so arm yourself for your conflicts with sin, Satan and the world; and so be prepared to endure the troubles of life, to submit to the stroke of death, and to appear before the tribunal of the great God. 3. What gratitude and cheerfulness should possess our hearts, while we thus reflect on that happy and glorious medium of intercourse, which the blessed God hath appointed between him and us? The wisdom of this constitution is not fully to be comprehended by us, and the goodness of it surpasses all imagination. Yet enough, surely, we know, both of the wisdom and goodness of it, to inspire our breasts with joy and gladness, with admiration and praise. May the contemplation of this amazing scheme of salvation be our frequent and noblest entertainment, in our way through this world! and at length may we arrive at that happy state, where we shall see as we are seen, and know as we are known! Then will the prayer, which the suffering Jesus addressed to his Father, in the days of his flesh, be fully answered, to the infinite satisfaction of all his faithful disciples, Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory a. But I must not close without reminding you, 4. And lastly, Of the strong obligations which all this grace lays upon you, Christians, to universal obedience. Ye are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that you should walk in them. It is fit that he who hath reared this spiritual building, and who hath brought this new creation into existence, should have the honour, as well as you the comfort and convenience of it. And how can you better magnify the riches of his grace, than by demeaning yourselves in all things, as becometh Christians! Let your light then so shine before men, that others seeing your good works may glorify your Father who is in heaven b. a John xvii, 24, b Matt. v. 16. DISCOURSE XI. THE MEANS OF IMPROVEMENT IN RELIGION. 2 PET. III. 18.-) WITH this short but comprehensive exhortation the apostle Peter closes his second and last epistle. An epistle directed to Christians in general, whom he describes as having obtained like precious faith with himself, through the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. It was wrote not long before his decease; for he expressly says towards the beginning of it, that he should shortly put off his tabernacle, as the Lord Jesus Christ had shewed him a. So that if age, experience, and the solemnity of approaching death, may be supposed to add any weight to the advice of an inspired apostle; the words of the text, which stand thus at the close of the epistle, do on these accounts claim our most serious and affectionate attention. With great earnestness he had just cautioned us, for to us he addresses himself as well as the primitive Christians, against apostacy. A caution peculiarly seasonable, as it had been the main business of the epistle to expose the impieties, errors and declensions of the last times, and to represent the solemn process of the last judgment. Seeing therefore, beloved, ye know these things, beware lest ye, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. On the contrary, let me beseech you with my dying breath, and the rather as it will be the most effectual security against apostacy, to make it your solicitous concern to grow in grace. By Grace is sometimes meant the love and favour of God, sometimes the gospel in opposition to the law, and sometimes the inward experience of religion. In this last sense it is to be understood here. So that to grow in grace is to improve in the divine life, or in those dispositions, affections and virtues which constitute a real Christian. Now that there are degrees ☐ Chap. i. 14. of grace, or that the religion of the heart is capable of improvement, will hardly admit of a question. Grace as to its nature is the same in every good man, but as to its degree it greatly differs. Otherwise, whence the descriptions which so frequently occur in Scripture, of sheep and lambs, of new born babes, children, young men and fathers in Christ? And whence is it the apostles speak in their epistles of feeding some with milk and others with meat? Nay this is evidently supposed in all those passages, wherein our Saviour is represented as condescending to the weaknesses of his people, and adapting himself to their various different capacities. The sheep he leads, and the lambs he carries in his bosom. And the figure alluded to in our -text sufficiently proves and illustrates what I am here observing. Grow in grace. Grace is at first like a tender plant, which makes an unpromising appearance, and is in danger of being nipped by every sudden blast: yet in time it grows, gathers strength, spreads its leaves, and becomes capable of enduring the sharpest weather. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, as our Saviour says, speaking of the kingdom of heaven, is indeed the least of all seeds, but when it is grown is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof a. Steadiness and experience are the perquisites of age; and a considerable time will pass, ere the principles of grace take deep root in the heart, and the blossoms of early religion ripen into fair and substantial fruit. Which being the case, there is sufficient ground for the idea suggested in our text. And however growth in religion is to be ascribed to a divine influence; yet it is with good reason made a subject of exhortation, since that influence is only to be expected in the use of means, which are unquestionably within our compass. What propose therefore in this discourse is, I I. To recite and explain some of the principal means of religion: II. To lay down some plain rules to direct us in our use of them; and, III. To attempt by proper motives to excite our attention to them. Matt. xiii, 31, 32. I. As to the means of religion. There are some of a more general kind, and which have immediate respect to our daily temper and behaviour; and others which come more directly under the notion of religious duties. Of the former kind the first I shall mention is, 1. Watchfulness against all occasions of sin. This indeed, to speak properly, is rather a means to prevent the decay of religion, than to promote its growth and improvement. Grace and sin are in direct opposition to each other. And could we suppose the Christian capable of wilfully indulging his corruptions, such indulgence would quickly sap the foundation of all good dispositions and affections, and endanger, to say the least of it, a total apostacy. But though it is promised sin shall not have dominion over him, yet he is liable to be surprised into sin. And every act of sin, besides the pain and misery it occasions, tends to strengthen the principle whence it proceeds, and of conse quence to weaken the opposite principle of grace and religion, All occasions therefore or temptations leading to this great evil should be carefully guarded against. Now to be properly apprised of these is one great and eminent part of our duty. There is indeed no object we are conversant with but may become an occasion of sin. Which makes it necessary that we keep a strict watch on all our passions, ap petites and senses. But there are certain connections, amuse ́ments and concerns of life, which, though not absolutely unlawful in themselves, may prove snares to us. To recite them particularly would be endless, because they are almost infinitely diversified. Be they however what they may, we should at least give ourselves time to consider of them, and the danger to which they may expose us, before we have any thing to do with them. And unless we are clearly warranted to engage in them, and have sufficient ground to believe we shall be superior to the temptation of them, it is unquestionably our duty to stand at a distance from them. Good men are usually in greater danger from the occasions and appearances of sin, than from the open attacks of sin itself. Direct solicitations to criminal actions they will peremptorily withstand, when perhaps, through a presumption of their own strength, and a vain notion of not expressly violating any known law, they will be easily in duced to venture on what hath a remote tendency to such actions. Now when this is the case, when one who calls himself our friend presses us on fair pretences to associate with evil company, to divert ourselves with idle amusements, to which we have no sufficient call either by reason or providence, or for the sake of worldly gain, to enter into this or the other connection that is forced and unnatural; if we were to make a bold stand, and absolutely refuse to comply, what a deal of mischief might we not prevent-prevent all those sad languors of a declining constitution, and those bitter sorrows and reflections of heart we so often feel and lament! Watchfulness therefore, constant watchfulness, is indispensably necessary to this end. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not a.' Let him who thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall b.' ye enter not into temptation c.' 6 6 Watch and Watch and pray that 2. Another still more direct means of improvement in religion is Self-knowledge. There can indeed be no real religion without it. The right exercise of every Christian temper, whether towards God, ourselves, or one another, supposes it and depends greatly upon it. But alas! this of all sciences is the most difficult to be attained. And it having been in a degree attained, at our first becoming Christians, we yet for the most part make but a very slow progress therein. The principal reasons of which are doubtless these: a certain consciousness we each of us have that we are not what we ought to be, which makes us averse to an acquaintance with ourselves; and a continual busy intimacy with sensible objects, which diverts our attention from reflection and self-examination. Now there are two rules, which, if duly attended to, would be of excellent use to promote self-knowledge. The one is, the inuring ourselves to watch the motions and operations of our hearts. And the other is, the making it our business, at certain periods, to look back on our past temper and conduct. It is, I know, extremely difficult, and perhaps absolutely impossible, for a man on every occasion to possess himself of his own thoughts, that is, to reflect minutely, and immediately, on transactions which have just passed in his breast. So various are a Prov. i. 10. b 1 Cor. ix. 12. c Matt. xxvi. 41. |