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you." "We are not to be, like children, toffed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the deceit and cunning craftiness of men, whereby they ly in wait to deceive. Many and infidious are the arts that wicked men employ to make: Christians unftedfast in the faith, and to turn them afide from the practice of their duty. This, fome endeavour to accomplish, by attacking divine revelation, with the view, no doubt, of fapping the foundations of Chriftian morality; for, difguife it as they will, the enemies of our religion are not so much offended at the fublimity of its myfteries, as they are at the purity and strictness of its precepts. Others, by the falfe colourings they beftow on vice, labour to make it appear beautiful. They magnify the pleafures and fuppofed advantages of a finful life; while, on the other hand, they reprefent religion as a dull and melancholy thing; as an enemy to our worldly intereft, and of little ufe, but to damp the joys, and embitter the comforts of life. In a word, by a vicious example, those ministers of Satan endeavour to accomplish the ruin of fouls. And, when neither the ingenuity of their arguments, nor the influence of their example are effectual, they fometimes try the force of ridicule and derifion. And, how often has this method proved fatally fuccefsful? How many, efpecially in the inconfiderate feafon of youth, by commencing acquaintance with people of this character, have been induced to throw off every regard for virtue and religion? Let me entreat you, therefore, to beware, left being led away with the error of the wicked, you fall from your own ftedfaftnefs.

Thus, I have endeavoured to fhew you what it is to be ftedfaft and immoveable in the work of the Lord, and specified fome of the many temptations to inconftancy to which you are expofed.

III.

III. It remains, thirdly, That I lead you to confider the obligations under which you ly to be stedfaft in the work of the Lord, and immoveable against all oppofition.

You are not left at liberty to be stedfast, or other wife, as fuits your inclination. It is your indifpenfable duty. God, your Creator and Sovereign Lord, exprefsly requires it: "Be thou faithful," fays he, "unto death."-" Stand faft in the faith; quit your "felves like men; be ftrong."-"Continue in the "faith grounded and fettled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel." Now, thefe are the commands of God; of God, your Almighty Sovereign: And will you dispute his authority? No; I hope better things concerning you.

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But, you are not only obliged to be fred faft and immoveable in the work of the Lord, in point of duty, but also in point of gratitude. Has not God: been ftedfaft to his covenant with you? Have not you uniformly experienced that his providence is kind and watchful? Conftancy and faithfulness are no lefs the invariable characters of his conduct, than attributes of his nature. He is with us, while we are with him; his covenant is ordered in all things and fure. Has not God been ever found of when you fought him in fincerity? Has he not been nigh at hand to you, in all that you have called upon him for? And may he not, therefore, justly expoftulate with you in any inftance of unftedfaítnefs, as he did with Ifrael of old; "What iniquity have ye found "in me, that ye are gone far from me, and have "walked after vanity ?"-But, confider how conftant and faithful Jefus Chrift was to you, under all the trials and fufferings he met with, that he might ac complish your redemption. His fufferings, indeed, were fuch, as would have overcome the conftancy of any created being: But, did he fhrink back, or faint under them? No; he travelled through the difmal

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fcene with unwearied perfeverance. He was faithful to the trust committed to him; till, having fatiffied Divine justice, he was able to cry out, "It is "finifhed." If thou, then, O Chriftian, art unfaithful to him, he may juftly fay to thee, "I did not " ferve thee fo in the garden of Gethsemane, and "when I hung upon the crofs."

Finally, confider, that to be ftedfaft and immoveable in the work of the Lord, is your beft and trueft intereft. For, on the one hand, if you are fo, you will not only enjoy much prefent peace and comfort in walking with God, which is the greateft, or rather the only real happinefs of the Chriftian's life, in this world; but you have the most exprefs promifes of complete and everlafting happiness in the world to come. If, by a patient continuance in well-doing, you feek for glory, and honour, and immortality, God will give you eternal life: "Be thou faithful," fays he," unto death, and I will give thee the crown of "life." Bleffed is that fervant, whom his Lord," when he comes, fhall find fo doing. Whereas, on the other hand, unftedfaftnefs will not only deprive of peace and comfort in walking with God, but is fo highly difpleafing to him, that he who perfifts in it, is threatened with utter rejection: " If any man," fays he, " draw back, my foul fhall have no "pleasure in him." In this matter, therefore, the everlasting intereft of your fouls is deeply concerned.

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If you be unftedfast in the work of the Lord, he may justly be so far provoked, as to give you up to notorious backflidings, to open and grofs fins, that will prove a fcandal to our holy religion: My "people," fays he, "would not hearken to my "voice; and Ifrael would none of me: fo I gave "them up unto their own hearts luft; and they walk"ed in their own counfels." Tremble, therefore, left, by your inconftancy, you provoke the Lord to withdraw, not only his ftrengthening, and comforting,

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but even his reftraining grace. Remember, that God is jealous of his glory, and that the errors of those who profefs to be his children, are more heinous in his fight, than the fins of others. Remember that awful faying, "You only have I known of all the "families of the earth; therefore, I will punish you "for your iniquity."

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye ftedfaft and immoveable. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are, also called, and have profeffed a good profeffion before many witneffes. I give you charge, in the fight of God who quickeneth all things, and before Jefus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witneffed a good confeffion, that you keep this commandment without fpot.

And now, unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to prefent you faultlefs before the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy; to the only wife God our Saviour, be glory and majefty, domi nion and power. Amen.

SER

SERMON XXI.

ON ABOUNDING IN THE WORK OF THE Lord,

PART II.

1 Corinth. xv. 58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye fedfaft, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forafmuch as ye know, that as ye know, that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

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UR holy religion, if confidered without prejudice, in whatever light we view it, will appear amiable and fublime; particularly, if we view it as training us up, and leading us on, to greater and more eminent degrees of perfection in holinefs, and, confequently, to higher meafures of happiness and glory. "The path of the juft," fays Solomon, "is 66 as the fhining light, that fhineth more and more "unto the perfect day." In the gofpel, our greatest excellency is recommended to us as our duty; and it argues infinite love and condefcenfion in God, to enjoin fuch duties as have a native tendency to exalt our nature, and prepare us for the enjoyment of confummate felicity. Thus, in our text, we are not -only enjoined to be ftedfaft and immoveable, but also to "abound always in the work of the Lord; foraf"much as we know, that our labour is not in vain in the Lord."

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