And now, what do ye think of this pleafant way? And how fweetly it is reprefented to us in the word of God? What have you to fay againft this way, and the walking in it? Is the way of fin and the way of felf-righteoufnefs, the way of death, comparable to this way? Are your old finful courfes better than this way? If you imagine fo, your own heart, your own tongues will fall upon you, and condemn you at the great day. Is this the best way? O then, why will you not take it? And have you taken it, believer, why then will you not walk in it?- -May the Lord himself commend his Chrift to you, that you may receive him, and walk in him; and commend his way to you, that you may walk in it, till you come to glory at the end of it.

SERMON

COLOS. ii. 6.

XLVI.

As ye bave received Cbrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in him.

[The Thirteenth Sermon on this text.]

THERE is a twofold garment wherewith Christ adorns his people. 1. The garment of imputed righteoufnefs, for their juftification. 2. The garment of imparted holiness, for their fanctification. Without the former, we can have no title to heaven; without the latter, we can have no meetness for heaven. Both these garments they alone are clothed with, and poffeffed of, who, having received Chrift Jefus the Lord, do walk in him.-The work of fanctification and holinefs is the work of God; I am the Lord that fanctifieth you, Lev. xxi. 8. Grace is his own creature; man's will contributes nothing to the work, but by refiftance and rebellion against it therefore, God makes the foul willing in the day of his power. Outward means work not, unless the mighty power of the Spirit work with them; VOL. III.

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otherwife, why fhould the fame word, preached by the fame minifter, mollify fome, and harden others? Nothing but the blood of Chrift can purge the conscience from dead works. Chrift muft come from heaven and open a fountain, in his own fide, for our purification and cleaning. Sanctification is not only expreffed by a creation, Eph. ii. 10. "We are his workmanfhip, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works;" but by a victory, a powerful overcoming of oppofition, Luke xi. 21, 22. i John iv. 4. In creation, as there was nothing to help, fo there was nothing to hinder: but when God comes to convert a foul, and make him holy, and bring him to a Chriftian walk, befides a death in fin, there is a refiftance against grace; and therefore, the grace that is in Chrift conquers the foul, enabling it to receive him: and the fame grace ftrengthens to a fuitable walk in him; out of him it cannot be: for, Without him, and out of him, we can do nothing. And hence we are called to be ftrong in him; and fo here, to walk in him; As ye have received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in bim. I now proceed,

3dly, To lay down fome motives and perfuafives to engage to this walk in Chrift. Now, the fcriptural motives, to engage us to this Christian walk, are innumerable: I reduce them to thefe two heads. 1. The confideration of the concomitants of this walk in Christ, wherein we may fee the excellency of it. 2. The confideration of the effects of this walk, wherein we may fee the neceffity of it.

[1.] The confideration of the concomitants of this walk in Chrift, and fo therein view the excellency of it. There are fome excellent concomitants and attendants of this walk in Chrift; efpecially, what comprehends manifold bleffed attendants, the Spirit of Chrift; for there is no walking in Chrift, but by walking in the Spirit of Christ, and so it is called, Gal. v. 16. Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lufts of the flesh. And ver. 25. If we live in the Spirit, let us alfo walk in the Spirit. And Rom. viii. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his. This walk in Chrift then, is attended with the Spirit, in his various graces and ope

rations;

rations; and this fhould recommend this walk to us.

More particularly,

1. This holy walk in Chrift is attended with the Spirit of humiliation, Eph. i. 17. If the Spirit of fan&ification and holinefs dwelleth in us; the fame Spirit, as a Spirit of humiliation dwelleth in us. They that walk in Chrift, they receive the un&ion from the holy One, to know all things, 1 John ii. 20. Every man is brutifh in his knowledge before converfion; the god of this world. hath blinded him: but when he is brought to Chrift, to believe in him, and walk in him, then he is made light in him, light in the Lord, Eph. v. 8.; being turned from darkness to light.. Sanctification and illumination are as infeparable, as light and heat in the fun-beams.

2. This holy walk in Chrift is attended with the Spirit of fupplication; for when he is the Spirit of grace, he will be the Spirit of fupplication, Zech. xii. 10. Where he is the Spirit of holiness, he will be the Spirit of prayer. Every new-born babe comes, for the moft part, into the world crying; furely every fpiritual new-born babe cries, ABBA, Father, Gal. iv. 6. The word ABBA, fignifies FATHER, in the Syriac tongue, which the apoftle here retains; and which alfo young children retain, almost in all languages and countries. If you never find the melting, moving, quickening, warming breathings of the Spirit, you do not look like one that walks in Chrift: but to pray in the Spirit, is a fign of tranflation from death to life; from nature to grace. And herein alfo appeareth the excellency of this walk, it is attended with the Spirit of fupplication.

3. This holy walk in Chrift is attended with the Spirit of faith; 2 Cor. iv. 13. We having the fame Spirit of faith; by which the man doth more and more believe that Jefus is the Chrift, and believe on this Jefus. By which, on the one hand, he believeth that Jefus is the Chrift: this was the grand test of a believer in the primitive times; because then it was little lefs than death, among the Jews, thus to own and confefs Chrift: Shut your eyes and your ears, (fays Luther on Pfalm 'cxxx.) and fay, You know no God, out of Chrift; none but he that was in the lap of Mary, and fucked R 2 'her

her breasts.'-By this faith, on the other hand also, we believe on the name of the Son of God, and rely upon him for wisdom, righteousness, fanctification, and redemption; cleaving to him, drawing daily virtue from him, and laying all our wants and burdens upon him.

4. This holy walk is attended with the Spirit of repentance and humiliation: this follows the look of faith; They fhall look upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn," Zech. xii. 10. The man that is walking in this way, and under the conduct of the Spirit, he is always weeping, as he is walking; "Going and weeping, they fhall afk the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward," Jer. 1. 45. The man goes forth weeping, bearing precious feed, Pfal. cxxvi. 6. Being humbled to the dust, before God, for his fin and iniquity, he loaths himself, and repents in duft and ashes.

5. This holy walk in Christ is attended with the Spirit of joy and confolation. As Chrift is anointed with the oil of gladnefs above his fellows; fo his children have fellowfhip with him, in this oil of joy. The godly forrow and weeping, mentioned juft now, is not inconfiftent with this joy and gladnefs: the Spirit of humiliation is not inconfiftent with the Spirit of confolation; for, while he mourns before the Lord, he melts; and there is more joy in the believer's melting before the Sun of righteoufuefs, than in all the mirth of the wicked. We may appeal to all believers, who have had their hearts melted before the fire of divine love, whether they have not found a fecret contentment and fatisfaction, fuch as hath made them rather fear the change of that mourning, than to be troubled at it: yea, the man many times weeps for joy, while he fees the fulnefs and freeness of the grace of God toward the like of him.

6. This holy walk in Chrift is attended with the Spirit of power; 2 Tim. i. 7. For God hath not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power. There is the Spirit of power and victory that attends it: 1 John v. 4. He that is born of God overcometh the world; namely, the wicked of the world, the lufts of this world, the god of this world, the devil: the faints have a war with thefe enemies ; but are enabled and prepared according to their measure,

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to fubdue their corruptions within, and vanquish temptations without. The believer gets, in fome measure, above the fears, and frowns, and flatteries of the world; fo as he cannot be turned from the faith of Chrift thereby. When fome perfuaded Erafmus to write to Luther, or against him, at the Reformation, to bring him back to Popery Erafmus anfwered, That Luther was too great for him to write to, or againft.' So a man that walks in Christ, is too great a fpirit to be turned by the powers of the world; when he is himself, he cannot be drawn by force or fraud, into a bafe compliance with them against the honour of his God, and the confcience of his duty.

7. This holy Chriftian walk is attended with the Spirit of love; 2 Tim. i. 7. God hath not given us the Spirit of fear, but of love love to God and to the brethren. This love is made a fpecial effect and evidence of spiritual circumcifion, or fanctification, Deut. xxx. 6. there the Lord promises to circumcife the heart to love him. The man loves himself, and his relations, and outward enjoyments, with a common love; but he loves God and Chrift, with a fpecial love. He loves God with a love of defire; panting after God with a love of union; with purpofe of heart, cleaving to the Lord: with a love of benevolence, defiring all praise and glory to be afcribed to him and with a love of delight and complacency, resting in the Lord as his only God and portion.--This Spirit works by love to the brethren alfo: there are brethren by name, by nation, by office; but efpecially by grace, that the man loves; He that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten. A fpirit of hatred and enmity between man and man, is inconfiftent with this walk; and efpecially where there is no love to the excellent ones of the earth. It is true, a child of God may love fome of the children of God irregularly, when it is not merely because they have more of the image of God, than others; but becaufe they are more their favourites, followers, and admirers: if they be not such, then they will, perhaps, give them little of their company; but, fays David, I am a companion to all them that fear thee. The apoflle gives us a teft of true love to the

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