their father's kind remembrance and care, and every testimony of his faithfulness and love. Pfalm. cxix. 75. He has given you leave to rely on his mercy, and to take hold of his ftrength, in all the exercifes of faith> and patience to which you may be called; and in the use of these privileges nothing can make you miserable. While his rod corrects, his heart is fubject to every emotion of pity, tenderness and compaffion; and when the end he had propofed is anfwered, it will be neceffary no longer. He waits, in fhort, only for our penitent fubmiffion, and chearful obedience: Thefe will caufe the rod to drop from his hands of itself. Do not estimate the fafety of your cale from the nature of your forbidding frames, but from the unchangeableness of that grace, which has difpofed your heart for the ways of holiness and truth. In the former cafe your estimate may be very erroneous, and fubject you to much difficulty and diftrefs, whilft the latter is directly formed and fuited to answer every anxious enquiry, and dif

lodge every painful fear. He that has given you a new heart to know and fear him, has loved you; and will love even unto the end. John xiii. 1. I Cor. i. 8, 9. Be affured the 'ftrongeft Chriftian is liable to all the changes of the weakest; and has no other foundation of peace and joy, but what is as free for the one as the other. God is faithful. This is his anchor; and the influence of this, and its appendant truths, on his mind in difinclining it from every way of iniquity, and difpofing it for every thing the Lord loves; is the evidence he believes it aright, and thall never be confounded by finding him otherwife than faithful. Chrift will not ceafe to love his faints because they do not feel at all times as they could wish: nor is it any proof that we love him not aright, because we do not feem to love him as we defire. A holy fear of offending him in any thing, is a good fign of wifdom, and a more substantial evidence of our relation to him, than the most lively fenfation we can feel; the ftrongest believer may often be without any other. Pfalm xix, 9. Come, then, O

thou

thou afflicted, toffed and not comforted, venture your life with his power, faithfulness and compaffion, and your caufe cannot mifcarry: For he is able to fave to the uttermoft, and as willing as he is able, feeing he ever lives to make interceffion; and it muft never be faid, that he has rejected one trembling finner, who has no hope but what he has borrowed from his word, and will be fatisfied with no peace but what is warranted thereby.

And now, O Ifrael, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but that which he is able to work in thee, namely, to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to ferve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul. Deut. x. He has taken good care for thy fupport, comfort and prefervation; and he may reafonably expect fome fruits thereof, in thine obedience, diligence and love; in thy care to please him, and concern to honour him. It is his Ifrael alone, that is actively fubfervient to his intereft and praife; and he looks in vain for any fervices of refpect and regard, but from this people, formed for himfelf. Ifaiah xliii. 21. All are feeking their own and not the things of Chrift, excepting his faints; and they have frequent need to be reminded of their high calling. and immenfe obligations, to preferve them from fuch an ungenerous fpirit and employment, and to engage them more unreservedly in their proper fphere.

Remember, that zeal for God, obedience to his commands, imitation of his example and will, love to his caufe, and concern for his glory, are to be the diftinguishing characteristics of the righteous, and are to difference them from a world lying in fin and wickednefs. 1 John v. 19. He has called them out of darknefs into his marvellous light, that they might bow forth his praife, or fhine as lights in the world; being blamelefs and harmless, the fons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverfe generation. Pet. ii. 9. Phil. ii. 5. If we have any juft claim to fuch a relation and calling, it is in this manner alone, to be vindicated to the world and the church.

X 2

One

One is our Mafter, even Chrift. We owe him every poffible tribute of service and respect; but he will accept of none, but in conformity to the rules and example he has left us. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me. This is the compendium of Chriftian duty, and the fum of our holy calling. He is the brightest Chriftian that most resembles Chrift; imbibes molt of his Spirit, and is moft anxious to copy his meek, gentle, benevolent, kind and merciful deportment. Let us fee, then, that we render unto no man evil for evil, but contrarywife, good; knowing that we are thereunto called. And let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-fpeaking, be put away from us, with all appearance of malice, envy and hatred. And be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, chearfully forgiving one another in real or imaginary caufes of offence, even as God for Chrift's fake hath forgiven you. Eph. iv. 20-32. Let our converfation be upright and harmless, difinterested and pure, without covetoufnefs, morofeness, or revenge, and devoid of the very fhadow of dishonesty and guile. Let all fee we love our neighbour's intereft as well as our own, and are willing to fuffer fome inconvenience to promote it. Be not easily provoked, or offended. 1 Cor. xiii. 4-7. He is the frongest Christian that can bear moft, and not he that knoweth moft. Let indeed, uprightness, pity and kindness to men, and zeal for the honor and caufe of our Saviour and God, form the most prominent features of our character; and let us labor to be known to all, whether friends or enemies, by nothing else; to conduct ourselves in every respect as becometh faints, in all the different stations which his providence has feemed to appoint us, whether mafters or fervants, "pa-rents or children, rich or poor; being anxioufly careful for nothing of a worldly nature; but with diligence in bufinefs, cafting all our care upon the Father of Mercies; convinced that he careth for us, and knoweth that we have need of all these things; and in every thing by prayer and fupplication, with thanksgiving, making Our requests known unto God; and fo the peace of God,

which paffeth all understanding, fhall keep our hearts and minds thro' Chrift Jefus. Pet. v. 7. Matt. vi. 31. Phil. iv. 6, 7. In a word; be it our chief concern to do good to all, and injury to none: To keep a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward man; and in this manner to walk worthy of him who hath called us to his kingdom and glory. 1 Theff. ii. 12. Eph. iv. 1, 2. Much of this temper and conduct is what will be expected from us, if we profefs the name of Chrift with more zeal and earnestness than our neighbour; and the whole is no more than what the Lord requires, and the true Chriftian molt cordially approves. Our rules from the word of Chrift, for the government of the whole man, are fimple and intelligible; and the fureft proof of the truth of our religion is a voluntary choice of them, a real affection for them, and abiding regard to them. The Lord has wifely connected our beft comforts with thefe difpofitions, and this conduct: Nor will the believer's tender confcience- fuffer him to enjoy his Heavenly Father's fmiles, but in the way of obedience to his will. To profefs a high esteem for the gospel, and make a furious clamor about faith in Chrift, while our tempers and works contradict each, is only the badge of hypocrify, and the mark of an unfound religion. If our light be of divine extraction, and of the proper kind, it will fhine before men. Our lowlinefs and forbearance, gentlenefs and goodness, peaceablenefs, brotherly-kindnefs and love, and other graces of the fpirit, cannot be hid. We fhall labor to fill up every relation in life, as becometh the gospel of Chrift. And this will be more or lefs vifible to all. It is thus the ignorance of foolish men will be put to filence, the credit and honour of the gospel established, and our Father, in heaven be glorified. Having, therefore, dearly beloved, the precious promifes of eternal life, let us gird up the loins of our minds, be fober, and hope to the end, for the grace that is to be revealed at the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Let us be anxious to live as trangers and pilgrims; cleanfing ourselves from all filthiness of the fleth and fpirit, perfecting

holiness

holiness in the fear of God: For fo an entrance hall be administered unto us abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Christ. i. 4—11.

FINI S.

2 Pet.

ERRATA.

Preface, page 3, 1. 9, for has, read, will have.-P. 5, l. 8, før feat, read principle.-P. 9, 1. 8, for afpired, read, infpired.-P. 1, 1. 5, and other places of the Book, for CHAP. read, SEC.-P. 4, 1.7, dele the a, before godliness.-P. 7, 1. 5, after Creators, read, Ecclef. xii. 1.-P. 9, I. 2, for perfon, read, perions.-P. 13, 1. 3, in note under Q. 3, after affected, a period.-P. 19, l. 21, after fcorn, read, Prov. i. 24-29.—P. 20,1. 29, for councel, read counfei.

P. 27, in note uuder Q. 3, for μɛyannes, read, μɛyaλns; and in note under Q.4, 1.3, after Aleim, dele the period, and read, that is.-P. 29, 1. 2, after hy, read, his.-P. 31, l. 2, from the bottom, after Aleim, read, or God in covenant.-P. 36, 1. 3, after created, read, who IS before all things (Col. i. 17.)—P. 46. I. 3, after thoughts, read, of.-P. 53, Q. 8, 1. 2, for profefs, read, poffefs.-P. 57, 1. 19, before Jofh. read, See.-P. 58, 1.8, for them, read, thofe fervices.-P. 67, 1. 5, for xlii. 1, 21, read, Pf. xxxii, 1, 2.-10, for 1 John ii. 1, read, 1 John ii. 2.-P. 76, 1. 43, for stated, read ftaked.-P. 84. l. 1, from bottom, for governments, read, government.-P. 92, A. 31, l. 1, for and, read, becaufe.-P. 96, 1. 11, after becaufe, read, it is; and after grace, read, which.-1. 24, after and, read, are.- P. 108, 1. 26, for practical, read, practicable.-P. 120. l. 36. read, Almighty and moft merciful Father, &c. in a parenthefis. - P. 123, 1. 5. from bottom, after mind, read, towards our fellow chriftians.

1. 3. for 2 Cor. xiii. 9. read, xiii. 9, 11.-P. 124, l. 12, read, Matt. xix. 19. 21.- - l. 13, for ix, 10, read, 9, 10-1. 21, for 46, read 43, to the end.-P. 140, 1. 15, for offspring, read, offsprings.-P. 146, 1.9, after but, read, for.-P. 153, J. 2, of A. 23, for love, read, glory.-1. 5, after God, read, and.P. 156, 1.6, for reader, read, culpable reader.-P. 183, l. 28, for his own hidden, read, his unfufpected.-P. 193. 1. 1, after apology, read, but.-1. 3, for Crist, read, Chrift.-P. 195, A. 5. 1. 2, after name, read, or rather initiates us into the outward or vifible church, and obliges us to the fervice, and love of Chrift; being an outward, &c.-P. 201, l. 11, dele the femicolon after the word pouring.-P. 207, 1. 20, after God, a comma.-P. 214, A. 16, 4.13, after ule, read, and.-P. 224, 1. 5, for n, read, in.

Queftion