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a ch xi. 1, 43.-6 Mat. xxvi. 6. Mark xiv. 3.-e Luke x. 38, 39. ch. xi. 2.-d ch xlii. 29.-e Mat. xxvi. 11 Mark xiv. 7.-f cb. xi. 43, 44.-g Luke xvi. 31-h cb. xi. 45. ver. 18.-i Mat. xxi. 8. Mark xi. 8. Luke xix. 35. 36, &c. & Ps cxviii. 25, 26.- Mat. xxi. 7.-m Zech, ix. 9, - Luke xviii. 34.-0 ch. vii. 39.-p ch. xiv. 26.—g ver. 11.-r ch. xi. 47, 48.

shall keep it unto life eternal.

26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and "where I am, there shall also my servant

See Matthew XXVI. 6-13. be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

§ LXXXII.

And Matthew XXI.

§ LXVI.

§ CCLIX.

CHAP. XII. 20-36.

1-11.

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27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

28 Father, glorify thy name. "Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both

Greeks desire to see Jesus. He fore- glorified it, and will glorify it

telleth his death.

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again.

29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.

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30 Jesus answered and said,

This voice came not because of me, but for but for your sakes.

31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw "all men unto me.

33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?

35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while 'is the

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s Acts xvii. 4- 1 Kin. viii. 41, 42. Acts viii. 27.-u ch. i. 44.- ch. xiii. 32; & xvii. I.-y1 Cor. xv. 36.-z Mat. x. 39; & xvi. 25, Mark vili. 35. Luke ix. 24; & xvii. 33.-a ch. xiv. 3; & xvii. 24. 1 Thes. iv. 17.-6 Mat. xxvi 38, 59. Luke xii. 50. ch. xiii. 21.- Luke xxii. 53. ch. xviii. 37.- Mat. iii. 17.-e ch. xi. 42-ƒ Mat. xii. 29. Luke x. 18. ch. xiv. 30; & xvi. 11. Acts xxvi. 18. 2 Cor. iv. 4. Eph. ii. 2; & vi. 12.-g ch. iii. 14; & viii. 28.-h Rom. v. 18. Heb. ii. 9.-ich. xviii. 32.-k Ps. lxxxix. 36, 37; & cx 4. Is. ix. 7, & liii. 8. Ezek. xxxvii. 25. Dan. ii. 44 ; & vii. 14, 27. Mic. iv. 7.- ch. 1.9; & viii. 12; & ix. 5. ver. 46.-m Jer. xiii. 16. Eph. v. 8.-n ch. xi. 10. 1 John ii. 11.-o Luke xvi. 8. Eph. v. 8. 1 Thes. v. 5. 1 John ii. 9, 10, 11.-p ch. viii. 59. & xi. 54.

READER.-If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be.-As for these several graces and virtues, which our souls must be adorned withal, before ever they can come to heaven, though it be easy to talk of them, it is not so to act them. I shall instance only in some few; as, to love God above all things, and other things only for God's sake; to hope in nothing but God's promises, and to fear nothing but his displeasure; to love other men's persons so as to hate their vices, and so to hate their vices as still to love their persons; not to covet riches when we have them not, nor trust on them when we have them; to deny ourselves that we may please God, and to take up our cross that we may follow Christ; to live above

the world whilst we are in it, and to despise it whilst we use it; to be always upon our watch and guard, strictly observing not only the outward actions of our life, but the inward motions of our hearts; to hate those very sins, which we used to love, and to love those very duties which we used to hate; to choose the greatest affliction before the least sin, and to neglect the getting of the greatest gain, rather than the performing of the smallest duty; to believe truths which we cannot comprehend, merely upon the testimony of one whom we never saw; to submit our own will to God's, and to delight ourselves in obeying him; to be patient under sufferings, and thankful for all the troubles we meet with here below; to be ready and willing to do and suffer any thing we can, for him who hath done and suffered so much for us; to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, relieve the indigent, and rescue the oppressed to the utmost of our power: in a word, to be every way as pious towards God, as obedient to Christ, as loyal to our prince, as faithful to our friends, as loving to our enemies, as charitable to the poor, as just in our dealings, as eminent in all trúe graces and vir tues, as if we were to be saved by it, and yet put no confidence in it, but still look upon ourselves as unprofitable servants, and depend upon Christ, and Christ alone, for pardon and salvation.-BEveridge.

Let us consider, that though it be never so hard to get to heaven, yet it is possible; and though there be

but few that come thither, yet there are some; and why may not you and I be in the number of those few as well as others? There are many perfect and glorious saints in heaven at this moment, which were once sinful creatures upon earth as we are now; but it seems the way thither was not so narrow but they could walk in it, nor the gate so strait but they could pass through it; and why may not we as well as they? We have the same natures whereby we are capable of happiness as they had; we have the same Scriptures to direct us to it as they had; we have the same promises of assistance as they had; we have the same Saviour as they had, and why then may we not get to the same place where they are? Is the way more narrow, and the gate more strait, to us than it was to them? No, surely it is every way the same. Why then should we despair of ever attaining everlasting glory, seeing we are as capable of it as any one who hath yet attained it? It is true, if no mortal man had ever got to heaven, or God had said none ever can get thither, then indeed it would be in vain in us to expect it, or to use any means to attain it but, seeing many of our brethren are already there, and many more will follow after them, and we are as capable of coming to them as any other, the straitness of the gate, the narrowness of the way, or the difficulty of getting thither, should never discourage us from endeavouring after it, no more than it did them, but rather make us more diligent in the prosecution of it: especially considering, in the next place, that we are not

only, as yet, in a capacity of getting to heaven, but we are all invited thither, and that by God himself, for he would have all men to be saved, and to "come unto the knowledge of the truth." Tim. ii. 4. Yet he hath sworn by himself, saying, " As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his ways and live;" and therefore calls upon us all, "Turn ye, Turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Hence it is that he sent his prophets to invite us, "Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." Isaiah lv. 1. Yea, he came down in his own person to earth, on purpose to invite us to heaven, and to direct us the way thither: "Come to me," saith he, "all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. xi. 29. For "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoover believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John iii. 16. Whence we may observe that there is no exception made against any person whatsoever, nor, by consequence, against any of us. It is the will, yea, and command of God too, that we all turn from our evil way and live, and that every soul amongst us walk in that narrow way that leads to eternal bliss; and therefore, if any of us do perish, "Our blood will be upon our own heads, our destruction is from ourselves." Hos. xiii. 9. For it is nothing but the perverseness of our hearts that can keep any soul of us out of heaven, however difficult it is to come thither.-BEVERIDGE.

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I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.-All true and lively faith begets love; and thus that heavenly light is the vehicle of heat: and as, by this means, true faith has a tendency to the practice of obedience, so all true obedience depends upon faith, and flows from it; but it also proceeds from love, because faith first produces love, and then works by it. All knowledge of mysteries is vain, and of no value, unless it have an influence upon the affections, and thereby on the whole conduct of life. The luminaries of heaven are placed on high; but they are so placed, that they may shine, and perform their periods, for the benefit of this earth.LEIGHTON.

There is no true faith in the doctrine of salvation, unless it be attended with this magnetic force by which it draws the soul to God. One would think it should be impossible, where this effect is not produced, that there should be so much as an historical faith; and surely it is contrary to, and inconsistent with, the rational nature, to see so desirable and excellent a good laid down as it were before us, and freely offered, without running most freely to embrace it, with open arms, and an ardent impetuosity of soul.

The faith therefore of vulgar and merely nominal Christians is quite dead, and deserves not the name of faith at all. I mean that which is not sufficient to excite them earnestly to desire and expect that Divine grace which they say they believe. True and lively faith is the eye of the inner man, which beholds an infinitely amiable God, the lucid and perpetual

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fountain of grace, and by the view is immediately kindled into the most fervent love. That Divine light which is sent from heaven into the soul, is the vehicle of heat too, and, by its ardent rays, presently sets the heart on fire; the flame rises sublime, and bears all the affections of the mind with it to that consummate beauty which it renders visible.-LEIGHTON.

Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you.—If we neglect the opportunities of grace, and refuse to hear the voice of Christ in the time of mercy and divine appointment, we may arrive at that state of misery, in which Christ will refuse to speak one word of comfort to us; and the homilies of the Gospel shall be dead letters, and the spirit not at all refreshed, nor the understanding instructed, nor the affections moved, nor the will determined; but because we have, during all our time, stopped our ears, in his time God will stop his mouth, shut up the springs of grace, that we shall receive no refreshment, or instruction, or pardon, or felicity. -TAYLOR.

HYMN.

Leader of faithful souls, and guide Of all that travel to the sky, Come, and with us, even us, abide,

Who would on thee alone rely; On thee alone our spirits stay While held in life's uneven way.

Strangers and pilgrims here below,

This earth, we know, is not our place; We hasten through the vale of woe,

And, restless to behold thy face, Swift to our heavenly country move, Our everlasting home above.

Rais'd by the breath of love Divine,

on him; but because of the

We urge our way with strength renew'd; Pharisees they did not confess

The church of the firstborn to join,

We travel to the mount of God. With joy upon our heads, we rise To meet our Captain in the skies.

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39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed

him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.

45 And he that seeth me, seeth him that sent me.

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the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

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49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

50 And I know that his com

mandment is life everlasting : whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

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