2 tNttAan wiTNÈSS TO cetuISTIANIr'Y. world ; let the eternal life that is wrought in your soulsby thie gospel, express itself in all your outward behaviour amongst men. Thus the primitive christians did, and it was their work to propagate the faith of Christ this way. The gentiles and un- believers were won by their conversation; 1 Pet. iii, 1. Thus the apostles did, who wereas so many captains and officers in the 'army of christians, going before the camp, and making war againstall the idolatry of the heathens. They made that eter- nal life which was wrought in their souls, appear publicly, and discover itself unto men, and hereby the gospel gained victory andtriumphwheresoever it went. When those who were igno- rant of faith and its power, came into the assemblies of christians, and found the gospel to be a doctrine of such divine attendants, it convinced their consciences, and changed many of them into new creatures ; they fell down, and confessed that there is a God among the christians ofa truth. When they see your conversa- tion, when they behold your faith, and holy fear,. your zeal for. God, your delight in his worship, your gentleness, your meekness, kindness, andgoodnesstoward your fellow-creatures, your desireof the salvation of men, and readiness to deny yourselves for their good ; when the heathens know and behold this, they shall be won, says the apostle, bysuch a conversation as this is, to the be- lief of the saine doctrine, and practice ofthe same duties. O what unknownmillions of arguments would support and adorn the doctrine of Christ, if every professor of it had this inward testimony' working powerfully in the soul, and breaking forth in the life ! Hew effectually would it silence the mostimpu- dent objectors ! When they shall put that question to you, " What doyou snore than others?' You would make it appear in your lives, that the gospel is true and divine, by challenging all the philosophers, and all the priests and devotees of other religions, to shew such men and women as christians are ; such husbands and wives, suchparents and children, such masters and servants. such loversof God and man. O how happy would it be for the christian name and interest in the world, if those who profess the gospel ofChrist, could make a bold anduniversal challenge upon this head ! Or when thedeists shall insult and say to abeliever, What isJesus of Nazarethmore than another man, that you love and adore himso ? Or in the language of the carnal Jews, What is thy beloved more thananother beloved, that thoumakest so much adoabout him ? The discovery of Christreigningin the soul by his renewing grace, will be a sufficient evidence that he is the on of God, that his character andhisperson are divine, and his mis- sion is from above ; that he is the chiefst of ten thousand, and . altogether lovely. It isworth while for us now.to take a survey of ourselves, to
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