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ritual in sabbath duties. By keeping up constant communion with God in them, his blessedness is increasing. He is already in possession of the same things, which his elder brethren are enjoying in heaven and he will become more heavenly-minded, while he maintains daily fellowship with the eternal Three in their covenant offices and blessings.

Consider, O my soul, that these privileges are thine. Look well to thine improvement of them. Remember, thou art already, by believing, entered into rest. Thy sabbath is begun a day whose sun shall never setwhose glory shall shine brighter for evermore. May thine enjoyment of this rest, which is so glorious, be growing, until thou attain to the eternal sabbath. O pray thy Lord to lift up the light of his countenance upon thee, to vouchsafe thee more of the love of his heart, and more of the bounty of his hand; more communion with him; and more communications from him, that thou mayest be growing up into Jesus in all things, and be ready, whenever he calls thee, to enter in with him into his perfect rest.

Thus the first table duties are kept. By the teaching of the Spirit they become gospel privileges. When he makes us new creatures in Christ Jesus, then we take the Three in Jehovah to be our God. We know our Father in Christ, believe in him, and love him. We will have no other Gods, but him. We give his honour to none, his name to none, our time and heart service to none, but him. His love, made known to us, engages our affections, and puts us upon seeking fellowship with him in all appointed ways. Yea, the more we know of his perfect love to us, the more we are disposed to love him, and to witness it in every thing we do. It becomes our study to walk before him in all well pleasing for we find it our happiness. Whether we eat or drink, rise up, or lie down to rest, follow our worldly calling, or have any dealings with men, we endeavour to do all in faith. This makes the common things of life spiritual actions; because in them we maintain intercourse with God. This is, indeed, the heavenly temper of the children of the most High. They seek the presence,

and the blessings of their Father in Jesus, in all they do. They are taught to live in a simple dependence upon him. They acknowledge this dependence by looking up to him for every thing needful, and having received it by giving him all his glory. Then they are returned in heart and life to that God, from whom they had departed by unbelief.

Most blessed return! For now the old sinful nature, with its affections and lusts, is pardoned, and thereby they have lost their dominion. They have no right to exercise their tyranny any longer. The base, selfish tem pers, which rendered a man a plague to others, and often a burden to himself, are dethroned. The pardoning them is subduing them. These always go together. They keep the understanding in darkness, but now it is light in the Lord. They blinded the conscience, and made it insensible, but now it has seen its guilt, and has found peace with God. The heart was engaged in their service, but now God has set up his throne in it, and sweetly rules over the affections. Thus a free pardon brings a man into liberty.

He ceaseth to be a slave to his selfish tem

pers. A full pardon brings him full victory over them for then he has the blood of Jesus to cleanse him from all sin, and the

Spirit of Jesus to subdue all sin. He is taken into the protection of Christ, and is his free man. None shall make him a slave. The Spirit of Christ rules in him, and makes him willing to live under the reign of grace : He dwells and abides with him to preserve in his heart the love of God, and to produce in it the proper fruits of that love towards men. Thus he brings the sinner to love the

DUTIES OF THE SECOND TABLE, which our Lord has summed up in one sentence"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." This love was lost at the fall. Nothing is in mankind, by nature, but selfishness, He is a slave to divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. Every age has felt this malady, and complained of it. But no human means have been able to remedy it. Fine systems of ethics, and beautiful plans of natural religion have been tried; the aid of strong reasoning,

assisted with the forces of logic and metaphysics, has been called in, but all in vain. Selfish tempers broke through their cobweb arguments, and sported with their imaginary bonds. Sometimes they polished the outside a little, and made a man a courtier: he looked, and smiled, and seemed to love; but they did not reach his heart.

This is the prero

He only, who made

gative of the Lord God. us creatures, can make us new creatures; And until we are new born of God, we have every thing in us opposite to brotherly love. But when we are born of the Spirit, then we are taught of him to love one another. He teaches it, and he enforces it. His

lessons are entirely practical. He not only informs the understanding, but also influences the affections. Having disposed and enabled the heart to love God, he evidences the power of this divine love by its genuine fruits towards men. These are inseparable from their cause. Divine love is never without brotherly love for so far as the love of God is felt, it produces loving tempers. It opens and enlarges the heart, as the warm beams of the sun open and expand the flowers. The

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