fhall enter into heaven," Rev. xxi. 27. Without are dogs and fwine, but within are the pure and holy. Believe it, man, without holinefs on earth, there is no happiness in heaven. This Chriftian walk is the very beginning of heaven, where the faints walk with him in white this holy walk is a great part of heaven and falvation itself; hence in that golden chain, Rom. viii. 30. "Whom he called, them he juftified; whom he justified, them he glorified;"-no mention is made of fanctification, to fhew that fanctity and holinefs, is heaven and glory begun: it is not only the way to heaven, but it is heaven itself. The more we walk in Chrift, the more do we live the life of God, and anticipate the life of heaven; that glorious life, which the angels of God, and the bleffed fpirits of just men made perfect, live here. This Chriftian walk makes a man meet for the inheritance of the faints in light. What would a carnal heart do with heaven, that knows no other heaven but to eat, drink, and wallow in fenfual delights? So the glutton at a feast cried, There is no heaven like this! We must not look for a Turkifh paradife in heaven, but for a pure finlefs ftate perfection of grace, and fulness of joy, in the prefence of God's glory, is the faints heaven. An unfantified man cannot truly defire heaven; he may defire it as a privation of suffering and mifery, but not as it is a perfection of grace, a privation of all fin, and perfection of holinefs: when a man begins to be holy, then he begins to enter into the white cloud of glory.— O then, feeing every one would be happy, and would be with Chrift for ever, who would not defire to be holy and to walk in him? A graceless man is very miferable in both worlds; he miffes heaven in this world, and lofes heaven in the world to come; nay, he was a hell of sin here, and a hell of fuffering hereafter: fire and brimftone is his portion. But the gracious man is the happy man indeed he hath heaven begun here, and heaven perfected hereafter. Here then are fome of the advantages of this Chriftian walk to the children of God.

In a word, this Christian walk is the way, to bring down the bleffing of God, on every work of your hand;

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Pfal. i. 4. "Whatfoever he doth fhall profper." Whereas, to walk in the way of fwearing, drunkennefs, whoredom, Sabbath-breaking, curfing, lying, cheating, is the direct way to bring down the curfe of God upon all the works of your hand.

Now, I think the confideration of thefe advantages, fhould move us to this walk; while the difadvantages of the contrary walk must be as grievous, as the advantages of this are precious. And though, when we speak to them that are in Christ, we cannot denounce against them the curfe of the covenant of works, which they are altogether freed from; yet, if they be untender in their walk, there are many other things, befides the curfe, which belong only to, and lie heavy upon Chriftlefs finners, that may be the believer's motive.-Is it nothing to you, believer, that your heavenly Father fhould chaftife you, hide his face from you, deny an anfwer to your prayers, conceal your evidences of heaven from you, give you up to the tyranny of your lufts, and then take vengeance on your inventions? Yea, he will thus vifit your iniquities with rods, if you walk not in Christ, and in his way, though his loving-kindness he will not take away, nor fuffer his covenant to fail. Thus much for the advantages of it, with refpect to ourselves.

(2.) This Chriftian walk is neceffary with refpect to others: and the advantage of this walk with respect to our neighbour, both godly and wicked, and all in general will appear by confidering the following particulars.

1. Our Christian walk would be for advantage to the wicked; for it may tend for their conviction and converfion. On the one hand, this walk may tend to their conviction, and to ftop their mouths; 1 Pet. ii. 15. "This is the will of God, that by well-doing, ye may put to filence the ignorance of foolish men." See alfo, chap. iii. 16. .“ Having a good conscience, that whereas they fpeak evil of you, as of evil-doers, they may be afhamed that falfly accufe your good converfation in Chrift.”— On the other hand, your walk may tend to their converfion; 1 Pet. ii. 12. "Having your converfation honeft among the Gentiles; that whereas they fpeak against VOL. III.

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you as evil-doers, they may, by your good works, which they fhall behold, glorify God in the day of vifitation." The holinefs of profeffors hath fometimes tended to the converfion of the profane, who, in the day of their gracious vifitation, have glorified God on that account. See alfo, 1 Pet. iii. 1, 2. How advantageous and profitable fuch a walk may be, the apostle tells us, Tit. iii. 8. "This is a faithful faying, and thefe things I will that thou affirm conftantly, that they which have believed in God, might be careful to maintain good works: thefe things are good and profitable unto men."

2. Our Chriftian walk may be for advantage to the godly, who are thereby excited and encouraged to be the more holy, by the ftrict converfation, which they behold in others; and to fay with thofe, Zech. viii. 23.. "We will go with you, for we have heard that God is "with you." Whereas an untender walk doth grieve and ftumble them; but a Chriflian walk will rejoice the hearts and ftrengthen the hands, both of godly people, and godly minifters; "I have no greater joy," fays the beloved difciple, "than to hear that my children walk in truth," 3 John 4.

3. Our Chriftian walk may be of advantage to all in general, that are round about us; yea, to the whole generation we live among: for, in this way we would become a public good, a common good; not only in communicating good to them, but in diverting judg. ments from them, among whom we converfe; fo ten righteous perfons would have preferved Sodom and furely, if the Lord had not left us a remnant, in this generation, we had been like Sodom and Gomorrah, in refpect of judgments, as we are in respect of fins ; for, the most part of the generation are declaring their fin as Sodom.-Thus the advantage of man is a great motive to this Chriftian walk.

3dly, The credit of the gospel is another great motive, to this Chriftian walk; by this we are called to adorn the doârine of God our Saviour, in all things, Tit. ii. 10. By this walk we adorn the gofpel of Chrift. As the glory of God, the advantage of man, fo the credit of

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the gospel obliges unto this walk. The gofpel is honoured thereby in many refpects.

1. Gofpel doctrine is honoured by this walk, while thereby we are taught, in an efficacious manner; "The grace of God, that bringeth falvation, which teaches us to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteoufly, and godly, in a prefent world," Tit. ii. 11, 12. Every doctrine of the gofpel teaches this holy walk.-The doctrine of election, 2 Thef. ii. 13. The doctrine of redemption, Eph. v. 25, 26, 27.-The The doctrine of vocation, 1 Thef. iv. 7.-The doctrine of juftification, which is to take away the guilt of fin, Rom. iii. 25. The doctrine of fanctification, which is to take away the power and filth of fin, 1 Cor. vi. 11.The doctrine of glorification, which takes away the very being of fin, and admits of no fin at all.-Every doctrine of the gofpel tends to the advancement of this holy, Chriftian walk. And,

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2. Gofpel promifes are honoured thereby, infomuch that this walk is excited powerfully thereby; 2 Cor. vii. 1. " Having these promifes, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and fpirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." The promifes are the cords of love, whereby we are fweetly bound to the fervice of God, and the acceptable performance of religious duties.

3. Gofpel rules are honoured by this walk, which is the law of God, as a rule of holiness and righteoufnefs, and as difburdened of the covenant of works, in his federal requifition of the condition of life from us; for we are no more commanded to Do that we may LIVE, while we walk in Chrift: we live, that we may walk in Chrift; and do not walk, that we may live. The law here is alfo difburdened of its terrible curfe, and of its irritating power; and therefore may well be called a law of liberty, to the man in Chrift; an eafy yoke; and commandments that are not grievous, James i. 25. Matth. xi. 30. 1 John v. 3.

4. Gofpel examples and patterns are honoured by this walk, it being a walk according to these examples; it being a walking after the example of Chrift. A gofpel

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walk is a walking after God-JEHOVAH, as our Father; and after Chrift, as our leader; and after the Spirit, as our guide; and after the example of the faints, as they were followers of Chrift: we are to follow them who, through faith and patience, do inherit the promises; and to follow the footsteps of the flock.

5. Gofpel ordinances are honoured by this walk, while we are careful and confcientious, in our attendance upon thefe, with an eye to the God of ordinances, for his bleffing upon them, whether public or private; particularly upon the hearing of the joyful found, the gospel meffage; and regular participation of the gofpel facra

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6. Gofpel privileges are honoured by this walk; and particularly, all the privileges that go along with the gofpel-ftate, while we walk worthy of, and fuitable to these privileges, and that ftate.-Are you believers in a gospel-state, being effectually called? Why then, you are to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called.—Are you in a justified state? Then you are to evidence your juftification, by your fanctification.-Are you in a fanctified ftate? Wherefore got you a new nature but to walk before God in newnefs of life?--Are you in an adopted ftate? Then it is fuitable to that ftate, that you be followers of God as dear children.— O Sirs, if we be believers, is it not a fhame for us, to live fo unfuitable to our ftate? Is this all the thanks we give to God, for thefe privileges, that we trample his ftatutes under our feet, difhonour his name, break his law, and grieve his Spirit? Oh! fhall we render acts of enmity for all his acts of love towards us! Fy for fhame! Tell it not in Gash.-Have we the hope of glory, and fhall we not, having this hope, purify ourfelves, even as he is pure? Are we feparate from the world? And shall we walk in the broad way withr the reft?-Hath God pitied us? And fhail we not study to please him?-Hath he washed us in the blood of his Son? And fhall we wallow in the mire of our lufts? Or rather, fhall we not ftudy to let it be known to the world, that his blood hath a virtue to fanctify us?-Well, brethren, if we do not walk in Chrift, we do difcredit to the gospel doc

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