And he faid to them all, If any Man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his Crofs daily, and follow me. And Jefus anfwered him, The first of all the Commandments is, Hear, O Ifrael, And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind, and with all thy SERMON XVIII. The Character of falfe Prophets. MATT. vii. 15, 16. Beware of falfe Prophets, which come to Ye shall know them by their Fruits : Page 413 SERMON I Of Truft in GOD. ISAIAH 1. 10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the Voice of his Servant, that walketh in Darkness, and hath no Light? Let him trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. I N thefe Words there are these three SERM. I. HERE is the Character of a good Man, II. HERE is his Duty, To truft in the God. I. VOL. II. B III. THE I. SERM. III. THE Time when he is more par ticularly to exercise this Duty of trusting in God, in a Time of Affliction, or when he lies under any Calamity or Diftrefs; it is when he walketh in Darknefs, and hath no Light. I. HERE is the Character of a good Man; he is defcribed to be one who feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the Voice of bis Servant. 1. First, He is one who fears God, that is to fay, one who has such an awful Regard of God, fuch a due Sense of his Divine Attributes, his Goodness, his Juftice, his Knowledge, his Power, as keeps him from offending him; this, the wife Prov.xvi. Man tells us, By the Fear of the Lord, Men depart from Evil. And, none can be 6. be truly faid to fear God, that are not hereby reftrained from finful Practices; and, therefore, wicked Men are described, Job xv. 4. by cafting off this Fear: He cafteth off Fear, and reftraineth Prayer before God. Now this Fear arifes, either from the Confideration of God's Mercy or his Juftice. First, From the Confideration of his Mercy: Pfa. cxxx. There is Mercy with thee, that thou mayeft be feared, i. e. That Man who is truly fenfible, how good and merciful a 4. |