who never fet upon the bufinefs of renovation, to be renewed in the Spirit of their mind; and fo they are in the cafe of thofe, Pfalm 1. 16,-22. to whom God faith, "What haft thou to do to declare my itatutes, and take my covenant in thy mouth; feeing thou hateft instruction, and cafteft my words behind thee?" &c. Yea, many walk, of whom the apofile tells us weeping, that they are enemies to the crofs of Chrifl; whofe end is deftruction, whose God is their belly, and whofe glory is in their fhame, and who mind earthly things, Phil. iii. 18, 19.

3. Confideration is, that they who profefs to be Chrif tians, and yet have no Chriftian walk, or know nothing of walking in Chrift, they deceive themfelves with their profeffion; they get no good of it, and God gets no glory by it.They deceive themfelves. Profeffors, who are not practical, they are but foul-cheaters, felf-cheaters: they are the worst of all cheats that cheat themselves; “If any man among you feem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, that man's religion is vain," James i. 26. And fo, if any man among you feem to be religious, and bridleth not his heart, but giveth way to all carnal thoughts, worldly thoughts, while God is not in all his thoughts; that man's religion is vain. If any man among you feem to be religious, and bridleth not his appetite, but giveth way, to gluttony and drunkennefs, that man's religion is vain.-If any man feem to be religious, and bridleth not his paffions, but giveth way to anger, and wrath, and malice, and revenge, for every injury, that man's religion is vain.--If any man feem to be religious, and bridleth not his lips, but giveth way to lying, and fwearing, and curfing, and obfcene filthy talking, that man's religion is vain.-If any man feem to be religious, and bridleth not the faculties of his foul, and members of his body, his hands and his feet. from working mifchief, and walking in the broad ways of whoredom, and Sabbath-breaking, and neglect of God's worship, in fecret, private, and public, that man's religion is vain; he deceiveth his own heart.It is true, the godly have fometimes caft off the bridle, or kept very flack reins, and fo ftumbled greatly, and fallen foully but this is not the tenor of their walk, nor the

way that, as Chriftians, they can take pleasure in. And, therefore, the propofition remains thus ever firm: they that profefs to be Chriftians, without having a Christian walk, they deceive themfelves.-Yea, they get no good of their profeflion, and are in the cafe of thofe, Ezek. xxxiii. 31. "They come and appear before God as his people; they fit before him, and hear his words, but they will not do them: for, with their mouth they fhew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetoufnefs." They get no good of their profeffion, who know nothing of the life and power of godlinefs: their religion is vain; they please themselves with the empty fhell, but never eat the kernel. And as they get no good by it, fo God gets no glory by it, nor the gofpel any credit. A profeffion without a Chriftian walk, is no ornament to religion: we ought to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, in all things. "Let your light fo fhine before men, that others feeing your good works, may glorify your Father which is in heaven." The man that hath nothing of this, deferveth not the name of a profeffor. Oh! how many plagues are in our bofom, that make, instead of an ornament to religion, a stain to the Chriftian name! like thofe, 1 Tim. v. 24. "Some men's fins are open before hand, going before to judgment; and fome follow after." Which words feem to be fpoken concerning church-cenfures: fome men's fins are open, and obvious, and evident, before ever they be brought under any cenfure: others they follow after; they are not reformed by any cenfure.

4. Confideration is, that thofe who, through grace, have a Chriftian walk, they have the happiest life of it, as well as the holieft: hence fays Chrift to his difciples, John xiii. 17. "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." And Pfal. cxix. 1. "Bleffed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord." A Chriftian walk, indeed, is not the meritorious or procuring caufe of this happinefs; but it is the character, property, and quality of happy men: bleffings, both fpiritual and temporal, are entailed upon fuch; yea, it is only fuch who have a well-grounded, well-fettled hope of heaven: and hence this walk, and this hope, are joined together, Tit. ii. 11, 12. “The grace of God that

bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodlinets and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteoufly, and godly, in this prefent world; looking for that bleffed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great. God, even our Saviour Jefus Chrift." Here they are knit and buckled together; and if this buckle be loofed, the man will have little hope: hence if a profeffor drink drunk, and fwear, and lie, and whore, and cheat, he cannot have the hope of heaven in such a courfe; for, fuch folk do not anfwer Chrifl's defign in the gospel; To be a peculiar people, zealous of good works. For, though good works, and a Chriftian walk, be not the ground of the man's hope, (for that alone is Chrift and his righteoufnefs,) yet it is the garment wherewith true hope is adorned, and by which it is known; and therefore, "He that hath this hope, purifieth himself, even as he is pure," 1 John iii. 3.

5. Confideration I offer is, that this Chriftian walk is many ways preffed and urged in fcripture: it is both commanded and commended; and there are both threatenings and promifes relating to it.-The Lord doth command it, faying, "Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called," Eph. iv. 1. Believers in Christ are exprefly commanded in this, As they have received Cbrift, fo to walk in him. And we may fee the Lord commanding this very walk in his own name and authority, Jer. vi. 16. "Thus faith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and fee, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye fhall find rest for your fouls."-The Lord not only commands it, but commends it. Thus was Noah commended, Gen. vii. 1. "Come thou, and thy houfe into the ark, for thee have I found righteous before me in this generation." Thus was Enoch commended; for, "By faith he walked with God, and was not, for God took him: and before his tranflation he had this testimony, that he pleafed God." And indeed all that thus walk, fhall be thus tranflated; tho' not corporally at the firft, as he was. The body, like

Elijah's mantle, ftays a little while behind, to be locked up in a cabinet of duft, while the foul is tranflated at death, to be with God: What is that? never to fin more; never to forrow more; always praising God; always re

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joicing in him; and preffed down with nothing but a weight of glory. Thus it fhall be with all who walk in Chrift: for they are made meet for this inheritance of the faints in light. Others are not fit for heaven, and fo could not dwell in it. But I was faying, that God commends this walk; and to give all the inftances of commendation, that he gives this way, would lead me to enlarge too far.-There are threatenings relating to this walk. God threatens to bring fad ftroaks upon fuch as are ftrangers to this Chriftian walk; Lev. xxvi. 27. "If ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and punish you feven times more for your fins." Yea, if God's own children ftep afide, and take not heed to their walk, they fhall fmart for it: though he take not his loving-kindnefs from them, yet, if they break his laws, and walk not in his commandments, he will visit their tranfgreffions with the rod, and their iniquities with ftripes, Pf. lxxxix. 30,-33.--Again, there are promifes relating to this walk. There are promises of it, and to it. Promifes of it, like that, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. I will put my Spirit within you, and caufe you to walk in my ftatutes. And indeed none would walk fo much as a right step, without the Spirit to guide them. Then there are promises to it; hence godliness is faid to be great gain, having the promises of this life, and that which is to come. This Chriftian walk hath promifes, not in the way of the firft covenant, when the promife was made to works itfelf; but here it is made to the worker, or walker in Chrift; or to the walk, as it is an evidence of union to him, in whom all the promifes are Yea and Amen.

6. Confideration I offer is, that this Chriftian walk hath a reference to all the duties of religion, to all the graces of the Spirit, and to all the directions of the word, which is the rule of this walk. It hath a reference, I fay, to all the duties of religion; and fo they cannet walk in Chrift, who neglect the duty of prayer, the duty of watchfulness, the duty of vowing, and paying our vows to the Lord, as David, Pfal. cxvi. 9. 14. compared.-It hath a reference to all the graces of the Spirit. Chrift is the way that the believer walks in: but, as

in a high way, there are feveral foot roads, fome on this fide, and fome on that fide of the way, which a perfon may conveniently walk in, and yet never go off from the high way: fo here, the feveral graces of the Spirit are like fo many branches of the way and road, for believers to walk in, fo many little walks by the wayfide. There is the walk of faith, which we are daily to ftep into, acting faith on Chrift's righteoufnefs, for acceptance; acting upon his ftrength for afliftance; acting upon his fulness, for fupply; acting upon him for grace, to kill fin and to quicken the foul; and acting upon him for glory, and for another life to come. There is the walk of repentance: while the foul looks to him whom it pierced, and mourns. O Sirs, when the foul looks to Chrift crucified, it fees more of the cursed nature of fin, and more of the curfed defert of fin, than it is capable to exprefs. He that was infinitely pleafed with his Son, could not but be infinitely dif pleafed with fin, that made him to bruife him, till he melted under the burden of these fiery mountains of wrath, that were heaped upon him: " It pleafed the Lord to bruife him."-There is the walk of love, Eph. v. 2. “Walk in love, as Christ also loved us, and hath given himself for us; an offering and a facrifice of a fweet-îmelling favour." O! here is a pleasant walk: "God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him," 1 John iv. 16. Many walk in doubts and fears; but if we were more in the fweet element of love, we would doubt lefs; for, ver. 18. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love cafieth out fear; becaufe fear hath torment: he that feareth is not made perfect in love." And if we were more in this happy region of love to God, we would be more in love to one-another. There is the walk of joy, that the believer fhould be ftepping into; "Rejoicing in Chrift Jefus: Rejoicing evermore." This joy is not only a privilege but a duty: not only a part of our happinefs, but a part of our holiness; a part of this walk; a commanded duty. This joy of the Lord is the ftrength of the foul and this walk, in holy joy, is not inconfiftent, with a walking in holy fear; they are both put together, Acts ix. 31. "Walking in the fear