Ver. 6. the t7th Chapar of St. J d H N. 8 his Impatience too, when he curled the Day of his Birth; but the Spirit of God pucteth a Finger on the Scar. It is a ground of Hope, notwithltanding many Weakneffes and Failings, Chrift loveth not to upbraidus-with Infirmities. We commend with Excep- tions, -and when we Teem to praife,- we- come -in -with a-But, lik aStab under the fifib- Rib : Yea, we blaft much Good with a little Evil, as Flies only go to a fore place. 3. Obferv. It h the -Duty of God's People td keep his Word. If, is the greateft Com- mendation Chrift could give his Difciples, They have kept thy Word. Mark, Chrifiíans ! It is not your Duty to hear the Word only, but to keep it ; not to know the Word only, but to keep it. Rickets caule great Heads and weak Feet. We are not only to difpute of the Word, and talk of it, but to.keep it. We mull neither be all Ear, nor all Head, nor all Tongue, but the Feet mutt be exereifèd. Now what is it to keep the Word ? We are laid to keep it, when we watch over ir, that it be not loft by our feFve § ; nor taken away by others.- Ie-noteth'tined thing ;, thátittnuft be impreffed on our Hearts, expreffed in our Lives, retained in our Converfations. a. To keep the Word is to feel the Force of it in our Hearts ; that our Hearts may be more bent and let towards God, for elfe the Word is loft to our felves. A Man may better his Knowledg by the Word, but yet he doth not keep it, nor feel the Virtue and Force of it : The Brains may be warmed, when the Heart is not; and we may keep the Notion, when the Motion is gone, and loft. Oh confider ! We know Gad as- we love him, we know him aright, when we know him -as we are known ; he knoweth us to love us, to chufe us, to gain us to himCelf, and to'Chrift. So fhould we know him for our Portion, to have no sell, till we have an Intereltin Chrift. 2. It mull be expreffed in our Life. Luke r a. 23. B led are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it. To keep the Law, is to live according to the Prefcript of it:. 3. There mull be a Perleverance, to retain it in our Converfations. Rev. 3. 18. Thom haft kept my Word, and hall not denied my Name. Do we thus keep theWord ? all dependeth on it : John 14. 15. If ye love me, keep my Commandments. Chrift conju- reth us, by all the Love we bear to him, Verf23. If any Man love see, he will keep my Wadi; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and' make our abode with him. If there be any Faith in the Heart, bywhich we efteem Chrift, we mull not only keep it in Memory, but keep it in Faith. Do you honour him in your Lives ? Can we venture any thing to keep the Word, when the World would take our Crown from us ? Vfe. We may know when Chrift will fpeak good of us ; not when we hear, and when we are taught, but when wekeep the Word : yet this we mull do, underftand and keep his Word, not Cuboras, not Traditions of' Anceftors, nor Fancies ; we muít receive his Word, as his Word. t Thefl. 2. t 3. For this cauf thank we God without ceafag, becau%e when ye received the Word of God, which ye heard of us, ye re- ceived it not as the ford of Men, but (as it it in Truth) the Word of God, which efjeare, d'lly worketh alfoin you that believe. Líl SERMI.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=