"not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and "in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the "truth, and fhall affure our hearts before him: for if "our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our "heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our "heart condemn us not, then have we confidence to"wards God: and whatfoever we afk we receive of " him, because we keep his commandments, and do "thofe things that are pleafing in his fight. And "this is his commandment, that we should believe on "the name of his Son Jefus Chrift, and love one "another, as he gave us commandment." m The third and laft paffage, which I fhall mention on this account, is in his fourth chapter of the fame epiftle, viz. "And we rave feen, and do teftify, that "the Father fent the Son to be the Saviour of the "world. Whofoever fhall confefs that Jefus is the "Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. "And we have known and believed the love God "hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in "love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein "our love is made perfect, that we may have bold"nefs in the day of judgment; becaufe, as he is, fo "are we in this world." So that keeping God's word and commandments, and our confciences from accufing us, and our being like to CHRIST in this world, is our loving of God as we ought to love him. These are the holy fruits of all thofe that love God, and believe in Chrift, that are the family of the faithful,' regenerated and redeemed from the earth: wherever two or three of them are met together, Chrift is in the midst of them; they neither afk nor hope in vain. With this character let us take a view of all perfons and focieties of Christians throughout the world, not forgetting ourselves; let us hereby try their faith and religion, and our own:" If it be of • God the Father, it is pure and undefiled; it leads 1 John iv. 14, 15, 16, 17. a James i. 27. them • them that have it, to vifit the fatherlefs and widows in their affliction, and to keep themselves unspotted from the world.' Is this our cafe? O that it were fo! If it be objected, Which way fhall we obtain this like precious faith?' I anfwer, We must take diligent heed to the light and grace that comes by Jefus; that candle of the Lord, which he has fet up in our fouls: we must bring our deeds to this light, and see if they be wrought in God or no? for this gives us to difcern betwixt the precious and the vile; the one gives joy, the other brings a load of guilt upon the foul. Do we not know, that we do the things we ought not; and that we leave undone the things we ought to do. This, alas! will be our judgment one day, the laft, the terrible day for therefore men are condemnable, because they know. Those, therefore, that would obtain this precious faith, that overcomes the world, muft embrace the "GRACE of our Lord Jefus Chrift," by which this faith is begotten; and they who believe not in this grace, nor receive it in the love of it, nor give themfelves up to be taught and led by it, can never be faid truly to believe in him from whom it comes, any more than the Jews may be faid to believe in God, when they rejected him that came from God, his Beloved Son. He that denies the measure, can never own or receive the fulness. John bears record, that he was "full of grace and truth, and that of his fulness they "received, and grace for grace: for the law was given by Mofes, but grace and truth came by Jefus Christ:" fo that it is utterly impoffible for a man to believe in Chrift, and not to be taught and led by the grace that comes from him, and by him. "We It is a common faying of people in these days, "are not under the law, but under grace;" who are in truth under fin and the law of death, and fubjects to • John iii. 20, 21. P John i. 14. 16, 17. the the prince of the power of the air, who reigns in the hearts of "the children of difobedience;" and their lives fhow it no, thofe are under grace, that live the holy life of grace. "For the grace of God, that "bringeth falvation," faith the apoftle Paul, hath "appeared unto all men; teaching us, that denying "ungodliness and the world's lufts, we fhould live fo"berly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world:" Thefe are the people that believe in Chrift, unto the faving of the foul. This is that bleffed light which fhines in the hearts of those that believe, and gives "the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift." The ancients walked in it, and found eternal life by it." "I am the light of the world," faid Chrift," he that follows me fhall not walk in "darkness, but have the light of life." The faints armed themselves with it against the fiery darts of Satan; and, by the virtue and power that is in it, were enabled to overcome temptation. And this will be the condemnation of disobedient men, That they see, but shut their eyes; they know the light, but rebel against it.' Chrift, by his holy light in the conscience, fhews men their danger, warns them of it, before it comes upon them: no man on earth can plead either ignorance or surprise. It is true, the "Candle of the wicked is often put "out" but that implies it is often lighted, and that men fin against conviction, against fight and knowledge it is wilful, and that is dangerous. No faith, in difobedience, will do; no faith, without holy fruits, holy works, will fave. Men must be born again, if ever they will enter into the kingdom of God: there is no fellowship between Chrift and Belial :" people muft part with their vile affections and inordinate defires, or they are no company for Chrift; they have no share in him. What part can pride have in humility, wrath in meeknefs, luft in felf-denial, revenge in for ₫ Tit. ii. 11, 12. John viii. 12. • Rom. xiii. 12, 13, 14. 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15. giveness? givenefs? To pretend to believe in Chrift, and not to be like him, is a contradiction. "This is the mef"fage," faid the beloved difciple," "which we have "heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is « light; and in him is no darkness at all: if we fay, "that we have fellowship with him, and walk in "darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." The truth is, all fuch faith and profeffion are a lie, and that in the right-hand;" a cheat upon a man's felf. "But," fays he, "if we walk in the light, as God " is in the light, we have fellowship one with ano"ther, and the blood of Jefus Chrift his Son clean"feth us from all fin. If we fay that we have no fin, (to be cleanfed from) we deceive ourfelves, and the "truth is not in us: but if we confefs our fins, he "is faithful and juft to forgive us our fins, and to "cleanse us from all unrighteoufnefs." To conclude, Christ Jefus, the Son of God, and Saviour of the world, is holy, harmless, and undefiled, and fo must his followers be: he is no head of a corrupt body, nor master of rebellious fervants: he that has not the Wedding garment,' must be caft out: the branch that brings not forth fruit, will be cut off. But those that truly believe in his name, walk in his light, and are taught by his grace to renounce the "Lufts of "the eye, the lufts of the flesh, and pride of life,” the unjuft profits, pleafures and pomps of the world, and chufe to follow him in his own holy way of refignation and regeneration, the fame is his brother, his fifter, and his mother. And whatever loffes they may here fuftain for his name's fake, they have the promise of an "Hundred-fold in this life, and the inheritance "of that which is eternal."z And I do fervently befeech Almighty God, the giver of all faving faith, mercifully to vouchfafe, more and more, to beget a ferious inquiry in us, what that faith is which we have? Who is the author of it? 1 John i. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 33, 34, 35. * Isaiah xliv. 20. y Mark iii. 32, And And what fruits it hath brought forth? That fo we may not profane the name of God by a Vain profeffion of it,' nor abuse ourselves unto eternal perdition: but that we may endeavour, by God's affistance, to approve ourselves fuch believers, as fincerely fear God, love righteoufnefs, and hate every evil way, as becomes the redeemed of God by the precious blood of his Son. Since, therefore, we are not our own, but the Lord's, who hath bought us with that great price, let us glorify him in our bodies, in our fouls, and in our fpirits, which are his: then fhall we be children of Abraham indeed, heirs of the promises, partakers of that refurrection and life, that immortality and glory, which God the righteous judge will, one day, plentifully diftribute to them that abide in this precious faith unto the end. This naturally brings me to my third head, and an unhappiness we have long laboured under. SECT. IV. Of debafing the true value of morality, under pretence of higher things; and mistaking, in great measure, the very end of Chrift's coming. B Y morality, I understand virtuous living, purity of manners; that justice, temperance, truth, charity, and blameleffness in converfation, out of confcience and duty to God and man, which may well denominate the man that lives that life, a man juft, virtuous, and pious: in fhort, "one that does unto "all men, as he would have all men do unto him :" This is my moral man. It is notorious how small an estimate two forts of people have put upon him; the profane and the profesfors, the Publicans and the Pharifees: the first despise him, as too fqueamish, nice and formal; they deride a Mat. vii. 12. |