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don, for faith, for ftrength to overcome his corruptions, for perfeverance; no man ever prayed for thefe, or any other grace, in the fincerity of his heart, and for Chrift's fake, but he had his petitions granted.

For Jefus Chrift has all power with God; that is the meaning of his SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD; he is our own flesh and blood; he loves us as his brethren; he loved us fo well as to die for us; all our enemies are under his power; he has every thing. that he can afk of God, and cannot be refufed; and has given us this faithful promife, that whatever we shall afk in his name, that he will do for us.

But even this is not all we hope for by his going to heaven. In his laft dying address to his disciples, he affures his faithful followers," that he afcended into heaven in order to prepare a place for them; that they fhall fhare with him the bleffings of heaven to all eternity.

What have we now to do, good Chriftians, but to endeavour to prepare ourselves for that happy state? And not to lose the time in which we have to do it, left we for ever come fhort of it.

What should hinder us from doing this? Shall the pleasures I hope for from the world tempt me to neglect the concerns of my foul and eternity? Not fure, when I confider, that

m John xiv. 2.

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these are but for a very little while, those of heaven for ever.

Shall my own weakness difcourage me? Shall the multitude of my enemies, their malice, or their power, make me afraid? Not if I believe, that the grace of God is fufficient to enable me to overcome all difficulties; and that Jefus Chrift has obtained this grace for all that afk it in his name.

Do my fins make me defpair of pardon? That would be unreasonable indeed, when I am affured, that I have an advocate with the Father, even his own beloved Son, pleading for me.

Shall the fenfe of my own unworthiness make me fear, that heaven is too holy a place for fuch a miferable creature as I am ever to be admitted there? Let this rather encourage me to be as holy as I can, becaufe Jefus Chrift, who is to be my judge, has promised to allow of a fincere endeavour after holiness.

And then let me remember, that he who is gone to prepare a place for us has declared, that in his Father's houfe are many manfions; and if, by his grace, I am thought worthy of the very lowest place in heaven, I fhall be fufficiently happy, and shall have cause to be eternally thankful.

And now you fee the wisdom of that church of which you are members, in obliging us fo often to lay before God the meritorious paffages of his Son's life and death, in order to

prevail

prevail with him to deliver us from the evils which we have justly deserved; and which we should always repeat with the greatest devotion.

And if we do so, he cannot deny our requests, when we plead his incarnation, his nativity, and circumcifion; his baptifm, fafting, and temptation; his agony and bloody fweat, his cross and paffion, his precious death and burial, his glorious refurrection and afcenfion. We cannot think too often of thefe myfteries; we cannot too often repeat them. If we do it with attention, it will increase our faith and hope in God; and is the only fure way of having fuccefs at the throne of grace.

The last article of this part of our Creed is expreffed in thefe words; FROM THENCE HE SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE QUICK AND THE DEAD; upon which depends our eternity; and therefore to be minded with the greatest ferioufness. For at the coming of Jesus Christ again, all men fhall rife with their own bodies, and shall give an account of their own works; and they that have done good, fhall go into life everlafting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.

And will not this awaken Chriftians? Shall we profess this truth, and yet be careless, and fleep on, and die in our fins, and rise again, only to be miferable? God forbid!-Rather let the knowledge and the belief of a future

judgment

judgment have its faving, its proper effects

upon us.

For example:-My own confcience tells me that I have done many things, which, if not forgiven, will rife up in judgment against me. Well then; what have I to do, but to endeavour to prevent the judgment of God, by judging and condemning myself, by confeffing my fins, by imploring his gracious pardon, and by bringing forth fruits answerable to amendment of life?

And every Christian, who would not have this article of his creed to be a plague and a torment to him, ought every day of his life to have his accounts in fome fort of readiness, that he may live with comfort, and die free from defpair. And to make our accounts eafier, we should do well always to ask leave of God before we undertake any thing of. moment. This would fecure his bleffing, if we are in a good way; and hinder us, if we are in a bad.

If a Chriftian would have but the courage to fay to himself,-This careless life I lead I must one day answer for; this injury I am going to do, this injuftice, this oppreffion, this fraud, this malicious ftory, this ill ufe of time, this fquandering away of my estate; these will certainly rife up in judgment against me;-what an infinite mifchief would this prevent!

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178 THE CREED PUT INTO PRACTICE.

And let us not fancy, because God fpares us in this world, that therefore we are safe. No; for this very reafon we may be affured, that God being juft, there must be an afterreckoning; and his Spirit affures us, that he referveth finners unto the day of judgment to be punished.

How thankful then, instead of repining, fhould Chriftians be, when they are called to an account in this life for their offences; when they are intreated, or even when they are compelled, to own their faults; and judge themfelves, that they may not be judged of the Lord.

And let us all remember, that wicked Chriftians will be judged to the fevereft doom. They know the will of God; they know the terrors of the Lord; they may have all the affistance to do their duty that their hearts can wifh for; they have the promise of heaven to encourage them; they have the ministers and the means of grace and falvation with them. How dreadful then must the judgment of that day be to fuch people!

On the other hand; fuch Chriftians as do believe, and do endeavour to live under a fenfe of a judgment to come, will have no reason to dread that day; forafmuch as they may, with the greatest affurance, rely upon the mercy and goodness of their Judge. For their Judge himself knows what infirmities they are subject to, and what enemies and temptations they have to ftruggle with; he will therefore

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