concealed, vacates its obligation: and when your testimony is given upon oath, laying aside all affection or prejudice, and unawed by the great, you will represent every thing as it has fallen under your notice. In these important and similar instances, you will be sincere, whilst your motives to be so are very different from those which have weight with upright moralists, and much superior. He may be an advocate for sincerity, because it is

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