Sect. 4. Early Religion is not merely easy and honoure able, but, in every view, profitable piety. Godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.1 It brings its own reward; it will advance your temporal, spiritua!, and eternal welfare. If you are rich, it would make you infinitely richer;—would give treasures, compared with which, the wealth of the world is lighter than a feather weighed against mountains of gold. If poverty be your lot, this would make you partaker of those blessings which constitute an angel's wealth. Though poor on earth, you would be rich in heaven. The soul that enjoys the blessings of the Gospel may truly say to its great Author, "Thou art my God, and all the world is mine: While thou art sovereign, I'm secure; I shall be rich, till thou art poor; For all I wish, and all I fear, heaven, earth, and hell, are thine." So profitable is true piety, that it would not merely be the source of numberless blessings, but would make all things blessings to you; pain and sorrow, as well as ease and comfort; sickness, as well as health; and death as well as life. How blessed a state this is to live in, and much more to die in, you may perceive by the following considerations. Sect. 5. Consider the privileges and spiritual blessings that the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ possess. Perhaps, if I mention a few of them in the language of some, who being dead yet speak, I shall present you with a more pleasing enumeration of these blessings than I could offer in any words of mine. Hear, then, how the christian can describe his wealth. "Tis mine the covenant of his grace, And seal'd by blood divine. On my unworthy, favour'd head, Its blessings all unite; Blessings more numerous than the stars, 41 Tim. iv. 8. The great, the everlasting God Jesus my guardian and my friend, Jesus, thou art my righteousness, Thy death hath bought of God my peace, For ever more my rest shall be Thy word, through all the tedious night Till I behold the clearer light Of an eternal day. Light are the pains that nature brings; How short my sorrows are! When with eternal, future things, The present I compare. The Lord has promis'd good to me, Yes, when the flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow The sun forbear to shine; But God, who call'd me here below, And O what treasures yet unknown Go, worldlings, boast of all your stores, Your heaps of glitt'ring dust are yours, Or hear the christian addressing the world: "Ye simple souls, that stray Why will ye folly love, And throng the downward road, Madness and misery Ye count our life beneath, Yet good unsearchable In Jesus' love we know, And pleasures, springing from the well The Spirit we receive, Of wisdom, grace, and power; Angels our servants are, And keep in all our ways, And in their careful hands they bear Unto that heavenly bliss They all our steps attend, And God himself our Father is, And Jesus is our friend. The God we worship now, Will guide us till we die; Will be our God while here below, Such, my young friend, are the privileges and blessings of the children of God. In fact, they are so great and numerous, that the promises only, which are made to ら them in the Scriptures, are sufficient to fill a volume.* Sect. 6. Glance in the next place at a few of the blessings, as described in the Scriptures, which the real possessors of religion enjoy. "There is joy at their conversion in the presence of the angels of God; joy over one sinner that repenteth. They are born of God; are made partakers of a divine neture;3 are now creatures in Christ Jesus, in the old things pass away, and all things become new. They are blessed, for their transgression is forgiven, and their sin is corered. While the world lieth in wickedness, condemned and perishing, there is no condemnation for them, who are in Christ Jesus. They have passed from death to life. Though their sins were as scarlet, they are white as snow; and though they were red like crimson, they are as woo!" Their iniquities are cast into the depths of the sea;10 are as much hidden, and much forgotten, as those things which are buried in the fathomless abysses of the ocean. Jesus is the propitiation for their sins, They have redemption through his blood.12 They are redeemed not with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.13 They were as sheep going astray, but are returned to the shepherd and bishop of their souls.14 They are accepted in the beloved is and by the Father are made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light;16 and have a hope laid up for them in heaven." Being, justified by faith, they have peace with God, through the Lord Jesus Christ.is The son has made them free, and they are free indeed, and being made free from sin, they have their fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. The world is without Christ, without hope, and without God; but they are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens of the saints, and of the household of God. Even on earth they belong to heaven, for they 1Lnke xv. 10. 19 2John i. 15. Ps. xxxii. 1. 61 John v. 19. 91s. i. 18. 10 Micah vii. 19. 131 Pet.i.18, 19. 141 Pet. ii. 17 Col. i. 5. 3 2 Pet. i. 4. 15 Fphes. i. 6. 111 John ii. 2. 25. 15 Rom. v. 1. 19 John viii. 26. Ephes. ii. 12. 2Ephes. ii. 19. 42 Cor. v. 17. 8 John v. 24. 12Ephes. i. 7. 16Col. i. 12. 20 Rom. vi. 22. *See Clarks'e Scripture Promises, an instructive and en Couraging book. are come unto mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem; and to an innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly and church of the first born, which are written in heaven; and to God, the Judge of all; and to the spirits of just men made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator of the new Covenant; and to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel.22 God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city, 23 The Father giveth them a place in his house.24 They are even the children of God, and if children then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.25 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon them, that they should be called the sons of God; nor doth it yet appear what they shall be; but they know that when he shall appear, they shall be like him, for they shall see him as he is.26 In their Father's house are many mansions; and their Lord is gone to prepare a place for them; and will come again and take them to himself, that where he is they may be also.27 While such is their hope for hereafter, here, they are led by the spirit of God;28 are temples of the Holy Spirit;9 and God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into their hearts, crying Abba, Father.30 They are the objects of the Eternal Father's tender care. The eternal God is their refuge. The Lord of hosts is with them, the God of Jacob is their refuge.” Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them:3 and loves them with a love more tender than that of earthly parents; for he is their Father though Abraham be igno rant of them, and though Isaac acknowledge them not34 and if even father and mother forsook them, the Lord would take them up. 35 The Father loveth them because they believe on Christ;36 and hath set them apart for himself. They may cast all their care upon him, for he careth for them. Their Father knoweth that they have need of earthly mercies; he will withhold no good thing from them; but to his other blessings will 22 Heb. xii. 22-24. 23Heb. xi. 16. 241s. lvi. 5. 25 Rom.viii. 16,17. 261 John iii. 1. 2. 27 John xiv. 2, 3, 28 Rom.viii.4. 29 1 Cor.iii.16 31 Deut. xxxiii. 27. 32Ps. xlvi. 7. 33Ps. x. 3, 13. 35 Ps. xxvii. 10. 37 Ps, iv. 3, 39 Matt, vi. 32. 30 Gal. iv. 6. 37 31 36 John xvi. 27. |