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to think, it is an easy work to repent, and conclude sickness, or advance in age, or fear of death, will of themselves lead us to repentance. Proud mistake, manifest by daily experience! and a contradiction to the Holy Ghost, who calls repentance the grant of God. To fix on the heart a conviction of sinfulness, and self-loathing for it; to obtain confidence in Christ, and zeal for his honor, evidencing themselves in newness of life, must be the effect of Almighty grace, because self-love violently resents every charge of a heinous nature, and every natural passion rises up in indignation against confessing ourselves to be vile and hell-deserving; whilst it is impossible, without divine light, to see any thing lovely in a God who so severely condemns those very lusts which have long been indulged as sources of our pleasure. Wherefore, from that fountain only whence proceeds every good and perfect gift, you must receive repentance unto life. As a reasonable, immortal creature, you are commanded to repent; and as a helpless sinner, insufficient to every good work, you are also taught to pray for his Spirit, that you may be obedient to his command. It is your own part to confess your own inability to glorify God by true repentance, and implore him, in whose hands are the hearts of all men, to help you effectually against yourself, the world, and Satan. The following prayer, so very humbling, availeth much: "Turn thou us, O good Lord, and so shall we be turned. Save us, and we shall be saved, for thou art our praise."

PRAYER,

Suited to the preceding Subject.

GLORY be to Thee, O God, who hast exalted thy Christ to be a Prince and Saviour, to give re

pentance and remission of sins. Thou hast commanded all men every where to repent, and unless we repent, we must perish. Let no delusions deceive us, and puff us up with pride, no restraints of education or reputation amongst men, or praise from them, make us fancy we are innocent, and need no repentance. From such blindness and hardness of heart, good Lord, deliver us. Convince us it is a great provocation in thy sight for man to say, I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me, for which I ought to mourn. Teach us, O God of truth and mercy, to know the precious grace of repentance from all counterfeits, which deceive so many. Let no other evidence satisfy our souls that we are in the number of those who have repented unto life, but the casting away all our transgressions, loathing ourselves for the evil of our doings, and flying for refuge to the hope set before us in the death of thy Son. Have mercy on all who are wounded in spirit, and distressed for sin; give them beauty for ashes, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may flourish as trees of the Lord's planting, that he may be glorified. Bring those to the right use of their reason, who are putting off their repentance to a time of sickness, and the approach of death. Alarm them, and sweep away the refuge of lies in which they hide themselves. Speak by thy Spirit, what is said in thy word, unto all such despisers of their own souls; in the great waterfloods, they shall not come nigh thee. If thou say, in thy heart, My Lord delayeth his coming, I will come in an hour when thou art not aware, and cut thee asunder, and appoint thee thy portion with hypocrites and unbelievers.

Lord, thou seest the lie so many workers of iniquity hold fast, that no harm shall ever happen unto them; that thou art merciful to save even those who

die in their sins. Pull down, even to the ground, this strong-hold of thine enemies. May none cry to themselves peace and safety, till they have repent ed, and obeyed from the ground of the heart, walking as dear children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. These blessings we ask of thee, holy Father, in de pendence upon the merits and intercession of Jesus Christ the righteous, who has commanded repentance and remission of sins to be preached in his name to every creature. Amen.

SUNDAY XXVI.

CHAP. XXVI.

The Tempers of a Christian towards God, and the Principles which form them.

GOD, in himself infinitely excellent, and to us perpetually bountiful, has a double claim to rule in our hearts without a rival. Yet we naturally neglect him, and find all our pleasure in living as our own masters. And it is owing to the doctrines of the gospel revealed in the heart by the Holy Ghost, that a Christian entirely renounces all disaffection to his Maker, and glorifies him with body, soul, and spirit.

The grace of God, saith the scripture, "which bringeth salvation, hath appeared unto all men, teaching them (by such a display of infinite good-will) to deny ungodliness;" no more to insult their adorable Benefactor by rebellion, or dishonour him by neglect. The doctrines of grace make every duty appear rational, and win the heart to the practice of

universal godliness. Having, therefore, explained

and established these doctrines, which constitute the divine knowledge peculiar to a Christian, I proceed to delineate the several excellent tempers by which he stands distinguished from the unbelieving, and that practice which shews forth the praises of his God and Saviour, who hath called him out of darkness into marvellous light.

We begin with those tempers, which every real Christian exercises towards God.

The first is fear, one of the chief springs which govern the human mind. Some suitable object, therefore, must needs engage our fear, to keep us from the influence of imaginary terrors, or of things little to be dreaded, whilst we remain duly sensible to impressions from what is of greatest moment. In this excellent manner, fear is regulated in the Christian's breast. Inferior causes and temporal evils, he knows, are only instruments in the hands of God, subserving his will; therefore he sanctifies the Lord God in his heart. "He is his fear and his dread." A God too wise to mistake, too just to do wrong, too mighty to be resisted, and too good to be known, without adoration of his name, and self-abasement before him. The fear of a Christian produces no uneasy feeling respecting God; it is the fear of a creature towards a merciful Creator; of a sinner redeemed by the richest act of love, and of a child towards an affectionate father. In the same proportion, therefore, as he increases in the knowledge, he increases in the fear of God, for they are inseparable from each other. So inseparable, that the inhabitants of Heaven cry out, "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, O King of Saints! Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?" It is in general a noble, ingenuous fear of the Lord, and his

goodness, which rules a Christian. But as he is encompassed with allurements to bribe, with foes to intimidate, and sensible objects which make a forcible impression, it is necessary, "in seasons of violent temptation," to call to remembrance the wrath revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

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This fear produces, in every real Christian, “ 'a readiness to obey God with a cheerful mind, and without reserve. He beholds his Maker's absolute dominion over him founded in his very being. Every faculty of his soul, and member of his body, is given at first, and perpetually preserved by the act of God; consequently, when he requires both to be employed according to his will, he does but appoint the use of what is his own absolute property. Ever conscious of this truth, a Christian resolutely regards the authority of God, in a world which despises it; and uniformly persists to obey his commands, though natural corruption, worldly interest, and the terror of custom, continually oppose. judgment, the command of God alone constitutes a practice perfectly reasonable, and absolutely necessary. Yet, conscious of his proneness to yield to sin, and prevaricate in his obedience, he calls upon his God. "O teach me thy statutes: set my heart at liberty, that I may run the way of thy commandments. O save me, for I seek thy commandments." And if, by surprise or violent temptation, he fall into sin, shame and pungent grief succeed his transgression; and, like a man oppressed with bodily disease, he groans, being burdened with misery on account of his vileness, and longs to have his backslidings healed.

He cannot but be thus affected, because gratitude to God is an essential part of a Christian's temper. His food by day, his sleep by night, his rai

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