things." How can you think to look the king of terrors in the face, without the favour of the King of heaven, which you can never have, while you do not depart from iniquity? Rom. i. 18. " For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinefs and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness."-I would ask you, laftly, Is it not a miferable office against your own fouls, to dispute away any faving relation betwixt God and you? Every new difobedience to this heavenly charge, is a new argument against yourfelves, that you are not his. This charge in the gofpel is addreffed to all to whom the gofpel comes; it is like a fanning wind feparating the wheat from the chaff. By it the grace of God brings away the elect out of the tents of fin, leaving others to perifh there. What a dismal thought, then, is it to be left, time after time, in iniquity!-I come now to urge the

3. And laft motive, which is, that obligation which is lying on those who name the name of Christ to depart from iniquity. The Christian profeffion obliges all who make it to be holy, and to walk as Christians.-And here I would confider,

ift, The obligation which lies on all to depart from fin who name the name of Chrift, who are Chriftians by profeffion, as we all are.

2dly, The obligation which fpecially lies on communicants.-I would confider,

ft, The obligation which lies on all to depart from fin who name the name of Chrift, who are Christians by profeffion, as we all are.-Here confider,

1. That your baptifm in the name of the Holy Trinity, by which you were taken engaged to renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh, and to ebey the Lord Jefus, Matth. xxviii. 19. 20. This

you have

is a feal of God's covenant, to which thereby confented. And fince you bear the badge of Chriftianity, you ought to live Chriftian and holy lives. And God will treat you as cove‣ nant-breakers if you do not. Confider,

2. The author of your profeffion, from whom you take your name: Acts, xi. 26. " And the difciples were called Chriftians firft in Antioch." From Chrift we are called Chriftians. And pity it is that ever those who profess Chrift fhould be called by the names of finful or wicked men. You know those who are named for men, are fo named, because they are followers of them. And fo, the name Chriftian fignifies a follower of Christ, one who follows that way which Chrift taught. Now, confider him, the Apostle and HighPriest of our profeffion Jefus Chrift, Heb. iii. 1. What was the author of your profeffion? He was holy, Heb. vii. 26. His name is a name of holinefs Anointed of God, for a Prophet, Prieft, and King. A Chriftian indeed partakes of the anointing of the Holy Spirit: "Ye have an unction from the Holy One," 1 John, ii. 20. They are made kings and priests unto God and his Father, Rev. i. 6. Now, how does a finful life agree with the holy name, example, and doctrine of Chrift?-Confider,

3. The faith and religion you profefs. Surely the principles of our religion are holy, and teach us to depart from iniquity, and give no allowance to live in fin. Even reafon fays, men ought not to live, nor can they rationally live, in contradiction to their profeffion and its principles. Other religions allow fomething finful, but the Chriftian religion, proceeding from him who is holiness and truth itself, condemns every even the leaft evil; and therefore Chriftians by their profeffion

Z3

feffion are obliged to depart from iniquity.-Confider,

Laftly, The end of your faith and profession, the way to which it directs, namely, heaven, which is a holy place. The gofpel has difcovered life and immortality, 2 Tim. i. 10. A happy ftate after this life, where holiness is perfected, Heb. xii. 23. And meanwhile it directs to a life agreeable to this holy and happy ftate; for it "teaches to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteoufly, and godly in this prefent world," Titus, ii. 12. Have you no hopes, no expectations of heaven? If you have, furely you ought to depart from iniquity; for it cannot be expected that that holy place is for dogs and fwine, for fuch as are strangers to holiness here.

2dly, I would confider the obligations to depart from iniquity which lie on communicants in a special manner. You have in a very folemn manner named the holy name of Jefus, by partaking of the facrament of our Lord's body and blood. Let this then engage you to depart from iniquity.— Confider,

1. That thefe additional vows of God are upon you to depart from iniquity. You have lifted up your hand to God, and you cannot go back. The terms of the Chriftian life were told you, and you have, after deliberation, engaged yourselves to the Lord. Beware that after vows you begin to make inquiry, Luke, ix. 62.--Confider,

2. That religion will be wounded by you if you do not depart from iniquity: Rom. ii. 24. "For the name of God is blafphemed among the Gentiles through you." You will be accounted betrayers of Chrift, for you will give falfe teftimony against his way in favour of fin, as if you had tried the way of religion, and after trial found caufe to

caft

caft it off.

And therefore, as you would not more than ever difhonour the Lord and his way, depart from iniquity.-Confider,

3. That you will be great lofers if you do not depart from iniquity. You will lofe all the pains which you have been at in religion: 2 John, 8. "Look to yourselves that we lofe not those things which we have wrought." It may be, you have been at fome pains to get fomething, and have done much in the way of God, but one thing lacking will mar all. You will lofe your fouls, for it is only they who depart from iniquity, fo as never to return to it, that are faved: "He that endureth to the end fhall be faved." Backfliding is moft dangerous: Heb. x. 38. "If any man draw back, my foul," fays God, "fhall have no pleasure in him." The very fetting off once in the Lord's way obliges to hold forward. They can never fin at fuch a cheap rate as before; heavier vengeance abides backfliders, and a fall from heaven's threshold is worst of all.

Now, the Lord is faying to the finners in Zion, as Jerem. vi. 8. "Be thou inftructed, O Jerufalem ! left my foul depart from thee; left I make thee defolate, a land not inhabited.” He is threatening to depart from the generation, fince they will not depart from iniquity; and fad will the departure be: Hofea, ix. 12. "Woe alfo be to them when I depart from them."- There are three fad confequents of God's departure when provoked to it, with which we are threatened this day.There is,

(1.) Confufion in the church, the breaking of the staves of beauty and bands. There is a melancholy account of this confequence of the Lord's departure, Rev. viii. 7. 8. We have already felt. the former, and were threatened with the Lord's making, in his wrath, the whole mountain of his

house,

house, a burning mountain with the fire of divi fion. A fad fight it will be, come when it will, however fond of it many have appeared. Zion's work will be heavy work, when Zion's builders are by the Lord's anger made like Babel builders. -There is,

(2.) Calamity in the ftate. Many perhaps would little value what should become of the church, if they might otherwife live at eafe. But God's departure from a generation, often brings nations into the deepest perplexity and distress, 2 Chron. xv. 3.-6. When God departs from a generation, to fee what their end will be, it will be a fad end, Deut xxxii. 19. 20.-There is,

(3.) The ruin of many fouls and bodies also. When God fo leaves a generation, there are many fnares for the foul. Confufion in the church brings deadness and darkness on, and makes havock of the cafe of many fouls. Calamity in the ftate, which removes peace far away, tends always to the ruining of temporal concerns, and often of mens fouls concerns alfo.

O then depart from iniquity, as ever you would that God fhould not depart from you, nor from the generation! Our iniquities are the Achans in the camp which trouble us; the Jonah in our fhip which threatens to raise the ftorm. God has been long calling by his word and providence to us to depart from iniquity, and reform. But inftead of this, the generation has been filling up the cup of their iniquity, and want but some one thing or other to make it run over. But whatever befal us, departing from fin will be your fecurity: Ifa. iii. 10. "Say ye to the righteous, that it fhall be well with him; for they fhall eat the fruit of their doings." God's way is the only

way