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And now to conclude: Would you continue in your love to Chrift, frequently meditate on his love to you. Guard against every thing that may tend to cool or abate your love to him; and earnestly implore at the throne of grace, that God, who has been pleased to direct your hearts into the love of Chrift, may keep them in his love, till you arrive at the city of the living God, where your love fhall be made perfect, and your joy fhall be full.

SER

SERMON XX.

ON STEDFASTNESS IN THE WORK OF THE

LORD.

PART I.

I Cor. xv. 58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye fedfaft, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forafmuch as ye know, that your labour is

not in vain in the Lord.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye ftedfaft, immoveable -in the work of the Lord.

'T is but too common with many profeffing Chrif

prepare themselves for the holy facrament of the Supper, when that folemn feafon is over, to turn carelefs, indifferent, and flothful. In all fimilar cafes, we would pronounce this conduct unreasonable and abfurd. Should a dependent, for inftance, who is to be engaged in the fervice of fome great man, adorn himself, for appearing in the prefence of his future mafter; but, after being engaged, neglect the work which he had undertaken: Would not fuch a breach of fidelity be deemed among men indefenfible and unjuft? And fhall we be guilty of it, against the King of kings, the Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth?

But

But fince fuch unreasonable conduct is too prevalent among the profeffors of religion, what more fuitable to your prefent circumstances, than that I addrefs you in the words of the text,-" Therefore, my beloved bre"thren, be ye ftedfaft and immoveable in the work "of the Lord."

Not to take up your time in explaining these words, and pointing out their connection with the preceding verfes, we may juft mention, by the way, that the a poftle here draws an inference from the doctrine of the refurrection, which he had proved at large in this chapter. From the promised reward, he excites Christians, in the text, to attend to their prefent work. Seeing we have reafon to look for a glorious and happy refurrection by the Lord Jefus, we ought to be ftedfaft and immoveable in the whole of that work and duty which it has pleafed him to prefcribe.

In difcourfing on this fubject, I fhall endeavour, by Divine affiftance, Firft, To fhow you, what it is to be ftedfaft and immoveable in the work of the Lord. Secondly, Against what we are to be fo. And, Thirdly, Lay before you, the obligations under which you lie, to be ftedfast and immoveable in the work of the Lord.

I. What is it then to be ftedfast and immoveable in the work of the Lord?

'The original word, here rendered fedfaft, is in allufion to a man who is feated in a fixt pofture, in oppofition to one who is moving about and unsettled. The other word, rendered immoveable, is indeed nearly allied in its fignification to the former; but yet it seems to import fomething more, viz. firmness and fteadinefs, the being unfhaken in our faith and Christian obedience, by perfecutions, and other exter-; nal temptations; or, as the fame apoftle expreffes it, "" not being moved away from the hope of the gospel (i).",

(i) Col. i. 23.

Both

Both the words are borrowed from the wrestlers in the Olympic games, who took up their ground, and fixed themselves upon fure footing, that fo they might not be easily moved by their antagonists. Now, this temper of mind, which the apoftle recommends to us, by being stedfast and immoveable in the work of the Lord, implies in it,

1. Courage or fortitude, in holding faft the profeffion of our faith. He that is under the influence of flavish fear, never can be ftedfaft. If we are alarmed at the found of every reproach, or terrified by the oppofition of the world, we shall be in great danger of turning afide from the path of duty, and lofing the heavenly prize. There is indeed a filial fear, a fear of reverence mixed with love, which is a noble difpofition of foul, and greatly establishes the heart. Hence we are exhorted, "to perfect holiness in the "fear of the Lord (a)." But a flavish fear enfeebles the mind, it magnifies real dangers, and creates to itself fuch as are merely imaginary. The coward often fears, where no fear is. There is a lion, says he, in the way, I fhall be flain in the streets. While he is thus filled with unreasonable terrors, the Chriftian cannot poffibly be ftedfast and immoveable. For courage is a virtue abfolutely requifite to the man who would adhere to the practice of his duty; and he who does not fee, that he has daily occafion to exert it, has ftudied the world, and himself, to very little purpose. In the fervice of Chrift, we muft encounter with many difficulties and dangers. "is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth "unto life." It is equally true in the prefent, as in the primitive age of the gofpel, that all who would live godly, muft fuffer perfecution. Thefe dangers arife, partly, from the malice and activity of the powers of darknefs, partly from the oppofition we may meet with from the men of the world, and, partly, from the

(e) 2 Cor. vii. z.

"Strait

the deceitfulness and corruption of our own hearts. We have therefore the greatest reafon to be always on our guard, and to exert the firmeft refolution and fortitude, in order that we may be enabled to withftand in the evil day, and be ftedfaft in the work of the Lord. In a word, we must deliberately refolve to be for God and our duty; and, whatever be the confequences, apply ourselves with vigour to our Chriftian work. Of this, we have a remarkable inftance in the conduct of the apostle Paul, an inftance highly worthy of our imitation. When the Spirit of prophecy had foretold, that he fhould be bound at Jerufalem, and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, his friends would have diffuaded him from going up to that city; but, with a generous and undaunted fpirit, he replied, "What mean ye to break mine heart? "for I am ready, not to be bound only, but also to "die at Jerufalem, for the name of the Lord Jesus." This, indeed, was a Chriftian hero; he would not quit his poft, nor make fhipwreck of faith and a good confcience, notwithstanding the dangers to which he was expofed: "None of these things," fays he, " moves me; neither count I my life dear to me, "fo I may finish my courfe with joy."

2. Being ftedfaft and immoveable in the work of the Lord, implies in it conftancy, or an uniform steddinefs in adhering to the faith of Chrift.

This conftancy is oppofed to fickleness and inequality in the difcharge of religious duties. It is a virtue, of which no human being can in this life be perfectly poffeffed. Experience, and the word of God, unite in informing us, that obedience, without any mixture of fin, is impracticable: is not a juít There man upon the earth," fays Solomon, that doth "good, and finneth not."" If we fay," fays the apostle John," that we have no fin, we deceive ourfelves, and the truth is not in us." In many things we all offend; and if any has the vanity to pretend to Y perfection,

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