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away to him? Then you are no more at your own difpofal. Faith is the fouls coming out of itself to the Lord, that he may be all to us, and we as nothing. Away, then, with felf-wifdom, it is but folly Self-righteousness, nothing other than rags ; and felf-strength is pitiful weakness.

You must no more look on yourselves as the children of your natural father the devil. You have been too long at his beck, his captives, flaves, and drudges. You must now change mafters, you muft renounce the prince of darknefs, having inlifted with the Prince of peace. They are contrary mafters, and ye cannot serve both, Matth. vi. 24. Answer all temptations to fin with this, that ye have come out from among them, and therefore have nothing to do with the work or entertainment of the house of hell.

Believers, you are to look on yourselves as no more belonging to the world lying in wickedness : John, xv. 19. "Because ye are not of the world; but I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Have you come away to Chrift in the covenant? Then you have turned your back on the world, on its courfes and ways, you must no more conform yourselves thereto, but to the heavenly Jerufalem: Rom. xii. 2. "And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." You have put your hand to the plough, do not adventure to look back. You have left the fociety of the wicked, do not mix with them again: Pfal. xxii. 7. "Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preferve them from this generation for ever."-Ye are no more for your lufts and idols, but for the Lord: Rom. vi. 16." His fervants ye are, to whom ye obey." Have you given Christ the throne? Then

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your lufts must be mortified: "For they that are Chrift's, have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts," Gal. v. 24. The offending right hand and eye must be parted with. Thefe will return back to feek entertainment from you as formerly; but remember, you must be as obedient children, “not fashioning yourselves according to your former lufts in your ignorance," 1 Peter, i. 14. -Finally, confider yourselves as no more belonging to the law, or covenant of works, as a husband Rom. vii. 4. "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Chrift; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." They who have laid hold on Christ, in the covenant of grace, are divorced from the law. So that, though you are to perform all incumbent duties, you are not to perform them under the influence of the first covenant, as feeking and procuring life and falvation by them; but to express your thankfulness to him, whofe you are, as being under Chrift's law of love.

2. They are to look on themselves as his univerfally, without exception or referve of any thing. Whatever you are, whatever you have, whatever you can do, or fuffer, all is the Lord's; for in that day in which the foul closes honestly with Christ, all is made over to him together. To be more particular. -Look, then, on your bodies as his, to be temples for his Spirit, 1 Cor. vi. 19. with which to ferve him. Even all the members of the body, are to be confecrated to the Lord, as inftruments of righteousness unto God, Rom. vi. 13. You are to use your tongues in fpeaking for him, your hands in acting for him, your feet in going his errands. To abufe the body by intemperance, uncleannefs, and the like, is to VOL. II.

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defile the temple of God. To exhauft the body in worldly labour, fo as to unfit it for bearing its part in the fervice of God, is facrilege, a devouring that which is holy; for your bodily ftrength is the Lord's.- Look upon your fouls alfo as his. The foul is the best part of the man, and it is given away to God when one enters into his covenant. It is purchased by Chrift, as a precious thing; and ye are to have a peculiar care of it, and muft not prefume to lay it at stake, as many do, for the fatisfying of a luft, who often forget to loofe the precious pledge by repentance.All the faculties of your fouls are his.-Your hearts are the Lord's: Prov. xxii. 26. "My fon, give me thine heart." The world and our lufts have long divided our hearts betwixt them. They have been as a common inn, fo throng with ftrangers, that the Master of the house had to lodge without. But, O remember! they are now the Lord's; that he must be the object of your choice, your love, your defire, and delight; and that all your affections muft center in him whofe your heart is. -Your will is alfo the Lord's: Acts, ix. 6. " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" You must learn to fay, Thy will be done. Put away your felf-will. The will of his commandments muft determine your practice; the will of his providence, your lot. The long quarrel betwixt the Lord and you must. now be at an end, namely, whether your will or his fhall be done. His will must ever govern your will, and yours ftoop to his.--Your confcience is his. It ought to be fubject to him in all things, and to him only. Receive nothing in religion, in point of faith or practice, but upon the authority of God, fpeaking in his word; otherwife, you proftitute confcience to your lufts and the opinions of men: Matth. xxiii. 9. "And call no

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man your father upon earth: For one is your Father which is in heaven." With whatever pretences these things be fupported, fuch as antiquity, ftrictness, &c. they are to be rejected, Col. ii. 20. 21. 22. Receive every thing held out in the word, however oppofite it may be to your carnal reafoning, interefts, &c. Your every thought should be brought into captivity, to the obedience of Chrift, 2 Cor x. 5.- Again, you must confider alfo, your worldly comforts and enjoyments as his. If you have given yourselves to the Lord, you have laid them all down at his feet, to be difpofed of at his pleasure : Luke, xiv. 26. "If any man come unto me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and fifters, yea, and his own life alfo, he cannot be my difciple." You will look on them now as the Lord's loan, which he may call back from you when he will. Look on them as what you are to improve for God. Your life, your liberty, honour, wealth, reputation, all is the Lord's, to be ufed for his honour, and willingly parted with at his call. Your gifts and opportunities for ferving God, are alfo his. The Lord has put them under your care, for the use of them, while the property remains in himself. You are but the ftewards, and must use these talents for his honour; he has given you them with this charge, Luke, xix. 13. "Occupy till I come." Have you a gift of knowledge? Do good by it, ufe all your gifts and comforts, for your falvation-work, and for the good of thofe with whom you are connected-Finally, your time is his, Eph. v. 16. " Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Do not think you may fill up your time as you pleafe in purfuit of vanities, or in following your lufts. No, you must make confcience of spending to E e 2

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good purpose every inch of your time; you must be careful that you trifle it not away, doing nothing, or worse than nothing.

3. They must look on themselves as his for evermore; not merely for a time, but for all times, all cafes, and all conditions: Pfal. lxxiii. 23. 26. "I am," fays the Pfalmift, "continually with thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever." Remember, that your ears are bored to the Lord's door-pofts, you have lifted up your hand to the Lord, and cannot go back.—You must, then, be his, without interruption: Deut. v. 29. "O that there were fuch an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!" You must not be one day for God, another for the devil, nor take your religion by fits and starts, you must not fuit your religion to times and companies.-You must be his, without apoftacy and defection: Pfal. cxix. 12. "I have inclined mine heart to perform thy ftatutes alway, even unto the end." You must make no term-day with Chrift, but having loved your Mafter, you must refolve to abide with him for ever, to live with him, and to die with him, that thus you may be with him through the endlefs ages of eternity. And therefore your heart must rest in him, as an object which is completely fatisfying: Pfal. lxxiii. 25. " Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth,' that I defire befides thee." Have you not come into the covenant, because, having traverfed the whole creation, you could not find reft to your fouls there, and therefore had taken Chrift as a covering to the eyes, and a complete portion to the foul?-Refolve, then, that nothing shall part

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