SECT. " the pattern IV. of life here, so that Christ may be the portion of my soul hereafter. “ Let the whole world go whither it will, I am resolved to walk in the steps that my Saviour went in before: I shall en“ deavour in all places I come into, in all companies I converse with, in all the “ duties I undertake, in all the miseries I undergo, still to behave myself as my - Saviour would do, was he in my place. “ So that, wheresoever I am, or whatsoever “ I am about, I shall still put this question “ to myself, Would my Saviour go hither? 6. Would he do this or that? And every morning consider with myself, Suppose my Saviour was in my stead, had my “ business to do, how would he demean “ himself this day? How meek and lowly “ would he be in his carriage and deport“ ment! How circumspect in his walk ing! How favoury in his discourse ! “ How heavenly in all, even his earthly employments ! Well; and I am “ folved, by strength from himself, to follow “ him as near as possible. I know I can never hope perfectly to transcribe his copy; but I must endeavour to imitate it “ in the best manner I can, that so by doing as he did in time, I may be where re I. “ he is to all eternity. But, alas ! his life chap. "was spiritual, and I am carnal, fold un“ der sin ; and every petty object, that doth “ but please my senses, will be apt to di« vert and draw away my soul from fol lowing his steps. In order, therefore, to “ prevent this, I am resolved, by the grace “ of God, to walk by faith, and not by fight, on earth ; that so I may sight, and not by faith, in heaven.” live by This is language worthy of a Christian; this is the foundation, upon which the morality of a believer is built, a foundation that can never fail. THE LOVE OF GOD, THROUGH CHRIST. What a rich fund of practice does St. Paul deduce from this principle ! “ The « Law entered, that the offence might « abound. But where fin abounded, grace 6 did much more abound; that, as sin “ hath reigned unto death, even fo might grace reign through righteousness unto “ eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord. " What shall we say then? Shall we con“ tinue in fin, that grace may abound? & Beveridge's Private Thoughts, Res, 1, and 2. IV. SECT. “ God forbid. How shall we, that are dead “ to fin, live any longer therein ? Know ye “ not, that so many of us as were baptized “ into Jesus Christ were baptized into his « death? Therefore we are buried with “ him by baptism into death : that, like “ as Christ was raised up from the dead by " the glory of the Father, even fo we also Should walk in newness of life-Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with “ him, that the body of fin might be de stroyed, that henceforth we should not serve fin.-Now, if we be dead with Christ, “ we believe that we shall also live with “ him : knowing that Christ, being raised " from the dead, dieth no more ; death “ hath no more dominion over him. For « in that he died, he died unto sin once : 66 but in that he liveth, he liveth unto “ God. Likewise reckon ye alfo ' yourselves “ to be dead indeed unto hin, but alive unto “ God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let “ not fin therefore reign in your mortal body, “ that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. “ Neither yield ye your members as inftru“ ments of unrighteousness unto fin : but yield “ yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For I. fin shall not have dominion over youh.” CHAP. The reason, which the Apostle gives for this life of holiness, is, “ For ye are not under “the Law, but under grace.” In a similar so as 6 manner we are exhorted to " walk in 'love, ** himself an offering and a sacrifice to God “ for a sweet-smelling favour. But forni cation, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, 6 let it not be once named among you, as 'be“ cometh saintsi." “ Hereby The beloved Apostle St. John uses precisely the same mode of arguing. perceive we the love of God, because « he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the bre" tbrenk Herein is love, "not that we - loved God, but that he loved us, and sent « bis Son to be the propitiation for our fins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another! For this is the “ love of God, that we keep his command"ments m." In all these instances, not the eternal fitness of virtue and the deformity 322 SECT. of vice, not the dignity of human nature, racter, but the mercy vouchsafed by God to With regard to the use of the terrors of the Law in bringing men to Christ, and teaching them to give up all those selfrighteous notions, which militate against the very soul of the Gospel, the great Apostle of the Gentiles speaks in the following terms. « Wherefore then serveth " the Law? It was added because of trans gresons," it was given to convince men of fin, because, though sinners, they would not allow themselves to be fo, “ till the “ seed should come to whom the promise “ was made ; and it was ordained by an gels in the hand of a Mediator.- Is the “ Law then against the promises of God? « God forbid : for if there had been a Law given, which could have given life, ve |