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188

THE .PRIVILEGE

OF

THE

[SEAM.. XL.

assured

of

the

full

performánce, merely because

his

bath

spoken

it.

.Then

we

give

honour

to God, such

as the souls

in

heaven

cannot

give him,

when

under

the

renewed exer-

cise

of

faith

and repentance

we

maintain

a

humble hope

of

the

pardon

of

sin

through

the promises

of

his gospel,

even though

our

iniquities

have

been exceeding great,

and

though

sin

is

every day working and striving against

our

best purposes,

and

too often bringing

us

under

fresh

guilt.

Then

we

glorify

our

blessed

Redeemer

so as

the saints

in heaven

cannot

glorify

him,

when

we

feel

our

consci-

ences

burdened

with

sin,

and yet maintain

faith and hope

of

acceptance

with

a great and

holy

God, through the

death, righteousness, and intercession

Of

a

person

whom

we

never

saw.

This

is

an illustrious

honour done

to

the

name, and

sacrifice, and

mediation of

the

Son

of God.

.

Then

we

give

glory

to

the

blessed

Spirit our enlight-

ener,

and

our

sanctifier, when in the midst

of our

own

errors

and

darknesses, and

in the

midst

of

difficulties

and

cavils

raised

by

men, we

trust

in his

promised

guid-

ance into

all necessary

truth;

when

we

walk on in

the

midst

of

temptations, waiting and hoping for

fresh

sanc-

tifying

influences, while

we

feel

and groan over the de-

ceitfulness and

the weakness of

our

own

hearts,

that

are

too ready

to

start

aside from

God

like a

broken

bow.

Then

we

honour God and

his

gospel

indeed,

when

we

hope

for

our

own final

salvation

through

the blood

of

the everlasting

covenant, having

fled

for refuge to the

hope that

is

set

before

us,

though

by

the

wiles

of

the

devil,

we

have been

under

strong temptations

to

despair,

and

sometimes have seemed to

be

forsaken

of

God,

as

Christ Jesus

was when

hanging

on

the cross:

It

was

then

that

he glorified his

Father

and

his

God,

by

the con-

stancy and

courage

of

his

hope, in such

a manner

as

he

was

never capable

of

doing

after

that

great

and dreadful

day;

and herein

his

poor

tempted

followers have been

noble imitators

of

their

Saviour and

their

Lord, and

have

held

fast their

confidence in divine mercy

in the

midst

of

sore

temptations, and

given

great

glory to

their

God

and

Father.

Nor

is

this

hope a vain, presuming confidence,

or a

bold fit

of

enthusiasm, for it evidences

its own heavenly