Secondly, That you go to the Throne of Grace, and there earneftly beg a Bleffing on what you Read. Thirdly, If your Souls receive Benefit in the Reading of it, ye afcribe all to God alone; it is he alone that teacheth to profit by all we read or hear. Fourthly, That you would ftudy to love Chrift more, let his Glory be the End of your Actions ; you never feek your own Intereft better, than when you feek Chrift's above all: Your Excellency moft appears when Chrift and his Excellency is known to you: When your Eye is fingly fet on Chrift, then is Chrift admiring your Beauty, Cant. iv. 7. The fingle Eye took away Chrift's Heart, then the Chain of Obedience ravished him alfo. Without a pure Intention, aiming at the Glory of God, to exalt Jefus Chrift, there is no Action, be it never fo Excellent in its felf, is accepted of God, Hof. x. 1. Ifrael is an empty Vine, he bringeths forth Fruit to himfelf: He weighs out his Fruit to himfelf, he proportions his Religion to himfelf; all being for himself, God accepts him not. Such Fruit and meer Emptiness is much as one before God: It is not enough that a thing done be materially good, but because God Commands it, and that it is to the Glorifying the Lord Jefus: He that is Alpha muft be Omega: He that is the Supreme Good, muft be the ultimate End of all things. Let all your good Works fall in Chrift's Bofom, and Centre in his Glory. They that do not with a single Eye look to Chrift in all, they make as if there were fomething more Excellent than Chrift to look unto. Since Chrift is a Behiever's Life, from whom he receives all the good. he enjoys, his Life, and Strength, and Comfort, depend upon him for the Influence of his Grace

and Spirit, to have daily Supplies and Waterings from him, that you may continually Live on him, Pfal. cxix. 32. He prays for Heart-enlargement to run the way of God's Commandments, Pfal. cxix. 173. Let thy Hand help me, for I have chofen thy Precepts: We have need of continual Supplies of Grace: If you be never fo well furnished with Divine Grace, it will not be in Exercife without fresh anointing, and fresh Gales of the Spirit, Cant. iv. 16. Awake, O NorthWind, and come thou South, blow upon my Garden, that the Spices thereof may flow out; let my Beloved come into his Garden, and eat his pleasant Fruits. Ordinances are but Mediums and Chanels of Grace; we had need to look to Chrift to fill them with Divine and Spiritual Bleffings. It is not a Sanctuary of Ordinances will do our Souls good, it is the Power, and Glory, and Goings of God in it, is the Life of the Soul: It is the Drops of the pure Rivers of Life above, dropping upon the Soul, refreshes it in Ordinances. Ordinances are dry and empty things, if the Lord Jefus by his Spirit doth not Breath upon the Heart. O then lie down at the Feet of Chrift, and look up to him in all, above all, for all, cafting ourselves and Burthens upon him, that we may be fupported under all our Cares, and Fears, and Temptations, and be relieved in all Wants and Exigencies. Do all through the Influence of that Spirit that comes down from the Head, that with St. Paul, you may live, yet not you, but Chrift. Paul owned his Life was bound up in Chrift, Gal. ii. 20. I live, yet: not. I, but Chrift liveth in me.

Sixthly, The Sixth Requeft is, That your Conr verfations be only as becomes the Gofpel; lat

not

not the Doctrine of Free-Grace be abufed by your unholy Converfation; fee that ye be not of the Number of thofe Atheists, that fay, Let us Sin, that Grace may abound: Let the Enemies of the Doctrine of Free-Grace reproach the Doctrine, and the Chriftians that own it at their Pleasure; I am fure there are none that are acquainted with the Free-Grace of God, can live a loose Life; neither were any that Taught that Doctrine feelingly, or learned it truly, known to be Wicked Perfons. The Grace of God Teacheth us to deny Ungodlinefs and Worldly Lufts. Indeed the Notions of FreeGrace may leave Perfons with unfanctified Hearts and Lives, but the true Knowledge of it leave, fo fweet a Savour upon the Heart, that the Soul cannot willingly Embrace Dunghil Lufts. When the Soul knows the whole of his Salvation is of Free-Grace, that Soul is drawn forth to Love, Admire, Glorify and Praife God, who hath done fuch great things for him.

Let me Befeech you, let not the Glorious Gofpel fuffer Reproach by your uneven Converfation. You know, you that profess the Truth, Truths of Chrift have many Enemies. You had need pray earnestly to be led in a plain Path, becaufe of all your Enemies: You have given. up your felves to the Lord in your External Dedication, fee that it appear in your Conversation. The Life of an Holy Man is κατὰ Θεὸν according to God,. r Pet. iv. 6. That God, you have given your felves up to, is an Holy God, the Lord Jefus that Redeemed you, is the Holy one of God: The Spirit that leads the Children of God is an Holy Spirit; the Covenant that you are in is an Holy Covenant; without Holiness none of you fall

fhall fee the Lord. Then let me prevail in my Request, Pray live Holy Lives, let your Converfation be as becomes the Gofpel only, then no matter what Men fay of you, you will have great Peace in your own Souls, P. cxix. 165. Great Peace have they which Love thy Law, and nothing fhall offend them. It is better to be Holy, than to be thought Holy; no matter if you are outwardly black, fo you are inwardly Beautiful.

Seventhly, Walk in Love, imitate the Lord Jefus, whofe Love overcame all your Infirmities, Love brought him out of his Father's Bofom; Love caufed him to be born in a low Condition, to bear our Sorrows and Grief; he taught Love, he practifed Love, he died for Love, he left Pledges of his Love to Comfort his Spoufe in his Abfence, and will fhortly come and fetch all his Redeemed home to Glory to have their fill of Love. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear Children, and walk in Love, as Chrift alfo hath loved us, and given himself for us an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for a fweet-fmelling Savour, Eph. v. 1, 2. Thefe will demonftrate that you are Chrift's Difciples, John xiii. 35. The Lord Jefus Chrift fpake thefe Words a little before his Death, that they might be of the more force, and make the more Impreffion upon the Souls of his Difciples; as if he fhould fay, Remember my dying Love, and let it live in your Bofoms as a Precept and Example to love one another. And this is a certain Character of Love to Jefus Chrift, when we Love Chrift's Difciples for Chrift's fake, not because we are of the fame Mind in our Judgment, but because we are Chrift's Difciples, and bear his Image; and then you may affure your felves, if you love upon fuch Grounds, your love

will not be restrained only to each other, that Walk in Church-fellowship, but to all Saints as Saints, of what Denomination foever they go under, which is much wanted in this Day we live in. It is much to be lamented that Perfons Saint themfelves more by their own Opinion, than by their Intereft in Jefus Chrift. Saints fhould love as they are Children of one Father, and in their way to Heaven, and all that are in that way have Union with Chrift, and are Members of one Glorious Head, therefore we ought to love one another; why fhould Brethren fall out by the way? Nothing doth more manifeft that Power of Godlinefs is in a People, than when they love for Saintfhip rather than for Judgment. If we Read the 13th Chapter of the Corinthians, the Apoftle gives the True Characters of Love. The firft Defcription of it is, That it fuffereth long, that is, Not hafty to take Revenge on them that offend him, nor rafh in Expreffions to threaten Revenge. Secondly, It is kind, ready to do any good Office. Thirdly, Envieth not, is not troubled at the Profperity of others, however it go with himself. Fourthly, Vaunteth not it felf, doth not ambitioufly Glory in himself, doth not labour to Exalt himfelf. Fifthly, Not puffed up, not fwelling with Conceits of himself. Sixthly, Doth not behave himself unfeemly, would not do any unfeemly Action, nor behave himself in an unfeeming Manner. Seventhly, Seeketh not his own, hath not an Eye to his own Profit, as to make it his End, but Eyes God's Glory chiefly, and the good of Zion, more than Carnal Intereft. Eighthly, Is not eafily provoked; though there may be Paffions, yet it is not Governed by them, it is an Evil

much