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of faith, that they pray for this peace, to the end that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve God with a quiet mind: plainly showing that they would have people to look for the experience of this peace in the present life. Agreeable to this is the apostle's prayer for the believing Romans; "the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost."

By this time the precious effects of believing in Jesus are plain and evident. Here is "pardon, peace, cleansing from all sins, and serving God" in all holiness of living "with a quiet mind." Thus does the Lord "know them that trust in him."

Since, then, O convinced sinner! "the Lord is good," and invites thee to come to him as " a stronghold;" and since these are the precious effects of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, thou seest what thou hast to do, even to come to Christ without any delay. We set before you, brethren, Christ crucified as the sovereign remedy for all who are in spiritual trouble. We are warranted, by God, to exhort you to make use of him and to try him, and him alone, for the obtaining of true peace, joy, and holiness ; of support in death, and in the end, everlasting life. There is no way of trying him and applying this Saviour but by believing, or depending on him; or to use the phrase of the text, by TRUSTING HIM. Receive him, then, O convinced sinners! Why tarry you? Arise, and wash away your guilt by faith in his blood. Do not put off this work of believing till to-morrow. Set yourselves earnestly to taste and see how gracious this Lord is immediately. "Blessed

is the man that trusteth in him." Jesus also said, "he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.'

Yes: You who have tried this remedy of trusting in Jesus, know its effects. You know this alone has purged your consciences; subdued your hearts; given you true joy and peace, and liberty; and enabled you to walk in God's commands with love. It has broken the force of your evil habits, and taught you to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. It has made you to love and praise the Lord with all your souls.

I have now finished what I proposed. I have set forth the day of spiritual trouble; how GOOD the Lord is; what a "strong hold," and how he owns, and blesses, and sanctifies them that trust in him, and I have exhorted the convinced sinner to receive this Saviour without delay. But I fear there may be some here who despise this precious gift of faith in Christ; and the reason of their despising it is, because they are without spiritual feeling; they have no trouble nor care for their souls; they are dead in sin. If, however, there be any weight in the united testimony of the best and wisest in all ages, they should consider that the reality of such conviction and conversion as I have spoken of, has the sanction of the best witnesses. And to spare the mention of others at this time, I will only mention once more our Reformers, and repeat again that short collect of our church, to which they often say Ameni "Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people, pardon and peace; that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind, through Jesus Christ our Lord.".

SERMON V.

THE SINFUL LUSTS OF THE FLESH OVERCOME BY FAITH.

2 Peter, i. 4.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Ir is as true in spiritual as it is in worldly things, that the sense of want and necessity leads men to useful discoveries. In proportion as this sense increases, the soul is led on to acquire those advantages which may supply its wants, and in the natural progress of such exertion to obtain even blessings and conveniences, which were unexpected. Thus suppose (but I hope and trust it will one day be found to be more than a supposition) that there are persons here who, through the sense of guilt, and of bondage in sin, were led to Christ and the knowledge of his righteousness; that they, in wrestling with God, "obtained precious faith," whereby they received this righteousness; that they found "grace and peace multiplied on them through the knowledge of Christ;" had a soul-cheering view of " all things pertaining to life and godliness," being freely

given them through this knowledge; and of the happy end, ETERNAL GLORY," unto which they were kept by the power of God through faith :" Persons thus favoured of the Lord, must be sensible, that by the sense of want, which he kindly gave them, grievous though it was, they were led to pray, to seek, to inquire, "is there any rest; any light; any peace; any real victory over these devouring evils to be obtained?" That there is, and even much more than what is sufficient to supply their wants, the Lord has shown them by experience. Thus he led them to gospel-peace, and the enjoyment of divine love.

But now, since that time, especially if they gave. way to pride, or to trifling, or to the love of the world, they have been led (still it is in a way of mercy on God's part) to a discovery of fresh wants. They have deeper views than ever of the enmity, idolatry, self-righteousness, unbelief, and rebellion of their hearts. Lusts and evil tempers, which, while God was filling them with peace and joy in believing, they fancied had been quite dead, or, at least, so subdued as never again to give them much trouble, they find, to their grief and astonishment, are strong and stubborn. Nay, from an increasing view of the nature of sin, and the extent of duty, they appear stronger than ever. Darkness also, and ignorance of God; of true pleasure; of duty; of all things which it concerns them to know, may overspread the soul. Temptations may harass, may overpower them at times, and if they have been looking more at the things done in them by the Spirit, and more pleased with the gift than with the source from

whence all good proceeds, no wonder they are discouraged exceedingly, and give way to thoughts of much heaviness. Still however all will be well, notwithstanding their fears. They have brought forth true fruit, though defiled with far more evil than they were aware of during their pleasant experience: God is purging them, that they may bring forth more fruit. What they have felt of the plague of their own hearts, may help to cure that censorious spirit, that readiness to condemn, by rash judging, persons who were better christians than themselves. They will have less self-conceit, be less hasty in their determinations, have a less opinion of their own understanding, and in all respects be advanced in grace. The sense of wants still deeper and stronger than ever, should lead to deeper views of the riches of Christ their Saviour.

In a manner very suitable to the state of such persons, St. Peter goes on to show how they may grow in all sanctification, by faith, in the same manner as he had shown how we are to receive justification by faith. Hence we learn more and more of the riches of Christ. For it is not striving and watching, however earnest and sincere, that will give a man the victory over his sins, and renew him in the spirit of his mind. The world, the flesh, and the devil, will be too hard for him, unless he strive in the one only lawful way, set forth in the text; "whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." Here is the true secret of living happy, and above sin. Let us endeavour to illustrate the point a little 'for

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