Not fo with refpect to the concerns of eter nity. There every thing is determinate and immutable. Heaven and Hell ftand revealed before man. The rewards provided for the fervants of Chrift, the punishments in store for those who difregard his offers of mercy, are established for everlafting in the word of truth; are fo clearly difplayed, that he who runneth may read and understand. Their voice is gone out into all lands; and their found unto the ends of the world. Is additional illumination needed? The gospel supplies it. To enlighten the blind; to shame the self-deceiver; to cheer the righteous on his way; to awe the guilty into contrition; the faithful and the wicked are difcriminated by marks, which ignorance cannot mistake nor craftinefs elude.

. In various paffages of Scripture thofe perfons in all countries to whom the Christian religion has been preached, for at prefent it is unneceflary to fpeak of heathen nations, are divided into two claffes into thofe that are Chrift's, and those that are not Chrift's. These two bodies of men are alfo delineated under other reprefentations, which bear the fame import with the preceding defcription. Thus thofe that are Chrift's are

occa

occafionally characterifed as born of the Spirit; walking in the Spirit; the children of God; the elect of God; the doers of the law; the heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Those that are not Chrift's are defcribed as walking in the flesh; fulfilling the lufts of the flesh; the children of this world; the unfruitful hearers of the law; the fervants of Satan; the heirs of damnation. All of us who are here affembled, belong to the one or to the other, of thefe two divifions of the human race. We are Chrift's; or we are not Christ's. If we are Chrift's, and if through the bleffed influence of the holy Spirit, which will affuredly attend earnest prayers and zealous exertions on our own part, we continue Chrift's unto the end; we fhall be received after death into the kingdom of heaven, through the atoning blood of our Redeemer. If we are not Chrift's, and remain in that fituation till we die; we have to look, as the Scriptures unequivocally declare, for that place only, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is never quenched.

If this statement be juft; furely every perfon prefent, who has any ferious concern for his foul, muft feel how inexpreffibly important it is to fatisfy himself whether, in his exifting

K 2

exifting state of heart and life, he is Chrift's,

This is a queftion which God expects you to answer, every one for himself. There is only one method by which you can learn a true anfwer to it. Some perfons enthufiaftically conceive that they can discern by certain inward fenfations and impulfes, which they attribute to the immediate agency of the Holy Ghost upon their minds, that they are Chrift's. Others are willing to conclude that they are Chrift's, because they have been baptized into his church; attend public worship and the facra ments with tolerable regularity; and lead, according to their own eftimation and the general opinion of the world, decently good lives. Others perfuade themfelves that Christ will acknowledge them at laft for his, becaufe he is very merciful; and becaufe, unholy as they have been, they are fatisfied that furrounding multitudes have been as unholy as themselves. All these modes of judging are fatal delufions. What is the true method? To the law and to the teftimony. Search the Scriptures. They contain ample defcriptions of the perfons who are Chrift's. If, on deeply examining your heart and conduct as in the prefence of God, you discover ade

+

quate grounds for belief that thofe defcriptions may be applied to yourfelf; you have reason humbly to truft that you are Chrift's. If you perceive that they cannot fairly be applied to yourfelf; conclude that at prefent you are not Chrift's.

Search then the Scriptures for the answer to your question. Among the many paffages relating to the fubject, perhaps there is not one from which you may colled the true reply more easily than from the verfe immediately under our confideration. They that are Chrift's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts. And confequently, they who have not crucified the flesh with the affections and lufts, are not Chrift's. Brethren, every one of you may judge of his own ftate for himself.

The love of Christ, faith the apostle on another occafion, conftraineth us: because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: we judge that if Chrift died for all. men, it is a proof that but for his death all men would have fallen fhort of pardon and eternal life: and he died for all, that they which live, fhould not henceforth live unto themfelves, but unto him who died for them and rofe again (a). This living unto Chrift he deno

minates in the text crucifying the flesh with the affections and lufts. This I fay, then, as he writes in an earlier part of the chapter; Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lufts of the flesh. For the flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and thefe are contrary the one to the other. Having fubjoined a copious catalogue of deeds of iniquity which he terms the works of the flesh; the works to which our corrupt and fleshly nature of itfelf would draw us; and concerning which he pronounces that they, who do fuch things, fhall not inherit the kingdom of God: he enumerates fundry Chriftian virtues as among the fruits of the Spirit; as contrary to our naturally finful dispositions, and as created, nurtured and ripened in us only by the influence of the Spirit of God: for it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do that which is right; and he worketh by the agency of the Holy Ghoft. And in order to qualify every person to examine and judge for himself whether he is living to the Spirit and to Chrift, and is therefore authorised to hope for mercy and falvation; or whether he is living to the flesh, and is therefore still lying in a state of condemnation; St. Paul concludes with this short and explicit rule: They that are Chrift's have