BUT UT let us who are of the Day be fober, putting on the Breastplate of Faith and Love, and for an Helmet the Hope of Salvation, I Thef. v. 8. It is the Life of a Chriftian to have always before his Eyes the Light of the Gospel, to use the Creatures with Sobriety, to watch against all the Snares and Wiles of the Enemy, and to keep himfelf as it were under Arms continually, and ready to engage. His Arms, are an attentive and penetrating Faith, which, thro' the Clouds of the prefent World, and the Delufion of its pretended Goods, discovers the good Things of the World to come; and an humble and invariable Hope which expects them. Lord give me this precious Faith and Hope unto the End. WE WHerefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as alfo ye do, I Thef. v. II. There is no folid Comfort, but in the Confideration of what Chrift has done for us. Let us not refuse the Affiftance of good Example, and of Exhortations to Souls, to whom Jefus Christ has given his Blood and his Life. We fee here two Duties and two Qualities of a Christian Conversation: 1ft. To comfort one another in difcourfing of the Salvation purchased by, and the Maxims of, our Lord Jefus Chrift. 2d. To excite and encourage one another to the Practice of good Works. Move, and actuate, and guide, Let us then fweet Counsel take, Paft the Reach of Hell, fecure. Never from our Office move, Pray we for our Faith's Increase, FOR OR our rejoicing is this, the Teftimony of our Confcience, that in Simplicity and godly Sincerity, not with fleshly Wif dom, but by the Grace of God, we have had our Converfation in the World, and more abundantly to you wards, 2 Cor. i. I 2. There is nothing fo glorious for a true Chriftian, as to act without any Dependance on the Judgement of carnal Men, and to be fatisfied with the Teftimony of his own Confcience. Nothing is fo powerful against the Artifice and falfe Wisdom of the World, as a firm Confidence in God, a fincere and undisguised Converfation, and a prudent Simplicity, which confifts in having but one fole End of our Actions, God and his Will; and in knowing but one Way to that End, namely, the Way of the Gospel. O Lord, teach me thy Will; give me Grace to walk in thy Way; and crown my latter End with Peace. Christians indeed are Creatures new, Their Saviour's Mind exprefs, The Church in every Age is found E all had our Conversation in Times paft, in the Lufts of our Flesh, fulfilling the Defires of the Flefh and of the Mind; and were by Nature the Children of Wrath, even as others, Eph. ii. 3. Who does not abhor himself, being here informed, by the Apostle, what a Sinner is, namely, (v. 1.) a Man dead, in the Sight of God, though living in the Sight of Men; whofe Spirit is that (v. 2.) of this World, whose Prince is the Devil, whofe Rule is his Paffions, who, fhutting his Eyes against the Light of Faith, abandons himself to the Corruption of his carnal Will, and whom God may therefore juftly abandon, as a Victim of his Wrath, to the Rage of the Devil? The Wrath of God is the Inheritance of the Children of Adam, and the Fruit of Nature corrupted by original Sin. To whom ought we to live, but to Him who hath delivered us from this Death, and given us Life by a fecond Birth. Against Thee, Lord, alone, How often in thy Sight In Guilt each Part was form'd Of all this finful Frame, PUT T on the new Man, which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness, Eph. iv. 24. A Man compleatly cloathed fhews nothing peculiar to Man, and is entirely covered with his Garments: A Christian who has put on Chrift, fhews nothing of the Vices of the old Man, and one can fee in him only the Love, Humility, Modefty, Meekness, and the other Virtues of the new. Lord, who didft as it were uncloathe thyself, that thou mightest be cloathed with us, it belongs to Thee only to diveft us of ourselves, and to cloathe us with thyfelf, with thy Righteoufnefs, and true Holiness. --Cloathe us therefore, thou Son of God, that we may not be found naked at the Great Day. Thrice acceptable Word, Me, for thy Mercy's fake, |