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"heritage?" left the performance fhould prove delufion. Hear this ftedfast servant of the Lord, when he had now employed feveral years after his arrival in Canaan in combats for the establishment of his brethren in their allotments ftating his own claim before Joshua. Thou knowest the thing that the Lord faid unto Mofes, the man of God, concerning me and thee in Kadefhbarnea. And Mofes fware on that day, faying; Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden fhall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever: because thou haft wholly followed the Lord thy God. And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he faid, thefe forty and five years, even fince the Lord fpake this word unto Mofes, while the children of Ifracl wandered in the wilderness. And now, lo, I am this day fourfcore and five years old. As yet I am as ftrong this day as I was in the day that Mofes fent me: as my firength was then, even fo is my strength now for war. Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord fpake in that day (for thou beardeft in that day how the Anakims were there, and, that the cities were great and fenced): if the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord faid. And Jofbua bleed him (e): and according to the promise (e) Jofhua, xiv. 6-14. xv. 13, 14.

When God promifes, fear not

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of Mofes affigned to him the mountain and city of Hebron, which were inhabited by thofe giants, the fons of Anak, at the name of whom the whole congregation of Ifrael had trembled; and the Lord was with Caleb ; and he utterly deftroyed them. The words of the Lord will be fulfilled as punctually with refpect to you. The wicked hall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal (ƒ). If the gospel is preached to you in vain; if your lives are not lives of faith and holiness through Chrift: you will perish everlastingly, where the worm dieth not and the fire is never quenched. These are the true fayings of God. If you have another Spirit with you, even that new fpirit which is created in the heart by the eternal Spirit of fancification; if you follow the Lord fully in godliness, and humility, and prayer, and - perfeverance unto the end: the inheritance of the spiritual Canaan, the kingdom of heaven, will be yours, by the blood of Jefus, for ever. (f) Matt. xxv. 46.

SERMON XI.

On the Character of Naaman.

2 KINGS, V. 2, 3.

The Syrians had gone out by Companies, and had brought away captive out of Ifrael a little Maid; and he waited on Naaman's Wife. And fhe faid unto her Miftrefs; Would God my Lord were with the Prophet that is in Samaria: for he would recover bim of his Leprofy!

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THAT the name of God might be glorified among the heathen was one of the leading purposes, for the furtherance of which the children of Ifrael were felected to become a peculiar people to the Moft High. In the victories which from age to age have attended the ftandard of the cross, this plan of mercy has advanced many fteps towards its completion. In the univerfal triumphs which await Christianity, when the converfion and re

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establishment of the Jews fhall bring the fulnefs of the Gentiles into the church, it will receive its perfect accomplishment. But during the whole period of the Mofaic covenant; from the day when the magicians faid unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God, to the moment when the Roman centurion exclaimed, Truly this Man was the Son of God: the deliverances miraculously wrought amidst the chofen race shook fucceffive kingdoms and generations of unbelievers with terror; and concurred with the confpicuous purity of the Jewish religion to extort from reluctant idolaters the tribute of praise to Jehovah.

In the narrative of which the portion of Scripture already recited forms a part, we perceive the Omnipotent gaining to himself from among the heathen an acquisition which his mercy never defpifes, the acquifition of a faithful worshipper. I propose, in the first place, to ftate and briefly to illuftrate the circumstances of the tranfaction: and, in the fecond place, to point out fome of the methods, in which we may derive benefit from the confideration of them.

I. The kingdom of Syria bordered upon Ifrael. In confequence of difputes respecting their boundaries and various other caufes, there

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arofe frequent wars between the two nations. About the time of which we are speaking, fome troops of Syrians had effected a fucceffful incurfion into the land of Ifrael: and, according to the cruel cuftom of those days, had carried back with them into captivity fuch of the inhabitants as they had been able to feize. Among them was a young woman, who became a fervant in the family of NaaNaaman was captain of the hoft, general of the whole army, of the king of Syria. He was a mighty man in valour. He was alfo a great man with his mafter, and honourable; because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria. But in the midft of his grandeur and high renown, he was fubjected to a very fevere affliction. He was infected with the leprofy; a loathsome disorder not uncommon in the Eaft. The Ifraelitish maiden felt compaffion for his diftrefs. Her mind, fondly reverting to her native foil, dwelt on the wonderful works which God had there wrought by the hand of Elisha. She thought that this minifter of heaven, on whofe prayer the fon of the Shunamite had been reftored to life, would be enabled to heal the disease of her mafter. She faid unto her miftrefs; Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria: for he would recover him of vis leprojy.

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