man unto God. The news of this fuccefs of the gofpel coming to the church at Jerufalem, Barnabas is fent from thence to them, to hold hand to the work. And in the words of the text. we may ob. serve,

1. How he was affected when he came among them. Difcerning the grace of God among them fhining forth in their way and walk, he was glad. He rejoiced in fpirit, to fee the hopeful cafe they were in as to their fouls, they having embraced Chrift. The reafon is remarkable, ver. 24. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghoft, and of faith. And a good man will rejoice in the fuccefs of the gofpel, whoever be the inftruments God makes ufe of and honours therein; though felfish men are apt to grudge in such a cafe.

2. What he did, when he came among them. He bent his endeavours towards their confirmation, in exhorting them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. Thofe whom he exhorted were all, viz. those who appeared to have embraced Chrift. The duty he exhorted them to, is to cleave to the Lord, the Lord Jefus Chrift, who was preach. ed to them, ver. 20. and whom they had received. The words properly fignify to abide by the Lord, much akin to that, John xv. 4. Abide in me. The manner of the duty is, with purpose of heart, i. e. refolutely, laying it down aforehand for a fure conclufion, that come what would, they must not part with him, but abide by him.

The following doctrine feems native from the words.

DocT. Refolute cleaving to, and abiding by Christ, is the great duty, which all that appear to have received him, are to be exhorted to.

In difcourfing from this doctrine, I will fhew,

I. In the general, what is implied in this refolute cleaving to, and abiding by Christ.

II. Why thofe that have received Chrift, are to be exhorted to cleave refolutely to, and abide by him. III. Make fome practical improvement.

I. I shall shew you in the general, what is implied in this refolute cleaving to, and abiding by Christ. It implies,

1. The foul's taking hold of Chrift offered in the gofpel, John i. 12. being once joined to the Lord by faith, Cor. vi. 17. They that are not joined to the Lord, and so not disjoined from their former lovers, cannot cleave to the Lord; they that are not yet come to Christ, cannot abide by him. The foundation must be laid in the soul's closing with Chrift, before there can be place for the fuperftructure, viz. cleaving tohim..

2: That the feparation of the foul from Chrift will be effayed; while we are here, we must lay our account with it, Rom. viii. 35. The devil, the world, and the flesh will make the effay. People had need to hold; for affuredly thefe enemies will draw. (1.). They will try to feduce you by foft methods, to draw you to deftruction with filken cords of temptation. (2.) To drive you away by violence, and force you from Chrift by hard methods, as with iron rods, Cant. viii. 7. There are two ways to rob one of their love to Chrift, fmothering it with earth, and quenching it with floods of water.

3. Keeping hold of Chrift over the belly of all the effays made to part us from him, Cant. viii. 7. We must keep the hold we have got, and not quit it come what will. We must stand our ground, however hot the battle be for feparating us from him. We must abide by him, (.) Without intermiffion, Pfal. cxix. 112. I have inclined mine heart, fays David, to perform thy Statutes alway, even unto the end. We must not be hereaway thereaway in our religion; one day for

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God, and another day for the devil; taking our religion by fits and starts: but remember, that our ears are bored to Chrift's door-pofts to be for him for ever. (2.) Without defection, Heb. x. 38. If any man draw back, my foul shall have no pleasure in him. Pfal. cxix. 112. forecited. We must not forfake our Captain, and go over to the enemies camp; elfe it had been better for us we had never known the way of righteousness, Luke ix. ult. No man having put his band to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

II. I fhall fhew why those that appear to have received Chrift, are to be exhorted to cleave refolutely to, and abide by him.

1. Because fome fuch may fall away, as not being really what they appear to be, 1 Cor. x. 12. Let him that thinketh he ftandeth, take heed left he fall. There are branches in Chrift, which being bound up with the stock, by the external bond of facraments, &c. yet never truly knit with it by faith, that come at length to be taken away, John xv. 2. Some there

are, who, if they get not a fafter grip of Chrift than yet they have got, will furely part with him, by fome temptation like a fet wedge driven betwixt the Lord and them. But if they would prefs forward, they may come to get fuch a grip of him yet, as may fecure them against total apoftafy.

2. Because exhortations of that nature are means appointed of God, to keep the faints upon their guard against temptations to apoftafy, to cause them more refolutely to hold on their way, and to labour to grow up more into Chrift, by which they may ftand more firm, as in the cafe of the difciples, John vi. 67. 68. who when Jefus faid unto them, Will ye alfo go away? replied by the mouth of Peter, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou haft the words of eternal life. God has joined together the end and the means of his own appointment; therefore though the perfeverance of the

faints is put beyond all doubt, from their being members of Christ, yet fuch exhortations are not in vain.

3. They are of ufe to others too, to keep them from open and barefaced apoftafy. So Joafh was kept back from grofs extravagancies, while good Jehoiada lived, 2 Chron. xxiv. 2. and xvii. 18. Exhortations from the Lord's word may have a moral influence on men as rational creatures, to keep them back from being fo bad as otherwise they would be.

4. Because cleaving to Chrift is the comprehenfive duty of the Chriftian life. To believe in him, and cleave to him, is the whole duty of man, as it is fummed up by the apoftle, Col. ii. 6. As ye have therefore received Chrift Jefus the Lord, fo walk ye in him. And we know no other holiness of life competent to fallen man, but what is a cleaving to Chrift, and walking in him. What is of another stamp among men, is but mere morality, not holinefs; John xv. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

I fhall now make fome practical improvement of this fubject.

I exhort you then with purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord Jefus Chrift. There has been a hopeful appearance among you this day, and fome of you have with the moft awful folemnity declared your having received him. While ye are in the world, means will be used to withdraw you from him. But I exhort you with purpofe of heart to cleave to him, as your all, and in all.

First, Cleave to him as your all. Say with the pfalmift, Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee, Pfal. lxxiñi. 25. One throne admits not two kings, nor one heart two masters, viz. Chrift and the world, John vi. 44. If ye have received him aright, ye have received him for your all; cleave to him as fuch; ye need no more,

ye may fay, as Phil. iv. 18. I have all, and abound. I allude to Gen. xx. 16. and say, Behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes. And particularly cleave to him,

1. As your God, your Lord, Head and Husband, Pfal. xlv. it. He is thy Lord, and worship thou him. Hang by the marriage-tie, O believer, plead it, Cant. ii. 16. My beloved is mine, and I am his; and quit it not at any time, no not in your loweft cafe, Job xiii. 15. Though he flay me, yet will I trust in him. But what fhall I do when guilt lies on my confcience ? Why, quit it not then neither, Jer. iii. 14. Turn, Q. backfliding children, for I am married unto you. Pfal. Ixv. 3. Iniquities prevail against me: as for our tranfgreffions, thou falt purge them away. To do other. wife, is as if one that is fallen fhould put his hands in his bofom till he wrestle up. Faith is the hand of the foul, and the use of it in its full ftrength is never unfeasonable. Deal not with an abfolute God, a God out of Christ; that is not for a guilty creature. Chrift is thy Lord and Husband, nay, through the vail of the flesh of Chrift, thy Makers are thine Hufbands, If. liv. 5. one God in three perfons. God was in Christ, that thou mightst be joined to him there: fo look thou ftill to a God in Chrift, and receive the law at his mouth, and direct thy obedience to him.. "Often "and willingly," faith Luther, "do I inculcate this, "that you fhould fhut your eyes and your ears, and: ❝ fay, you know no God out of Christ."

2. As your light through this dark world, John' viii. 12. I am the light of the world, fays Chrift. Shut your own eyes, and let him direct your way by his word and Spirit, and ye will walk fafeft. Confulting fin and duty with flesh and blood, is drawing. back from Chrift. Cleave to him as your oracle: and depend on him for light to mark out your way, Prov. iii. 5. 6. Truft in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. And

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