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BERM,

III.1

INWARD WITNESS TO

CHRISTIANITY.

53

had

this inward

testimony working powerfully

in

the

soul, and

breaking forth

in the life

!

How

effectually

would it silence the

most

impudent

objectors

!

When

they

shall

put

that

question

to you,

What

do you

more than

others

?"

You

would make

it

appear

in

your

lives,

that

the gospel

is

true

and

divine,

by

challenging

all

the

philosophers, and

all the

priests and devotees

of

other

religions, to

;hew such

men

and

women

as

chris-

tians

are;

such

husbands and

wives,

such

parents and

children,

such

masters and servants, such lovers

of

God

and man,

O how

happy

would

it

be

for the

christian

naine and

interest

in

the

world,

if

those

who

profess

the

gospel

of

Christ, could make

a

bold

and universal chal-

lenge upon

this

head

!

Or

when

the deists shall

insult

and

say to

a

believer,

"

What

is

Jesus

of

Nazareth

more

than another

man,

that

you love

and adore

him

so

?"

Or

in the language

of

the carnal

Jews,

"What

is

thy

be-

loved more

than

another

beloved,

that

thou makest

so

much ado

about

hirn

?"

The

discovery

of Christ reign-

ing in

the soul

by

his

renewing

grace,

will be

a

sufficient

evidence

that

he

is

the

Son

of

God,

that

his

character

and

his

person are divine, and

his

mission

is

from

above

;

that

he

is

the chiefest

of

ten thousands,

and al-

together

lovely.

It

is

worth

while

for

us now

to

take a survey

of our-

selves,

to

look back upon

our

lives,

and

ask,

" What

testimonies

have

we

given to

the glory

of

this gospel,

and

to the

truth of

the religion

of

Christ? Have

we

not

sometimes

rather

been

scandals

to

christianity

?

Have

not

our practices

been blots instead

of

evidences,

and

discouragements

to

the unbeliever, instead

of

allure-

ments?

Have

we

not

sometimes laid

stumbling-

blocks

in

the

way

of

those

that

have

had the look

of

an

eye,

and

some

tendency

of heart

towards

it

?"

This

will be

an

awakening thought,' and painful

to

conscience

in

the

review.

Have

we

not

much

reason

to

mourn

that

there are

some

among

us who walk as

enemies

of

the

cross

of

Christ?

Philip

iii.

17.

I

would

have

you,

says

the

apostle,

be

followers

of

me,

walk as

I

walk, as you

have

me for

an

example.

I

would have you walk

as

those

who have

eternal

life

begun

in

them,

that

you

may

be

honours

to

the gospel,

But there are

many

who

walk,

E3