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DISCOURSE VIII.

MATT. V. 3.

Blefjed are the poor in fpirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

THE revelation, which God hath been pleafed to manifeft of his will, is entitled to our unqualified obedience, univerfally and in all its parts: nor nor can we willingly, without guilt and danger, commit a breach of one of his "leaft commandments." Whatever doctrine he may difclafe, it is our duty to receive it: what ever precept he may enact, it is our duty to obferve it: whatever quality he may recom mend, as calculated to render us lefs unworthy of his favour, and whatever bleffing he may promife, as a teftimony of his favour, it is our duty, and will be for our intereft, to cultivate the one, and to afpire after the other. Still there is no irreverence in affirming, that the feveral gifts and graces of Providence, proceeding as they all do from the fame divine

mind, and favouring of their heavenly original, are marked by feveral degrees of excellence: as in the heavens, the work of God's fingers, the glory of the fun is greater than the glory of the moon; or as "one ftar differeth from "another ftar in glory."

It will be no difparagement then to the other Christian graces, if I remark, that the quality on which a bleffing is pronounced in my text, and the recommendation of which is peculiar to revealed religion, is exhibited in the holy Scriptures under a form of fingular lovelinefs, and encompaffed with an appropriate degree of luftre. It is not only placed by our Saviour, in whose person it was embodied, at the head of the beatitudes; but its spirit is diffused through all the reft. It is that quality, to the poffeffors of which the Gospel is especially preached to which the vifitations of divine grace are especially promised: and the heart, which is tempered by its influence, is described as the favourite abode of that "high "and lofty One, which inhabiteth eternity, "whofe name is Holy b."

The heart, in which this heavenly quality refides, bears evidence to its power by a life of habitual devotion and fubmiflion to God: it acknowledges, that it is abfolutely unworthy

Jam. iv. 6. 1 Pet. v. 5.

b If. lvii. 15.

of God's favour, but through the merits of Christ and that it is altogether incapable of performing the fervices, to which the promise of that favour is annexed, but by the help of the Holy Spirit: even with the help of that Holy Spirit, it confeffes the original corruption of its nature to be fo inveterate, that it is unable to perform the will of God without numerous lapfes and teftimonies of imperfection; and, fearful of falling ultimately from grace, and anxious to make its calling and election fure, it is diligent in working out its falvation with fear and trembling.

Such will be the fentiments, and fuch the conduct of one, who is fincerely "poor in fpi"rit." Feeling his own infirmity, he will feel the poffibility, and will dread the confequences, of "a righteous man turning away "from his righteousness, and committing ini

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quity, and dying in it:" nor will his humility permit him to exult in a full affurance of everlasting falvation, or in an unspotted and finless perfection, until hope fhall be swallowed

up

in fruition: until faith fhall be annihilated in the completion of the promises; and charity fhall be released from the image of the earthy, and be infhrined in the image of the heavenly Adam; be purified from the alloy of mortality, and fee the Creator face to face.

These remarks are fuggefted to me by re

flecting, how incompatible this favourite quality of our Saviour is with thofe extravagant notions, which are interwoven with the modern doctrine of converfion; and which reprefent the true Chriftian as exalted to a ftate of infallible affurance of his everlasting happiness, and of dominion over every outward and inward fin. The true Chriftian is indeed elevated by faith in his Redeemer to an eminence, from which he may look down upon the ftruggles, the errors, and the failures of his brethren with comparative ferenity: but to represent him as a difinterested spectator of the scene, inafmuch at least as being perfonally exempt from its difficulties and dangers; as released from the corruption and infirmities, which flesh is heir to; and as trampling under foot all the fears, the doubts, and apprehenfions incident to mortality: to reprefent him, in the language of Whitefield, as "emboldened "under the fenfe of his intereft in diftinguish"ing love to give the challenge to all his ad"verfaries, whether men or devils, and that "with regard to all future as well as prefent ་ attempts to destroy:"-to represent him with Welley, as "faved from his fins, the root "as well as the branches;" as "made free "from outward Gin," "from evil thoughts and

Whitefield's Works, vol. iv. p. 64.

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