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of one who had long been a persecutor, a blasphemer, an injurious person, but was happily brought to glory by that grace which he formerly despised. "It is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners;" permit me to add, that he has really come to this assembly; that he has come in his word, in his sacrament, by the ministry of his servants, by the operations of his spirit to save you, even the chiefest sinner among you. May he see among the youth of this congregation this day the travail of his soul and be satisfied! AMEN.

SERMON VIII.

2 TIMOTHY IV. 7.

I have kept the faith.

THE duties encumbent upon the redeemed of the Lord are both numerous and arduous. Some they owe immediately to God their Creator and Sovereign; some they owe to men as connected with them by the general bonds of nature; others they owe more immediately to the church of the living God; and all these duties we ought to discharge with equal with equal conscienciousness, being enjoined by him who created and will finally judge us. These are expressed in

scripture by running a race; by fighting the good fight of faith; by putting on, as the elect of God, bowels of mercies, meekness, long suffering; by remaining stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. A variety of these duties were eminently exemplified in the life of the great apostle, and have been formerly illustrated on occasions of the same nature with the present. On one sacramental sabbath, we considered the christian life under the emblem of a warfare from these words, "I have fought a good fight;" on another we viewed it under the emblem of a race, from the apostle's declaration, "I have finished my course:" It is designed at present to consider the nature and necessity of stedfastness in the discharge of every duty, "I have kept the faith."

Faith in its usual signification implies a reliance on some testimony given, on some report which we have heard. Divine faith is thus a reliance on divine testimony; it is an assent of the understanding to the report of Jehovah concerning his Son Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world, and a reliance upon him for pardon and salvation through his name. "This is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son;" saving faith therefore consists in embracing this record as a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation. Considered in this light, faith is a grace of which the Holy Ghost is the author; which terminates on Je

sus with his salvation as its object and has everlasting life as its infallible end.

But the term faith as used in the present instance, admits of a more extensive signification, and may be considered as comprehending all that with which the faith of the righteous is concerned in their progress to their Father's kingdom; every thing upon which this grace centres for their daily remission, for their progressive sanctification, for their direction in the discharge of duty, for their support under every difficulty, until their faith is exchanged for vision and fruition.

In the more full consideration of this subject, it may not be improper to enquire into the import of that faith which we should aim at keeping, and also the advantages of stedfastness in this exercise-"I have kept the faith."

1. We ought carefully to keep in view the object of faith, "the Son of God as the Saviour of the world." That same principle which embraces him at first for peace of conscience, and acceptance with the Father ought constantly to rely upon him for progress in wisdom, and holiness, and comfort: Indeed our advancement in humility, in patience, in hope, and every grace of the spiritual life, will be in exact proportion to our reliance by faith on Jesus and his everlasting fulness. Without this dependance upon his offices and promises for the supply of every want, the soul of a christian can no

more abound in heavenly hope and joy, than a member of the human body can grow without union to the head, or the branch can flourish without deriving influences from the tree. This important truth, which is so frequently taught in the oracles of God, is exhibited with particular force in the following passage, "speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ; from whom the whole body fitly joined together-maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love." The great design of every ordinance is to bring us into a nearer relation to our Lord Jesus Christ, and a more habitual dependance upon his fulness. What are the promises but an exhibition of Jesus Jehovah with his divine sufficiency for the pardon of our offences, for the purification of our defilement, for our support under discouragement, and our triumph over all opposition. "Unto us are given exceeding great and precious promises that by them we might be partakers of a divine nature," and all these promises are yea and amen in our Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father. What is the ordinance of the supper, which we have the prospect of immediately celebrating, but a representation of the same Jesus to the faith of his children; an exhibition of him as the Lamb of God bearing the iniquities of his ransomed, suffering and bleeding in their covenant room, and making a full, an everlasting ex

piation by the sacrifice of himself: In this same ordinance he is also exhibited as the living bread, giving life, and health, and vigour to all who feed upon him, and as the wine of everlasting consolation to the drooping, despondent soul. While he is the maker of this sacramental feast, appointing it for the display of his authority, and as the test of obedience to his subjects, he is himself the matter of this feast, the provision which is there set forth for the spiritual entertainment of his guests: While with the majesty of a Prince he commands, "do this in remembrance of me," with the bounty of a Saviour he declares, "I am the living bread; I am the bread of life; he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." "Abide in me and I in you," is the injunction of your Lord Jesus Christ, and contains both our duty and safety," he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." This habitual reliance on his atonement and intereession, is the very essence of a christian's life, comfort, and safety; this diffuses vigour through all his other graces, and excites to the cheerful obedience of every divine commandment: When the faith of a christian on the everlasting Surety is most lively, his love is most ardent, his joy will be most abundant, his heart will be most enlarged in the performance of every duty, and his hopes of future glory will be most uncloud

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