clean thing. A folemn and most compre henfive injunction! You are furrounded by contagion. Contamination lurks on every fide. The objects which custom and example obtrude on your regard are too often like unto whited fepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but within are full of dead men's bones and all uncleannefs. The paths which you are invited to tread lead among graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. Linger not in the precincts of deftruction. Sport not amidst the breath of infection. Pity the wretched victims of corruption: but come out from among them and be ye feparate. Such is the mandate! Does the Father of mercies iffue a command unaccompanied with encouragement to obedience? Never. What, in the present inftance, is the encouragement? I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, ye shall be my fons and daughters, faith the Lord Almighty. "What though folly shuts " her doors against your return? My por"tals open at your approach. What though pride disclaims your friendship? I will "love you as a Father. What though the

cr

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world difowns you as her children? Yeshall "be my fons and daughters," faith Jehovah. Within the scope of this promise what bles

fing is not comprised? To be rescued from the dominion of darkness and tranflated into the kingdom of light; to be tranfformed from enemies into fervants of the Moft High; to be made objects of love to Infinite Goodnefs; to be fheltered under the wings of Omnipotence; to be guided by the fuperintendence of Eternal Wisdom; to be washed in the blood, fanctified by the grace, accounted as the brethren and fifters of God's Incarnate Son; to receive into our hearts the fpirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father! to have the Spirit itself bear witness with our Spirit that we are the children of God; to be heirs of God and joint heirs with Chrift; to rejoice under every earthly trial with joy unspeakable and full of glory, in the conviction of the love of our heavenly Father, and in the hope of an incorruptible inheritance of blifs: these are among the privileges of the fons and daughters of the Almighty. Having therefore these promifes, dearly beloved; let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Mark the earnestness of affectionate entreaty with which the Apostle animates you to labour for the high prize of your calling. I fpeak, he cries, almoft immediately before he delivers the words of the text, Ifpeak as unto

my

children. Bear with me if I feel a portion of his earnestnefs. Ifpeak as unto my children. Shall thefe ftupendous mercies be proposed to you in vain? When the Lord of the universe, the God whofe favour conftitutes the bleffedness of angels and archangels, ftretches forth to you, unworthy and finful as he knows you to be, the arms of paternal love: do you recoil, do you hesitate, do you loiter? When Jefus the Redeemer of mankind points to the crofs on which he died for your offences, and thence directs your eyes to the manfions in His Father's house: will you prove yourselves dead to gratitude, blind to glory? When the Spirit of fanctification is folicitous to fhed abroad the love of God in

your hearts; will you refuse the grace of adoption, will you feal yourselves the children of the devil? Far be fuch infatuation! Be you, like youthful Timothy, an example to believers. Haften to range yourselves under the standard of heaven. Survey the promised recompenfe, the victor's crown. But prepare your hearts for the warfare. Prepare to contend against principalities and powers of darkness, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the prince of this world, the God of this world. Prepare to fight against evil defires, and corrupt example,

ample, to cleanse yourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. The body of corruption must be kept under abfolute control. The deeds of the flesh must be mortified; its affections and lufts must be crucified. The baptismal vow must be fulfilled. The vain imaginations of the heart must be repreffed; the malignant paffions quelled; the afpiring schemes, the prefumptuous confidence, the empty wifdom of unhumbled nature renounced. Every thought muft be brought into fubjection, reduced under captivity to Chrift Jefus. There must be no reserve; no bartering and trafficking for heaven; no pretext of compenfation for one finful habit by many acts of obedience. The furrender of the foul to God must be total. The spirit of holiness must be obeyed in all things, and the whole man, body, foul, and spirit, must be thankfully furrendered to his guidance. Not fome filthiness but all filthiness must be abjured: not all filthiness of the flesh only, but all filthiness alfo of the fpirit. The purpose of cleanfing, the practical aim of cleanfing, must be univerfal. Nothing which pollutes in the eyes of God must be tolerated. Not only muft all filthinefs be cleanfed away, but holiness must be perfected. A negative character is unknown to the Scriptures. If

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you are anxious to be purified from iniquity; you are anxious likewise for positive acquifitions, for continual progress in holiness. For those acquifitions in that progress, you are inceffantly to labour. The pattern of your Saviour is to dwell upon your mind. To transfer into your own difpofitions an encreasing portion of his Spirit; to form your own conduct into a nearer and nearer, however diftant, resemblance of his excellence; to grow in grace, to add virtue to virtue, to prefs forward towards the mark, to furmount the remaining obftacles of fin, to break the bands which retard your exertions; to be holy as Chrift is holy, perfect as he is perfect; to redouble your speed when you discover yourself to have lingered, your diligence when you perceive that you have been careless: behold the tenor of your life, if you are bent on perfecting holiness. But who is fufficient for thefe things? No man. How then is holiness to be perfected? In the fear of God. Fear God and the difficulties of a Chriftian course are no longer the subject of defponding apprehenfion. The fear of God infures the prefence of His all-sufficient grace. The fear of God infpires lowliness; but in working lowlinefs it creates confidence in Him who has promised to uphold