"without spot to God, purge your confcience from dead "works to serve the living God ?”*

None but real Chriftians, exercifed in the fpiritual life, know the value or neceffity of the promifes of ftrength and affiftance contained in the fcriptures. The glory of their Redeemer's perfon, fpoken of in fo magnificent terms, both in the Old Teftament and the New, is furveyed by them with the most exquifite delight. The power and efficacy of his adminiftration is, to them, a fource of unspeakable comfort. Under him, as the Captain of their falvation, they " display their banners," and go forth with undaunted courage to meet every oppofing enemy, believing that they fhall be "more than conquerors through "him that loved them." Among many others, fee the two following paffages: "O Zion that bringest good "tidings, get thee up into the high mountain: O Jerufa"lem, that bringeft good tidings, lift up thy voice with ftrength, lift it up, be not afraid: fay unto the cities. "of Judah, Behold your God. Behold, the Lord God "will come with ftrong hand, and his arm fhall rule for "him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work be"fore him. He fhall feed his flock like a fhepherd; he "fhall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in "his bofom, and fhall gently lead thofe that are with young.t-Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not દ difinayed, for I am thy God: I will ftrengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right-hand of my righteoufnefs. Behold, all they that were incenfed against thee, fhall be afhamed and con"founded: they fhall be as nothing, and they that strive "with thee, fhall perish. Thou fhalt feek them, and "fhalt not find them, even them that contended with "thee: they that war against thee, fhall be as nothing, "and as a thing of nought. For I the Lord thy God will "hold thy right-hand, faying unto thee, Fear not, I will 'help thee."I

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* Heb. ix. 13, 14. † If. xl. 9, 10, 11. If. xli. 10, 11, 12, 13.

SECT. VII.

How the Christian is governed in his daily conversation.

B

EFORE concluding this chapter, I fhall fpeak a few words of the principles by which a believer is governed in his after obedience. On this the reader may observe, that a change in his whole character and conduct, immediately and neceffarily takes place. The love of God is "fhed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost," and is the commanding principle of all his future actions. It conftantly discovers its influence, except in so far as it is refifted and counteracted by the remaining struggles of that "law in his members, which warreth against the law "of God in his mind." By the discovery which he hath obtained of the real nature and infinite amiableness of God, his will is renewed; he approves the things that are excellent, and gets fuch an impreffion of the obligation of the law of God, as cannot be afterwards effaced. So long, however, as he continues under a load of unforgiven guilt, and fees every perfection of God armed with terror against himself, there can be little elfe than flavish fear: but when he hears a gracious promife of pardon; when on examining the evidence, his doubt and uncertainty is removed; when he sees the righteous ground on which this forgiveness is built, he lays hold of it as his own, and is united to God by unfeigned love. This love, though weak in its measure, is, notwithstanding, perfect in its nature, and therefore powerful in its influence; being at once a love of esteem, of gratitude, and of defire.

The love of God is the firft precept of the moral law, and the first duty of every intelligent creature; but it is eafy to fee, that unless our love is fixed upon the true God, it is fpurious and unprofitable: and unless the true God is feen in "the face of Jefus Chrift," for any finner to love him is impoffible: but through the glorious gospel, the new nature is effectually produced, and cannot be produced in any other way. It is Chrift Jefus who reveals to us the true God, the knowledge of whom we had loft. "No man hath feen God at any time; the only begotten

"Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath de"clared him."* It is he who makes our peace with God, whom we had offended by our tranfgreffions; for "being "juftified by faith, we have peace with God through our "Lord Jefus Chrift." And it is he who reconcileth our minds to God, by difcovering his mercy to us; fo that he might well fay of himself, "I am the way, and the truth, " and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by "me."+

I might eafily fhew, that the love of God is the fource, the fum, and the perfection of holinefs. All other duties naturally flow from it; nay, all other duties are nothing elfe but the neceflary expreffions of it. But inftead of en

tering into a particular detail, fuffer me only to obfervé thefe two things; Firft, that a believer is under the conftant influence of gratitude to God; and, fecondly, That this includes in it, and will certainly produce, the most fincere and fervent love to all his fellow-creatures.

1. A believer is under the conftant influence of gratitude to God, and that not of a common kind. It is not merely thankfulness to a bountiful and liberal benefactor, for mercies which have not been deferved, but a deep fenfe of obligation to a Saviour, who loved him, and wafhed him in his own blood from the guilt he had contracted; who faved him by his own death from the dreadful pena!ty which he had incurred. What the influence of this muft be, we may gather from the words of the apoftle Paul, "For the love of Chrift conftraineth us, because we thus judge, That if one died for all, then were all dead; "and that he died for all, that they which live fhould not "henceforth live unto themfelves, but unto him which "died for them, and rofe again.

I cannot immediately drop this fubject, but intreat the reader to obferve how deeply a fense of redeeming love must be engraven on the heart of every believer. On how many circumstances will he expatiate, which serve to magnify the grace of God, and point out the force of his own obligations? The infinite greatnefs and glory of

John i. 18. † Rom. v. 1. ‡ John xiv. 6.

God, independent and all-fufficient, that he fhould have compaffion on the guilty finner, and fay, "Deliver him "from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom." O, how piercing thofe rays of love, which could reach from the Godhead to man! To this he will never fail to add his own unworthinefs, his numerous, aggravated, repeated provocations. He never lofes fight of those fins which first compelled him to fly for refuge "to the hope "fet before him." His own intereft obliged him to remember them before, as expofing him to condemnation, and he is now willing to confefs and record them, as ferving to illuftrate the divine mercy.

And let us never forget the unfpeakable gift of God, "that he fpared not his own fon, but delivered him up for "us all." How fhall we fufficiently wonder at the boundlefs mercy of the Father, and the infinite condefcenfion of the Son, when we reflect upon his incarnation, and on the astonishing end of his appearance in our nature, that he might "bear our fins in his own body on the tree." Did he overcome all his enemies in his laft conflict, and "make a fhew of them openly, triumphing over them in "his crofs ?" And fhall he not alfo, by the fame means, reign in his people's hearts, and be the fovereign Lord of all their affections?

To all this, I fhall only add that glorious inheritance, which is provided for every "veffel of mercy," after he hath paffed his preparatory trials. How well may we join with the apostle Peter in this folemn form of thanksgiving, "Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, "which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten "us again by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the "dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and "that fadeth not away."* Now, when all thefe circumftances are confidered by the believer, together with fuch as may be peculiar to himself and his own paft conduct, must he not be ready to cry out, "Lord, what wilt thou "have me to do! O that I knew how I might repay fome "fmall part of my infinite obligations! O that I knew by

1 Pet. i. 3, 4.

"what means, or at what expence I might magnify and "do thee honor! Write thy laws in my heart, and put "them in my inward parts, and enable me in every pof "fible way to fhew that I love thee, because thou hast first "loved me."

2. This plainly includes in it, and will certainly produce the most fincere and fervent love to his fellow-creatures. As love to God is the first, fo love to man is the fecond commandment of the moral law. We have our Lord's own authority for faying it is "like" unto the first; and that love which "worketh no ill to his neighbour" is the "fulfilling of the law." Every one is ready to acknowledge, that love to man is an important branch of practical religion. But many great pleaders for this duty do not fufficiently attend to its infeparable connexion with the love of God, and in particular, with a fenfe of redeeming love, or the love of God in Chrift: Yet is there no fuch principle of univerfal love any where to be found?

In order to take a fhort view of this, it will be proper to diftinguifh our brethren of mankind into the two general claffes of bad men and good. As to bad men, the fame love to God, the fame concern for his glory, which fills the Christian with grief and indignation at their most daring offences, inspires the most ardent defire for their recovery and falvation. This is the only love to them which is either acceptable to God or profitable to themselves. It will fhew itfelf in all the offices of kindness and humanity; in inftructing them where there is ability, admonifhing them where there is opportunity, and in pleading for them at the throne of grace, to which there is always undisturbed accefs. The believer, knowing the danger of fin, and having a prospect of approaching eternity, is moved with compaffion for blind and inconfiderate finners. Their conduct leads him to reflect upon the depravity of his own nature, and earnestly to pray, that they may be partakers of divine grace.

He that loveth God is under little temptation to hate his brother; or rather, in fo far as he loveth God fincerely, he is under none at all. Hatred commonly ariseth from envy and rival purfuits. But a Chriftian, more than