II. It draws the divine refemblance upon our fouls (i. e. fo far as it prevails) it fairly prefents and propofes it to us, and prescribes our adaptation and conformity thereto; and as far as it fucceeds, it inftamps the image upon our natures. We are transformed into the fame glory (or excellence) as by the Spirit of the Lord. This image will include these things:

laid before us.

1. Light in the mind. The leading faculty muft be renewed and cured of its blindness. A ray must be darted thither from the Father of lights. Here the spirit of wisdom and revelation is imparted. And we are obliged to put on the new man (the new nature, which pervades the whole man) which is renewed in knowledge (either by knowledge, as the means, or in knowledge, as a branch, of the renovation) after the image of him that created him. (b) It must be our honour to wear the image of him that made us. To this we are eminently advanced by facred knowledge and wisdom. And this is here imparted, more than any where else. Here the nature and perfections of God are moft wonderfully opened to us. Here his counfels and defigns are graciously Counfels worthy of God, and yet ordain'd for our glory. Here we may know the only true God, and his incarnate Son, whom to know is life eternal. Here we see the laws of God, and our obligations to obedience, and the blessedness that comes thereby. We lee the kingdom of God, and the affairs, mysteries and administration thereof. We fee the enemies of our souls, and the way to defeat them. We see the vanity of the world, and the end of it; the defert and wages of fin, and the eternal judgment. Here we are tranflated into a marvelous light; and beholding, as with open face (in comparifon with the Jewish light) the glory of the Lord, are transformed (as was faid) into the fame image from glory to glory (from old Teftament glory, to that of the new) as by the Spirit of the Lord. And by this fpiritual transformation here, there will be a meetness produced for transition into a world of glory, or into the glory of the Lord in heaven.

(6) Col. iii 10.

2. Holy

2. Holy integrity of heart and will. The carnal worldly byass and complexion must be broken and removed, and God muft be fet up in the foul. The divine law must be written there. And that ye put on the new man (the new pourtraiture, the features of the new creation) which after God, (either according to the power, or the will, or the pattern of God) is created in righteoufnefs and true holiness. (a) The light of the mind fhould fway the will, and conform it unto God. Righteousness, religion and holiness may fometimes be very nearly equivalent. But here let us diftinguish the two effects, or branches of this new creation.

(1.) There is righteousness; and that may have respect to man. A gracious difpofition to give him all his due. We must regard him as a noble piece of the divine workmanship, as a member of the fame world with our felves, as capable of the fame life and immortality, and comprehended in the fame divine love and glorious redemption. Then shall we be ready to deal by him, as we our felves would be dealt with, by him; and shall incline to love him as our felves.

(2.) There is true holiness; and that has regard to God. Holy things are confecrated to him. The holy foul is fo. Stablish thy word unto thy efrvant, who is devoted to thy fear. The Chriftian profelites are called to be faints; to be feparated from fin and earth, from the world and flesh (fo far as they contradict God) and to be appropriated to him: For him they are redeemed, to him they are reconciled, by him they are inlighted and fanctified and adopted. With him they are to walk, in preparation and hope of living with him for ever. This holiness implants the love of Goda nd man; love to man for God's fake. And that love will carry us above the rules of ftrict righteoufnefs, or the practice of commutative juftice. It will teach us,

(1.) To do good to our brethren of mankind, where we can expect no retaliation. It will infpire a generous, difinterested goodness and bene. ficence that feeks and expects no catrhly remuneration. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thanks have ye? For fin

(a) Eph. iv. 24.

!

ners

ners alfo lend to finners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be children of the highest. (a)

(2.) To love thofe that do not love us, and to do them what good they will give us leave to do, or our opportunity will allow. To forgive their enmity, to fhew them our good-will (efpecially good will to their fouls) and return love and beneficence for their hatred. Te have heard, that it hath been faid, thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine Enemy; but I fay unto you, love your enemies; bless them that curfe ye; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them that despitefully use you and perfecute you. That ye may be the children of your father who is in heaven; for he maketh his fun to rise on the good; and fendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (b) And therefore,

(3) Not to confine our love and kindness even to thofe that are good and religious themselves. Not but that a peculiar love is due to them. There is more of God in them than in others. But others, that are not yet recover'd to God, are not to be flighted and difdain'd. Their cafe calls for compaffion and tenderness. Religion is to be recommended to them; and by love, goodness and benignity, they are to be won to the entertainment of it. Honour all men; love the brotherhood. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men; especially to them that are of the Houshold of faith. (c) Your heavenly father makes his fun to rife on the evil and on the good; and fendeth rain on the just and on the unjuft. And if ye falute your brethren only,what do ye more than others: Do not even the publicans fo: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your father who is in heaven is perfect. (d) Here's chriftian perfection! that is, fuch practical perfection, in the imitation of God, and surmounting the dictates of corrupt nature, as the chriftian inftitution requires. No religion can furpass it, in calling us to a resemblance and representation of the blessed God.

The holiness of the heart muft fway the body too. Prefent your bodies aliving facrifice unto God. God has done with dead facrifices; now

(a) Luke, vi. 34. 35. (6) Mat. v. 43. 44. 45. (c) Gal. vi. 10. (d) Mat. v. 45. 47. 48.

living ones must be presented unto him. And they are the bodies of his fervants. (a) Accordingly, all the members and parts of the body, are, according to their several capacities to be exercised and employed in obedience and duties to God. Now yield your members fervants to righteousness (to religion that dwells in the heart) unto holiness, (to the practice of holiness throughout the life). (6) What an excellent being would the christian be, were he fully renewed after the image of God, and could he answer the heavenly voice and call, that fays, Be ye holy, for I am boly.

The Chriftian Religion prescribes us the most pure and fpiritual Worship of the bleffed God. Such as is most suitable to his Majefty and the present Condition of the Human Nature.

I

T is known what fordid worship there was among the Gentiles. Idolatrous, cruel and unclean. Idolatrous in the object of it; prefented to all the vanities and unworthineffes they could well think of, and in reality, offered to Devils. Cruel, in facrificing men by scores, or hundreds, and burning their Children to a curfed Moloch. Unclean in all the modes of fenfual pollution. O how degenerate and depraved was human nature! The fuppofed religion was a provocation and an abomi

nation to Heaven.

The Mofaical, Jewish worship was prescribed by, and presented to the living God. But confifted in a very ceremonial, ritual, bloody fervice. A deal of flaying of beafts, and sprinkling of blood, and burning of carcaffes and diffected limbs of animals, with fumes of incenfe and numicrous lotions compofed their religion, Divers defilements were notified from

from which it was very hard (if poffible) for the worshippers to be preferved; which yet must have their appointed purifications, before thofe that were fo defiled might attend the publick worship of God. This look'd not like a perpetual religion. What did the blood of bulls and goats, in itself, fignify to the bleffed God? It look'd like a typical fervice, and a frame of carnal ordinances, that were fignificative of deeper myfteries and fhadows of good things, that were, in due time, to come. Befides, it could be but a national religion. The facrifices were only to be offer'd up but at one place; the place, that God fhould appoint for his tabernacle or temple. All the males were, three times in the year, to meet before the Lord, in the appointed place. But all the males could not come from all parts of the earth, fo oft in the year, to worship at Jerufalem. Neighbouring profelites might come fometimes. But from Great Britain, they could go but feldom.

But now the chriftian worship is more plain and natural; more fpiritual and catholick; leading the mind immediately to heaven and God, and tending to the spiritual purification and refinement of the worshipper. This worship confifts chiefly in hearing from God, in prayer to him, and. in holy praises and acknowledgments of him.

In hearing from God. They that profess to have the word of God among them, muft own that he speaks to them in that word. It becomes them, fometimes to affemble together, to have that word rehearfed, opened and impreffed upon them. They cannot be too well acquaint ed with it, nor too obfervant of it. They muft fuppofe, that by that word of his, God will judge them in the day that he calls them to account for all that they have done in this ftate of probation. And while they with holy fear and reverence, hear the word of God, and with faith and love receive it, and repofite it in their hearts, in order to obedience, they may well be reputed; therein, as worshippers of God.

(2.) In prayer to God. This is a natural expreffion of our dependence on him. From him must come every good and perfect gift. It is meet then, that we fhould honour him, by feeking all at his hand. In this prayer, there may justly be comprehended penitent confeffion of our fin,

that