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gether for good to them that love God." In all these passages, the promise of divine love and favor is made to love, and to love of the lowest degree. Accordingly, the the apostle scruples not to say, "Grace be with all them that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." The lowest degree of true, sincere love, entitles any person to all the promises of the gospel. Pardon is promised to repentance throughout the Old and New Testament. God promises to pardon every penitent, contrite, brokenhearted sinner. When the three thousand said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles," Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." And the next day he said to a great many more under similar circumstances, "Repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. Our Savior said to sinners, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." And he spake several parables to illustrate this truth, that the least degree of genuine repentance would entitle sinners to pardoning mercy. The parable of the publican was designed to teach us, that whosoever shall say in sincerity, "God be merciful to me a sinner," shall find mercy.-And the parable of the prodigal son was designed to teach the

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most worthless and ill-deserving sinners, that if they will sincerely say what the prodigal did, they shall be pardoned and accepted.— Yea, "Thus saith the High and Lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." promise of salvation is every where and in every form, in the New Testament made to the exercise of faith. Christ said, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." Christ said, "Whosoever should believe on him, should not come into condemnation, should not die-should not perish; but should have everlasting life." And he gave it in commission to all his apostles and ministers, to preach the gospel to every creature in these words, "He that believeth shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Thus the lowest degree of love, or repentance, or faith, entitles men to the favor and enjoyment of God. This doctrine Christ more fully and emphatically taught in his sermon on the mount, in which he said, " Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after rightousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Just before his crucifixion, Jesus stood and cried, "If any man thirst, let him come and drink." And after his ascension to heaven, he commanded it to be written. "The spirit and the bride say, come: let him that heareth say, come: let him that is athirst come and whosoever will, let him come and take the water of life freely." According to these declarations of scripture, the lowest degree of hungering, thirsting, and desiring, entitles any one to pardon and salvation. But we know that all promises are in Christ, yea, and amen. God promises no good to sinners, as such; and therefore all to whom the promises of God apply, are christians, believers, or real saints. And since the lowest degree of grace secures the promise of eternal life this implies that the least degree of grace forms the essential distinction between a saint and a sinner.

3. God promises to reward men for the least action done in a gracious manner; which implies that the least degree of grace will place men at the right hand of the Judge, at the last day. This our Savior suggests in connection with the text, and in order to illustrate the truth contained in it. Having said, "he that is not against us, is on our part," he immediately subjoins," "for whosoever shall give you a

cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you he shall not lose his reward." Such a small action done in gracious sincerity, or to express love to Christ shall meet a final and eternal reward. This sentiment Christ frequently inculcated. He says in the tenth of Matthew, "He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward, and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward." And in the twenty fifth chapter, where he describes the process of the great day, he represents the righteous as being rewarded for the smallest expressions of benevolence, even such as they could hardly recollect, "Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord when saw we an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink, &c. And the King shall answer, and say unto them. Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethern, ye did it unto me.” From this representation it appears, that the least action done in a gracious manner, shall be finally and forever rewarded.→→→ But the persons of men must be accepted, before their actions can be accepted, or they must be pardoned, before they are rewarded. All, therefore, whose actions are

rewarded must be real saints.

The consequence is plain and undeniable, that the least degree of grace constitutes the christian character. If a man has the least love to Christ, or the least love to his friends, or does the least gracious act, he is a gracious man, and belongs to the number of Christ's true disciples, and shall be openly acknowledged and rewarded, at the great and last day. It only remains to show.

III. Why the least degree of grace constitutes a real saint.And here it may be observed,

than the applause of the worlu but, more than the friendship of their nearest and dearest connections. "He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me!" and he carries the idea higher still, "He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." He advances a step further and says, that men must love him more than their own lives "He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my 1. That the least degree of sake shall find it." And in another grace implies supreme love to place he says, " He that forsaketh God and the divine Redeemer. not all that he hath, cannot be This is more than intimated my disciple." When he interroin the text. "He that is not a gated Peter respecting the sincergainst us, is on our part." Grace, ity of his love, he asks, "Simon, we have observed, consists in ho- son of Jonas, lovest thou me more liness or true benevolence.- than these." If there can be no True benevolence is universal true love to any divine person, and disinterested love. And this which is not supreme, then, there love gives God and Christ the can be no true love to God, or supreme place in the heart. The Christ, which is not supreme.— least degree of true love or real And Christ represents it to be grace places God on the throne, really absurd to suppose, that any and rejoices in his absolute sove- man can be a true friend and serreignty. Hence Christ in de- vant to God, without supreme scribing true love to himself, re- affection to him. presents it as absolutely and nec- serve two masters for either he essarily supreme. "Whosoever will hate the one, and love the shall confess me before men, him other or else he will hold to will I also confess before my Fa- the one, and despise the other.~ther who is in heaven. But who Ye cannot serve God and mamsoever shall deny me before men, mon." And the apostle John teachhim will I also deny before my es the same doctrine. "Love Father who is in heaven." He not the world, neither the things goes on to say, that his true disci- of world. If any man love ples must love him not only more the world, the love of the Fa

"No man can

ther is not in him." It is a plain saint, instead of a real sinner.-truth, that the least degree of The first and least exercise of true love to God implies supreme grace lays a foundation for every attachment to him, to his Son, to christian grace and virtue. his Spirit, and to his cause. And such supreme love ought to form a man's character and constitute him a real saint, and distinguish him from every one that has not the love of God in him.

2. The least degree of grace will naturally branch out into every christian affection and moral virtue. The least degree of grace is supreme love to God, and disinterested love to man. The least degree of supreme love to God, will produce repentance, godly sorrow, faith in Christ, unconditional submission to the divine government, humility, meekness, compassion, and a proper regard to the good of men. Love is the fulfilling of the law; the bond of perfection, and the charity, which seeketh not her own.-This holy affection naturally leads those who possess it, to feel and act properly towards every being, creature and object that comes into their view; and so to form a perfect character in miniature.While pure, holy, disinterested and universal love reigns in the heart, it will dispose every one to feel and act as he ought to feel and act, or as a real saint does feel and act. When the heart of a sinner is changed from sin to holiness, from selfishmess to benevolence, he becomes a new man; old things pass away, and all things He becomes a real

me now.

3. The least degree of grace will produce universal obedience to the divine commands. Grace is love, and that love, which is the fulfilling of the law. The child that has true love to his parents, will obey them; the servant that has true love to his master, will obey him; so whosoever loves God will obey him. Hence says the apostle, "This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." Those who have the least degree of true love to God, will have respect to all his precepts, and obey them as universally, though not so constantly, as those who are strong in faith. They will perform the most difficult and self-denying duties of the gospel. They will deny themselves-take up their cross--confess Christ before the world; give up their worldly interests and dearest friends; and even sacrifice their lives, to promote the honor and interest of Christ. All this Christ requires of every one of his sincere followers, whether, he has larger, or smaller degrees of grace. He acknowledges none to be his friend, unless he is willing to do whatsoever he commands him. He that is not against Christ, is on his part; and he that is on his part will sincerely desire to do every thing he can, to honor and please him. east christian

as sincerely desires to obey and please Christ in all things, as the greatest and best disciple he has. Every sincere follower of Christ desires to obey every one of his commands, though he does not constantly obey any one of them The least degree of grace, therefore, forms the character of a real christian, and prepares him to pay universal obedience to whatever Christ has commanded him. I may add,

4. That the least degree of grace is infallibly connected with persevering and increasing holiness of heart and life. So our Saviour has assured us, in the parable of the sower. "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." Such is the growing and fruitful nature of divine grace in the heart which Christ further illustrates by saying, "He that received seed into good ground, is he that heareth the word of God and understandeth it; who also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty." He said the same thing in substance to the woman of Samaria. "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never

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thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." The reason of this persevering and fruitful nature of grace the apostle gives us in his address to the Philippians. “Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it, until the day of Jesus Christ." This he represents as the fixed purpose of God in his epistle to the Romans, "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified." According to the divine constitution, there is an infallible connection between the first and lowest degree of grace, and perfect and persevering holiness. It is as certain, that the weakest christian shall persevere, as the strongest, and as certain, that the weakest as well as the strongest, shall become perfectly holy.Hence there appears good reason, why the least degree of grace should constitute and denominate a real saint, and place him among the friends of God and heirs of heaven.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. If the least degree of grace constitutes a real saint; then every sinner is totally depraved.— It is universally believed and generally allowed, that sinners are in some measure, and in some res pects, depraved. Some suppcsa

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