DISCOURSE I1T. b47 ìz_What shall '1 do to escape everlasting bùrni'ngs z". It is this passion of fear that constrains him to fly for his life to the hope that is set before him in the gospel, and to make his escape as Lot did from Sodoin,.without looking back'on the allurements of sin. I might give instances of the like kind in the affection of divine love. I may learn by reason that God is to be honoured andobeyed, because he is my Creator and my Lord : I may be convinced of the beauty of virtue, and the excellency of religion, and that all the precepts of it are reasonable ; yet these precepts will carry but a feeble sway with them; and have a very imperfect influence on my practice, in opposition to all my carnal interests and corrupt inclinations, if I have nothing to move me but the mere üse ofmy reason, telling nie it is a proper thing to obey the great God. This will not do the work, if1 have no affectionate love to God as a Father and 'a Saviour. It is a knowledge and 'belief of the truth Of the gospel, joined with love to Christ my Redeemer, that makes me zealous to fulfil every duty. Chris- tianity itself is thus excellently described by the apostle; it isfaith working by lore; Gal v. 6. Amere knowledge of Any person will not make us grow like him, but love hath an assimilating and -transforming power : The divine affection of love will work per petually within us, and never cease till it has made us like our beloved Object, till it has made us holy as God is holy, and form- ed heaven within us. And when this warm love to God our Maker, and to Jesus our Saviour, is joined to a lively hope of everlasting happiness, how do these united passions invigorate the soul in duty, and bear down all temptations before them ? Great is the constrain- ing power ofthese divine affections, hope and love i They break 'through all obstacles that stand in the way of salvation : When they are united together they arise to holy boy ; and among the saints of the Old Testament as well as the New, the joy of the Lord was their strength to fulfil all the duties of religion' and righteousness ; Neltern. viii. 10. The sacred temper of mind carried out the patriarchs of old, and the heroes 'of the ancient church, to obey the call of God with courage, to leave their own native country, and their friends, to wander through the earth as strangers and pilgrims, and to live upon anaked promise : This taught Moses to esteem the reproach of Christ, and the hope of the Messiah, greater riches them all the treasures of Egypt : This en- abledrthe pious Jews to wórkhvenders ofrighteousness, to venture into the dens of lions, to 'dare the edge of the sword, and combat the violence of fire ; to endure the trial of cruel mochings and scourging', to pass= through,showers of stones, and engines of tor- ture, despising death in its most frightful forms, and not accepting deliverance. ,These are the wonders which are ascribed to faith in thexi. chapter to the Hebrews : But it.was faith animated by nr m 2
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=