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"ful lufts of the flesh: 2. that you should believe "all the articles of the Chriftian faith: 3. that you "fhould keep God's holy will and command"ments, and walk in the fame all the days of "your life?" Do thefe, or be defirous of doing them, and you fhall be chriftians indeed; fhall enjoy all the bleffings, all the confolations of the Gospel, both in this life, and the life to come. You fhall find Chrift's commandments not to be grievoust; his Yoke to be eafy and his burden light." "Religion's ways will be ways of pleasant"nefs, and all her paths peace;" 'till at length, they will terminate in "fulness of joy and pleasures "for evermore."

Which may Almighty God grant to us all, for the fake of his dear Son, Jesus Christ our AMEN.

Lord!

3,

* See Catechism and Office for Baptifm + 1 John. v. 3.

PRAYER

PRAYER BEFORE THE SERMON.

Collect for Afn-Wednesday, and for the whole of Lent, after the Collect for the Day.

ALMIGHTY and everlafting God, who hateft nothing that thou haft made, and doft forgive the fins of all them that are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our fins, and ac. knowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remiffion and forgivenefs, thro Jefus Christ our Lord: In whofe prevailing name and words, we conclude this our prayer!

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SERMON

ON

JOHN XVI. 7.12.

It is expedient for you, that I go away: for, if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart, I will fend him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of fin, and of righte oufefs, and of judgment: Of fin, because they believe not on me of righteoufnefs, becaufe I go to my Father, and ye fee me no more; of judgment, because the Prince of this world is judged.

WE

E may eafily conceive the feelings of our Lord's difciples, when he made known to them that he fhould fpeedily depart. He had frequently

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[W. Appleton, Printer, Stockton.]

spoken

fpoken of this as a diftant circumftance; but he at length reprefents it as what was almost immediately to happen."Now I go my way to him that fent "me*. This intelligence was too much for them. It overcame all their faculties †. Sorrow filled their heart; and they could not fo much as afk him, "Whither goeft thou?" He therefore, with that indulgent kindnefs which he ever fhewed them, proceeds, without delay, to adminifter. confolation to their afflicted fouls. Neverthe"lefs," (faid he) i. e. however unpleafant the tidings may be, "I tell you the truth." Then follow the words of our text, "It is EXPEDIENT," &c. He reprefents his going as expedient for them, and abfolutely neceflary, in order to their receiv ing the Holy Ghoft, the Comforter, in thofe full effufions of his facred influences, in which he was now to be given to the church of Chrift. These had been several times fpoken of during this our dear Lord's laft difcourfe. They formed its principal fubject. To thefe he directed them, for fpiritual light, ftrength, and comfort :----for the fpiritual manifeftation of himself and his Father, to their fouls ----for communion not only with the eternal jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, but also with all the Members of the true fpiritual Church, which "God manifeft in the "flefh," "purchafed with his blood." And, in that heavenly prayer to his Father, with which this difcourfe concludes, HE, who could not intercede

John xvi. 5. ver. 6. 5. ‡ John xiv. 15, to 30. xv. 26. Alfo, the continuation of our text to ver. 23.

cede in vain, fupplicates, that thefe fupreme bleffings fhould not be confined to the exifting generation, but fhould be extended to all, in every age, who fhould "believe on him, through "their word." The prayer, and the promise, were unto them, and their children, and to all "that were afar off, even as many as the Lord "our God fhould call t."

But, how was it (fome perfon may poffibly afk) that thefe bleffings could not have been beftowed on the Chriftian church without our bleffed Saviour's departure? To this it may be anfwered, that there are many" fecret things," in the counfels of Infinite Wisdom, which " belong "unto the Lord our God," and that we ought not to feek to be "wife above that which is "written." Confining ourfelves, however, to the revealed word, we are not left in the dark on this important fubject. We are affured that all thefe ineftimable bleffings are the purchase of our dear Lord's incarnation, of his obedience, his fufferings, his death ;----of his having fulfilled all righteoufnefs:----of his having performed all things which his Father gave him to do.

When

thefe were fully accomplished, then, and not till then, he faid, "It is finifhed, and bowed his head, "and gave up the ghoft:" commending his fpirit into the hands of his heavenly Father, from whom he received it. Then, he burft the bonds of death and the grave, "feeing it was not pofiible that he,

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* John xvii. 20. See to ver. 25. † Acts ii. 38, 39, See Joel ii, 28, 29.

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