strength to strength; from glory to glory; from faith to faith We are like the boat in the ftream, if it goes not forward by the oar, it will go backward with the tide; it cannot ftand ftill. Many, as I noticed before, are like a wheel, they go round, yet still keep the fame place; they go the external round of duties, but have no union to Chrift, make no progrefs in the way of holinefs. But this walk is progreffive; the man grows in grace, and in the knowledge of Chrift.-It is a permanent motion it is a motion, and yet a ftedfastnefs, as I faid before; for, the man ftands fast in the faith, and yet walks fast in obedience: he walks in Chrift, rooted and established in him, as he hath been taught. The apoftle guards the Galatians from declining from the fimplicity of the gospel, upon this argument, Gal. i. 8. There is not another Jefus, than he whom we have preached; there is not another Spirit, than he whom ye have received; there is not another gospel, than that which we have published: if there were another, then ye might receive it; but because there is not another, therefore keep by this Jefus. There is but one Christ, and truth cannot be but one if there were more truths than one, or more gofpels than one, the apoftle could not have faid there, "If we, or an angel from heaven, preach another gofpel, let him be accurfed." Whatever manifold articles of truth there be, yet truth itself is but one; and Chrift the centre of truth is but one: if there were any more truths or gofpels but one, why would the apostle curfe the angels, that shall preach another? For that which they preach may be truth too: no, says he, fpeaking of juftification by Chrift, and not by the works of the law, " If any man, or angel from heaven, preach another doctrine, let him be accurfed." This doctrine we are to hold faft. It is a permanent walk.And again, it is a perpetual motion; a perfevering thing; a conftant motion: to walk, is not to make a step or two, but it imports conftancy; "The righteous holdeth on his way." It is true, his fin may make him go halting; and this is what makes a faint continually jealous, that he knows nothing of walking in Chrift; because he thinks, it is not a conftant motion that he, makes; but is many

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times and ways interrupted. But I would fay, for the encouragement of the weak believer, that fin may be felt, and yet the walk in Christ may be conftant; a man may be lame, and halt in his walking, and yet go on : Jacob wrestled with God, and yet went away halting; Paul had a thorn in the flesh, that made him halt; however, he faw the use of that thorn, like a corrofive to eat away the proud flesh growing: "Left I fhould be exalted above meafure, there was given me a thorn in the flesh." Hence, fays one of the fathers, Proud hearts 'have need of fins, as proud fores of eating-plaifters:' in this cafe it is better to feel a corruption, than to be quit of it. A child of God will fometimes fee his grace, by looking to his fin: To apply to this a fimile that I used for reprefenting another thing; A man may look for the fun's rifing in the eaft, but he that looks for it toward the weft, on the top of a high tower or fteeple, may fee it firft: Even fo, a man may fee and know his grace fooner many times, by looking to his fins, than to his graces, though they be contrary one to another: grace is more apt to fee fin than to fee itself; for, the eye that fees other things, doth not fee itself: fo, grace may not fee itself, but it fees fin and corruption; and thus humbles, and fo carries the man forward.Finally, it is a regular motion; it is a walking by rule; a walking in Chrift, according as we have received him: of which I fpoke at large, on the doctrinal part.

7. Hence fee what is the way to heaven: Christ is the way, and holiness is the walk in it; and fo, holiness is as neceffary to heaven, as a man's walking in a way, is necessary to come to his journey's end: hence, "Without holiness no man fhall fee God;" for, it is just a walking in the way to heaven: and the excellency of holiness lies in this, that it is a walking in Christ by faith. Chrift is the only way; he that thinks to reach to heaven out of this way, fhall wander like a blind man, and never come there. The text fhews, how faith and manners all centre in Chrift. In our RECEIVING Christ, is the act of faith; in our WALKING in him, is the life of faith: He is the all of our faith and obedience. In our receiving, he is the object to be received; in our walking, he VOL. III. † H

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is the way we are to walk in. Many pretend to be Chriftians; but, being ftrangers to Chrift, they are monfters: for, to be a Chriftian, without Chrift, is Like a body without a head.

8. Hence fee, that true faith is never alone, but ftill joined with gofpel-obedience: 4s ye have received, fo walk. He that would disjoin faith from obedience, endeavours to walk with one foot, which is impoffible. Faith and works, faith and holinefs, are the two feet by which a man doth walk in Chrift: and when the Spirit of Chrift doth promote the one, he doth promote the other alfo. If a man fhould effay to go upon one foot, he could not walk, but only hop, which would be impoffible for him to continue long in: neither can obedience be without faith, nor faith without obedience; but according to the meafure of the faith, fuch will be the measure of the gofpel-walk. As the fuller a veffel is, the fafter will it run over at the top; fo, the fuller views a man gets of Chrift, by faith, the fafter will he run in the way of evangelical obedience. When Jacob had feen the fweet vifion in Bethel, he lift up his feet, Gen. xxix. 1.; it put mettle into him: So here, when the poor foul hath once received Chrift, and got the faith of his own operation, he is made chearfully to run the way of his commandments. Therefore,

9. Hence fee, that the believer hath always much ado with Christ; having received Chrift, he is ftill to make ufe of him, by walking in him: habitual grace will not do his business, without actual grace. The believer is like the fhip; it is not enough that he hath the fails of grace implanted, but he muft have the wind of the Spirit filling his fails, otherwife he cannot make way towards the heavenly port. The believer is like a branch, that hath nothing of its own, but what it receives from the root, even as itfelf doth fo fpring from the root: he is like the moon which, as appeareth from the eclipfe, hath no light of itself, but increaseth, and cometh to full, as it receiveth from the fun. Let none think, that believers have no further use for Christ, after their first believing and receiving of him; nay, as Chrift is the author,

author, fo he is the finisher of faith: Therefore, As ye have received him, fo walk ye in him.

10. Hence we may fee, what is the beft fortification against all ungodlinefs, and antidote against apoftacy. This inference I deduce from the text, compared with the whole context; for it comes in with an antidote against defection for the apoftle tells, there were fome that went about, to burden them with vain philofophy, human propofitions, and fuperftitious ceremonics, ver. 8. 16, 17, 18. 20. 23. You fee then, I would not go off from the fcope of my text, to fpeak upon this fubje&t; for, how doth the apoftle fortify them against these evils? It is even by this; As ye have received Chrift, fo walk ye in bim: So that receiving him, and walking in him, is the only way to be kept from defection. Let a man receive Chrift, and he will reject thefe things; let a man walk in Christ, and he will go out of the way of these dangerous rocks; if a man receive Chrift, and walk in him, he will abandon and flight all the trafh of hell and Rome. He that hath enough ado to get food for his family, he will not beftir himfelf, to take in chaff and trafh; but, if a baker come with an armful of bread, he will take in fomewhat from him: fo it is here, they that fee a need of Christ, and receiving of him into their houfe, their heart, as the bread of life, they will not be careful to take in empty chaff, and fuperftitious trash. They that take in Christ, the body, the substance, will not regard the shadow and ceremony, ver. 17. "And why are ye fubject to ordinances, or burdened therewith?" faith the apostle, ver. 20. Men will not willingly fuffer under impofitions in their free-holds in the world; and far lefs fhould they fuffer the world to impofe burdens upon their fouls; fuch as the burdenfome worship of Antichriftian, prelatic, abjured ceremonies. You heard the laft Lord's day, of the evil of fuch fuperftitious ceremonial worship, as it is a breach of Scotland's Covenants, and a profanation of God's name, and an incurring the judgment threatened in the third command: nay, as my reverend Brother* told you the danger of it, so I would tell you the antidote against it; and it is * The Rev. Mr. JAMES WARDLAW, our Author's Colleague.

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juft in my text, to receive Chrift, and to walk in him. As Chrift and Antichrift are oppofites; fo, if you receive Chrift, you cannot but reject the trafh of Antichrift. To walk in Chrift, and to walk in the road of fuperftition, is irreconcileable: let Chrift in, and Antichrift will go out; let faith take place, and fuperftitious fancies will evanish.

In a word, O fee that your faith be a Chrift-accepting faith, fo as to receive him; and a Chrift-improving faith, fo as to walk in him: If your faith be not of this kind, it is not a faving, but a damning faith. Many have a faith that keeps them from faith; a believing that holds them faft in unbelief. All the terrors of the. law draws no blood, all the invitations of the gospel moves you not; why? because you lie under the canopy and fhelter of this faith and believing, which defeats the operation both of law and gofpel, till God open your eyes to fee through it. O feek, that the Lord may bring you to a faith, that receives Chrift indeed, and fo walks in him! The life of believers, after converfion, is an active life none of them can fay, Now I have no more ado, having received Christ; I may walk at random, and live as I lift; no, by no means after Ifrael were come through the Red-fea, they had a wilderness to .walk through; and so it is with every believer, while here in this world: but though he hath a journey to go, yet he hath the greateft encouragement to walk forward; for he is in Chrift, in whom he hath all fulness; and therefore let duties be never fo difficult, and his emptinefs and infufficiency for them never fo great, yet no ground of difcouragement, while he is in Chrift, and complete in him; and called to walk in him in the whole courfe of his progrefs; yea, to walk in him as he hath received him. And if believers were walking in Chrift, fo as to keep up the fame frame of heart in their walk, that they had in their clofing with Chrift, it would be the fweeteft and pleafanteft life imaginable: Q what a holy, humble, fenfible frame of fpirit, took place when you were receiving Chrift! how precious! how sweet! how lovely was Chrift every way to you then! What frong defires after him, and ardent love to him, and

joyful