Peace, and Good-will towards Men, Luke 2. 14. Hence it is that all Idolatry is now more inexcufable than ever, Men being not now left to grope in the Dark, fince Chrift is come a Light into the World, John 3. 19: John 15. 22, 24. Acts.

17.30, 31,

So that we may conclude, as this living to him is an Act of Divine Honour, That he is worthy of it, and we may fay, Rev. 1. 5. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our Sins in his own Blood, and hath made us Kings and Priefs unto God and his Father, to him be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever, Amen. And Rev. 5. 12. Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to receive Power, and Wisdom, and Riches, and Strength, and Honour, and Glory, and Bleffing John 5. 23. That all Men fhould honour the Son even as they honour the Father..

Secondly, Another Refpect, on the Account: whereof this Living to Chrift here preffed appeareth reasonable, is, as it is an Expreffion of the greatest Love and higheft Efteem of him to whom we live, and this he is moft worthy of, being incomparably lovely in himself, and having loved us with an Infinite and Everlasting Love; who hath died for us while we were Enemies and Sinners, and washed us from our Sins in his Blood.

And,

Thirdly, As this living to Chrift is a Refignation of our felves unto the Difpofal of another: He is moft worthy of it, who hath redeemed us with the Price of his precious Blood; therefore ought we to Honour him with our Lives, feeing we are not our own, but his purchased People. So that to live to Chrift in the conftant Performance of Divine Ho-nour to him in the highest Expreffions of the greatest Love unto him, and in the fulleft Refig

C 3

nation

nation of our felves unto this Jefus our dear Redeemer is entirely his due, and no more than our reasonable Service.

Secondly, As it is in reafon due to Chrift, fo it is moft neceffary for us. This being the Fruit God expects at our Hands for this great Coft hé hath been put unto for our Redemption from Wrath to come. 2 Tit. 14. Chrift gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of Good Works. Rom. 14. 8, 9. To this end Chrift both died, and rofe, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living, Therefore faith the Apoftle, None of us liveth to himself, but whether we live, we live to the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lords. The like we have in the Text whereon the following Difcourfe is raifed, Phil. 1. 20. & 21. His earnest expectation and hope was, that Chrift should be magnified in his Body, whether it be by Life or by Death; for, faith he, to me to live is Chrift, and to die is gain; that is, faith Pifcator in Loc. Vita mea eft occupata in promovenda Gloria Chrifti, my Life is employed in promoting the Glory of Chrift.

Indeed the Syriack, Erafmus, Beza, and others render this 21ft Verfe otherwife; yet all allow this matter to be thus ftated in the Verfe before it; nay, the whole current of Scripture manifefteth this to be the great Teftimony of Gratitude for our Redemption that God expecteth at our Hands. i Pet. 2. 9. But ye are a chofen Generation, a Royal Priesthood, an holy Nation, a peculiar People, that ye fhould fhew forth the Praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous Light. Luke 1. 74, 75. That being delivered

out of the hands of our Enemies, we might ferve him without fear in Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of our Life. This therefore being the great thing that is required, it is that for which we fhall be called to a strict account before the Tribunal and Judgment-Seat of Christ at last, and therefore is most neceffary to be faithfully performed now, that we may give up our Accounts with joy at that day.

Thirdly, But notwithstanding this living to Christ is fo manifeftly his due, and fo indifpenfably neceffary a Duty incumbent on us, yet it is moft generally neglected by the most of thofe very people who are called Chriftians, as the open Profanenefs that hath overfpread the Nation, and the Covetoufnefs, Unfruitfulness, Formality and Decay of firft Love to Chrift in the generality of thofe of the strictest Profeffion of Religion in the Land, doth too apparently manifeft: And to that degree hath all Flesh corrupted its way amongst us, that without a speedy and general Repentance and Reformation we muft expect a fpeedy and general Defolation to befall the Nation; for God is the fame holy, fin-avenging God that ever he was, when he deftroyed the World with a Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah with Fire from Heaven, and is no Respecter of Persons, but will caufe Judgment to begin at his own Houfe, 1Pet. 4. 174 Am. 3.2. Ezek. 9. 6. and therefore deftroyed Shilo, Jerufalem, and the Churches of Afia, &c. for their un fruitfulness, Ifa 5.5 Heb.6. 8. Luke 13.6. Their Covetoufness, Ifa. 57. 17. Their lofs of firft Love, Rev. 2, 4, 5. And all these things are found among Profeffors, and in the Sins of Sodom. What therefore can we expect but what our Lord told the Jews, Luke 13.3. That unless we

repent

repent we fball all likewife perish; for none can deliver us out of God's Hand, which is ftretched forth against us for our Sins; nor is it like to be turned back, but encreafed, until we are reformed or deftroyed, Ifa. 9. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, The Lord tells Ifrael for their Stubbornness under his afflicting Hand, That he would go on and fet the Syrians against him before, and the Philistins ben hind him, and that they fhould devour Ifrael with open mouth: For all this, faith he, his Anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out fill; for the people turneth not unto him that fmiteth them, neither do they feek the Lord of Hofts. Ver. 14. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Ifrael head and tail, branch and root in one day, Lev. 26. 18, And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me (viz. when afflicted) then will I punish you seven times more for your fins. The like is thewed by the Parable of the Pot, whofe Scum goeth not out of it, Ezek. 24. He that being often reproved hardneth his Neck, fhall fuddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy, Prov. 29. 1. Thus was it with Eli's Sons, 1 Sam. 2. 25. and with Ifrael, 2 Chron. 36. 16. and thus is it like to be with us unless we repent.

Now this fatal Neglect of living to Chrift hath been occafioned very much by thofe Diversions that have turned our minds from that fixed View of Chrift which is neceffary to enable us comfortably and iftedfaftly to live to him and walk before him, by being taken up in vain Jangling about the leffer matters of Religion, or filled with the Cares and Pleasures of this prefent evil World. Our beft way therefore to live to Chrift, is, to get our Minds fteadily fixed on Chrift; this will change our Hearts into the fame Image, and enable us

to

to live unto his Praife, and our own Peace. When it pleafed God, (faith the Apostle, Gal. 1. 15, 16, 17.) to reveal his Son in me, I conferred not with Flesh and Blood. 2 Cor. 3. 18. But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame Image from Glory to Glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. I John 3. 2. Beloved, now are we the Sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him: (And how doth he know we fhall be like him?) Why, faith he, we shall fee him as he is: And if a clear view of Chrift in Glory as he is, fhall tranflate us into Glory like unto him, then may an open view of him, tho' but as in a Glass by Faith, change us in a leffer measure into the fame Image in degrees of Grace here, which shall be perfected by the Beatificial Vifion of him into full Glory hereafter. Now it is the great and principal Work and Duty of all the Minifters of the Gofpel to preach Chrift Jefus, to publish and teach the Glorious Excellency and Riches of the Love and Grace of God in Jefus Chrift, to the Converfion of Sinners, and Edification of the People of God; and this ought to be the great Concern of all that hear the Word, to hear Chrift preached by fuch Workmen as need not be afhamed, that have Wisdom, Skill and Knowledge rightly to divide the Word of God; (for who is fufficient for these things?) To conclude, that the enfuing Discourse, or the fincere Endeavours of any that love the Lord Jefus Chrift may be successful to induce others to live to him, and that by a conftant fixed view of Chrift, as he is revealed to us in the Gofpel, we may be made more like unto him, and more conformed to his Will in all things, is the Defire of.

Thy Servant in the Service of our Lord Jefus, J. W.