occafionally characterised as born of the Spirit; walking in the Spirit; the children of God; the elect of God; the doers of the law; the heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Thofe that are not Chrift's are defcribed as walking in the flesh; fulfilling the lufts of the flesh; the children of this world; the unfruitful hearers of the law; the fervants of Satan; the heirs of damnation. All of us who are here affembled, belong to the one or to the other, of these two divisions of the human race. We are Chrift's; or we are not Chrift's. If we are Chrift's, and if through the bleffed influence of the holy Spirit, which will affuredly attend earnest prayers and zealous exertions on our own part, we continue Chrift's unto the end; we fhall be received after death into the kingdom of heaven, through the atoning blood of our Redeemer. If we are not Chrift's, and remain in that fituation till we die; we have to look, as the Scriptures unequivocally declare, for that place only, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is never quenched.

If this statement be juft; furely every perfon prefent, who has any ferious concern for his foul, muft feel how inexpreffibly important it is to fatisfy himself whether, in his prefent

K 2

present state of heart and life, he is Chrift's,

or not.

This is a question which God expects you to answer, every one for himself. There is only one method by which you can learn atrue answer to it. Some perfons enthufiaftically conceive that they can difcern by certain inward fenfations and impulfes, which they attribute to the immediate agency of the Holy' Ghoft upon their minds, that they are Chrift's. Others are willing to conclude that they are Chrift's, because they have been baptized into his church attend public worship, and the facraments, with tolerable regularity; and lead, according to their own eftimation and the general opinion of the world, decently good lives. Others perfuade themselves that Christ will acknowledge them at last for his, because he is very merciful; and because, unholy as they have been, they are fatisfied that furrounding multitudes have been as unholy as themselves. All these modes of judging are fatal delufions. What is the true method? To the law and to the teftimony. Search the Scriptures. They contain ample descriptions" of the perfons who are Chrift's. If, on deeply examining your heart and conduct as in the prefence of God, you difcover adequate

quate grounds for belief that those defcriptions may be applied to yourself; you have reafon humbly to truft that you are Christ's. If you perceive that they cannot fairly be applied to yourself; conclude that at present you are not Chrift's.

Search then the Scriptures for the answer to your question. Among the many pas fages relating to the fubject, perhaps there is not one from which you may collect the true reply more easily than from the verse immediately under our confideration. They that are Chrift's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts. And confequently, they who have not crucified the flesh with the affections and lufts, are not Chrift's. Brethren, every one of you may judge of his own ftate for himself.

The love of Chrift, faith the apoftle on another occafion, conftraineth us: because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: we judge that if Chrift died for all men, it is a proof that but for his death all men would have fallen fhort of pardon and eternal life: and he died for all, that they which live, fhould not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and rofe again (a). This living unto Chrift he deno(a) 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. K 3

minates

minates in the text crucifying the flesh with the affections and lufts. This Ifay, then, as he writes in an earlier part of the chapter; Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lufis of the flesh. For the flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other. Having fubjoined a copious catalogue of crimes, which he terms the works of the flesh; the works to which our corrupt and fleshly nature of itself would draw us; and concerning which he pronounces that they, who do fuch things, fhall not inherit the kingdom of God: he enumerates fundry Chriftian virtues as among the fruits of the Spirit; as contrary to our naturally finful difpofitions, and as created, nurtured, and ripened in us only by the influence of the Spirit of God: for it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do that which is right; and he worketh by the agency of the Holy Ghoft. And in order to qualify every perfon to examine and judge for himself whether he is living to the Spirit and to Chrift, and is therefore authorised to hope for mercy and falvation; or whether he is living to the flesh, and is therefore ftill lying in a ftate of condemnation; St. Paul concludes with this short and explicit rule: They that

are

are Chrift's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lufts.

Let me now endeavour to affift you in judging whether you are living to Chrift, or to the flesh, by fetting before you fome of the fcriptural tefts, which diftinguish from a corrupt and unregenerate world those who belong to the Lord Jefus.

I. To crucify the flesh with its affections and lufts, is, in the firft place, to make it the bufinefs of life to overcome, through the ever prefent grace of God, the evil difpofitions and defires of human nature; and to abftain from the evil actions to which those dispositions and defires would lead. And on what principle are you thus to crucify the flesh? You are to crucify it for the fake of Jefus Chrift. You are to abhor and renounce fin, because it was the occafion of his sufferings. From love and gratitude to your Redeemer for the unspeakable kindness which he has fhewn towards yourfelf, you are to forfake whatever is displeasing in his fight. He died for

you: and you are to live unto him. If you will not live unto him in this world, you will not be received into his kingdom in the next. These are fundamental truths which

the