488 CHARACTER OF. A SOUND, him from dying ; but is wofully unacquainted with the most pow- erful works of faith. He is such a believer as is next to an un- believer, and such a member of Christ as is next to a mere stranger. 3. And for the. seeming Christian, he may understand the letter ofthe gospel, and number himself with Christ's disciples, and be baptized with water, and have such a faith as is a dead opinion; but he bath not an effectual, living faith, nor is baptized with the Holy Ghost ; nor is his soul engaged absolutely and entirely in the covenant ofChristianity to his Redeemer': he may have a hand- some, well-made image of Christianity ; but it is the flesh and sense, and not Christ and faith, by which his life is actuated and ordered; John iii. 6.' Rom. ii. 28. IX. 1. A Christian indeed doth firmly believe that Christ is a « Teacher sent fromGod," (John iii. 2.) and that he came from heaven to reveal his Father's will, and to bring "life and immor- tality " more fully "to light by his gospel ; " and that if an angel had been sent to tell us of the life to come, and the way thereto,' he had not been so credible and venerable a messenger as the Son of God ; and therefore he taketh him alone for his chief Teacher, and knoweth no master on earth but him, and such as he appoint- eth under Him : his study in the world is to know a crucified and glorifiedChrist, and God by him, and he regardeth noother knowl- edge, nor useth any other studies but this, and such as are subser- vient to this. Even when he studieth the works of nature, it isas by the conduct of the Restorer ofnature,'and as one help appointed . him by Christ, to lead up to the knowledgeof God. And there- fore he perceiveth that Christ is made of God unto us, wisdom as well as righteousness; and that Christianityis the true philosophy; and' that the wisdom of the world, which is only about worldly things, from worldly principles, to a worldly end, is foolishness withGod : he taketh nothing for wisdomwhich tendeth not to ac- quaint himmore with God, or leadhim up to everlasting happiness. Christ is his Teacher, (either by natural or supernatural revela- tion) and God is his ultimate end in all his studies, and all that he desireth to know in the world. He valueth knowledge according to its usefulness ; and he knoweth that its chief use is to lead us to the love, of God; Matt. xxñi. 8. 1 Cor.. i. 30. ii. 2, &c. John i. 18. Col. ii. 3. Ephes..iv. 13. 2. Though the weak Christian bath the same Master, yet, alas ! how little doth he learn ! And how oft is he hearkening - to the teaching of the flesh ! And how carnal and common is much of his knowledge ! How little doth he depend on Christ, in his in- quiries after the things of nature ! And how apt is he to think al- most as highly of the teaching of Aristotle, Plato, Seneca, or at
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