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to dislike; and yet God may see enough of what he approves to accept them: they may experience but little joy in serving him; and yet walk more completely worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing*, for doing it without the encouragement of a present reward. The latter, on the other hand, may build upon groundless fancies of their own, mistaking them for divine communications: may be absolutely confident, wonderfully transported, yet find themselves at last fatally deceived. It is not therefore by their fears, or their hopes, or their raptures, that men are to judge of their spiritual condition. Hereby, saith St. John, we do know that we know God, if we keep his commandments †. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doth righteousness is righteous: he that committeth sin is of the devil ‡.

But then we shall miserably cheat ourselves, if we take that for righteousness which is not, or one part of it for the whole. If we mistake a constitutional, or perhaps affected good nature, shewn, it may be, to extravagance on some occasions, and not at all on others, for Christian love, which comprehends every act of justice and mercy: if, with ever so extensive a benevolence to our fellow-creatures, we fail of governing ourselves by the rules of sobriety, temperance and chastity, or thinking of ourselves with due lowliness of mind §: if, with the practice of all these duties, we omit the worship of God our Maker, or perform it without inward reverence and affection, or live without an humble sense of our constant dependence upon him; nay, if we pay him all the honour which unassisted reason enjoins; but wilfully reject, or contemptuously slight the doctrines or precepts of

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revelation, or any one of them: or if, professing to receive and observe them all, we are not careful to improve ourselves by them into a Christian frame of mind, with respect both to this world and the next : or if, lastly, with what diligence soever we may labour in every good work, we are not sensible that we can neither succeed without the assistance of God's Spirit, nor be accepted but for the merits of his Son: we must not imagine that he who hath prescribed every article of faith and duty, from knowing them all to be necessary in our case, will permit us to disregard such of them as we shall please, without pronouncing us unworthy of the salvation which he hath offered and inflicting on us the punishments which he hath threatened. Let every one therefore think, and think most seriously, whether he is indeed such as God requires, in all these particulars and study to amend, not to flatter himself.

It is very true, the fruits of the spirit, mentioned in the text, seem to be wholly moral virtues, and almost wholly those of mutual kindness and humanity. Nor will any rightness of belief, or fervency of devotion, or strictness of life avail us, if we want social goodness and beneficence. But still these last, as the Scripture most evidently shews, are not the only fruits of the Spirit: and therefore we must learn to practise other virtues from other texts, as well as the benevolent virtues from this. It is indeed said, that against the observers of these there is no law. But then they are supposed to act consistently; to observe every thing else at the same time, that stands on the same foundation else they observe not even these from the right principle; nor will they be able to observe them in a sufficient degree. Every virtue is connected with every other and all virtue with piety.

For without the love of God to excite us, and the fear of God to restrain us, and the word of God to direct us, and the grace of God to strengthen us, we shall neither behave to our fellow creatures, nor govern ourselves, in a proper manner. What therefore He hath joined together, let not us put asunder*: but giving all diligence, add to our faith virtue, or manly boldness in professing it: and to virtue knowledge of whatever may adorn and defend it; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness towards our fellow Christians; and to brotherly kindness, charity towards all men without exception †. For so an entrance shall be administered unto us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: to which may God for his sake bring us all. Amen.

* Matth. xix. 6.

† 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 7.

+ Ibid. 11.

VOL. IV.

L

SERMON XI.

ROM. viii. 16.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.

WHOEVER believes religion to be true, and thinks with any seriousness concerning it, must needs be earnestly desirous to find out, whether the state of his mind, and the course of his life, be such as God expects and will reward, or forbids and will punish. Now this depends on two things: an acquaintance with ourselves, and with the dispositions of our Maker. The spirit of man, which is in him, knoweth the things of a man*: and may also clearly see, from the creation of the world, the invisible things of the Author of it, even his eternal power and Godhead † ; those attributes of his nature, by which his proceedings towards his creatures will be directed. But still the holy Scripture teaches, that the Spirit of God likewise bears a part, highly necessary, in the great work of discovering, what title we have to the mercy and favour of Heaven. It will therefore be requisite to consider this important subject, in the manner which St. Paul hath pointed out to us in the text: and for this end I shall endeavour to shew you,

I. What is implied in being the children of God. II. How far our own spirit is capable of bearing witness that we are such.

* 1 Cor. ii. 11.

† Rom. i. 20.

III. What additional witness to it the divine Spirit may bear.

I. What is implied in being the children of God. All beings, indued with moral qualifications, and the ability of looking up to the fountain of perfection, are, in a large sense of the word, the children of him, who is the Father of spirits*: being made in his image t. But as the capacity of resembling him is the very foundation of their guilt, who, instead of improving, wear out the traces of this divine similitude: so they alone are, to any beneficial purpose, the children of their Father in heaven, who by imitating his holiness and goodness continue objects of his paternal affection. For that all pious and virtuous persons are thus related to him, our common reason perceives in general: but the more distinct apprehension of the nature and duties and benefits of this relation we owe to Scripture.

There we learn, that God created man after his likeness §, not only in respect of righteousness and true holiness, but also of happiness and immortality: that the lamentable transgression of our first parents forfeited, for themselves and us, the privileges, which depended on their innocence: and that being all become by their fault prone to sin, we become by our own, more or less actually guilty of it: that the bulk of mankind, forsaking God entirely, made themselves aliens and strangers to him, and children of that wicked one **, whose suggestions they chose to obey, and whose temper to copy. But our gracious Maker, pitying even those, who were enemies to him and their own souls by wicked works ††; and having

* Heb. xii. 9.

§ Gen. i. 26.

+ Gen. i. 26.

|| Eph. iv. 24.

Matth. v. 45.

¶ Eph. ii. 12.

** Matth. xiii. 38.

++ Col. i. 21.

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