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nor effeminate, nor abufers of themfelves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." "Without holiness," faith another scripture, no man fhall fee the Lord;"+ that is, no man shall be faved through Chrift, without a fincere difpofition to the practice of true religion : and that this is understood of the whole courfe and tenor of his life, is clear from the epiftle of St. James before recited, that "whoever (wilfully and habitually) fhall offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Two important remarks will naturally follow this doctrine; I will now add them, as briefly as I can, by way of conclufion.

All boafting and confidence in our own merits, are hereby totally overthrown. We are commanded indeed to follow the example of Christ, and to " be perfect as our Father which is in heaven is perfect;" but yet our powers are fo derived, as well as reftrained, that we must be fenfible of our imperfection, both in the measure and manner

*

I Cor. vi. 9, 10. + Heb. xii. 14.

of

of our performance, and therefore we should be thankful to come unto God by Christ. "Pride was not made for man:" and the reafoning of the apoftle, where he asks "who made thee to differ from another?" and "what haft thou which thou didst not receive?" was not only applicable to the converts to whom he was writing, but to the most pharisaical profeffor of the law of Mofes, or the most selffufficient philofopher of the Athenian porch. But when we confider ourselves as chriftians; as trembling finners before the justice of God, and "faved only by the riches of his grace;" we must naturally array ourfelves in that lowly garb which befits fo humble a condition.

But I shall observe to you, in the laft place, that though very defective in our beft obedience, and very unable of ourselves “to please God," yet ftill we are commanded to do our best, and for these best endeavours we shall be mercifully accepted. No man must live in wilful fin, and he muft ftrive to attain the greatest perfection in holiness; and then "his weakness will be perfected in ftrength," his failures pardoned, and his fervices accepted.

DISCOURSE

DISCOURSE III.

I KINGS XVIII. 21.

AND ELIJAH CAME UNTO ALL THE PEOPLE, AND SAID, HOW LONG HALT YE BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? IF THE LORD BE GOD, FOLLOW HIM; BUT IF BAAL, THEN

HIM.

FOLLOW

THE argument here used having reference to a fact, it will be proper, in the first place, to turn to the circumftances that introduce it, and then proceed to the narrative itself, as it is plainly recited by the hiftorian of this chapter.

The previous circumstances are these.

The kingdom of Ifrael, after its feparation from that of Judah under Rehoboam, the fon of Solomon, from fituation and policy

became

became exceedingly corrupted in religious principles, and devoted to the worship of idols. And this was more particularly their cafe under the administration of Ahab, who having married Jezebel, an idolatrous princefs of the Zidonians, added her bigotry to his own; and, as we read, " she had four hundred prophets of the groves, which did eat at her own table," whilst " he reared up an altar for Baal in the houfe of Baal, and made a grove, and did more to provoke the Lord God of Ifrael to anger, than all the kings of Ifrael that were before him." This pre-eminence in idolatry was the more extraordinary, and marks the vehement corruption of his time, as his predeceffors, for the most part, appear to have been as profligate and idolatrous as any princes upon record.

Poffibly, there may arise a thought in some of my hearers, how it fhould happen, that the children of Ifrael and Judah, who had fo true an infight into the nature of God and religion, from their scriptures, and had received the most vifible protection from his providence as a nation, fhould yet be so apt to fall away from their allegiance to him,

and

and corrupt themfelves fo often with idolatry; that, as one* hath well obferved from the great commandment

16

the

their history, which the jews particularly received, Lord thy God is one Lord, and him only fhalt thou ferve,' they feemed to have made it their bufinefs continually to tranfgrefs." Their idolatry, however, when they had just come out of Egypt, though fo grofs as to give occafion to the first commandment, is not so much to be wondered at; for their minds, as well as bodies, were bowed down and debased by their long fojourning in the land of flavery and fuperftition: and it is univerfally true, that ftrong impreffions are not eafily erafed, and weak minds are ever ftruck with fenfible reprefentations. Even the idolatry of the heathens, at that time, will admit of fome excufe, when it is confidered, that the firft notions of God were worn out and forgotten by the vices of their fathers: fo true it is, that every man, feeling himself dependent, naturally looks out for fome fupport, be it religious or fuperfti tious, against the evils of life and death; infomuch,

* Mr. John Hales of Eton,

C

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