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he) that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

2. In the holding fast our profession, we should hold fast the communion of saints. Whoever they be that leave the communion of saints for the conversation of the wicked, that person does certainly forego his profession. It is impossible, unless through a strong temptation, that a true Christian can savour that delight to his heart in the conversation of the wicked, as in communion with the godly. Thereupon we find, that the apostle, in the 25th verse, does in a manner explain what he means by holding fast our profession: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, &c. As if the apostle had said, "If you forsake your "Christian assemblies, your meetings together, your edifying and helping one another, if you forsake these, so far you "forsake your profession."

3. In holding fast the profession of our faith, this is required, that we hold fast the exercise of the grace of faith and hope. If this be not minded, you will quickly find that all things else in a profession do wither and waste away. When you are called to hold fast your profession, you are called to hold on in believing, in the exercise of it.

II. The second thing is, Wherefore is it that Christians should be so careful to be stedfast in the profession of their faith?

1. Because there are a great many devices of Satan and the world to drive people from it. Holding fast does imply that there are endeavours to take things from us. That which none will pluck away, none needs to hold. There is resistance that is made from without, and great are those that are made by Satan and the world. 1st, From Satan. The devil is a cruel, malicious, and envious enemy. We all have some sort of notion of these woful wickednesses in the spiritual adversaries. But there is one thing concerning the devil we do not duly consider; the devil is the most desperate sinner of all God's creatures. I mean not only desperate in wickedness,

but destitute of all relief under it; and therefore the profession of faith and hope in a sinner, is the most grievous thing that the devil can behold. He once had all believers his captives, and would fain bring them back again into his bondage. There is nothing grates the devil more, than a sinner professing his hope in that glory he is fallen from. The devil is a desperate sinner, and he would fain drive all sinners into the same state with himself, and if it were not his cunning, that he knows the danger of awaking men. If the devil had his will, he would rather be glad that all sinners were despairing than flattering themselves with vain hopes; but because their security renders their state more desperate in the issue, therefore the devil befriends them, and keeps all in peace. 2dly, From the world. You know what enmity the world has testified against the people of God; and all this enmity arises from profession. Let a man have never so much faith, if this faith never discovers itself, neither by word nor deed, the world would never have any sort of disturbance thereby, and would not be angry at men. It is the testimony of the witnesses that torments men that are upon the earth. What, think you, is the reason of all the persecution that you read of in the word, and the bloody persecution that hath been in this land, and several other places? The true reason is the profession of faith of the people of God. If believers would part with their profession, the world would part with their quarrels.

2. Christians should be very careful of their profession, to hold it fast; for the honour of God and his Son Jesus Christ is greatly concerned in it. It is all we can do for his glory. The highest glory that is given to Christ in this world, is by the stedfast maintaining of the profession of our faith. The greatest affront that can be done, is by people's abandoning the profession of that faith they once made. It is a horrible thing; a thing the Lord calls the heavens to be astonished at: My people have forsaken me, and have forsaken me upon some alledged fault also: What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me? &c. Jer. ii. 5, 12.

3. Lastly, Christians should be careful to maintain their profession, to hold it fast; for their peace and their salvation stands mightily on it. It is remarkable how the apos

tle divides believing and confession: Rom. x. 9, 10. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Pray observe, if a man believe with the heart, he is not only possessed of righteousness, and stands clothed with it before God; but salvation is secured to him, by virtue of that righteousness too. Yet you see, that the apostle carefully shuns the dividing these two, faith and confession, righteousness in the one, salvation in the other : Confession is made, says he, unto salvation. After we are once possessed of the righteousness of Christ by faith, we only want complete salvation, and we must go on confessing his name till we be possessed of it. It is observable, that of all the hells upon earth that ever a true believer fell into, most of them have been upon this account, when the violence of temptation hath prevailed upon the people of God, in a day of trial, to abandon their profession. What sad instances have we of some of the most eminent saints and servants of God, that have been left of God in a day of trial, that have left their profession, and have been tortured in their souls till they have returned to it again, though with the peril of their lives? A stout and free adhering to the profession of their faith, was commonly attended with joy and peace in believing : and denying thereof, and complying with the course of this world, what sad smart did it raise in their consciences,

III. The third and last thing is, How this is to be done? I shall not now insist upon all things I thought of, with respect to this, how a Christian is to hold fast his profession. I shall only direct the exhortation these three ways:

1. Hold fast the profession of your faith before God. If you ever have called God your God and Father, never eat in these words again. How sorry and pitiful, but common a matter is it, that a believer will call God his God confidently in the morning, and may be in the dark evening call him by another name? Thou shalt call me, My God, and shalt not depart from me: it is a promise the Lord makes; the Lord fulfil it to us.

2. We must learn to hold fast the profession of our faith before the devil. Whenever Satan and we come together, he

begins to assault; then be sure to keep the profession of your faith; hold it fast. Above all, says the apostle Paul, take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, Eph. vi. 16. So also says the apostle Peter, 1 Epist. v. 9. Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

3. We should be careful to hold fast the profession of our faith before the world. The world has a sharp sight into the infirmities of the saints, but is quite blind as to their virtues : They cannot see these: they cannot see the beauty of the inward man; but they can see the spots in the conversation of the people of God, and they will be careful to take notice of them, and to make more of them than they are. The more captious the world be, the more careful saints should be in their conversations: Be blameless and harmless, says the apostle, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked, and perverse nation, holding forth the word of life, &c. Phil. ii.

15, 16.

I would only, before leaving this head, name a few things that make this holding fast of our profession very hard, and should make us the more diligent in the exercise of faith, that we may get strength from the author of our faith to maintain the profession of it.

1st, It is very hard to keep the profession of our faith without wavering, when sin is in the conscience. The law of God enters there, and a man sees his own iniquity. Peter perhaps had made no profession of his faith before; but if he had, he renounced it when he spoke those ungodly words, Depart from me. What a Christian pray Christ to leave him; is that spoke like a believer? But the sense of sin was raised in him, upon the appearance of divine power in that great work of Christ.

2dly, It is very hard to keep the profession of our faith without wavering, when we see a rod in an angry God's hand, and feel the smart of it upon our own backs. To think the same thing of God, to have the same kind thoughts of Christ, and lively hopes of heaven, in this case as formerly, is hard indeed. Job was a man that held fast the profession of his

faith, without wavering, at a mighty rate, when he said, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him; but I will maintain mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him, Job xiii. 15, 16. As if he had said, “I defy all hypocrites in the world to say so." Is there any but a believer, and a stedfast one, who is able to say, A God slaying me shall be my God.

3dly, It is hard to keep the profession of our faith without wavering, when there is a furnace of mens wrath for our profession, and when there are great hazards a man is exposed to for his profession. This has tried many a man's profession. There are signal instances of this in the 3d and 6th chapters of Daniel. The furious king and the fiery furnace was just before the three children: "Now," says Nebuchadnezzar," will you fall down, and worship my gold"en image, or no? Will you profess still your faith in "God?" "Yes," say they," whether he deliver us, or no, "we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image "which thou hast set up." Daniel would not forbear his praying in usual times and places, and usual circumstances, for all the danger of death thereby. This was the confession of his faith.

4thly, It is hard to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, in the sight and feeling of unbelief. When a poor creature finds unbelief in him, yet, notwithstanding, to adhere to, and hold fast the profession of his faith, is no easy matter. He was a young believer for time, but an old skilful believer for stedfastness, that gave that answer to our Lord, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief; "I own faith in the "face of unbelief, in the feeling of it." Thereupon it is that that word turns; I suppose a good part of the meaning of it is this that I drive at, 2 Tim. ii. 12, 13. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful; he cannot deny himself. Pray observe, If we believe not, if we have not the faith, that strength of faith that the case calls for; yet his faithfulness will take care of securing a gracious issue: for the meaning cannot be, if you have no faith at all; but if your faith be weak, and be not in that high measure the case calls for, the Lord will take

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