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perience will go wrong, by concentrating and confining your care, for a time, to the acquirement of the one grace you lack most. No other fruit of the Spirit will fall off from the branches of your profession, or cease to ripen, whilst you are giving all your diligence to add to them a fruit they have never borne yet. God will take care that the hope you derive from the cross, and the peace you obtain from the promises, and the help you get from ordinances, shall not stop nor diminish, whilst you are giving all your attention to set that right in your character, which you know to be wrong, and which He has often contended against. Nay; He will add to his care of the general interests of your soul, whilst you are adding to your faith that fruit, the want of which injures you, and dishonours him. Remember ; you were no loser, when you began to follow Christ, by the pains you took to

remedy what was worst in your case then : and, depend on it, you will lose nothing by taking the same course with what is worst now. No one ever went back in Christian experience or comfort, by a set effort to get forward in a neglected line of Christian character or temper.

These considerations cannot fail to have

much weight with you. They are too solemn to be trifled with, and too just to be disputed. No admission of their truth, however, will answer any good purpose, unless they both reconcile and determine you to war and watch against your besetting sin. Nothing is gained by this heart-searching yet, if your heart still rise against a diligent cultivation of that fruit of the Spirit, which you lack most. You may feel ashamed; you may be very sorry; you may even condemn yourself very bitterly for your past neglect, and earnestly wish that

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what is wrong would "take wings and flee away:" but all this will not mend the matter. You may try a thousand plans to get clear of it; but it will cleave to you, until you are humble enough and honest enough, to take the Saviour's plan-" cut it off, and cast it from thee." No besetting sin, nor darling idol, was ever overthrown, until this rough handling was applied to it. "This kind goeth

not out, but by prayer and fasting."

Do these remonstrances seem to you at all legal, or too rigid? Would you be more pleased to be plied only with motives drawn from the love of Christ, and from the hope of salvation, and from the holy designs of free grace? You and I too have great need to be very careful, how we speak upon this subject. Neither cutting off, nor casting away, what is wrong, will be of any saving benefit, if not influenced by these saving truths. Indeed, the

crucifixion of the lusts of the flesh, or of the mind, will not be willingly attempted nor long continued by any one, who is not glorying only in the Cross of Christ. But then-if our glorying in the Cross alone has not crucified us to the world in certain things, which we know to be wrong, how are we to get rid of them? Are they to be left standing out against law and conscience, because they do not yield to love or hope? May a bad temper or habit safely remain unsanctified, because a good hope through grace has not conquered it? True; nothing but more grace will ever conquer it effectually: but, letting it alone in the meantime, is certainly not the way of obtaining more grace. God "giveth grace to the humble," and she is not very humble, who will not employ fears as well as hopes, and threatenings as well as promises, in order to promote her sanctification.

But do not take my opinion on this subject. Look again at Peter's argument. He gives the first place to the holy influence of the promises, upon the sanctification of believers. "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises-that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine nature." Thus the Apostle had no idea of any real sanctification, apart from the sweet influence of the sweetest consolations. But then, he immediately says, "BESIDE THIS, give all diligence to add to your faith, virtue," &c. &c. Thus there are things to do, as well as promises to believe, in order to the acquirement of a holy character. He even warns as well as wooes believers to give all diligence.

How finely this agrees with both the letter and the spirit of the Saviour's counsels to his disciples. He warned them not only by the fear of falling, but also by the fear of hell-fire.

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