II.1. Thus then we are to look to Jesus Christ as the corner-ftone of our faith, of our practice, of our justification, of our fanctification, of our hopes of pardon and eternal life. He who builds on that corner-ftone, builds on a fure rock: he who believes on Chrift fhall not be confounded.

Chrift, faith the apoftle, is able to fave to the uttermost them that come unto God by him (w). He is head over all things to his church, which he purchased with his own blood. He has declared that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Fear not, little flock, said he to his disciples: for it is your Father's good pleafure to give you the kingdom (x). Into that univerfal church he invites all mankind. Go into all the world; and preach the gospel to every creature. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden; and I will give you reft. Take my yoke upon you, and ye shall find reft to your fouls. Him that cometh unto me, I will in no For the Scripture faith, as whofoever believeth on Him fhall not be ashamed. For there is no différence between the few and the Greek; for the fame Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

wife caft out (y).

St. Paul fubjoins,

(w) Heb. vii. 25. (x) Luke, xii. 32. (y) Mark, xvi. 15. Matt. xi. 28, 29. John, vi. 37.

For

For whofoever shall call upon the name of the Lord fhall be faved (z). Believe then in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou shalt be faved (a). Haft thou a true and lively faith in Christ: not a barren and dead faith, influencing only thy understanding; but a genuine and living faith, governing thy heart, and proving its own reality by stedfast holiness of life? Thy faith has already brought thee into the way of salvation. Perfevere in the fame faith unto death, and thou fhalt obtain falvation. For be that endureth unto the end, the fame fhall be Javed (b). My sheep, faith the Lord Jefus, bear my voice; and I know them, and they fol low me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they fhall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand (c). If, as Noah fled to the ark, thou haft fled for refuge from deftruction to thy Saviour; and if thou proveft, by hearing his voice and following him, that thou continueft in his fheep-fold: thefe promifes are made unto thee. Chrift, the good fhepherd, will not permit the powers of darknefs to pluck thee from thence by violence: and he will afford thee grace fufficient, if thou wilt feek and employ it aright, to preserve thee from abandoning his fold of thyself. He

(e) Rom. x. 11-13.
(b) Matt. x. 22.

(a) Acts, xvi. 31.
(c) John, x. 27, 28.

will not fuffer thee to be tempted above that which thou art able to fuftain; but with the temptation will alfo make a way to escape, that thou mayeft be able to bear it. He will fo overrule the events of thy life, that all things fhall work together to thee for good in the end, because thou loveft God and thy Redeemer. When he chaftens thee, he will think upon mercy. When distress and anguish are ready to overpower thee; he will fill thy heart with the peace of God, which paffeth all underftanding. He will ftrengthen thee upon the bed of languishing; he will make all thy bed in thy fickness. When thou walkeft through the valley of the fhadow of death, thou fhalt fear no evil; for he shall be with thee, his rod and his staff fhall comfort thee. When thou ftandeft before his throne of judgement, he will acknowledge thee for his fervant. He will interpofe his atonement between thee and condemnation. He will cover thy unworthinefs with his merits; he will array thee in his righteousness. He will change thy vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. He will fay unto thee, Come, thou bleed of my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for thee from the foundation of

the

the world (d). He will caufe thee to reign with him for ever and ever.

My brethren, if thefe are bleffings worthy of your purfuit; remember through whom alone they are to be obtained. Remember Jefus Chrift, the Author and Finisher of your faith; Jefus Chrift your Legiflator and your King; Jefus Chrift your propitiatory facrifice; Jesus Chrift the Lord of life, the Giver of falvation. Take your part with him. Confecrate yourfelves to his fervice.

Stand forth as his fol

diers in the face of an unrighteous world. If you are not with Chrift, you are against him. There is no middle path. If you are not his friends; you are the friends of the world, the flesh and the devil. If religion is any thing, it is every thing. If you make religion a fecondary concern; you are not religious. If it be not your prevailing defire and study day by day to walk in the faith of Chrift, and to manifeft your love and fear of God through his Son by humble, watchful, refolute, and persevering holiness; you are not religious. Look well then to yourselves; for eternity is at stake.

2. If the righteous fcarcely be faved; if even thofe perfons, whofe hearts the Spirit of fanctification has turned unto holiness, mourn unto

the clofe of life under the burden of corruptions still unfubdued; and experience, until the moment when they grafp in death their unfading crown of victory, the difficulties and the dangers of their Chriftian warfare: where fhall the ungodly and the finner appear (e)! What fhall be the doom of the enemies of Chrift; of those who refuse to build on that corner-ftone which the hand of God has planted for falvation! They fhall be confounded for ever. The ftone which the builders rejected is become the head-ftone of the corner. Whosoever shall fall on this ftone, fhall be broken: but on whomfoever it fall fall, it fhall grind him to powder (f).

Confider, whoever thou art, who art ungodly and a finner! Confider whether this prophetic warning of the destruction which hangs over thine head, and over the heads of all who refemble thee, has not already received in memorable inftances complemany tion fo decifive in the prefent world, as to give thee full affurance that the judgements beyond the tomb, which are revealed as awaiting the impenitent, fhall be accomplished to the uttermoft. Suppose, in the latter days of the Evangelift St. John, one of his youthful difciples at Ephefus, after hearing a recital of (e) Pet. iv. 18. (f) Pf. cxviii. 22. Matt. xxi. 42. 44.

the