Is this the behaviour of thoughtful people?" Very far from it. You will be convinced it is not, if you will go and fee a ferious Chriftian labouring under any mortal ailment, which he is fure will put an end to his life in a month's time, or perhaps fooner: you will find fuch a man very serious, very indifferent for all the profits or pleasures this world can afford him; refolving to do every thing that may recommend him to the favour of God, whenever he fhall die: and you would count him worse than a madman, if you should find him otherwife difpofed, if you fhould find him under no concern for his foul, but by all manner of ways diverting his thoughts from what is fure to befal him, whether he thinks of it or not.

And yet the generality of Christians will not confider, that this is their own cafe.They believe, they know, they are fure, they muft die, and fooner perhaps than they imagine. The gofpel, which they say they believe, tells them what for certain must follow; either eternal happiness, if they have led good lives, or eternal mifery, if they die unconverted: and yet they put the thoughts of death far from them, because they will not prepare for it; at the fame time they would die with fear, if they did not hope to be saved.

But be affured of it, Chriftians, that no man must flatter himself with thefe hopes. He only who is convinced of his own misery and danger, through the corruption of his

nature,

nature, and understanding, by his Christian faith, the way to get out of this fad condition; he only who can fincerely refolve-I must not, I dare not, I will not, be any longer indifferent how I lead my life; I will, through the grace of God, live by faith; I will endeavour to know what God requires me to do, what I may hope for if I ftrive to please him, and what I am to fear, if I continue to provoke him by my fins.

Every Chriftian, who thus believes, refolves, and lives accordingly, is in the way of falvation.

We come now to confider what we believe concerning God, that we may know whether our faith be fuch as it should be.

We believe that God is infinitely great and good; and that we stand indebted to him for every thing we have, or value, or hope for.

Now, let us confider, if we were half fo much obliged to any man on earth, how highly should we value him; how dearly should we love him; how much should we think of him; how should we strive to please him; and how fhould we be troubled, when we should be fo unhappy as to offend him! Why now, Chriftians, if you thus believe, if you thus value, if you thus love, and defire to please God, and are careful not to offend him, your faith hath its faving fruits; it is fuch as it should be.

To proceed:-You believe of God, that he is most holy; and that as fuch he cannot but be displeased

displeased with every thing that is impure or wicked. Fix this truth in your heart; and your faith will keep you at the greatest distance from all fins of impurity and uncleanness, and from all temptations that lead to them; efpecially when the fame faith affures you, that fuch fins, if not bitterly repented of, will not only shut you out of heaven, but will cause you to have your portion with unclean devils.

You profefs to believe, that God is infinitely just, and that he hates all injuftice, oppreffion, and wrong. Now, if you really believe this of God, you will never fuffer yourself to be led, through covetoufnefs, malice, or revenge, to injure any man living.

We all profefs to believe, that God fees every thing that paffes in the world; that the very thoughts of our hearts, our most secret defigns, are known to him: and ought not every Christian, who believes this, to live and act as having God the conftant-witness of his conduct?

Lastly; we have the liberty, through faith, to call, to apply to this great, this good, this juft, this holy God, as to a father. A moft glorious privilege this, provided we live so as becomes the dutiful children of so good, fo great, fo holy a father; provided we refolve, with those mentioned in the book of Wifdom, We will not fin, knowing that we are accounted thine. And are we not under the greatest obligations to do fo, when, by our

own confeffion, he can reward or punish men beyond what they can conceive?

So that if our faith in God be fuch as it fhould be, we should part with any thing, as dear as a right hand or a right eye, rather than difpleafe, rather than provoke, this great, and good, and holy God."

We now come to examine our faith in Jefus Chrift; and that we may fee whether our faith be right, by the fruits it produceth.

We profess to believe what Jefus Christ has made known to us," That no man can come unto God, but by him; he being the way, the truth, and the life; that is, the author of the way, the teacher of the truth, and the giver of life. That God has given him power over all flesh. That therefore, as we believe in God, we must believe alfo in him. For that it would be but an uncomfortable article of faith, for a finner to believe in a God who is holy, just, and powerful, and who hateth all iniquity, if he did not know how to make his peace with him.

We believe, therefore, in Jefus Christ, who took our nature upon him, and has made our peace with God by fuffering, in our stead, what we for our fins had deferved. He has also prevailed with God to accept of our repentance, if fincere; to give us all neceffary affiftance to do our duty, and to accept of our best endeavours, (inftead of a perfect obedience) in order to our being made eternally happy.

• John xiv. 6. • John xvii. 2.

Let

Let us now examine our faith upon this article of our Creed; let us confider how our hearts and lives are affected with this exceed

ing great love of Chrift for his poor creatures. Does this love of Chrift, (as the apostle speaks) does this love of Chrift constrain us? Does it constrain us to confecrate our lives to him, who, by his death, has redeemed us from eternal death? Does our love for Chrift conftrain us to take him for our pattern, for our Lord, our mafter, and teacher? If it does, we fhall receive his gofpel as the word of our falvation; we shall obferve the laws, the rules, the ordinances, which he has given us, as the only means to fecure us from perdition. Does our faith, as the fame apostle speaks,* work by love? Does it appear by works of love and charity?

Does the love of Christ constrain us to imitate his fufferings, to take up the cross daily, and follow him as he requires us to do;" that is, to deny our corrupt inclinations, to crucify the flesh with its affections and lufts, to refift all inclinations to fin, and to fubject our will to the will of God, by ftedfaftly purpofing to do whatever we believe will please him?

Does the love of Chrift, and what he has done and fuffered for us, constrain us not to be afhamed of him, his word, his humility, and fufferings, in this untoward, unbelieving generation; nor to fet a greater value upon the

f 2 Cor. v. 14.

Gal. v. 6.

n Luke ix. 23.

opinion