of Coloffe, not only their order, but their ftedfaftnefs in the faith of Chrift, in the doctrine of the gofpel; for, when a church fails in this, then all goes to wreck. If the apostle Paul were on earth, and to write an epiftle to the church of Scotland, would any think that he would have this to commend us for, our order and ftedfaftnefs in the faith? O for fuch a profpect of affairs in this island, that we who have been Corinthians, in refpect of our diforders and divifions, and Galatians, in respect of our unftedfastness in the right faith of Chrift, and the revolt of many from Reformation-truth, may become Coloffians in refpect of our order and ftcdfaftnefs in the faith; "I joy to behold your order and ftedfaftnefs," faith the apostle.

Now, as there are two things in that preceding verfe that fhew the good conftitution of a church in general; fo, in this text, there are two things that fhow and fet forth the good state of any church-member in particular, or of a true Chriftian; the firft is, the receiving of Chrift Jefus the Lord; the fecond is, a walking in him. And we may conceive thefe two as having a reference to two things mentioned in the preceding verfe, namely, order and ftedfaftnefs; for, as there is no order, but all in confufion in that foul where there is no faith, or receiving of Chrift; fo there is no ftedfastness in faith, where there is no walking in him. And as the text ftands properly connected with the former verfe by the particle THEREFORE; As ye have THEREFORE received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in bim: From the connection. of these two verfes, I fay, you may obferve, 'That 'churches of the beft conftitution, both for the order and ftedfaftnefs of their faith, had need to be exhort⚫ed to hold fast their principles and to keep their way.' This obfervation, I think, may be obvious to you at the first view; it is the fcope of the apoftle all along in the chapter to fortify this church against fwerving and declining from the truths of Chrift; and why does he fo? even because truth is but one, and when received is all reduceable to this one word, the receiving of Chrift Jefus, the Lord, who is the centre of truth. Truth, I fay, is but one, let all the men of the world fay what they can

about

about it, or the feveral branches of it, truth is fimple. and one; but error is many. And the apostle, in order to fortify them from fwerving from the truth, offers feveral caveats in this chapter.-One is verfe 4. "And this, I fay, left any man fhould beguile you with enticing words." ENTICING WORDS are the bait wherewith the credulous and fimple fort of people are taken; fuch as the apostle notices, Rom. xvi. 17, 18. The fimple are they that are caught with this bait of enticing words, like merchants that put off flight and corrupt wares with the fineft words.-Another caveat is ver.8. "Beware left any man fpoil you thro' philofophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men; after the rudiments of the world, and not after Chrift:" and as the former is a bait to the fimple; fo here is a bait to the more learned, where human philofophy, and natural reafonings are set in oppofition to fcriptural truth, as it is in Chrift Jefus.-A third caveat is ver. 16. "Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in refpect of an holy day, or of the new moon or of the Sabbath-day." Where he cautions them against all legal ceremonies, the error of Judaizers, and these that are fymbolizers with ceremony-mongers.-A fourth caveat he gives, even to this church of Coloffe is, verfe 18, 19. "Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into thofe things which he hath not feen, vainly puft up with his fleshly mind: and not holding the head from which all the body, by joints and hands, having nourishment miniftred, and knit together, increaseth with the increafe of God." Where the apoftle cautions against ftrange paradoxes and opinions in religion. Altho' some, for maintaining the faith of their forefathers, have been calumniate as if they were bringing in new fchemes of doctrine*, we could fhow how fome, in oppofition to them, have brought in ftrange opinions that were never before heard tell of in this church; fuch as, gospel-repentance before faith and juftification; a new fcheme and principle that may be charged with not holding the Head, Jefus Chrift, and faith in him, as the head of all other gospel

Thefe who efpoufed the Marrow doctrine, at this time controverted, were thus unjustly accufed. See Vol. I. p. 232. Vol. II. p. 304, 305.

graces.

graces. Ofthis nature is that of maintaining the believer's obligation to take the law out of the hand of a God out of Chrift. How is this, and many other points that I could name, chargeable with not holding the Head Chrift, from which all the body by joints and bands, having nourishment miniftred and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God?-A fifth caveat is against all fuperftitious ordinances of men, ver. 21, 22, 23. Thefe fuperftitious ordinances of men are but a tempting of God, Acts xv. 1O. “ Why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of difciples, which neither we, nor our fathers, were able to bear?" The apoftle there fpeaks of legal ceremonies that were inftituted of God, after they came to be abolished; and the argument is the ftronger: for, ist was a tempting of God to make ufe of thefe ceremonies that God himself had inflituted of old, then what prodi gious tempting of God is it to bring in fuch a fuperftiti ous and ceremonial fervice into the worship of God, as is intirely of human invention?-In a word, the fixth caveat is against all deviations whatfoever from Chrift and his truth, and this is the fcope of the whole chapter: He fortifies them againft all deviations and declinings; ⚫ and how does he that? juft as you would do a house that leans to the one fide; what would you do? furely you would labour to get it upright and perpendicular to its foundation: Even fo, the apoftle ftrives to make the church here perpendicular, and upright upon their foundation, and that is Chrift and his doctrine; exhorting them, under the phrafe of holding the head, ver. 19. and getting a full affurance of underftanding to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God. And fo in the text, and immediate context, it is expreffed by a walking in him, a being rooted and built up in him, and eftablished in the faith as ye have been taught.

The apostle here ufeth fimilitudes; and there are. these three comparisons couched here. 1. That Chrift is the way; and this is implied in thefe words, walk ye in him. 2. That Chrift is the root, and this is implied in these words, rooted in him. 3. That Chrift is the foundation, and that is implied in thefe words, built up in him. Why, fay you, how can a man ftand rooted

and

and stable, and yet walk? Why, you may walk, and yet keep your way ftedfaft; you may build, and yet build high in Chrift; you may be rooted in Chrift, the true vine, and yet grow in him. And hence that emphasis, in the 6th and 7th verfes, As ye have received, and, As ye have been taught. Why, fome may think they cannot grow unless they change and over-grow their principles, as a child does over-grow his old clothes. But why cannot a man mend his pace, and yet go on in his right path still? Cannot a man build high, and yet build upon the foundation ftill? Cannot a man grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Chrift, and of the truth of Chrift, and yet grow upon the everlasting root still? Yea, furely we are to walk as we have received, and to be established as we have been taught. And here is comfort to believers that are of the loweft form, fuch as have no great flock of knowledge to trade with in difficult queftions; here there is comfort, that fundamental points are few and clear; fo few, that a weak capacity, in any measure divinely fpiritualized, may bear them; and fo clear, that a dim eye, in any measure divinely enlightened, may fee them. Would you know what is the field where all the flowers of truth grow?. It is the word: Therefore fays Chrift, Search the Scriptures, for thefe are they that teftify of me. The Scripture is God's word, God's field; and Chrift is the treasure hid in the field: fearch in that field till you find the treasure, and then you will find all truth treafured up in them. Hence the apostle, Eph. ii. 20. fums up all fundamental truths in two words to believers; "Ye are built upon the foundation of the apoftles and prophets, Jefus Chrift himself being the head corner-ftone." There is the fum-total of doctrinal fundamentals, or fundamental doctrines. Yea, the very fame apoftle hath learned us to fum up all in one word, a ni ' * Xgsos, Chrift is All, and in all. God can, with one glance of Chrift's glory, in the light of his word and Spirit, give you a view of all. Why, the Scripture is to believed, because it is infpired by God, it is a garden of God's planting; but there is a garden within that garden; the gospel is the

paradife

paradife of the whole fcripture, and Chrift is the tree of life in the midft of that gofpel-paradife.

But befides the doctrinal fundamentals, there are what we may call practical fundamentals, which pertain to the ftate and being of a true Chriftian, and these are two, and they are both in our text; the one is a receiving of Chrift Jefus, and the other is a walking in bim. The former, viz. the receiving of Chrift, is neceflary to the effence and being of a Chriftian; the latter, viz. walking in Chrift, is neceffary to the progrefs, growth, and wellbeing of a Chriftian.

Now, in the words, you may notice thefe four things. 1. The believer's character and privilege; he is one that hath received Chrift Jefus the Lord. 2. The believer's duty, namely, to walk in him. 3. The rule of his duty, which is to walk in him as he hath received him. 4. The connection betwixt the character and the duty, the one being fuppofed to the other, gofpel-faith being the ground of gofpel-practice; no walking in Chrift, unless there be a receiving of him: As ye bave received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in bim.

Now, I fhall, as the Lord may affift, explain these parts of the text, in the profecution of this doctrine.

OBSERV. That as true believers are thefe that have received Chrift Fefus the Lord: fo they ought ta walk in him as they have received him.

The method may be according to the feveral parts of the text.

I. To fpeak of the believer's character and dignity as a receiver of Chrift Jefus the Lord.

II. To speak of the believer's duty, namely, to walk in Chrift.

III. To speak of the rule of his duty, and the propartion it fhould bear to his reception of Christ, name-ly, that he is to walk in Chrift as he hath received him.

IV. To speak of the connection betwixt the character and the duty, or between receiving Chrift and

walking