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270

FA11'H

BüILT

ON

IiNONLLDGH.

[DISC.

X.

trial,

for

the

sake of

a

Saviour

that

you have

not

much

acquaintance

with

?

How could you hold

out

in this.

conflict

till

the death,

if

you have

but little

knowledge

and

little experience of

that

gospel which

proniiseth a

crown_

of

life

?

Would

such

ignorance

as

yours

is,

endure

to be

plundered and

banished

?

To

be

scourged and

buffeted

?

To

be

fastened to the chains of

a

galley slave,

or

to

die

by

lingering

tortures

?

Do

you

think you could

bear

what

our

neighbours and brethren

in

France

have

endured

upon the account

of

your

faith,

and yet

have no

better

reason

to

give

for

it?

You

will

make

but a poor

con-

fessor

or martyr,

if

you

can

say no

more

for

christianity

that

an

heathen

can

say

for

his

national religion

?

If

you

have

no

more to plead in defence of the

blessed

Jesus,

than

a

native

of

Morocco hath for

his

prophet

Maho-

met

;

a

man

of

Ephesus

for

his goddess

Diana, or a

citizen

of

Athens for

his unknown

God.

Attend therefore

to

the advice

of

the

apostle

Peter,

1

Epist.

iii.

chap. ver.

14, 15.

But

and

if

ye

suffer

for

righteousness

-sake,

happy

are

ye;

and

be

not

afraid

of

their

terror,

neither

be

troubled;

but

be

ready always

to give

an

answer

to every man

that

asketh you

a

rea-

son

of

the

hope

that

is

in you

with

meekness

and

fear

And again

I

would

put

you in

mind

how he

concludes

his second epistle,

and

what

direction

he gives even

to

those

who had some good knowledge of

christianity

;

that

you

may be secured from

the

growing

apostacy of

the

age

:

ver.

17,

18.

Ye,

therefore,

beloved,

seeing

you

hnow

these

things

before,

beware

lest

ye

also being

led

away with the

error of

the

wicked,

fall

from

your

own

stedfastness

:

But

grow

in

grace, and

in

the

knowledge

of

our Lord

and Saviour

Jesus Christ.

Vith

Remark.

This doctrine

relieves

our

sorrows

at

the death

of

our

pious relatives

*,

for

we

know

to

whom

they

had

intrusted their

souls.

We

are;

in no

pain or

jealousy about their eternal

state

;

for when they leave

us

and

this world,

they have

parted indeed

with

their

friends

on

earth,

but

it

is

to dwell with

a better

friend

:

for

this

is

the

design

of our Lord

Jesus

Christ, and

of

his power-

ful

prayer

;

John

xvii.

24.

Father

Twill

that

they also

"This

sermon

was first

preached

on

occasion of

the

death of

a

worthy

member

of our congregation.