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SERM. ing good from a principle of love to God, a XIV. defire of his favour, and hopes of rewards from him, without views to worldly honours and advantages: refignation to the disposals of Providence: maintaining the truth in all circumstances: of which virtues the Lord Jesus himself was a confpicuous and perfect example: who also, after he had died in testimonie to the truths taught by him, was raised from the dead, and exalted to glorie. And all who follow him fincerely are to be made perfect and happy, like him, and to be for ever with him.

They who attend to this must be disposed to do somewhat confiderable. And, if they should meet with temptations, they will be able to furmount them.

Accordingly, the Apostles of Jesus, who did abide in him, and retained his words, did bear much, and good fruit. Their conduct was excellent and exemplarie. And they could endure shame and all manner of fufferings for his name fake, and in hope of partaking in the recompenfes of his heavenly kingdom.

Under what difcouragements Peter with the eleven first preached the gospel at Jerufalem,

falem, and under what discouragements it SERM. was profeffed by their first converts, and by XIV. many others afterwards, the historie in the Acts, and other things in the epistles of the Apostles, plainly shew....

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And the power and efficacie of the divine word are attested to by every part of scrip

ture.

Says holy David: Wherewith shall a young Pf. cxix. man cleanse bis way? By taking beed thereto, 9. according to thy word. And, Thy word have Ver. 11: I bid in my heart, that I might not fin against thee.

The word of God is represented as the great mean of forming, and of cherishing and emproving good difpofitions. The Chriftians, to whom St. Peter writes, had pu- 1 Pet. i. rified themselves in obeying the truth. And 22. 23. had been born again, not of corruptible feed, but of incorruptible, even by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. And he exhorts them, as new born babes, to defire the ii. z. fincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby. And St. James: Receive with meek- Jam.i. nesse the engraffed word, which is able to fave 23. your fouls.

SERM.

Αεις xx.

26.27.

What St. Paul says at Miletus to the elders XIV. of Ephefus, is very observable: Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am free from the blood of all men. For I have not shuned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God. ... And now, brethren, I recommend you to God, and to the word of his grace : which is able to build you up, and to give you an inberitance among all them that are fanctified.

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How earnest, and how frequent that Apofile is in exhorting Christians to retain the pure gofpel of Christ, in order to their establishment and encrease in virtue, is well known to all men. He and Barnabas visited

Acts xiv. the churches, which they had planted, confirming the difciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith. And to the Coloffians he writes: You that were some time alienated,

Col. i.
21...23.

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bath be reconciled, in the body of his flesh, through death, to present you holy and unblamable, and unreprovable in his fight : if ye continue in the faith grounded and fettled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard.

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II. I

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II.

I shall now mention two or three remarks, briefly, by way of application. 1. We may hence infer, that, generally speaking, sad will be the condition of those, who having once known the doctrine of the gospel, afterwards forsake and disown it, and wilfully act contrarie to it's holy laws and commandments.

SERM.
XIV.

The Apostles of Christ in their epistles make the supposition of such instances, and speak of them with much concern, as past hope. It would be exceeding difficult to Heb. ii. renew them again to repentance : and it had been better for them, not to have known the 21. way of righteousnesse, than to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

2. This discourse of our Lord with his disciples should induce us to a strict regard to his genuine doctrine.

This is the best way to be steady and eminent in things excellent and commendable. We have not seen Christ. But we have good reason to believe in him, and love him. His words, and his works, and all his transactions on this earth for our welfare, have been carefully tranfmitted to us. We should abide in him. And

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6.

2 Pet. ii.

SERM. And endeavor to know more the power of XIV. his death, and refurrection, and all the forci

Jer. ii.

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ble confiderations, which his doctrine contains to the practise of virtue and perfeverance therein.

3. We here see cause to lament the degeneracie of Christians, and the absurdities that have been introduced into the Chriftian profeffion.

Says God with regard to the Jewish people: I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right feed. How then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me! The statutes delivered to the people of Ifrael were good and right. The laws of moral righteoufneffe had the preference. And the others were wisely ordained at that time, and fuited to answer valuable ends. Nevertheless they diverted to idolatrie, or made additions of human observances, to the great detriment of true piety. The doctrine of Jesus is excellent and important. And yet numberless superstitions and absurdities have been graffed in. Whence comes this? It is, because men do not attend to their true interest: because they do not love truth and fimplicity.

Ecc. vii. And so it has been from the begining. God made

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