SERMON XX. 277, be your meditation, let these be your constant aim and design, let these be the business of your lives, and your perpetual practice: Think of t ese things, says the apostle, and think of them so as to perform them. In a daywherein the professors of christianity, and of the glorious doctrines of the gospel, growdegenerate and loose in their lives, and fall sometimes into vices, which the better sort of the heathens have utterly condemned, I think it may not be amiss to stir you up together with myself to all holy watchful- ness and caution; that christianity in our profession and in our practice may appear and shine ,in its ownbright raiment ; that the doctrine of God our Saviour may be adorned in all things, and that it may loolt, as it is indeed in itself, a doctrine according to godliness. Without any further preface, or division of the words, I shall take theseseveral sentences inthe text, as so many distinct characters of morality, or virtue, which the apostle recommends ; and indiscoursing of each of them, I shall follownearly the same. method ;viz. I. Shew the sense, latitude, and extent of the duty. II. Make it appear, that these duties are requiredby the law of nature. III. Discover what additional influence the gospel should have upon our consciences to the meditation and perform- ance of such duties; and sometimes, IV. I shall give direc- tions toward the performance of them, and guard against the contrary sins. Whatsoever things are true. The first thing that the apostle mentions is this, whatsoever things are true, letthese be our me- ditation, and our practice. First, Let me shew the sense, latitude, and extent of this advice. Truth in general lies in a cpnformity of one thing to some other which is madethe standard or rule of it. So a picture is said to be true, when it is conformable to the face and figure pf the per- son : So a copy of anywriting is true, when it is conformable to theoriginal. So a narrative or history is true, when it des- cribes matters fairly as they weretransacted, and tells the circumr stances nst as they are. And that is true doctrine whichis con- formable to the word of God, which is the rule and standard o divine truth. But none of these agree to the design of my text. For the apostle here Is describing moral characters, and the duties of a christiati. Truth in this place isnot so much to be Considered as seated in the understanding, asit is in thewill. It signifies here integrity and uprightness, in opposition to hypocrisy, insinçeaity,
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