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" which is to them an evident token of

per"dition, but to you of falvation, and that " of God. For unto you it is given, in the "behalf of Chrift, not only to believe on “ him, but also to fuffer for his fake." Beware of courting the favour of the wicked, by conforming in any degree to their corrupt maxims and practices; but keep up the majesty of true godlinefs, and study fo to live, that they may find no occasion against you, except it be concerning the law of your God. "Be blameless and harmlefs, the "fons of God, without rebuke, in the midst ❝of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye fhine as lights in the world, "holding forth the word of life." "Fi“nally, brethren, whatfoever things are

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true, whatsoever things are honest, whatfoever things are juft, whatfoever things "are pure, whatfoever. things are lovely, "whatfoever things are of good report: If there be any virtue, and if there be any praife, think on thefe things;" " and "the God of peace fhall be with you." Amen.

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SERMON

351

XIV.

ROMANS xiv. 8.

Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's.

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HE following verfe will inform you who that Lord is of whom the Apostle fpeaks in this paffage. "To this end," faith he, "Chrift both died, and rofe, and re"vived, that he might be Lord both of "the dead and living." He is the King whom God hath fet upon his holy hill of Zion, and appointed to be the head over all things to the church: for as Paul wrote to the Philippians, in regard of his humbling himfelf, and becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; "therefore "God alfo hath highly exalted him, and "given him a name, which is above every CC name;

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name; that at the name of Jefus every "knee should bow, of things in heaven, "and things in earth, and things under the ❝ earth; and that every tongue fhould "confefs, that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to "the glory of God the Father.” This doctrine we all profefs to believe; nay, the defignation we bear imports an acknowledgement that Chrift is our Master. But something more than the appellation of Christians is neceffary to prove that we are in truth his fervants. The proper, the only decifive teft, is that which lies before us in the words of my text; where one who knew well what Christianity was, thus speaks in the name of all fincere believers: Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's.

It is the comprehenfive description of the Christian's life expreffed in these few, but emphatical words, We live unto the Lord, which I have chosen for the fubject of the following discourse. And my defign is,

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I. To inquire into the import of living unto the Lord; and,

II. To apply the character as a measure, or ftandard, for helping us to judge of our fpiritual condition.

I. Living unto the Lord may be confidered as including the following particulars :

ft, That we make his will the rule, the only rule, of our conduct.

Our Lord hath intrufted us with various talents, and requires that we should improve them to the best advantage, for the important purposes for which they were bestowed. We are his fervants, and have a task affigned us, for which we must be accountable to him at last. It is not left to our own choice what pieces of fervice we fhall perform; but we must at all times wait upon him for direction; faying, as Paul did when ftruck to the ground, "Lord, what wilt thou have "me to do?" Neither is it enough that we do the things he requires, unless we do them because he requires them. The laws of our Lord are fo wifely calculated to promote the private interefts of individuals,

and

and the public welfare of human fociety, that they who are most difaffected to his government, will choofe, for their own fake, to comply with many of his facred injunctions: but they, and they only, live unto the Lord, who realife his authority, and do every thing he enjoins, as an act of willing and cheerful obedience, as a part of that homage they owe to their Mafter.

2dly, To live unto the Lord, is to make his approbation our governing aim, and to study to please him in all that we do.

I need not tell you that we early contract a love for many things which are hurtful to our fouls, and ftand condemned by the laws of our Sovereign. This renders fome parts of duty fo painful to the flesh, that they are compared in Scripture to the “cutting off a right hand, and the plucking out

a right eye;" operations which no man would fubmit to, far lefs perform them himfelf, unless the preservation of the reft of his body rendered them abfolutely neceffary. Other parts of duty are attended with inconveniences of a different kind: They may draw upon us the fcorn, the

hatred,

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