fitable works of darkness; while we enjoy the light of truth, let us improve it to ferve thofe purposes for which we are favoured with it. Let us not fatisfy ourselves with confidering the great doctrines and precepts of Divine revelation, as amufing and pleafant fubjects of fpeculation, but let us view them in a more ferious point of light, as bearing an immediate reference to the conduct of life.—Let us facredly apply them to those great purposes for which they were given.-Let us employ them to direct our steps in the paths of purity, to fortify our minds against temptation, to raise our thoughts above this tranfitory world, to comfort our hearts under the diftreffes of life, and to animate us with hope and joy in the hour of death and diffolution.-We are only made happy by the doârines of Revelation, in fo far as we make the practical application of them for the direction of our lives and the confolation of our hearts. To conclude: Let us blefs this God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the SER M. XVI. XVI. SERM. the refurrection of his Son Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.-Let us ever rejoice in these glorious prospects.Let us rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Amen. SERMON XVII. Jefus Chrift full of Grace. JOHN, i. 14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. H AVING, in a former discourse, ex- SERM. plained and illuftrated what is im- XVII. plied in Jefus being full of Truth, without refuming any thing then faid on that part of the fubject, I proceed now to confider on what grounds Jefus is afferted by the Apoftle to be full of Grace. The word Grace in the New Teftament generally denotes a kind, benign, and merciful difpofition, or those favours and benefits which flow from it. Jefus therefore may juftly be SER M. be affirmed to be full of Grace, upon the following accounts: XVII. I. Upon account of that fingular, that extraordinary goodness and benignity of temper, which fhone forth in his whole. intercourse with his own disciples, with his enemies, and with the world in general. His foul was not only unfullied with the fmalleft tincture of any of the four and malevolent paffions, but it overflowed with the strongest good-will towards all beings capable of happiness. The recovery of human creatures from vice and mifery to virtue and happinefs, was the grand object which he ever had in view, and which he purfued with invariable conftancy. He went about unweariedly doing good, from a generous concern and ardent zeal for the reformation and happiness of the fouls of men. And indeed we fee, in the whole of his behaviour, not only the warmest benevolence, but the greatest tenderness and delicacy of affection. He bore all the weakneffes, imperfections, and even the groffer faults of his difciples, with perfect mildness and fweetness. He inftructed and corrected them, XVII. them, without ever reproaching them for SERM. their failings. He ever employed the mildest, the fofteft, and most infinuating methods to amend them, and train them up for his service. The affectionate and true friend was dif played in the most striking manner, in his farewel difcourfe to his chofen difciples. When he was just about to leave them, he addressed them with a familiar tenderness, but without the leaft intermixture of any thing weak or feeble. On the contrary, he was only folicitous to fortify their minds against the dread of the fufferings they might be called to endure in his caufe. For this end he fet before them the most generous, the most elevated and ftable grounds of confolation imaginable; and concluded with affuring them, that he had spoken these things to them, that they might have peace in him. in him. In the world, fays he, ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world*. This conftant and winning goodness was the charm that endeared him to the apof * John, xvi. 33. tles, |