the whole world: But likewise the revelation of Christ in our hearts; a divine evidence or conviction of his love, his free, unmerited love to me, a sinner, a sure confidence in his pardoning mercy, wrought in us by the Holy Ghost: a confidence, whereby every true believer is enabled to bear witness, I know that my Redeemer liveth; that I have an Advocate with the Father; that Jesus Christ the Righteous is my Lord, and the propitiation for my sins. I know he hath loved me, and given himself for me. He hath reconciled me, even me to God; and I have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. 8. Such a faith as this, cannot fail to shew evidently the power of him that inspires it, by delivering his children from the yoke of sin, and purging their consciences from dead works by strengthening them so, that they are no longer constrained to obey sin in the desires thereof; but instead of yielding their members unto it as instruments of unrighteousness, they now yield themselves entirely unto God, as those that are alive from the dead. 9. Those who are thus by faith, born of God, have also strong consolation through hope. This is the next thing which the circumcision of the heart implies; even the testimony of their own spirit, with the Spirit which witnesses in their hearts, that they are the children of God. Indeed it is the same Spirit who works in them that clear and cheerful confidence, that their heart is upright toward God that good assurance, that they now do, through his grace, the things which are acceptable in his sight; that they are now in the path which leadeth to life, and shall, by the mercy of God, endure therein to the end. It is he who giveth them a lively expectation of receiving all good things at God's hand; a joyous prospect of that crown of glory, which is reserved in heaven for them. By this anchor a Christian is kept steady in the midst of the waves of this troublesome world, and preserved from striking upon either of those fatal rocks, presumption or despair. He is neither difcouraged by the misconceived severity of his Lord, nor does he despise the riches of his goodness. He *N. B. The following part of this paragraph is now added to the sermon formerly preached. neither 209 neither apprehends the difficulties of the race set beforehim to be greater than he has strength to conquer, nor expects them to be so little as to yield him the conquest, till he has put forth all his strength. The experience he already has in the Christian warfare, as it assures him, his labour is not in vain, if whatever his hand findeth to do, he doth it with his might; so it forbids his entertaining. so vain a thought, as that he can otherwise gain any advantage, as that any virtue can be shewn, any praise attained, by faint hearts and feeble hands or indeed by any but those who pursue the same course with the great apostle of the Gentiles; I, says he, so run, not as uncertainly, so fight I, not as one that beateth the air. But I keep under. my body, and bring it into subjection; lest by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast-away. 10By the same discipline is every good soldier of Christ, to inure himself to endure hardship. Confirmed and strengthened by this, he will be able not only to renbunce the works of darkness, but every appetite too, and every, affection, which is not subject to the law of God. For every one, saith St. John, who hath this hope, purifieth himself even as he is pure. It is his daily care, by the grace of God in Christ, and through the blood of the covenant, to purge the inmost recesses of his soul, from the lusts that before possessed and defiled it; from. uncleanhess, and envy, and malice, and wrath, from every passion and temper, that is after the flesh, that either springs from, or cherishes his native corruption as well knowing, that he whose very body is the temple of God, ought to admit into it nothing common or unclean; and that holiness becometh that house for ever, where the Spirit of holiness vouchsafes to dwell. ས 11Yet lackest thou one thing, whosoever thou art, that to a deep humility, and a stedfast faith, hast joined a lively hope, and thereby in a good measure cleansed thy heart from its inbred pollution. If thou wilt be perfect, add to all these charity; add love, and thou hast the circumcision of the heart.. Love is the fulfilling of the law, the end of the commandment. Very excellent things are spoken of love; it is the essence, the spirit, the life of all virtue. It is not only the first and great command, but it is all the commandments in one.--Whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, No. IV. whatsoever E e 2109 whatsoever things are amiable or honourable; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, they are all comprized in this one word, love. In this is perfection, and glory, and happiness: The royal law of heaven and earth ist this, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with valla thyy hearts and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all! thy strength. 3 12. Not that this forbids us to love any thing besidese God: It implies, that we love our brother also Nom yet does it forbid us (as some have strangely imagine ed) to take pleasure in any thing but God. To sups pose this, is to suppose the Fountain of Holiness, is die rectly the author of sin since she has inseparably an-A nexed pleasure to the use of those creatures, which are necessary to sustain the life he has given us. This, therefore, can neverybe the meaning of his command. What the real sense of it is, both our blessed Lord and his apostles tell us too frequently and too plainly to be miss understood. They all with one mouth bear witness, that the true meaning of those several declarations, The Lord thy God is one Lord. Thou shalt have no other gods but me: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy strength: Thou shalt cleave unto him: The desire of thy soul shall be to his name; is no other than this. The one perfect good shalb be your one ultimate end. One thing shall ye desire for its own sake, the fruition of him that is All in All One happiness will ye propose to your souls, even an union with him that made them: the having fellowship with the Father and the Son: the being joined to the Lord in one spirits Que design ye are to pursue to the end of time, the ene joyment of God in time and in eternity. Desire other things so far as they tend to this. Love the creature as it leads to the Creator. But in every step you take, be this the glorious point that terminates your view. Let every affection, and thought, and word, and work, be subordinate to this.. Whatever ye desire or fear, whatever ye seek or shun, whatever ye think, speak, or do, be it in order to your happiness in God, the sole end as well as source of your being. 13. Have no end, no ultimate end but God. Thus our Lord, One thing is needful. And if thine eye be singly fixed on this one thing, thy whole body shall be full of light. Thus Thus St. Paul, This one thing I do; I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. Thus St. James, Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye doubles minded. Thus St. John, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, is not of the Fa+ ther, but is of the world. The seeking happiness in what gratifies either the desire of the flesh, by agreeably strik➡ ing upon the outward senses, the desire of the eye, of the imagination, by its novelty, greatness, or beauty; or the pride of life, whether by pomp, grandeur, power, or the usual consequence of them, applause and admiration, Is not of the Father, cometh not from, neither is approved by the Father of Spirits; but of the world; it is the distinguishing mark of those, who will not have him to reign over them! I am, II. 1. Thus have I particularly inquired, What that circumcision of heart is, which will obtain the praise of God. in the second place, To mention some reflections that naturally arise from such an inquiry, as a plain rule whereby every man may judge of himself, whether he be of the world or of God. And, first, It is clear, from what has been said, that no man has a title to the praise of God, unless his heart is circumcised by humility unless he is little, and base, and vile in his own eyes: unless he is deeply convinced of that inbred "corruption of his nature, whereby he is very far gone from original righteousness," being prone to all evil, averse to all good, corrupt and abominable! having a carnal mind, which is enmity against God, and is not subjett to the law of God; nor indeed can be unless he continually feels in his inmost soul, that without the Spirit of God resting upon him, he can neither think, nor desire, nor speak, nor act, any thing good or well-pleasing in his sight. No man, I say, has à title to the praise of God, till he feels his want of God; nor indeed, till he seeketh that bonour, which cometh of God only and neither desires nor pursues that which cometh of man, unless so far only as it tends to this. A2Another truth which naturally follows from what has been said, is, that none shall obtain the honour that cometh of God, unless his heart be circumcised by faith; even a faith of the operation of God: unless refusing to be any longer led by his senses, appetites, or passions, or even by that blind leader of the blind, so idolized by the world, natural reason, he lives and walks by faith, directs every step, as seeing him that is invisible, looks not at the things that are seen, which are temporals but at the things that are not seen, which are eternal; and governs all his desires, designs, and thoughts, alb his actions and conversations, as one who is entered within the veil, where Jesus sits at the right hand of God. As I got by lor 1 0 3. It were to be wished, that they were better ac quainted with this faith, who employed much of their time and pains, in laying another foundation; in ground→ ing religion, on "the eternal fitness of things," on the intrinsic excellence of virtue," and the beauty of actions flowing from it: on the reasons, as they term them, of good and evil, and the relations of beings to each other. Either these accounts of the grounds of Christian duty, coincide with the scriptural or not. If they do, why are well-meaning men perplexed, and drawn from the weightier matters of the law, by a cloud of terms, whereby the easiest truths are explained into obscurity. If they are not, then it behoves them to consider, who is the author of this new doctrine whe ther he is likely to be an angel from heaven, who preacheth another gospel than that of Christ Jesus: though, if he were, God, not we, hath pronounced his sentence, Let bim be accursed. 4. Our gospel, as it knows no other foundation of good works than faith, or of faith than Christ, so it clearly informs us, we are not his disciples, while we either deny him to be the author, or his Spirit to be the inspirer and perfecter both of our faith and works. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, be is none of his. He alone can quicken those who are dead unto God, can breathe into them the breath of Christian life, and so prevent, accompany, and follow them with his grace, as to bring their good desires to good effect. And aş many as are thus led, by the Spirit of God, they are the sons |