Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

❝ 29. Take my Yoke upon you, and LEARN of me, " for I am MEEK and LOWLY in Heart; and ye fhall "find REST unto your Souls.

"30. For my Yoke is EASY, and my Burden is

LIGHT.

WHO can read fome of the Pfalms, without feeing clearly that the Royal Prophet often labours under the heavy BURDEN from which our SAVIOUR came to free Mankind: and therefore in the Gospel is contained many rich and precious PROMISES, that by a fixed Reliance upon thefe, we might be made PARTAKERS Of the DIVINE NATURE, and fo efcape the Lusts and VICES with which the World is polluted. The FAITH which is fincere, will always animate the Soul to SEEK that GRACE which defcends from above, and is only to be obtained by fervent PRAYER.

WHAT the State of Mankind was by the Entrance of SIN, and what it was to be restored to by the GRACE of the Gospel, is fully defcribed by St. Paul, in the Epiftle to the Romans, and other Epistles.

"Rom. v. 15. But not as the OFFENCE, fo alfo is "the free GIFT: for if through the Offence of one many be dead; much more the GRACE of GOD, " and the GIFT by GRACE, which is by one Man 7efus Chrift, hath abounded unto many.

[ocr errors]

"16. And not as it was by one that SINNED, fo is "the GIFT, for the JUDGMENT was by one to CON"DEMNATION; but the FREE GIFT is of many Of"fences unto JUSTIFICATION.

17. For if by one Man's Offence, DEATH reign"ed by one, much more they which receive Abun"dance of GRACE, and of the GIFT of RIGHTEOUS"NESS, fhall reign in LIFE by one Jefus Chrift.

20. Moreover the Law entered that the OFFENCE "might abound: But where SIN abounded, GRACE "did much more abound.

"21. That as SIN hath reigned unto DEATH, even "fo might GRACE reign through Righteousness unto

"ETER

Сс

[ocr errors]

"ETERNAL LIFE by Jefus Christ our LORD. Chap. vi. 14. For SIN fhall not have Dominion over you: for ye are not under the LAW, but under GRACE. "Chap. viii. 11. But if the SPIRIT of Him that "raised up Jefus from the Dead, dwell in you; he "that RAISED up Chrift from the Dead, fhall alfo QUICKEN your mortal Bodies, by his SPIRIT that "dwelleth in you.

"Gal. ii. 21. I do not fruftrate the GRACE of GOD: "for if RIGHTEOUSNESS come by the LAW, then Chrift " is dead in vain.

"Ephef. ii. 1. And you hath he QUICKNED, who Сс were dead in TRESPASSES and SINS.

"2. Wherein in Time past ye WALKED according cc to the Course of this World, according to the PRINCE "of the Power of the AIR, the SPIRIT that now "worketh in the Children of Difobedience.

[ocr errors]

3. Among whom alfo we all had our Converfa"tion in Times paft, in the LUSTS of our Flefh, fulfilling the DESIRES of the Flefh, and of the Mind; " and were by Nature the Children of Wrath, even as others.

[ocr errors]
[merged small][ocr errors]

4. But Go D, who is rich in MERCY, for his LOVE wherewith he loved us,

great

cc 5. Even when we were dead in SINS, hath QUICK<c NED us together with Chrift, (by GRACE ye are "SAVED :)

"6. And hath RAISED us up together, and made "us fit together in heavenly Places in Chrift Jefus.

[ocr errors]

7. That in the Ages to come, he might fhew the "exceeding Riches of his GRACE, in his Kindness to"wards us through Chrift Jefus.

"8. For by GRACE are ye SAVED, through FAITH; " and that not of your felves, it is the GIFT of GOD. 9. Not of WORKS, left any Man should boast.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

10. For we are his Workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto GOOD WORKS, which God hath before "ordained that we fhould WALK in them.

Jobn

John xv. 5. Without me ye can do nothing. WHAT the DIVINE GRACE, which at fuch different Times and divers Manners, was by the HOLY SPIRIT revealed to the PATRIARCHS and PROPHETS, and more fully made known by our SAVIOUR and the APOSTLES, is reduced, in the Epiftle to the Hebrews, to a Sum Total, contained in the EVANGELICK COVE

NANT.

[ocr errors]

"Heb. viii. 1. Now of the THINGS which we have fpoken, this is the SUM: We have fuch an HIGH PRIEST, who is fet on the right Hand of the Throne "of the MAJESTY in the Heavens ;

"2. A MINISTER of the SANCTUARY, and of the "TRUE TABERNACLE which the LORD pitched, and not Man.

" 6. But now hath he obtained a more excellent "MINISTRY, by how much alfo he is the MEDIATOR " of a better COVENANT, which was established upon " better PROMISES.

"7. For if that firft COVENANT had been FAULTLESS, then fhould no Place have been fought for the ❝ fecond.

10. For this is the COVENANT that I will make "with the House of Ifrael, faith the LORD; I will put my Laws into their MIND, and WRITE them "in their HEARTS: and I will be to them a GOD, " and they fhall be to me a People.

66

11. And they shall not teach every Man his "Neighbour, and every Man his Brother, faying, "KNOW the LORD; for all fhall KNOW me, from "the leaft to the greatest.

[ocr errors]

12. For I will be MERCIFUL to their UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, and their SINS and their INIQUITIES Will "I remember no more.

THAT fuch a COVENANT was to be introduced, is exprefly foretold by Mofes, and often mentioned in the Pfalms, and more particularly defcribed by the Prophets Ifaiab, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

g

"Deut.

"Deut. xxx. 6. And the LORD thy GOD will "CIRCUMCISE thine Heart, and the Heart of thy "Seed, to LOVE the LORD thy GOD with all thine "Heart, and with all thy Soul, that thou mayft LIVE. "Pfalm lxxxix. 1. I will fing of the MERCIES of the LORD for ever: with my Mouth will I make "known thy FAITHFULNESS to all Generations.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

2. For I have faid, MERCY fhall be built up for "ever: thy FAITHFULNESS fhalt thou ESTABLISH in "the very Heavens.

st 3. I have made a COVENANT with my Chofen, I "have fworn unto David my Servant.

cc 4. Thy Seed will I ESTABLISH for ever: and build * up thy Throne to all Generations.

ર 19. Then thou SPAKEST in Vifion to the HOLY "ONE, and faidft, I have laid HELP upon One that "is Mighty: I have EXALTED One CHOSEN Out of the People.

1. 28. My MERCY will I KEEP for him for evermore, "and my COVENANT fhall STAND FAST with him..

AT the Time when CHRISTIANITY first appeared, there were many Sects of Philofophers, who, according to their various Systems, in vain attempted to REFORM Mankind by their MORAL PRECEPTS. But what these could not do, the Gospel foon effected: For after that the World by WISDOM (or PHILOSOPHY) knew not GOD, it pleafed GOD by the Foolishness of PREACHING, to SAVE them that BELIEVED;" that no Flesh "fhould glory in his Prefence, but of him are ye in "Chrift Jefus, who of GoD is made unto us WisDOM, and RIGHTEOUSNESS, and SANCTIFICATION, "and REDEMPTION.

HOW foon after the Defcent of the HOLY GHOST, did the Gospel diffufe its DIVINE LIGHT through all the known World; both Jews and Gentiles conforming their Lives, by an abfolute Obedience to its holy and excellent Precepts; and were fo animated with a DI

VINE FORTITUDE, that Men funk under the Decays of OLD AGE, delicate Women, tender Youths, and beauteous Virgins TRIUMPHED Over all the Rage of their Perfecutors, and in their cruel DEATHS became more than CONQUERORS!

The Xth ARTICLE of the Church of England.

OF FREE-WILL

THE Condition of an after the Fall of Adam, is fuch, That he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own Matural Strength and Good Works to Faith, and calling upon GDD; wherefore we have no Power to dá Good Works pleasant and acceptable to GDD, without the Grace of DD, by Chrift, preventing us, that we may have a God Will, and working with us when we have that Good Will.

THE following PRAYERS out of the PSALMS, were compofed in the Time of my great AFFLICTION, when in the Years 1715, 16, and 17, I faw the Family (of which I am the most inconfiderable Part) pursued to DESTRUCTION. And altho' my Perfon was not under CONFINEMENT, yet was it to undergo a PROSECUTION; which was carried on with the utmost MALICE and INJUSTICE.

4

IN this Time of my Afflictions, the PRAYERS in the Pfalms were my great SUPPORT; and I found by Experience, that it was not in vain to SEEK the PROTECTION and FAVOUR of the Almighty for our DeLIVERANCE was in fuch a manner, that we had the highest Reason to say with the Pfalmift, in Pfalm xxxi. g 2

"Ver. 19.

« AnteriorContinuar »