of faith and love, and for an helmet the hope SERM. of falvation; and fome of the strongest moI. tives of christianity, as, our being appointed not to wrath, but to obtain falvation through our Lord Jefus Christ, and his dying for us; he concludes thus at the 11th verfe, Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as alfo ye do. Purfuant to which the fequel of the chapter contains many excellent exhortations, which, if carefully put in practice, have the greatest aptitude in their own nature to edify, fuch as, a proper refpect to the public inftructions, and an esteem for fuch as minifter them only for their workJake, living in peace, warning the unruly, comforting the feeble-minded, fupporting the weak, being patient towards all men, not rendering evil for evil, but following that which is good, praying without ceafing, in every thing giving thanks, and abftaining from all appearance of evil. The apostle even defcends to matters of expediency and indifference in his rules for edification; he would have chriftians fo much concerned for the fpiritual good of their brethren, and have it fo much. at heart to promote their knowledge and eftablishment, and progrefs in religion, as for that end to avoid offence; that is, as he explains

I.

SERM. it, the weakening or ftumbling of their fellowchriftians, tempting them to defert chriftianity, or do things unbecoming the profeffion. of it; to avoid offence, I fay, not only by actions in their nature wicked, and therefore of pernicious example, but by an indifcreet ufe of liberty. He carries this fo far as to the abftaining from certain meats, which he himself and other well-instructed chriftians judged might be lawfully ufed, but fome weak perfons thought otherwise; abstaining from them, I fay, out of a charitable condefcending regard to the weakness of fuch. And what can be stronger than this general comprehensive exhortation in the text, Let every one of us pleafe his neighbour for his good to edification.

You will now perceive from what has been already faid, that this matter of edification, and the care of it so strictly injoin'd, did not peculiarly relate to the first age of christianity. The nature of the thing, and the directions given in order to it, plainly fhow that it is the common concern of chriftians at all times. I think, therefore, it may be usefully infifted on, as what may very well be applied to ourfelves. And in this discourse, I will, first, endeavour to give you the true fcripture account

of

of what is meant by edification. In the fe- SERM. cond place, I will more particularly confider I. the direction in the text.

First, to give the true fcripture account of what is meant by edification; which I am afraid some christians do not well enough understand, and therefore have run into dangerous mistakes in judging both of their own and other's edification. The expreffion is plainly figurative, and it leads us to confider the church of Chrift, the whole collective body of his members, or believers in him, under the notion of a building, which is a very usual one with the facred-writers in defcribing it thus, * Ye are God's building. As material edifices are compofed of many parts which are regularly difpofed by human art fo as to make an intire work, raised upon one foundation, ftrong in proportion to the firmnefs of that foundation; and fo long as the parts adhere to it and to each other, subsisting in its artificial form, and under the notion of a building; the materials being united together by a cement, and the whole, if it be done by a fkilful architect, form'd and finifh'd ac cording to an exact model: fo our Lord Jefus Chrift has gathered together the Children

B 3

of

1. Cor. iii. 9.

SERM. of God that were fcattered abroad, and of

I.

Jews andGentiles, made one beautiful church, united in himself, and by their adherence to him, according to the divine plan laid in the eternal counfels of his father. God, intending in the ancient Jewish ceconomy to fet forth a fhadow of better things to come, commanded Mofes to make a tabernacle in the wilderness, where he would place the tokens of his prcfence, and fhowed him a pattern on the Mount. But, the things which were old, and indeed made to be taken away, are now actually vanished, giving place to a higher conftitution worthy in all refpects of its great founder, a fpiritual building, which is the intire fociety of fincere chriftians, an habitation of God through the fpirit. This is excellently defcribed by the apoftle *: And (ye Chriftians) are built upon the foundation of the apofiles and prophets, Jefus Christ himself being the chief corner fone. In whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.

The foundation being the apostles and prophets, that is their doctrine, and Jefus Chrift, or the gofpel fcheme of which he is the author, and which centers in him, being

the

Eph. ii. 20, 21;

1.

the chief corner ftone, the fupport of the SERM. whole building, this clearly leads us to understand the allufion. How is it that a fociety of men can be built upon a doctrine or Inftitution? It is when that doctrine or Inftitution is received by them, and has its proper effect upon them; when their conduct is regulated by it, and they reap the benefit of it; when the intention of it is anfwered in their practice, and the advantages they enjoy. But, here a difference in the fimilitude will obviously occur, I mean, between the outward fenfible figure, and the fpiritual subject it is intended to reprefent. Every one knows that the materials of an earthly edifice can contribute nothing to the difpofing of themselves in the proper form; they are wholly paffive, and their order, harmony, and usefulness, are intirely owing to the skill and labour of the workman. Not fo are the feveral parts in the spiritual house of God; they are not like inanimate and unintelligent organs, but work together with him, to their own and to the common edification. And, therefore, the apoftle fupplies the defect of this image by another very elegant one, of the natural human body, in which the active. parts, by performing their feveral appointed functions,

B 4