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my Saviour, it will fome way or other turn to my Advantage; and that nothing can happen to me but by his Permiffion, and with his Confent. Wherefore upon all Occafions in every Condition of Life, be it better, or be it to outward appearance worfe, I will rely upon him, and be thankful to him, and rejoyce in him. Am I Poor? I know that he can and will give me Riches, when he shall fee Riches convenient for me; for the Earth and the Fulness thereof, and all Things elfe are his. Am I vifited with Sicknefs? I know, that he wants neither Will nor Power to heal me, if Health be beft. For he is infinitely good and merciful in himfelf, and he hath been touched with a Feeling of our Infirmities, and therefore his Compaffions cannot fail. And furely his Hand is not fhortned, nor are Difeafes lefs fubject to his Command, now that he is Reigning in his Heavenly Kingdom, than when he was in the Form of a Servant upon Earth. Am I furrounded with Dangers, and befet with powerful and cruel

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cruel Enemies on every Side? I will en courage myself against them all by confidering, that tho' the Waves of the Sea Pficili. are mighty and rage horribly, yet Christ the Lord which dwelleth on high is migh tier. Am I led to Death? I affuredly believe, that he can deliver me. However, tho' I dye, I will put my Trust Rev. i. in him, who was Dead, and is now Alive for evermore, and hath the Keys of Hell and of Death. Becaufe I confidently expect that a Day will come, when He Hof. xiii. fhall ransom me from the Power of the Grave, and redeem me from Death; when He fhall be the Plague of Death, and the Deftruction of the Grave.

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Fourthly. THE Advancement of our Bleffed Saviour is a powerful Inducement to the Imitation of him in those Vittues, upon account of which he was advanc'd; in his Obedience and Refignation to his Father's Will, and in his Humility and Patience under Sufferings. He bumbled himself, faith our Apoftle in the Verfe before my Text, and became obedie ent unto Death, even the Death of the

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BEFORE us now, as formerly before our Lord, is fet everlafting Joy, a neverfading Crown, and a Kingdom that fhall have no End; which we may certainly attain to, if, as he did, we will run with Patience the Race that is fet before us; if we will endure the Crofs, and defpife the Shame. The Practice of the fame

irtues, the Exercife of the fame Difcipline which advanc'd the Captain of our Salvation, will raife us his Followers to fuch a Pitch of Blifs and Glory, as Thought itfelf in this Life cannot reach, We have our Saviour's own Word for it, That he that doeth the Will of his Father which is in Heaven, fhall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; That he who hum bleth himself shall be exalted: And his Apoftie hath affured us, That if we fufFer, we shall alfo reign with him.

AND tho it would be unpardonable Prefumption to think, that the Glory of which we fhall be made Partakers will be equal to that which our Lord Jefus Christ

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is advanc'd to; fince neither our Services nor our Sufferings are in themselves of any real Value, much lefs of equal Value with his; yet it must be confefs'd, that there is abundant Encouragement offer'd to Obedience in all even the most difficult Inftances, to the loweft Acts of Hu mility and Condescention, to Patience un der the sharpeft Tryals and Afflictions; fince the Recompence of Reward which awaits us, fhall infinitely more than com penfate the Hardships of our Obedience; fince the highest Exaltation our Nature is capable of, fhall be the Confequence of an Abafement every way becoming us in this State of Frailty and Imperfec tion; and fince there is laid up for us an exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory; in comparison of which the Afflictions wed now groan under for a Moment are light, and as the fmall Duft of the Ballance, má

Fifthly. SINCE our human Nature is in the Perfon of Chrift fet on the right Hand of God, far above all Principality and Power and Might and Dominion, and every Name that is named, not only in

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this World, but alfo in that which is to dome; How bold an Impiety are they? SERM. guilty of, and with what Severity may they expect to be treated, who by Luft or Intemperance debafe this Nature be low that of the four-footed Beafts, and creeping Things? After fo great an Ho nour done to our Nature, we are doubtlefs under a very ftrict Obligation to reverence it, and to live up to the Dig nity of it; to ufe our beft Endeavours to preserve it, pure and free from the Defilements of Sing to cleanse it from that Filth and Corruption, which it hath already contracted; to be continually improving and refining it, and advancing it nearer to Perfection; that fo we, the Members of Jefus Chrift the Lord, may be the better qualified to be joyned in Glory with our Head, our Souls to resemble the moral Perfections of his Soul, and our Bodies to be fashioned like his glorious Body.

LASTLY, The Exaltation of our Lord is a Pledge of our own future glorious Advance

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