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the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil haveth the light, ne ther cometh to the light, left his deeds fhould be reproved' But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifeft that they are wrough in God." Thefe laft words open a brighter profpe&t and difelofe to us the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, and fending his angels with a great found of a trumpet, and they fhall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Then fhall he be "glorified in his taints, and admired in all them that elieve." Thus are good and evil death and life, the bleffing and the curfe fet before us. Thus all that is terrible in juftice, armed with almighty power, addreffes itfell to our fear and all that is amiable and alluring. in unbounded goodnels and love, expands to our hope, "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto falvation, ready to be revealed in the last time." May we this day know him as a Saviour whom we muft in that day meet as a judge. May we have wisdom to comply with the counsel of him as a friend, whom it is certain and utter ruin to encounter as an adverfary.

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Behold, now is the accepted time: behold; now is the day of falva tion."

3. Take care, frail, ignorant, erring man, how thou propofeft to thy felf the purifier of the temple as a pattern of zeal. "It is good," faith the apoftle "to be zealously affected always in a good thing but unlefs zeal be directed by prudence and knowledge, it may produce incredible mifchief. There is a zeal about trifles, which diverts the mind from objects of ferious importance. Battles have been fought, and volumes. written to determine the pofture in which the facrament ought to be received and the habit to be worn by the priest in reading the fervice of the Church. While contention about fuch non-effentials waxed hot, the spirit of piety and prayer grew cold. There is a zeal which is the offspring of prejudice and habit. It actuated Saul of Tarfus, when " he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women, committed them to prifon," and while he " yet breathed out threatenings and flaughter against the difciples of the Lord" and when, fpeaking of himfelf, he fays: "I verily thought with myf If, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jefus of Nazareth. Which thing I alfo did in Jerufalem:

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Jerufalem and many of the faints did I fhut up in prifon, having recived authority from the chief priests: and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I puifhed them oft in every fynagogue, and compelled them to blafpheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I perfecuted them even unto ftrange cities." There is a vainglorious, oftentatious zeal, which cannot bear to pass unobferv. ed which must be fed with public attention and admiration. Such is that which infpired Jehu, when he exultingly challenged applaufe: Come with me and fee my zeal for the Lod." There is a malignant, intolerant zeal, which pities not, fpares not. Even the difciples James and John were under its influene, when a village of the Samaritans refused to receive their Mafter, "Lord," fay they, "wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and confume them, even as Elias did ?" and it received a juft and severe repehenfion from the mouth of Chrift: "He turned and rebuked them, and faid, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the fon of man is no come to deftroy men's lives, but to fave them" The difciples themselves became the victims of this fiery, exterminating zeal as Chrift predicted concerning them. They fhall put you our of the fynagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whofoever killeth you will think that he doeth God tervice." Thus the hard meature which they would have meted to others, was measured out unto themselves. But there is a zeal as well as a doćtrine," which is according to godlinels" a pure and lambent line of love to God, which admits of no mixture of human paffion which views every objet through the medium of Deity, and aims but at one end, that God may be glorified. This excellent fpirit will never think of doing God fervice, by fhewing unk ndness or cruelty to man. But it is fo rare and so easily counterfeited, that even its emotions are to be regarded with a je dous eye, for th, re is no (mall danger of a man's miftaking the ebullitions of his own mind, for the impulfe of God's fpirit, especially in cafes where guilt is to be condemned and vengeance executed. David made a wife and a happy choice, when conftrained to fubmit to one of three great evils. "I am in a great ftrait" faid he, Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, (for his mercies od and let me not fall into the hand of man.” I like the fcourge, the iword, the torch voluntarily affumed by one of like paffions with myself. In vehement attempts to reform abuse, I fhould tremble to think of their degenerating into a rage to destroy. The tremendous attribute of vengeance, God will confide to no hands but his own, but he permits man

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to carry the imitation of divine mercy as far as he can. By beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, faith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; If he thirst give him drink for in fo doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

4. Mark the power of confcience, and learn to fecure its reftimony in your favour. What made cowards of those grofs and brutal men? An ill confcience. What chafed away a multitude before one man ? An ill confcience. What overaw ed a rapacious priesthood and a licentious populace? An ill confcience. Confcience drove our guilty progenitors to feek concealment" from the prefence of the Lord God, amongst the. trees of the garden." Confcience fent out murderous Cain "a, fugitive and a vagabond in the earth," under the dire apprehenfion that every one who found him would flay him. It is confcience that dictates the unavailing cry to despairing wretches, who in bitterness exclaim "to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that fitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to ftand ?" But what, in oppofition to this, is the fource of a Christian's composure and fatisfaction? Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our, confcience, that in fimplicity and godly incerity, not with flefhly wildom, but by the grace of God. we have had our converfation in the world." Herein confifted the triumph of the Apostle over the fear of the Roman governor, and over the oratory of Tertullus: "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a confcience void of offence toward God and toward men." And this conftitutes the triumph and the security of every believer in Christ Jefus: "Being juftified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift: by whom alfo we have access by faith into this grace wherein we ftand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only do, but we glory in tribulations alfo : knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope and hope maketh not afhamed; be aule the love of God is fhed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghoft, which is given unto us,"

Though the buyers and fellers were abashed and put to flight, fome of the confequential cavillers, who are to be found in every age, and in every fociety, maintain the ground, and call for the commiffion under which Jefus acted." Then anfwered the Jews, and faid unto him, what fign fheweft thou unto

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us, leeing that thou doeft these things ?" This furnished him with a fair occafion of bringing forward the peculiar and dif tinguishing doctrine of his religion, the refurrection of the bod y, which was foon to be exemplified in his own refurrection from the dead, as" the first fruits of them that fleep." This will accordingly conftitute the fubject of the next Lecture, Bleffed and holy is he that hath part in the firft refurrection en fuch the fecond death hath no power; but they shall be priefts of God and of Chrift.”

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LECTURE XIX.

JOHN, 11. 18-25.

Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, what fign fheweft thou unto us, feeing that thou doeft these things? Fejus anfwered and faid unto them, deftroy this temple, and in three days I will raife it up. Then faid the Jews, forty and fix years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? but he spake of the temple of his body. When, therefore, he was rijen from the dead, nis difcipes remembered that he had fard this unto them; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jefus had fard. Now, when he was in Jerufalem at the pover, in the feaft-day many believed in his name, when they aw the miracles which he did. But Jefus did not commit himfef unto them, becaue he knew all men: and needed not that any fhould teftify of man: For he knew what was in man.

THE actions and events of Chrift's life are the bafis on

which the truth and importance of his docìrine reft, and the folidity of the foundation must be estimated from the ftructure which it fupports. The foundation of a building lies buried under ground, and cannot be examined by the eye; but when we behold a ftately, lofty and venerable pile, which has withftood the attack of ages, and which still presents unaiminished beauty and strength, we justly reason from what we do fee to what we do not; and we feel ourselves constrained to applaud the excellency of the defign, from the per ectness and durabil ity of the execution. "Behold," faith the Lord God, by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, more than seven centuries before the fabric began to appear," behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a ftone, a tried ftone, a precious corner ftone, a lure foundation he that believeth fhall not make hafte. Judgment alfo will I lay to the line, and righteoutnefs to the plummet." Here is the defign of the fovereign Architect, not fleeping like many a beautiful human plan in the port-folio of the artift, never to be realized, but quick with the spirit of life, already executed" in the purpose of him who worketh all things af

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