"9. As the Father hath loved me, fo have you: continue ye in my love."

" I loved you:

We cannot perform our duty, without the affistance of the Holy Spirit; but this Chrift has promifed fhall conftantly be prefent, to aid and affift thofe who wish and defire to be God's true and faithful fervants: A Chriftian muft ever be advancing towards perfection: each day, therefore, fhould fhew forth fome new virtue; for in this race there is no standing ftill if we do not advance in piety and virtue, we shall, most certainly, fall back; and every step loft will require ten-fold pains to recover, and render our final triumph more difficult.

God is glorified, when his creatures love, honor, and obey him. This we can all do, in our different ftations and fituations in life: if we love, we fhall obey him; and

Weak tho' we are, to love is no hard task:

And love for love is all that Heav'n does afk."

WATTS.

Those

Those who would excufe themselves, on the plea that their temptations are greater than they can withstand, will find, upon ftrict examination, that if they had taken the fame pains to acquire fpiritual bleffings which they have employed (and perhaps fruitlessly) in the pursuit of temporal honors and advantages, and the pleasures (as they are called) of this life, they would have been completely fuccefsful. Before I quit this subject, I muft beg leave to introduce a quotation from a work lately translated from the French, which is particularly applicable

to it.

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"Thou wilt never poffefs felicity, till "thou shalt be able to command thyself, " and hold over thy paffions an undisputed empire. Imagine not that this dominion is fuperior to human weakness: defcend into thyself, my fon, and thou wilt ever "find a principle of virtue ready to com"bat every vice which may endeavor to "feduce thee. Thus, in every fituation, "Heaven has provided thee either with " confolation

"confolation or fupport: take advantage, then, of thy Creator's bounty; and cease "to believe thyfelf weak, in order only to "have an excufe for falling."-Florian.

What an unbounded love does our bleffed Lord exprefs for his difciples, in comparing it with the love of God the Father towards himself! Since we know the way to continue in his love, can we deserve the name of rational creatures if we run the risk not only of lofing fo invaluable a treasure, but at the fame time of fubjecting ourfelves to his wrath and its confequence, everlasting punishment ?

"10. If ye keep my commandments, ye fhall abide in my love; even as I "have kept my Father's commandments, " and abide in his love.

"11. These things have I spoken unto 66 you, that my joy might remain in you, " and that your joy might be full.

12. This is my commandment, That
love one another, as I have loved

you.

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13. Greater love hath no man than "this, that a man lay down his life for " his friends.

14. Ye are my friends, if ye do what"foever I command you.

15. Henceforth I call you not fervants; for the fervant knoweth not what "his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard "of my Father I have made known unto you."

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Our Lord often reminds his disciples of the neceffity of their love and obedience to him, and of their love and charity towards each other; which he makes the test of their faith in him. The knowledge he had of the frailty of human nature, and how very apt men are to forget the most important duties, occafioned the frequent repetitions he made use of to imprefs his doctrines the more firmly on their minds. How could they be otherwife than joyful, when affured of fuch infinite love on the part of their Lord, and,

through

through his means, on that of his Father alfo; fince, to a reasonable foul, there can be no greater gratification conceived than that of a perfect union with its almighty Creator? Our Lord honored his disciples with the name of 'friends' this placed them in a situation of much greater intimacy with him, than if he had treated them as his fervants only, and gave them much fuperior advantages. Much more is to be learned from a master and friend, than from a mafter only; as the title of friend warrants thofe free inquiries which the distant respect from a fervant to his mafter would naturally reftrain.

"16. Ye have not chofen me, but I "have chofen and ordained you, that ye fhould go and bring forth fruit, and

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you,

"that your fruit fhould remain; that "whatsoever ye fhall ask of the Father in 66 my name, he may give it you.

"17. These things I command you, love one another.

"That ye