ten been fuccessful, by the bleffing of God, to carry good men above their diftrustful fears to a free and evangelical temper.

2. Watch against every thing which tends to draw off your heart from God. Though it be ever fo innocent in itfelf, yet when you difcover it to be his rival for your affections, peculiarly guard against it, that it may not be fuffered to have the afcendant. And on the other hand, diligently fall in with every thing which you find leading you to the love of God; fuch divine inftitutions, fuch converse, fuch particular discoveries of divine truth, as you experience to be moft apt to make your hearts burn within you.

3. Daily pray for the light and aids of the Spirit of God, to "fhed abroad his love in your hearts," to folve your doubts, and fatisfy you of your relation; that he would " direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Chrift," 2 Theff. iii. 5.

4. Set yourselves to act up to your hope as far as it goes, till you can proceed farther. Be much in thankfulness for general grace, while you have not an affurance of special in-tereft. Animate yourselves by that to go on in duty, growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jefus Chrift; and your way will hardly fail to brighten as you go on.

SERMON XIX.

Chriftian Fortitude.

2 PET. i. 5. former part.

And befides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue.

CHRI

HRISTIANITY encourages us to lay afide a flavish fear of the great God; and much more obliges us to get above a cowardly fear of men. Nor is any thing more neceffary to our acquitting ourselves well in our course of obedience to our heavenly Father, than courage and undaunted refolution: which I apprehend the apostle here to recommend.

He supposes thofe to whom he wrote, to "have obtained like precious faith with" him and the other apoftles, ver. 1. i. e. to believe the Gofpel, as well as they. After this character given them in the infcription, we have the ufual apoftolical falutation; a prayer, that grace and peace might be multiplied to them." On this occafion he enlarges on the happy ftate they were brought into by the Gospel, the great and good things given them and promised to them in Chrift for this purpose, that they might be wrought up to a divine temper and life. Hereupon he immediately proceeds to exhort them to give all diligence

in building a proper fuperftructure upon their belief of the Gospel. That which he recommends, confifts of feven important articles. The firft mentioned, and which he immediately connects with faith, is virtue. "Giving

all diligence, add to your faith, virtue."

Some would understand virtue in a general fense, for an universal regularity of mind and manners, or a difpofition to all virtuous actions. So Peter's exhortation would fall in with that of another apostle, Tit. iii. 8. This is a faithful faying, and these things I will that thou affirm conftantly, that they which have believed in God, might be careful to maintain good works." But this general sense feems not fo natural here, because all the fòllowing particulars reckoned here, except knowledge, are comprehended in virtue taken in this large fenfe:" temperance, patience, godlinefs, brotherly kindness, charity." The anfwer which fome give to this reafon, feems not fatisfactory; that the apoftle first recommends virtue in general, and then fome principal parts and branches of it: for by the manner of expreffion it is imported, that every one of them fignifies a diftin&t excellence, fomething additional to what had gone before. Add on to the other.

Therefore I take the word virtue in a more limited fenfe here, to mean the particular difpofition of chriftian fortitude. So the word ågery is often taken in Greek writers, and vir tus by the Latins. This fenfe feems to agree beft with the context. What could more naturally be pressed upon us after faith, or a beVOL. I. lief

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lief in the Gofpel, than courage in the profeffion of it, and in a practice correfpondent to it? And what could more aptly follow upon this, than that we should add to our virtue or courage, knowledge, or a growing acquaintance with the doctrines and duties contained in the rule of our faith, that our courage and refolution may not be ill placed?

The truth then, which I am now to infift upon, is this,

That chriftian courage and fortitude is a temper of mind, very neceffary to be found in all true believers.

Here it will be my endeavour to fhew, L The nature of this chriftian grace. And, II. What may be intended in the exhortation to add it to our faith.

I. I am to explain the nature of this grace of christian courage or fortitude.

Courage in general is a temper which difposes a man to do brave and commendable actions, without being daunted at the appearance of dangers and difficulties in the way. The heathen moralists reckon bravery in war to be the higheft expreffion of courage, and that a foldier had the greatest opportunity to fhew courage; becaufe life, the dearest thing in this world, is rifqued in war. Thus the christian life being a warfare, gives the principal occafion and opportunity to fhew chriftian courage. It is nothing elfe but to behave good foldiers of Jefus Chrift," 2 Tim. ii. 3. to adhere to Chrift, and to continue in the discharge of chriftian duty, in the view of the greatest discouragements and hazards.

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To explain it more particularly, it may be proper to fhew, 1. For what chriftian courage is to be exercised. 2. Against what it is. And 3 In what acts and inftances it fhould be expreffed.

to be exerted.

1. For what it is to be exercised.

For the caufe makes it a chriftian grace. It is courage in Chrift's caufe; that is, in maintaining the profeffion of the Chriftian faith, and adhering to the practice of our duty, as far as we are convinced of the mind of God; fo as not to deny a known truth, or admit the least fin, upon any confideration whatfoever. This is "warring a good warfare, holding faith and a good confcience," to which Timothy is exhorted, 1 Tim. i. 18, 19. These are the two things which chriftian fortitude is concerned to hold faft, and not to fuffer either to be wrefted away.

But it must neceffarily be prefuppofed, that we are careful to inform ourselves well about the mind and will of God, relating both to faith and practice; that our courage may not be blind and rash, without a good foundation to fupport it. Otherwife, for ought we know, we may be contending earnestly for error, inftead of the faith once delivered to the faints; or for the mere precepts of men, or our own humours instead of the commands of God. This will not be esteemed by God chriftian courage, but mad rafhness, if we have not made a careful inquiry into the doctrines and duties of our religion. Though we should chance to be in the right, yet if we have not arrived at a conviction of this upon confci

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