yourselves," and to try your faith by this standard? Do not imagine that the knowledge here spoken of is a speculative acquaintance with divine truth: no; it is such a knowledge as both justifies and sanctifies the soul; it is that knowledge in comparison of which St. Paul "accounted all things as dung and drossd." This is the knowledge which you must possess and if you will think you have it, whilst your life and conversation give the lie to your profession, your doom is fixed for thus saith God, by the Prophet Hosea: "Israel saith, my God, we know thee: Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue hime:" yea, "every such person shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the glory of his power, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ'." I say, then, to every one of you, "Examine whether ye be in the faith, and prove your own selves."]

2. The blessedness of practical Christianity?

[To what a glorious state does true religion raise us! Men in all ages have accounted the Virgin Mother of our Lord blessed, because she was God's chosen vessel, to bring into the world the Lord of Glory. But I speak not too strongly, if I say, that the practical Christian is yet more highly honoured, and more truly blessed, than she, so far as her external relation to him was concerned: for our Lord, in answer to one who had congratulated her on her distinguished honours, saying, "Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked," replied, "Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep ith." True, indeed, such persons may not always possess a full assurance of their interest in Christ: God may, for wise reasons, permit their minds to be agitated with doubts and fears; and Satan may, for a season, greatly harass and distress them. But, whilst they walk in darkness, the Lord will be a light unto them; yea, he has authorized his servants to address them in these encouraging words: "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Yes, brethren, if only you are conscientiously endeavouring to approve yourselves to God in a holy and unreserved obedience, you need not fear. This very disposition emanates from God: it is itself a fruit and

a Job xx. 4—7.

d Phil. iii. 8.

5 2 Cor. xiii. 5.

i Isai. 1. 10.

b Isai. liii. 11.

e Hos. viii. 2, 3.

h Luke viii. 20, 21.

c John xvii. 17. f 2 Thess. i. 7-9. and xi. 27, 28.

evidence of his love; and it shall assuredly issue in everlasting felicity for, as sure as God is true, "light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart."]

k Ps. xcvii. 11.

MMCCCCXXXV.

CHRIST AN EXAMPLE TO HIS FOLLOWERS.

1 John ii. 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

AMONG the various excellencies which distinguish Christianity from all other religions, one of very considerable importance is, that the Author of it condescended to exemplify in his own person every thing which it required of its most faithful adherents. Different philosophers established rules for their followers: but no one ever professed himself a pattern, and much less a perfect pattern, of all that under any circumstances could be required of him. But the Lord Jesus Christ has perfectly fulfilled his own law, as for other ends, so also that he might "set us an example to follow his steps." True it is indeed that He is the sole Author of our salvation from first to last: but he does not on that account dispense with our obedience to his law: on the contrary, he says, that "all who abide in him, must walk as he walked."

There are some who deny that the law is to the believer a rule of life. But supposing this error could not be refuted by direct testimony, which it easily and abundantly may, what would the advocates of it gain, if once they admitted, what I suppose no man would deny, that Christ is an example for us to follow? Did not he "fulfil all righteousness," even to the utmost extent of the moral law? And if he did, and is an example to us, must not we obey the law in the same manner, and to the same extent? We are not indeed to fulfil it for the same ends; because he alone, as the Mediator between God and man, can save men by his obedience unto death: but

in all that he did as a man, we are to follow his steps: and if we neglect to do so, we shew, that we have no part or lot in his salvation.

The words I have read will lead me to set before you the principles, and the practice, of every true Christian.

I. His principles

The Christian is united unto Christ by faith, as a branch to the vine; and his one great concern is to "abide in Christ."

For this he labours as the one ground of his hope

[He knows that he has nothing, and can have nothing, in himself. He needs no one to tell him this: he has learned it, as from the inspired volume, so also from his own experience. He has found on numberless occasions how weak and sinful a creature he is: and is well assured, that, if he had not "Jehovah himself for his righteousness and strength," it would be impossible for him ever to be saved. Hence he views with complacency the Lord Jesus Christ as the great Head of the Church. "It has pleased the Father, that in Christ should all fulness dwell" and in this respect he is altogether likeminded with the Father: for it pleases him in his inmost soul to have such a Head of vital influence, and such a Depository of all spiritual blessings. He is sensible that the branch derives all its life and fertility from its union with the vine: and that, if once separated from the stem, it would wither and die". This idea he endeavours to realize: and "the life which he lives in the flesh, he lives altogether by faith in the Son of God"," "receiving out of his fulness" a constant supply of grace and peace. If, as a blind and ignorant creature, he need wisdom; or as a guilty creature, he need righteousness; or as a polluted creature, he need sanctification; or as an enslaved creature, he need redemption: he looks for it all in Christ, whom he regards as furnished with all for the use of his Church, and as empowered to communicate it all to every one that trusts in him.]

In this he glories as his most exalted privilege

[Humiliating as this life of dependence at first sight appears, he considers it as his highest honour, and as raising him even above Adam in Paradise. Adam, when in Paradise, was

a Col. i. 19.

b John xv. 1-5.

c Gal. ii. 21.

d John i. 16.

e 1 Cor. i. 30.

indeed perfect: but to him was committed the task of working out a righteousness for himself, and of maintaining by his own inherent powers his steadfastness in the divine life. And hence he fell, and died, and involved both himself and all his posterity in ruin. But the believer has a righteousness wrought out for him by his incarnate God; and "his life," instead of being committed to his own keeping," is hid with Christ in God," where Satan cannot reach it; and therefore, since Christ has engaged that none shall ever pluck out of his hands those whom the Father hath committed to him, he shall endure unto the end: and, "when Christ, who is his life, shall appear, shall assuredly appear with him in glory." Thus, in respect both of honour and security, is the believer elevated even above Adam himself; since he has not a creature-righteousness wherein to stand before God, or a created power to uphold him; but a righteousness that is divine, and an arm that is omnipotent. To form a right judgment of his state, we must attend to what our blessed Lord himself has spoken on this subject. Indeed his words are so strong, that no man would dare to utter them if not warranted by his authority. What would you say, if I were to affirm, that the life of faith resembles the very life which the Lord Jesus Christ lived when on earth; and that the believer has the same dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ, as Christ himself, during his incarnate state, had on the Father; and the same security in him too; would you not be almost ready to shut your ears, and to accuse the preacher of blasphemy? Yet is this what we are authorized by Christ himself to declare. Hear his own words: "He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, even so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me." Say, beloved, is not here a ground of glorying? and, if the believer did not glory in this privilege, would not the very stones cry out against him?]

Whilst with confidence we affirm these to be the Christian's principles, we with no less confidence proceed to declare,

II. His practice

It is thought by many that a life of faith is unfriendly to morality; since if all our righteousness is in Him, what need have we of any of our own? and, if he be engaged to keep us, what need have we of any care or watchfulness to keep ourselves?

But

this reasoning is altogether fallacious: since every one who by faith abides in Christ, acknowledges it his bounden duty to "walk as he walked."

He acknowledges it, I say, as his bounden duty

66

66

as not

[He does not conceive of Christ as liberating him from the obligations of morality: for though he is free from the law as a covenant, he is not free from it, nor would wish to be freed from it, as a rule of life. He considers himself without law, but under the law to Christ." Were he permitted to violate the commands of God, he would account it a curse rather than a privilege. Such a liberty would appear to him only like a permission to drink poison, which, however sweet to the taste, would prove the gall of asps within him." So far from imagining himself freed from the restraints of the law, he considers all that Christ has done for him as laying him under ten-fold obligations to holiness both of heart and life. His motives to obedience are changed indeed: but his obligations to it are not a whit diminished, yea, rather, are greatly heightened; because he well knows, that the very end for which his Saviour died was, to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works."]

He makes it his constant and determined aim—

[The true believer is not a mere follower of Christ, but an imitator also: and it is his delight to set the Saviour before him as his great Exemplar. When he sees how entirely the soul of Jesus was wrapped up in his work, and that it was "his meat and drink to do his Father's will," he pants, and sighs, and with shame and sorrow of heart exclaims, O that there were "in me the mind that was in Christ Jesus!" When he beholds the ardour of Christ's love to man, his unwearied labours, his patient sufferings, his exertions in every possible way, he girds up his loins, and follows the footsteps of his Lord; and though he knows that he can never attain to his perfection, yet he proposes to himself no object short of that, and strives to be " holy as he was holy," and "perfect as he was perfect:" nor does the glory of heaven itself appear more desirable in his eyes, than does a conformity to the Saviour's image in righteousness and true holiness. In a peculiar manner, he notices the tempers of his Divine Master; his meekness, his patience, his forbearance, his love to enemies, his compassion even to his very murderers: he sees what a fallen creature he himself is, and he cries mightily to God for grace and strength, that he may be enabled to mortify every