for a walk you have: they cannot look to the fap that is within, but they will look to the fruit that is without, and judge of the tree by the fruit, and of your faith by your works.

3. The third reafon, why they that receive Christ are to walk in him, is in refpect of YOURSELVES, who are believers, and receivers of Chrift, that you may be con firmed; for you are to judge the truth of your faith, not by the degrees of your confidence, but by the degrees of your conqueft over fin, Satan, and the world, in a gofpel-walk; even as you may know the height of the fun by the fhortnefs of your fhadow, rather than by the degrees of altitude; if the fhadow be fhort, the fun is high; if the fhadow be long, the fun is low: fo here, if the shadow of fin and corruption be long, your faith is low; but if it is fhort, your faith is in a more lively exercife. How can you have the comfort of faith, if you do not rife and walk, as you have received him? If you do not walk, it is a fign you never received light, 1 John i. 7.

4. The fourth reafon, why they that receive Christ, are to walk in him, is in refpect of FAITH itself: faith, wherever it is, brings in this walk in point of neceffity, congruity, obligation, and encouragement.

(1.) In point of neceffity: It is native, as I said, for a man that hath received Chrift to walk in him; it implys a contradiction, not to walk in him, and yet to receive him; "How fhall we that are dead to fin, live any longer therein ?" Rom. vi. 2. The believer is dead, and his life is hid with Chrift in God, Col. iii, 3. If ye be dead and buried, united to Chrift, in his death and burial, how can ye live in fin? You can no more live therein, than a dead man can come back, and eat and drink in the world. Therefore, if you do not walk in Chrift, ye plainly declare that your pretending to receive him, was but a cheat and a fham; for, he that receiveth him muft walk in him, and will walk in him, and cannot but walk in him. Why? he that receiveth Chrift, receiveth him as a Jefus and as a Lord: which infers two parts of practical religion; the fiducial part, which is a receiv ing him as a Jefus, a Saviour; and the obediential part,

which is a receiving him as a Lord, and fo walking in him as a Lord and Law-giver: fo that they who receive him, muft walk in him.

(2.) In point of congruity: Is it not congruous to the foul's deed in receiving him? Did you not receive him as the way to the Father? Why then, if you walk not in him, you take another way, and look to another airth. Is it not congruous to the end for which you received him? Did you receive him only to look to him a while, and then to let him go? No: if ever you received him, it was that you might abide in him.

(3.) In point of obligation; there is the ftrongeft obligation upon every man that receives Chrift, to walk in him; even as in marriage, when two are married together, there is a mutual obligation they come under to those duties that are required of each of them: fo, a man, when he receives Chrift, he is married to him, and fo comes under the strongest, and yet the sweetest obligations: for, in the day of efpoufals, the foul is made to fay, as Jer. 1. 5. "Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord, in a perpetual covenant, that fhall not be forgotten." It is a joining to the Lord as our strength, to carry us on in the way wherein we fhould go; fo that we may be exalted to mount up with wings as eagles, run and not weary, walk and not faint.

(4.) In point of encouragement; the man that receiveth Christ, hath the greatest encouragement, and incitement in the world, to walk in Chrift: for he, receiving Chrift, receiveth all things that can contribute for carrying him on in this way and walk. What does a man receive, when he receives Chrift? 1. He receiveth the pardon of all his fins; "In him we have redemption,, through his blood, even the remiffion of fin," Col. i. 14. And what encouragement is this to walk in Chrift! May not a man love much, who hath fo much forgiven him? 2. When you receive Christ, you receive peace and reconciliation with God: "We have peace through the blood of his crofs," Col, i. 20. And what encouragement is this, that you have to do with a reconciled God! O ftrong encouragement to walk in him! 3. When you receive Chrift, you receive grace; for, "Out of his fulnefs we re

G4

ceive,

you

ceive, and grace for grace." And what encouragement is this to walk in him, that you receive grace from him! Do you not receive him for this end, that you may have grace in him, and grace from him? And why then not walk in him as ye have received him? 4. When you receive Chrift, you receive the promife; yea, all the promifes of the new and well-ordered covenant; for, they are all Yea and Amen in Chrift. He hath given us exceeding great and precious promifes, faith the apoftle Peter, 2 Pet. i. 4. And now, "Having thefe promises, faith the apostle Paul, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthinefs of the flesh and fpirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God," 2 Cor. vii. 1. 5. When you receive Chrift you receive the Spirit; and here is the principle of a holy walk: "I will put my Spirit within you, and caufe you to walk in my ftatutes." Is not this encouragement, to walk in him as ye have received him, that you have the Spirit dwelling in you as an inhabitant? 6. When receive Chrift, you receive the adoption of children; Rom. viii. 15. "Ye have received the Spirit of adoption." And again, Gal. iv. 4, 5. "Because ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, ABBA, Father." John i. 12. "To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God; even to them that believe on his name." Is not this encouragement to be followers of God as dear children? 7. When you receive Chrift, you receive a right and title to eternal glory; John xiv. 2, 3. "In my Fa ther's house are many manfions;-I go to prepare a place for you, and I will come again, and receive you to my. felf, that where I am, there you may be alfo." And what encouragement is this to walk in him, in the joyful hope of walking in him in white for ever! 8. When you receive Christ, you receive all things in him. I cannot tell what you receive, or how much you receive, when you receive Chrift, for he is ALL IN ALL; and in him dwells all

the fulness of the Godhead bodily, Col. ii. 9. "It pleafed the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell," Col. i. 19. "And in him are hid all the treasures of wifdom and knowledge," Col. ii. 3. He is all for prefent fupport, and all for after-happiness and if he be yours,

All

All is yours. What more encouragement can be given to walk in him, and improve him as your all?-Thus you fee, why walking in him muft go AFTER the receiving; and why believers in Chrift are to walk in him.

Now, what fay you of your Christianity, man? you that profefs to be a Chriftian, that is, a receiver of Chrift Jefus the Lord, do you fo walk in him? I believe it to be a needful work to un-Chrift many that pretend to be in Chrift: you know Chrift, in his preaching, went about to un-Mofes fome; to bring the Jews from under the wings of Mofes, under whofe name they did the works of the devil; and from under the wings of Abraham: he fhows whofe children they were, indeed not Abraham's, but the devil's. Even fo, it were a needful work to un-Chrift fome perfons, that pretend to be Chriftians, and to bring them from under the wings of Chrift, under whofe wings they do the works of the devil: Surely, if ever Christ was received by you, fo as to be in you, he would produce these graces in you, which he himfelf had, and which he himself preached, while he was here: but while men bring arguments from Christ, to fhelter their base lufts and idols, their bafe ends and purposes, it is the greatest dishonour done to the name of Chrift; for, "The foundation of God ftandeth fure, having this feal, The Lord knoweth them that are his: and, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity."

Thus much for the fourth general head, viz. the connection between the believer's character and his duty; or, between receiving Chrift, and walking in bim.

SER

SERMON XXXIX.

COLOS. ii. 6.

As ye have received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in him.

IF

[The Sixth Sermon on this Text.]

F believers, who have received Christ, do not walk in him, none in all the world will; if they stand still, who will go forward? Many there are in our day, that are like the fun in Jofhua's time, that ftood ftill; nay, many worse, like the fun in Hezekiah's time, that went backward ten degrees; they have gone backward many degrees: few there are like the fun, in its ordinary courfe, ftill going forward; ftill walking in Christ, as the fun doth run in the firmament. It is true, as the fun once ftood ftill, and another time went backward; fo the faint may ftand ftill, and through temptation, be driven backward: but his denomination is to be taken from his ordinary courfe, and habitual walk. It was the commendation of Enoch, that he walked with God: and how fhall one walk with God? It is by walking in Chrift. And how fhall one come to walk in Chrift? It is by the means of receiving him, under the influence of heaven; As ye bave received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in him.

V. The fifth thing was the application of the doctrine. Is it fo, That it is the great and indifpenfible duty of all true believers, who have received Christ Jesus the Lord, to walk in him as they have received him? then hence many things might be inferred, and many ufes deduced: I fhall confine myself to these four in a special manner. 1. For information, to instruct us in fome precious truths. 2. For reproof, to convict us of fome errors, both doctrinal and practical. 3. For examination, to try our faith

and