encompasseth us with loving kindness and furronnds us with tender mercies. When engaged in God's fervice, and we act according to God's promise, we fhall gladly hear the laws of morality explained, and the inftructive and advantageous duties of christianity enforced, as neceffary to remove our heaviness, to animate our expiring hopes, and the secret filent breathings of our fouls. Attendance in the houfe of God, will, on prefenting fuitable addreffes to him, deaden our corrupt affections to the world, and fortify us against all its inchantments; against all thofe delufory fnares, which the enemy may throw in our way, to make us ftrangers to ourselves, and to the hidden myfteries of iniquity. By means of his fubtil devices, we run counter to moral obligations, and commit fuch bafe and ludicrous actions, as render us lower and viler than the brute, or any other part of the creation. And though finners are generally thoughtless and secure, or feldom trouble themselves much with religion, or about the performances of its facred offices, yet they may be led to affemble by cuftom, by curiofity, or by friendship, to furnish themselves with matter for mirth or ridicule. But notwithstanding fuch impious difpofitions, men have been alarmed in the fanctuary, and brought to acknowledge their profaneness, and to a right understanding of themselves. Their confciences have been awakened, and their obdurate hearts pierced, till they have cried out in earneft, and in the bittereft agony of foul, men, and brethren, what shall we do to be faved, or what method fhall we pursue, to appease the divine anger, anger, or recover our forfeited inheritance. They enjoin us, to be baptized in the name of Jefus ; to become members of the church militant, that being put under the means of grace, and into the gospel state of falvation, we may walk as children of the light, and as the redeemed of the Lord: but if we follow the works of the flesh, and do not confider the ultimate end, for which this holy ordinance was instituted, we lose its spiritual privileges, and can receive no benefit from them; For it is not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the anfwer of a good confcience, that will affwage the terrors of guilt, or procure the divine pardon and forgiveness. We by being incorporated into that body, whereof Chrift is both Lord and King, are by detefting and forfaking those degrading vices, which pierced his holy foul, and entered his inmost spirit, made fellow citizens with the faints, and with the boufhold of God. By admiffion into the christian fociety, we are not terrified with tremendous fights nor initiated with pain and blood, nor come unto a mount burning with fire, as the Hebrews were at the giving the law; but being Profelytes of the immaculate Jefus, are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerufalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. So that without any terrible introductions we, on the rational terms of fincere repentance and the faith that worketh by love, participate of thofe immenfe privileges, and are brought to the general affembly and church of the first born, whofe names are written in heaven; and to God the Fudge of all, and the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jefus the mediator of the new covenant. covenant. They command us to frequent the Lord's table, to approach that facred feast with devotion, and with the utmost seriousness, and gravity, as the nature of this facred banquet, and feeding on this fpiritual repaft requires; to renew our baptifmal covenant, to refresh our memories with the unfearchable, and ftupendous riches of divine grace, that the commemoration of Chrift's paffion, and his blood flowing with love, may imprint on our hearts the moft fervent devotion, and produce the strongest evidence of our love to God, which is intire fubmiffion and refignation to his will. The participation of the facred fymbols of Chrift's body, when enlivened with his gracious prefence, who left these pledges of peace and divine reconciliation, will remove fournefs of temper and narrowness of spirit; and instead of thefe unfociable difpofitions, make us generous, Affable, and Courteous, and fruitful in all good works. By being freed from those evils, and replenished with these virtues, our inclinations are loofened from the world, and we are more closely united to God; we daily increase in amity and unity with fociety, and maintain harmony and peace within ourselves, and concord with each individual. But fince our refolutions are fickle and wavering, and our foolish hearts deceivable, and apt to fly from God, the religious ufe of this ordinance, and attendance on it, as the means to keep us from falling, will, if all be not cold within, or there remains any spark of gratitude, inexpreffibly endear Chrift to us. It will constrain us to live to him, whofe love appeared in his dying countenance, and the blood whic which flowed from his bleeding fide. Here the comfortable spirit breathes, and God fpeaks peace and confolation to his people. Here believers tafte the fpiritual manna, and the love of Chrift to them is more sweeter than wine, or the honey and the honey comb. The bruifed reed becomes a ftrong pillar, in the facred temple of God. The fmoaking flax is kindled into an heavenly flame, and be in whom all fulness dwells, enlightens the dark difconfolate foul, and will be made of God, unto all fuch as fear and honour him, Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption. These precepts are fimple in themselves, and in their nature eafy and fignificant; moft fit to order and direct our converfation on earth; to exalt our fouls to the celeftial world; to the tranfcendent glories of heaven. The conftant and regular exercise of these precepts, and being armed against the terrors of death, will by the influences of fovereign grace, enable us to vanquifh that potent tyrant, and to find a safe and uninterrupted paffage, through the gloomy horrors of the grave, to life immortal, and the never ceafing springs of joy. When we have entered this glorious kingdom, and are made denizons of this city, we shall be companions of the righteous, and enjoy one perpetual and everlasting day; a day commenfurate to the unlimited eternity of God himself, that bright fun of righteousness, which is always rifing and never fets. Our Saviour is not only amazingly good in his doctrines and precepts, but also in his promises and threatnings, which proceed from pure and difinterested benevolence, and an an earneft defire to fave the diftreffed; to turn the hearts of the difobedient, to the wisdom of the juft, to purfue an upright and circumfpect behaviour. These bright manifeftations of divine favour and infinite kindness, are defigned to alarm the impenitent, to deliver them from the guilt and punishment of fin, that they may efcape the wrath to come, and be preferved in that tremendous day, when the incorrigible shall be banished God's presence, and the righteous rewarded with an everlasting and incorruptible crown. I shall now confider the promises, and fhew that none can be benefited by them, but fuch as labour after purity of heart, and fimplicity of life and manners; to fupprefs all thofe Foolish and burtful lufts, which blind the understanding, and drown men in Perdition. So that we cannot be countenanced in licentiousness, nor be emboldened in any fort of wickedness, by sheltering ourselves under thofe promises, which the virtuous only are entitled to, and the incorrigibly vicious totally excluded from. Promises thus ftable and abfolutely fure, cannot poffibly be obtained, except we comply with the terms prefcribed, and fpecified in them, and living as becomes the offspring of heaven, and the purity of that relation, in which we ftand to God our heavenly father, who tempers his rebukes with mercy, and sweetens his promises with love. If God's paternal relation be the ground of his kind and beneficent affection to us, fhould it not be the motive of our dutiful fubmiffion and filial affection to him? The obligation is natural, from our high defcent and heavenly original. E We |