Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

life and actions, that he could folemnly ap peal to his Father at the close of his work, chap. xvii, 4. "I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gaveft me to do."

He was very exemplary in the worship of God, and in the obfervance of all the facred inftitutions in force under that difpenfation. He was careful to fulfil all righteoufnefs," Mat. iii. 15. It appears from feveral paffages of St. John's Golpel, that he used to attend the public worship of the temple upon all proper occafions; and the worship of the fynagogue every fabbath-day in the places where he came. Łuke observes, chap. iv. 16. that, as his cuftom was, he went into the fynagogue on the fabbath-day;" where the ufual exercises of praying, and reading, and expounding the word of God, were performed. And for fecret prayer, we find him retiring for that purpofe, where he might enjoy the greatest freedom, Mat. xiv. 23. Or rif ing up early for that exercife, Mark i. 35And upon extraordinary occafions, carrying on his devotions to a great length; as once. "continuing all night in prayer to God," Lake vi. 12. Or with peculiar earnestness, when he had special difficulties before him; as in his agony in the garden. And the Gofpel-history fometimes takes notice of the outward marks of reverence he used; that he “kneeled,” Luke xxii. 41. that he “fell on his face," Mat. xxvi. 39. that he lift up his eyes to heaven," John xvii. 1. which are recorded no doubt as exemplary indications of

the

the reverence of his fpirit. And for the other inftitutions then in use, they were all obferved in his cafe. He was circumcifed by his parents at the time appointed by the law, he fubmitted to be baptized by John, when he had an extraordinary commiffion to difpenfe that ordinance; and ftatedly celebrated the paffover. Without doubt, one intention of his performance of these things, and of their being recorded concerning him, was to dispose all his followers to a refemblance of the captain of their falvation in piety towards God. And now to clofe this fubject.

1. We may fee one peculiar excellence of the chriftian religion, that it has the most direct tendency to promote godlinefs. It would be indeed an undeniable evidence that it had not a divine original, if it gave us an unworthy reprefentation of the bleffed God, or did not make a full provifion for fecuring his rights and claims from mankind. But it is the glory of chriftianity, that it fets out God, his perfections, relations, and authority in the moft clear and amiable view; and at the fame time calls us by the most exprefs precepts and the ftrongest motives to a becoming temper and practice.

2. Let us then who wear the christian name, make it our bufinefs to "live godly in Chrift Jefus." We find that phrafe ufed in 2 Tim. iii. 12. and it imports fomething peculiar in the godliness to be exercifed by Chriftians.

Let the refpect we pay to God be agreeable to the revelation made of him by Chrift. While no man hath feen God at any

time

;

the

He

the only begotten Son, who is in the bofom of the Father, hath declared him,” John i. 18. And hath declared him in fuch a manner, as he was fcarce manifefted to the world before. Let our regards for him be correspondent to this difcovery. Let them be fpiritual, and not only bodily; as he is now more fully revealed in his fpiritual nature, and requiring fpiritual worshippers, John iv. 23, 24. is now manifefted, not only as our Creator, but as at the head of a faving defign, reconcil ing an apoftate world to himself in his Son : Our homage therefore fhould be paid him, not as if we were innocent creatures; but as it becomes redeemed finners, through a Mcdiator; honouring him in the way established by wife grace for lapfed creatures to have ac-cefs to him. And yet as his grace and good-will are fet in a clearer light than in any form-er difpenfation, and as there is a more com-fortable effufion of his Spirit, as" a Spirit of adoption;" our fervice to him fhould be, not with a flavifh, but a childlike temper.

Let us animate ourfelves in the practice by the great example of piety, which Chrift has given.us. Looking unto Jefus, let us have. grace to ferve God acceptably; remembering,. that while in one nature he was himfelf" the true God," yet as man, he was the most godly, man that ever was in the world.

[ocr errors]

Let us apply ourselves to the exercise of godliness in a dependance on the grace and strength of Chrift. If we are united to Chrift as his living members, and partakers of his ho ly Spirit, godlinefs will thrive under fuch bleffed

Bleffed culture and influence; but feparate from him as our head, we apoftate creatures can do nothing, John xv. 5.

Let us expect God's favourable regard to the poor and imperfect refpects we pay to him, only for the fake of Chrift. As our goodness, on fuppofition it was perfect, cannot extend to him to profit him; fo in the prefent imperfection of it, it could not please him or be accepted by him but in his beloved Son.

3. As godlinefs is profitable to all things, and peculiarly fubferves the other duties of the chriftian life; fo let the fruits of it appear in all the rest of a chriftian temper and practice. Let our faith be fhewn by our works; our piety by our fobriety, and righteoufnefs, and charity; and our love to God, whom we have not feen, by our love to our brother, whom we have seen. That fuperftru&ture the Apoftle calls us to add to godlinefs, in the words immediately following the text, ver. 7. "And to godlinefs, brotherly-kindnefs; and to brotherly-kindness, charity."

SERMON

SERMON X.

Faith in Christ.

1 PET. i. 8.

Whom, having not feen, ye love: In whom, though now ye fee him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

NEXT

EXT to the regards we owe to GOD, the christian temper towards CHRIST, as the Saviour and Mediator, naturally comes under confideration. As the Saviour is himfelf God, that which hath been faid already of the refpect due to God, belongs to him in common with the Father and the Holy Ghost: But the Scripture leads us to another view of him as the Meffiah and Mediator, and claims from us diftinct practical regards to him as fuch. These are what I now propofe to confider, for which the words read give us a proper foundation.

St. Peter wrote this Epiftle to "the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia," &c. ver. 1. i. e, to thofe of the Jewish nation who lived out of Judea in foreign parts, as many of them had done long before Chrift's time; and who were already converted to the chriftian faith. Several churches were early planted in Afia, confifting chiefly of thefe Jewish converts. The Apoftle defcribes the nature of their change, whence it had its ori

« AnteriorContinuar »