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than other infidels and heathens have, nor, indeed, so much; forasmuch as the others know not that Christ ever ordained this sacrament for the admission into his Church, and so to a state of salvation; these know and contemn it. Wherefore, if there be any here, who, through the error or negligence of their parents, were not baptized in their infancy; and, through their own default, have not yet had this sacrament administered to them, I beseech you, as you tender your own salvation, put it off no longer, but prepare yourselves as soon as possible for it, lest you die without it, and so be found, at the last day, not among the sheep of Christ, but among the goats, which will be condemned to the "everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels."

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And as for you, who are so happy as to be born of water and of the Spirit of Christ, and so made his, take heed that ye do not lose the Spirit which you then received; as you certainly will, if you either renounce the faith into which you were baptized, or live in the constant breach of the vow which you then made. And seeing you cannot but be conscious to yourselves, that you have kept neither the faith, nor your promise, so strictly as ye ought, but have many ways offended, and, therefore, have cause to fear that God hath or will withdraw his Holy Spirit from you, you must constantly pray, as David did in the like case, saying, "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me "."

But there are some, too many I fear, who were once baptized with water and the Spirit, and so made the children of God and heirs of heaven, but afterwards have proved so undutiful, disobedient, and to every good work reprobate, that their heavenly Father hath, in effect, cast them off, disinherited them, and suffers his Spirit to strive no longer with them. The condition of such is very deplorable, but not altogether desperate; for they having been once admitted into

' Ps. li. 11.

the number of his children, Almighty God hath still so much respect and favour for them, that, upon their repentance and return to their duty, he is ready to receive them again, and to give them his Holy Spirit, to assist them in the performance of it, if they do but ask it of him: we may be sure of it, for we have the word of Christ himself for it, saying, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" To them who have been adopted into his family, and made his children, he, as their heavenly Father, will give the Holy Spirit but to none else; nor to them neither, unless they ask it, too, according to the rules that he himself hath prescribed for it, heartily, importunately, in faith, in the name of Christ, instantly, and without ceasing. If you thus ask it, he will give you his Holy Spirit, though not immediately, yet in the use of the means which he hath ordained for that end; especially in the faithful performance of your public devotions to him, when you are met together in his name, to pray jointly to him for it; to praise his most holy name, and to hear that word which he hath given by the inspiration of the same Spirit, and receive the Holy Sacrament; Christ himself is always in the midst of such assemblies of his saints, ready to distribute the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit among them. As we often find he did, both in the Old and New Testament, but very rarely, if ever, at any other time or place. And, therefore, as you desire the continual assistance of the Spirit of Christ, you must neglect no opportunity you can get of waiting upon him in his own house, and at his own table, where he usually moves upon those who come rightly disposed for it, and takes them under his own care and conduct.

But then you must take especial heed not to "grieve the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption 3." Do nothing that may offend so

1 Luke xi. 13.

2 Matt. xviii. 20.

3

Eph. iv. 30.

divine a guest, lest you provoke him to withdraw himself from you; "Quench not the Spirit," stifle not those holy motions he puts into your hearts; but do all you can to stir them up, that ye may be "fervent in spirit ":" "zealous of good works," "stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord "."

Having thus shewn that they only who have the Spirit of Christ are truly his, and likewise how ye may all have it, if ye will but seek it as ye ought, there will be no occasion, I hope, of persuading you to endeavour after it all ye can; I shall only desire you to consider, that, unless you have the Spirit of Christ, you are still "in the flesh," that is, in your natural or carnal estate, no better than when he came into the world, or rather much worse; and so long as such, you can never please God, nor do any one thing acceptable in his sight: you are enemies to God, and he is an enemy to you; you have nothing that ye can truly call a blessing, for every thing you have is cursed to you; you have no interest in the merits of Christ's death, nor in the intercession that he makes at the right hand of God; for you are without Christ, "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, without hope, and without God in the world "." Ye are in continual danger of being condemned to hell-fire; and will certainly be so when ye die, unless ye repent and believe, so as to have the Spirit of Christ while ye live.

Whereas, if you have the Spirit of Christ, and so are his, what a happy condition will ye then be in! Ye will then be free from that bondage, or corruption, to which others are subject, for "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty'. Ye will then, "through

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the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body," and live continually in "newness of life"."

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Ye will then bring

6 Rom. xii. 11.

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forth the "fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ;" and whatsover else can adorn either your hearts or lives, and make you amiable in the sight of God. Ye will then partake of the divine nature, and "be holy, as he who hath called you is holy, in all manner of conversation:" ye will then have Jesus Christ, whose ye are, always making intercession for you, and washing you from your sins in his own blood: ye will then be safe and secure under the protection of the Almighty, and need not fear any evil that can happen to you ye will then live under the light of God's countenance, and have it shining continually upon you, cheering and refreshing your spirits, more than ye can imagine. Ye have already the earnest of the inheritance, and, therefore, need not doubt, but that, ere long, you will be possessed of it, "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you And all because ye have the Spirit of Christ, and so are his, whose all things are, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory now and for ever. Amen.

3 Gal. v. 22, 23.

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SERMON VIII.

THE OBLIGATIONS OF SUPERIORS TO PROMOTE

RELIGION.

PSALM ii. 11.

"Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling."

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ALTHOUGH these words were spoken by David, king of Israel, yet they were not his words, but the word of God himself; as the same royal prophet saith, in his last prophetical words, "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue '.' So it was in his composing and uttering this Psalm; he did it not out of his own head, but as he "was moved by the Holy Ghost:" so that it was God himself that spake it by him. This we cannot doubt of, having it so plainly attested from heaven; for when St. Peter and St. John had told the rest of the apostles and disciples how they had been threatened by the rulers of the Jews, for preaching the Gospel of Christ, "they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

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For of a

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