3. Thirdly: You are to walk humbly with your God. To walk with God, fignifies, in the language of Scripture, to be a faithful and zealous fervant of God. Thus it is faid of Enoch, that he walked with God: and he was not. He was no longer to be found on earth; for God took him. His piety and holinefs were fo eminent, that God diftinguished him by tranflating him alive into heaven. Again, we are told that Noah was a just man, ana perfect in his generation; and Noah walked with God. And his heavenly Mafter as a fignal reward preferved him and his family from the deluge. We, like thefe holy men of old, and like the righteous in all ages who have trodden in their footsteps, are alfo to walk with God. And, like them, we are to walk humbly with our God, We are to bring our whole hearts as well as our actions into subjection to the divine will. If you would obtain falvation, you must become like the Ifraelite to whose enquiries the words of Micah were a reply, humbled to the duft in forrow for your guilt, and fervently defirous of submitting to any method of reconciliation with the Majesty of heaven. But are you, like that Ifraelite, looking round for burnt-offerings to prefent unto the Lord? My Son, God will provide bimfelf

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bimfelf a lamb for a burnt-offering (c). Would you give your first-born for your tranfgreffion; the fruit of your body for the fin of your foul? Not your firft-born is the atonement: but the only begotten Son of God. His must be the blood wherewith you come be fore the Lord and bow yourself before the Moft High. Look to the cross of Christ, and to that alone. Difclaim all prefumption, all boasting, all self-righteousness, all dependence on your own ftrength to will or to perform. Present yourself before God, not as a Pharifee demanding reward as a debt; not as a vaunter profeffing to be rich, and bearing payment in his hand for a bleffing which he would purchase: but as a finner imploring pardon and mercy through Christ, as otherwise totally unattainable, as in every point and circumftance the free and unmerited gifts of divine grace. Look through Christ to the Holy Spirit for power to refift temptation, for power to form good refolut tions, for power to carry them into effect Remember that, while God refifteth the proud, it is to the bumble that he giveth grace (d). When you have done all, confefs that you are an unprofitable fervant to your Lord; that you have done only that which was your (c) Gen. xxii., 8. (d) i Pet. v. 5.

bounden

bounden duty. This it is to walk humbly with your God in the general frame and temper of your foul. In all the changeful fituations of your life evince by your conduct this characteristic temper of a Chriftian. Are you in profperity? Walk humbly with your God. Confefs, that it is he, who of his own loving kindness giveth you all things richly to enjoy. Confefs, with the Patriarch Jacob, O Lord I am not worthy of the leaft of thefe thy mercies (e). Let the Giver be glorified in his gifts. Now ye are full, now ye are rich. Be it fo. Who maketh thee to differ from another? And what haft thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it; why doft thou glory as if thou hadst not received it (f)? The more diftinguished is your prof perity, the more earneft be your folicitude to become meek, humble, and fober-minded. Remember that he who lifteth up, can caft down; that he who beftoweth can take away. Remember that thou haft here no continuing city. Look at that withering flower; and behold how perishable are all the glories which derive their nutriment from earth. Has adverfity overtaken you? Have trials and afflictions and fickneffes clouded your days?

(e) Gen. xxxii. 10.

(f) Cor. iv. 7, 8. X 4

Walk

Walk humbly with your God. Humble yourself under his chaftifing hand. It is the Lord: let him do what feemeth him good (g). Reflect on his unbounded wifdom, his inexhauftible loving-kindnefs. What! fhall we receive good at the hand of God; and shall we not receive evil (b)? Knoweth he not what is fitteft for you? Loveth he not the work of His own hand, the foul for which he gave His Son unto death? Verily be chaftifeth us for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holinefs. And although no chaftening for the prefent feemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteoufnefs unto them which are exercifed thereby (i, and walk humbly with their God. Finally, obferve his laws with reverence; and humbly render equal obedience to them all. Prefume not to think that you may venture to neglect any commandment which God has pronounced. Doft thou refufe fubmiffion to any one of His injunctions, and sayest thou that thou walkeft humbly with Him? Be diligent in frequenting the public worship of your Lord; and receive His word with humility. Slight not any opportunity of attending the holy communion, in humble and thankful remembrance of your (g) 1 Sam. iii. 18.` (h) Job, ii. io. (i) Hebr. xii. 10, 11. crucified

crucified Master. In every thing by prayer and fupplication, public and private, let your requests be made known unto God (j). And humbly offer up to Him all your petitions in the name of the appointed Mediator and Interceffor, Jefus Chrift.

III. It appears then that to the Jew and to the Chriftian the fum and substance of religion have ever been the fame. To do juftly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God in grateful dependence and univerfal obedience; this it has been, this it is, to be a fervant of the Moft High. The duties of justice and of mercy, duties placed within the sphere of human reason, were developed in the Scriptures of the Old Testament to the Jew. Before the Christian they stand arrayed in brighter radiance borrowed from the precepts and the example of his Lord. To the Jew the general obligation of walking humbly with his God was unfolded. The Chrif tian, furveying it in clearer luftre, afcribes the acceffion of light to his Saviour. But as to the greatest of the events in the divine economy to which that general obligation pointed, the Jew was comparatively in darkness. He little understood the method, by which ex(j) Philipp. iv. 6. piation