G 212 RATIONAL DEFENCE OF THE GOSPEL. by thecross and gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Never did sin appear so hateful, so abominable, so justly the object of divine and humanhatred, as when it appeared pressing the soul of the holy One. of God into agonies and sharp anguish. A believer, whohas seen the evil of sin as revealedin this gospel, will hate it, and will be led powerfully to a conquest over it. Besides, the terrors of hell are revealed to us among the doctrines ofchristianity, as the just punishment of sin, and that in such a manner as no other religion pretends to : For, as the doors of heaven are opened by our Lord Jesus Christ, both by his ministry on earth, and by his ascent into heaven,, and by the farther discoveries which his apostles have madeof the future unseen happy world, so the doors of hell are opened too. Our Lord Jesus himself preached.hell and terrors to sinners with a sacred vehemence, and set everlasting fire in a clearer add more dreadful light than ever had been doneby all the philosophers in the world. . The soul of every saint has been in some measure a witness of this truth, when it lay under the work of divine con- viction. And not only the horrid nature andevil of sin, and thedread- ful consequences of it, are powerful motives to make us stand afar off, and fear it : but " The sweet and constraining influence of the love of Christ does most effectually incline me, saith the be- liever, to hate every sin, and to follow after universal holiness : Shall I'build up again the things which my Saviour died to des- troy? This would beto make him stiffer agonies in vain, andrun counter to all the designs of his bleeding love, and the voluntary sacrifice of his soul ?" f0 I have also the glorious and perfect example of myblessed Lord : Never did virtue and religion shine so bright, and look so amiable as in his life, andhe has setit before me asmy pattern.: I feel the attractive and divine power of it : Where my Lord leads, I must follow ; for I would fain be like him. He draws me by his example, and he draws me too by Ids heavenly promises. He spreads the glories and thejoys of heaven before me, to allure my hope ; I see those sacred glories, I long after the possession of these unfading joys, and I must and will keep the path that leads to paradise, that where my Lord is, I may be also. The rules and precepts of holiness, which my Lord has.taught me, are more pure, more clean, more perfect, more divine and godlike, than ever any other scheme of rules and duties was ; and the joyful and dreadful' motives, given me to press after this holiness, are infinitely beyond all the motives that any doctrine of religion has proposed. Blessed be God that I ever learnt those holy rules, that I ever felt the power of these divine motives, and am betome a lover of holiness."
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