crucified the flesh with the affections and

lufts. Let me now endeavour to affift you in judging whether you are living to Chrift, or to the flesh, by fetting before you fome of the fcriptural tefts, which diftinguish from a corrupt and unregenerate world those who belong to the Lord Jefus.

I. To crucify the flesh with its affections and lufts, is, in the first place, to make it the bufinefs of life to overcome, through the ever prefent grace of God, the evil difpofitions and defires of human nature; and to abftain from the evil actions to which thofe difpofitions and defires would lead. And on what principle are you thus to crucify the flesh? You are to crucify it for the fake of Jesus Christ. You are to abhor and renounce fin because it was the occafion of his fufferings, From love and gratitude to your Redeemer for the unspeakable kindness which he has shewn towards yourself, you are to forfake whatever is displeasing in his fight. He died for you: and you are to live unto him. If you will not live unto him in this world, you will not be received into his kingdom in the next. These are fundamental truths which

theScriptures teach you plainly, and before hand. You are here placed, in this refpect, upon your trial; with your understandings previously informed, with your eyes open' to inevitable confequences.

Confider then well, each of you for yourself. Are you living to Chrift? If you wilfully indulge yourself in any wicked principles, in any wicked habit; you certainly are not living unto him. If you are polluted with any impure practice; you are not living unto Chrift, but unto the fleth and the devil. If your heart fwells with hatred, or contracts with envy; you are not living unto Chrift. If you are proud; or covetous; or a drunkard; or a reveller: you are not living unto Chrift. Caft your eyes on fome of the verfes preceding the text: and you will read, if your character be found among thofe which I have specified, an express declaration concerning yourfelf, that you fhall not inherit the kingdom of God. ceive not yourself by irrelevant fpeculations. Say not within your bofom; "If this be the "cafe, how few will be faved!" That is not your concern. The point which is important to you is this: that God has folemnly pronounced, that neither the unclean perfon, nor the envious, nor he who cherishes hatred

De

or

or feeks for revenge, nor the drunkard, nor the flanderer, nor the proud, nor the contentious, nor the covetous, nor any man who will not labour ftedfaftly to live unto Chrift, fhall enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Will not you credit the word of your Judge? Do you charge the God of truth with falfehood? Hath he spoken and fhall he not do it? Hath he said it, and fhall he not make it good? Beware left you be convinced when it is too late. If you are living in any habitual fin; confider yourself as a perfon ftill lying under the curfe of the law, under the fentence of condemnation. Attempt not to elude the denunciations of God by dangerous and groundless hopes that he will be merciful in cafes, with refpect to which he has forewarned you, and has forewarned you in terms as plain as language can furnish, that he will not fhew mercy, but will allow his juftice to pursue its courfe. Know that his threatenings will be fully executed against yourself; unless you submit to those means, through which alone mercy is held forth to you, and become invefted with thofe qualifications, by which alone you can be rendered meet to receive it. O Lord our God! Thou art unfpeakably merciful; otherwife no man would fee falvation. From the cloud in which thou

paffedft

Thou

paffedft before Mofes, thou proclaimedft thy name to be merciful. Thou proclaimedst thyfelf, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gra cious, long-fuffering, abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy; forgiving iniquity, tranf greffion and fin. But thou proclaimedst thyfelf also to be a God that will by no means clear the guilty (b). Thou wilt not fhew mercy in a way which would contradict thy own word, Thou wilt not fhew mercy in a way which would minifter encouragement to fin. wilt not fhew mercy to thofe who remain ob ftinate in careleffneís and tranfgreffion. Thou wilt fhew abundant mercy to the repentant finner; none to the perfevering finner. My brethren! Would you obtain mercy? Seek it in the way, the only way, in which it is to be obtained. Become confcious of your need of mercy; confcious of your guilt and of your helpleffnefs. Fly to the atonement which Chrift has made upon the crofs. Pray conftantly and fervently for his grace: and under the influence of his grace make it first care and your warmeft defire that heart be purified, that it be turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. Renounce every sinful tem per, every finful practice, however dear it may (b) Exod. xxxiv. 5—7.

your

your

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be to you. If to renounce it be a trial as difficult and painful as to part with a right hand or a right eye; you must either relinquish it, or relinquish your hopes of heaven. You must make your choice. Do choice. Do you hesitate to come to a decifion? Transform mountains into vallies, the fea into dry land: remove the caft to the weft reconcile darkness with light: and then dream of enjoying guilty pleasures in this life, and happiness in the life to come,

II. Have you therefore refolved, through the grace of God, to renounce the indulgence of finful inclinations and practices? Have you thus taken the first step towards living unto Chrift? What then is the second? Ceafe to do evil; faith the prophet. What is his next injunction? Learn to do well.

In addition to the crowds who abandon themselves to flagrant immorality, there are numbers who pafs through life with fo fcanty a portion of active concern about religion; are fo far from proving the care of their fouls to be their main object; and fall fo far fhort in tempers and in practice of the fcriptural rule of living unto Chrift; that they muft reasonably expect, if they continue in their prefent ftate, to fall fhort of falvation." In the world, which forms its judgement by