PART III. SERMON Itf. 27 proof of the gospel of Christ; eternal life is begun in me. I find my conscience, that was disturbed withthe guilt of sin, established in peace, upon solid hopes of pardon. 'I,have an interest in the love of God, and lively sensations of that love; I have a hatred of all sin, I live above the world, and have a holy contempt of the trifles, businesses, and cares of this life I delight in the company of him that dwells in heaven : I find in my soul that I love him, and love those who are like him ; I walk, as seeing him, who is invisible ; I have a zeal for his glory, and with active diligence' I am employed for the honour of his name in the world. These things I find wrought in me by the gospel of Christ: The discoveries of the nature and works of God, by his gospel, have filled my soul with holy wonder, and bowed my spirit down to adore him. The revela- tions of his amazing condescension and love, have raised and fired my heart to love him; the examplesof superlative piety I meet with in this gospel, have excited my holy imitation ; and the motives proposed here, are so awful and so alluring, that all my powers of hope and fear are joined and engaged to con. ,strain my obedience to the excellent and divine precepts of this religion. I feel that I am quite altered from what once I was, I am a new creature, and the change is divine and heavenly.. There is something within me, that bears witness, that my reli- gion is from,God. II. It is a witness that will, in somemeasure, appear in the life, wheresoever it is written in the heart :' For eternal life is an active principle, it will be discovering and exercising itself. Is it possible; that a man should have the pardon of his sins, and sweet peace of conscience, á sense of the love of God, who is an infinite good, a joyful satisfaction in his heavenly favour, and manifest nothing of this in his aspect and behaviour ? That `he should chew no serenity of countenance, no sweetness of tem- per, no inward joy ; Is it-possible that he should have an utter aversion to sin, a hatred of all iniquity in his heart, and not make it appear in his life ? That he should maintain a holy con- tempt of this world, and scornof it, in comparison of the future glories that his eye is fixed upon, so warm a zeal for God, and so hearty a love to men, and not manifest it to the world ? Surely his lifewill be above, where his heart is ; and his heart will be in heaven, where his treasures are. Our conversation is in hea- ven., says the blessed Paul, under the influence of this religion and these hopes; Phil. iii. 20, 21, It is true indeed, this is a testimony that cannot be commu- nicated to others, in the same measure and manner that it is felt by the persons that believe. In this respect it is like the hidden- manna, which none knows but that theytaste of it; yet those
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=