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You must come then from fin, both from the love and practice of it, from all your lufts, however dear to you, and from all dependence on any righteoufnefs of your own for acceptance with God. These two, it must be confeffed, are difficult points of felfdenial: thousands choofe rather to perifh eternally, than part with either of them. But nothing is more evident from the word of God, than that, except they are both renounced, we can have no fhare in the bleffings of the covenant: For we cannot, at once, be the fervants of fin and the fervants of Chrift. These are two mafters whofe fervice is incompatible with each other; and if we go about to establish our own righteoufnefs, we can have no part in the rightcoufnefs of God.

But, further, you must come to Chrift, not merely affenting to the truth of his doctrine and miffion, for fuch a faith the very devils have, and multitudes of profeffing Christians have had, who, notwithstanding, are now configned over to everlasting vengeance; but cheerfully embracing him under all the characters in which he is revealed and offered in the gofpel. Come to him, then, and accept him as your Prophet, to illuminate your darkened minds, and make the light of the glory of God in the face of a Redeemer to fhine into them, that you may know him in the power of his refurrection, and the fellowship of his fufferings. The Father teftified by a voice from heaven, "This "is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed; "hear ye him." You must therefore liften to his inftructions, and receive the law from his mouth. Come to him alfo, and accept of him as your Priest. Acquiefce in, and rely on that glorious method, which infinite wifdom and love has appointed for fatisfying divine juftice, and reconciling finners to God; even that perfect facrifice of his human nature, which Chrift offered up through the eternal Spirit. Depend upon his all-fufficient righteoufnefs, as the fole ground of your juftification; and on his powerful and prevalent interceffion at the right hand of

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the Majefty on High, for obtaining renewed pardon, and grace to help you in every time of need. Finally, come to him, and receive him alfo as your king to fubdue the enmity of your hearts; to fanctify, as well as to fave you; and to rule and govern you by his word and Spirit. Take his yoke upon you, which is easy, and his burthen, which is light. In a word, give yourselves to God in Chrift, to be for his ho nour and glory; all the powers of your fouls, and the members of your bodies, all your endowments and attainments, that you may live to the praife of the glory of his grace, obedient to his just authority, and fubmiflive to the will of his providence.

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2. That you may partake of the bleflings offered in the gofpel, you are not only to come, but to buy. This, you will fay, is a very ftrange and extraordinary way of buying, not only without money, (that is common enough in the dealings of the world), but without price, without fo much as making a price, and promifing to pay it. But your furprise will wear off, if you reflect on our Lord's counsel to the church of Laodicea. "Thou art poor," fays he, and yet he advifes her "to buy of him gold tried in the "fire (a)." This buying, then, imports, that the bleffings offered in the gospel are fo exceedingly precious, that they are worth our obtaining at any rate, and that yet we shall be welcome to them, though we are most unworthy of them, and can make no return that looks like a valuable confideration. These bleffings are already bought and paid for. Chrift purchased them at an adequate value, not with corruptible things fuch as filver and gold, but with the price of his own blood, the precious blood of the Son of God, as of a lamb without spot and blemish; and yet, fo difinterested is his love, he bestows them freely. Though they coft him fo dear, they cost us nothing but acceptance; and whoever is made partaker of them, must have them as the free gift of God, through him, and alone on his account. For,. F 3

(*) Rev. iii. 17, 18

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as the apoftle tells us, "The gift of God is eternal "life, through Jefus Chrift our Lord (a)." Come then and buy, i. e. make these bleffings your own, by receiving them; but come with an empty hand, under a humble fenfe of your own unworthiness; "for God giveth grace to the humble. He filleth "the hungry with good things, while the rich he "fends empty away."

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3. And Laftly, Our partaking of Chrift, and of the bleffed fruits of his purchase, is expreffed by eating; -Come, buy and eat.

As that which we eat is ftill more our own than that which we only buy, we are here invited to come, and make thefe fpiritual bleffings ftill more our own, by feeding and feafting upon them, for the nourishment and comfort of our fpiritual life.

Come then, ye that are hungering and thirsting for Chrift, and communion with him; come and feast upon the whole purchase of his blood, in the folemn ordinance which we are foon to celebrate. Feed upon his love, in purchasing those precious bleffings at fo dear a rate; a love, that many waters could not quench; a love like coals of fire; the most ardent, the most extensive, the most active love; love, in a word, that paffeth all understanding. Behold, what manner of love is this? It infinitely tranfcends our utmost conceptions; nay, it will employ the everlafting admiration of angels, and faints in glory. But again, come and feaft alfo upon the fruits, the bleffed and glorious fruits of this love.-But what are these? the pardon and forgivenefs of fin; the privileges of God's adopted children; peace and tranquillity of confcience, communion and fellowship with God, or the bleffed earnefts and foretastes of happiness and glory. "Ho," then," every one of you that thirsteth, come to these waters; and he that hath no money, come, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price.'

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(a) Rom. vi. 23.

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SER

SERMON V.

THE NATURE AND PLEASURES OF DEVOTION.

PSALM Ixv. 4.

Bleed is the man whom thou chooseft, and caufeft to approach to thee, that he may dwell in thy courts.

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MONG the various pleasures of a religious life, there are none greater, or more delightful to the Christian, than those which he enjoys in his approaches to God. As he is altogether lovely in himself, and the centre of their reft and happiness, they cannot but rejoice in his prefence, and be happy in divine communion. There is fomething in the very nature of devotion that exalts the mind, that raises the affections above this world, and that fills the foul with compofure and joy. But when our religious worship is performed in public; when we offer up united prayers and praises with the people of God, and join with them in the facred inftitutions of the fanctuary; this is a fource of peculiar fatisfaction to every devout worshipper. A lively fenfe of this, made the author of this' pfalm fo often long for the houfe of his God, and fo paffionately defire to appear before him. He had fo often experienced the pre

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fence of God in his temple, and was so often satisfied with the goodnefs of his houfe, that there was nothing he more earnestly defired than to dwell in the courts of the Lord, and enjoy the pleafures of the fanctuary. This was the one thing he refolved to feek after; for this his foul breathed with the utmost vehemence; his flesh thirfted, yea, even fainted, for the courts of the living God. The fame comfortable experience of the loving-kindness of God in his temple, made this holy man fo often extol the bleffedness of those who had frequent opportunities of approaching the tabernacle, and attending the folemn worship. "Bleffed are they," fays he, "that "dwell in thy houfe, they will be ftill praifing thee. "Bleffed is the man whom thou choosest, and caufeft "to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy " courts." In the opinion of fome, these words were spoken by the Pfalmift, of those Priests and Levites, whofe employment it was to abide near the tabernacle, and attend the temple fervice. Others make them expreffive of the Ifraelites at large, who, from their local fituation, had frequent opportunity of being prefent at the public worship: Either of thefe, indeed, may be called dwelling in the courts of the Lord. But we choose to take the words in the latter fenfe, as extending to every man of Ifrael, and intimating to us the great happiness of those whom God brings near to himself in the worship of his temple, The general obfervation, then, which we have to illuftrate from these words, is, that approaching to God in the duties of his worship is attended with great pleasure and advantage to the foul.

In illuftrating this obfervation, we propofe, Firft, To defcribe the nature of that approach to God, which is a proof of the divine choice and favour: Secondly, To represent the bleffedness of fuch an approach; or fhow you, that drawing nigh to God in the duties of his worship is attended with great pleasure and advantage to the foul: And, Thirdly, Conclude with directing you to fome suitable improvement of the subject. I. We

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