condemneft not thyfelf as worthy of forer SERMI Punishment. Haft thou given in thy Name to Chrift in the Day of thy Efpoufals? Behold, thy Maker and thy Redeemer is thine Husband and thou haft fet thy Seal to thy everlasting Shame and Condemnation, fhouldest thou prove falfe to thy first Love. Thy broken Vows, like an hideous Spectrey will e continually haunt and terrify sthees Men and Angels and all the Creatures will witness to thy Reproach, and inftead of the loving Embraces of the heavenly Bridegroom, thou shalt find in Him an angry and a jealous God, even a God that is a confuming fire to all that have dealt treacherously against Him.oft Wouldft thou then fay, My Beloved is mine, fee that thou be able to say also, and I am his; His in Duty, His in Faithfulpefs, His in Love and as thou art espoused to one Husband, fee that thou keep clear of sall adul terus Loves, and admit not any Rivals into Partnership with Him, for He will not accept of divided Affections He gave his own Heart's Blood for thee and will have thy whole Heart's Love for Him. "Except a Man forfake all that he hath, fays Chrift, he cannot be my Disciple.”

SERMIT.

Secondly, The Bride of Chrift must be adorned with a meek and humble Spirit, which is in the Sight of God of great Price: And this the heavenly Bridegroom teaches: -"Learn of me, for I am meek and low"ly in Heart, and you fhall find rest unto your Souls." He to whom all Power was given both in Heaven and Earth, could, by a very flender Exertion of it, had He been fo minded, have appeared in all the Pomp and Splendor of earthly Wealth and Grandeur; but He took upon Him the Form of a Servant, and veiled his Majefty in Meannefs, to teach us a Leffon of Humility: Ye covetous and ambitious Spirits, How can ye believe this without being covered with Shame and Reproach! When the Officer ftruck Jefus with the Palm of his Hand, faying, "Anfwereft thou the High Prieft “fo ?” Our Lord, meek and patient like the Lamb of God, only replied, " If I have spo"ken Evil, bear witness of the Evil, but if "well, why fmiteft thou me?? Say, Onye Sons of Thunder and Lightning, who burft into Paffion and flaming Refentment, upon 'every flight Indignity, how will ye be able to justify your Behaviour by this Example of the patient Jefus ! Hear Him, after this,

upon

upon the Cross, under his expiring Agonies, SRM IE praying for his Murderers, and declare, O ye malicious and revengeful Hearts, if you can any longer withold your Forgiveness from an offending Brother!

The Law did allow a Retaliation for Injuries, an Eye for an Eye, and a Tooth for aTooth, it being a Miniftration of Wrath, and Fire its Emblem, for God out of Chrift is a confuming Fire against all Ungodliness and Unrighteoufnefs of Men: But we are not now under the Law, but under Grace, even that better Covenant whofe Influence is Peace and Love in all its Children, as it requires that we be " kindly affectioned one "towards another, tender hearted, forgiving ❝ one another, even as God for Chrift's fake hath forgiven us." This meek and amia ble Spirit of the Gospel Difpenfation is figu red in manyPlaces under the Symbol of Wa ter; and Chrift is faid to have come by Wa ter and Blood, to denote by the former the Virtue and Power of his Spirit to cleanse us from Sin, which is the Fewel of God's Wrath in the Souls of Man: "He that be "lieveth on Me, fays our Lord, out of his "Belly fhall flow Rivers of living Water," fpeaking of the Spirit in the Hearts of Be

lievers:

SERM. II lievers

And with this Spiritual, Heavenly Water (of which the outward in the Sacra ment is the vifible Sign) we must be bap tized; of this we must be born again before we can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven? Now when the Gofpel Grace of Meekness, as a Stream from the Fountain of Life, flows in upon the Soul, it extinguishes the Fire of Wrathfulness, Impatience and Vengeance in our fallen Nature, calms the Paffions, com poses the Mind to Devotion, and makes us the Friends both of God and Men. Ever-i more, Lord, give us this Water, that we thirft not lerne bel bas ysWodis

Zeal for the Honour of God and his Righ teous Laws is a commendable Virtue, and was the diftinguishing Characteristick of the Old Teftament Worthies; but then let it be remembered, that they were Ministers of a Legal, not Evangelical Righteousness, and were rather the Executioners of God'sVen- | geance, than the Meffengers of his Love to Mankind; And therefore tho' we shall do well to follow their Faith and Patience, yet we must be cautious how we propose to our? felves their Zeal for a Pattern under the milder Difpenfation of the Gofpel, and be particularly careful, that it be guided by

Know

Knowledge, and tempered with Charity. SEM. II. John the Baptift came in the Spirit of Elijah and, like his Fore-runner, was auftere in his Life, fevere in his Cenfures, and bold to rebuke Sin and Vice: our Lord bears this Teftimo-Ÿ ny to him, that "among all that were born "of Women, there had not rifen a greater "than him." And great indeed he was; for he ftood at the End of the Law and at the Beginning of the Gofpel; was the immedi ate Harbinger of Chrift, initiated Him into his Ministry; and declared as concerning his own Baptism of Repentance, that it was only to prepare the Way, and lead Sinners to Him the great Minifter of Reconciliation, "The "Lamb of God that taketh away the Sins of the World. But tho' fuch and fo great. was the Office of this extraordinary Man, yet our Lord pronounces him to be less than the leaft of those who were baptized with his Spirit of Meekness and Love.

of If then a Zeal for God against all Sin and Wickedness, tho' kindled at the facred Fire of Sinai's Mount, comes fò far fhort in Blef fedness of that meek and gentle Flame of heavenly Love which warms the Breafts of Sion's Sons and Daughters, what shall we

say