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"yourselves fervants to obey, his fervants ye are to " whom ye obey; whether of fin unto death, or of << obedience unto righteoufnefs?-For when ye were "the fervants of fin, ye were free from righteousness. "What fruit had ye then in those things, whereof ye " are now ashamed? For the end of those things is "death. But now being made free from fin, and be"come fervants to God, ye have your fruit unto holi❝ness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages " of fin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, "through Jefus Chrift our Lord."

To conclude, nothing can be more apparent, than that Freedom from actual finning, and giving newness of life to the fouls of men,' was the great reafon of Chrift's coming, and the end for which he hath given us, out of his fulness of grace and truth, "Grace for "grace;" and that to be under grace, and not under the law, is not to have liberty to do that now, which ought not to have been done before, or to be excused from former moral obligations, as the ranters interpret it; but to be freed from the condemnation of the law, first, through remiffion of the fins that are paft, upon faith and repentance; and next, by freeing us from that weakness, by which we were disabled from keeping God's juft law, and fulfilling the righteousness of it, in receiving and obeying the light and grace that comes by Jefus Chrift.

Very pertinent is that paffage of the apostle Paul to Titus, to our prefent purpose, for it feems to comprehend the end of Chrift's coming, and the faith and duty of his people; which our great Selden, after all his painful readings, and curious difquifitions, faid, but a little before his death, was the most weighty paffage of the whole bible to him, as the bible was the best of books in the world, viz. "For the grace of God, that "bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men ; "teaching us, that denying ungodlinefs, and worldly lufts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly

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"in this present world; looking for that bleffed "hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, " and our Saviour Jefus Chrift, who gave himself for "us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and "purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of "good works."

In which comprehensive paffage, we find the end of Christ's coming to be our redemption from all iniquity, both to blot out our fins that are past, and to purify our hearts from the fin that remains. We have the means that works and brings this falvation into our fouls, which is the grace; and the way by which this grace doth accomplish it, is by "Teaching us to deny "ungodliness and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, "righteously, and godly in this prefent world." Which has this great encouragement joined to it, that those who so live, have only right to look for that bleffed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus Christ.

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I will add the teftimony of his beloved difciple John, who has defined to us the end of Chrift's coming thus: "Whofoever committeth fin, tranfgreffeth "alfo the law; and ye know, that he was manifested "to take away our fins." And to fhew that this is understood not only of the guilt of fins paft, but of the nature and prefent power of fin in man, obferve what follows; "Whofoever abideth in him (Chrift) finneth "not." And as if this apostle had foreseen the fent mischief Christianity labours under, both on the fide of evil men, and of but too many mistaken profeffors, he adds, "Little children, let no man deceive

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you; he that doth righteousness is righteous, even as "he is righteous; he that committeth fin is of the "devil, for the devil finneth from the beginning." Now comes this most exprefs paffage to the matter in hand: "For this purpose the Son of God was mani

fefted, that he might deftroy the works of the devil:" Which is more than the remiffion of fins that are past ;

1 John iii, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

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here is the deftruction of the power and kingdom of Satan. They that know not this, know not Chrift as he should be known; not favingly. For as we, fo our Lord, is known by his fruits, by the works which he works in us: Therefore it is faid, "That his own "works praise him." And faid Chrift," If I had "not done among them the works which no other man did," &c. So that he referred to his works to prove his nature and mission. He therefore that lives in fin, denies Chrift, by denying the end of his coming. The fool did not fay with his mouth, but in his heart, "There is no God;" yet but too many, now a-days, plead with their tongues and pen for fin Term of life,' by endeavouring to fhew the impoffibility of overcoming fin. But what faith this apoftle further of the bufinefs?" Whofo"ever is born of God, doth not commit fin: in this "the children of God are manifeft, and the children "of the devil; whofoever doth not righteousness, is "not of God; neither he that loveth not his brother. "But if we walk in the light, as God is in the light, "we have fellowship one with another, and the blood " of Jefus Chrift his Son cleanseth us from all fin.f "He that faith he abideth in Chrift, ought himself "alfo fo to walk, even as Chrift walked." A little lower, in the fame chapter, he says, "I have written. "unto you young men, because ye are ftrong, and "the word of God abideth in you, and ye have over"come the wicked one."

I will add one fcripture-teftimony more in the present cafe, and it is this: "Herein," faith John, "is our love made perfect, that we may have bold"ness in the day of judgment, becaufe as he is, fo " are we in this world,'

Behold now the true end of Chrift's coming! viz. To fave from fin, and to purge us from all iniquity; that he might present us to God without spot or ble

• John xv. 24.
• 1 John iii. 9, 10. 1 John i. 7.
ii, 6, 14. * 1 John iv. 17.

f 1 John

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• mifh.' Let us not then flatter ourselves, for we shall be the lofers: neither let us make that impoffible through our infidelity, which a grain of fincere faith can make not only poffible, but cafy. What has been may be again; nay, in this cafe muft be. Did the first Chriftians "overcome the wicked one?" fo must the laft Chriftians too. Were those ages led by the holy spirit, and taught by the grace of God to live god-like, or like God, in the world? fo must we of these latter ages too, if we will be bleffed for ever; that, having " put off the old man," the devil and his works, we may "C put on Christ," the new and heavenly man, the fecond Adam, with his holy life and works; fo fhall "the fruits of his spirit" fhine through us, which are, "love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, pa"tience, gentlenefs, faith, meeknefs, temperance; "for they that are Chrift's have crucified the flesh, "with the affections and lufts:" they hear his voice, that leads them out of the concupifcences of this vile world; "and they follow him, and he gives unto "them eternal life, and a ftranger they will not fol"low." The world, the flesh, and the devil, make up this ftranger; and those that are carried away by this ftranger are in an unreconciled ftate to God, and, fo dying, muft inevitably perish. Well, then! will we be true Chriftians? Have we faith? Then let us take the advice of that good man Peter; "Let us "add to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, "and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance "patience, and to patience godlinefs, and to godli"nefs brotherly-kindness, and to brotherly-kindness "charity: for," fays he, "if these things be in you " and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be "barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord "Jefus Chrift. But he that lacketh these things is "blind, and cannot fee afar off, and hath forgotten "that he was purged from his old fins. Wherefore

h Eph. v. 27.
Rom. xiii. 14.
24. * John x. 4, 5. 27.

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"the rather, brethren, give diligence, to make your "calling and election fure; for if ye do these things 68 ye fhall never fall. For fo an entrance fhall be "ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting "kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift."

Thus much, O ye Proteftants! that profefs a reformation, and value yourselves upon it, of the true reformed doctrine of godlinefs, a virtuous and good life; without which your profeffion will be the aggravation of your guilt. For know this once for all, That a true reformation lies in the fpirit of reformation, reforming the minds and manners of such as profefs it.' God Almighty open your eyes, and affect your hearts with this great truth.

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SECT. V.

The fourth great ecclefiaftical evil, is preferring human authority above reafon and truth.

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IS, and the next evil, which is the last now to be confidered, to wit, propagation of faith by force, and religion by arms, are the two legs upon which the falfe church hath in all ages ftood. Under this degeneracy we find the Jewish church at Chrift's coming, and he complains of it, "Ye teach for "doctrines the traditions of men; ye seek to kill me, "a man that has told you the truth:" But I challenge the whole account of time, and records of the world, which are come to the hands of this age, to tell me, when, where, and by whom, these principles have been received, improved and ufed, in any fort of proportion or comparison with the practice of that church, which has long prided herself in the name of Catholick and Chriftian. And yet I could wish nothing of these two ill principles had found any place amongst us, that call ourselves Proteftants; though to the great

m Mat. xv. 9. John viii. 40.

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