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And wherever it is the cafe, the church in that place, will cease, as it has done already, in many other places, where it once existed. But it will, at no time, be the cafe univerfally. There will always be a church fomewhere. If it should feem to be depreffed, yet it will exift, and will again arife from its depreffion. And the time is coming, when all nations will fee and admire it. In the mean time, we fhould all be folicitous to maintain it among ourselves. We should all enter into it, labor to promote its purity, and, according to our ability, contribute to the enlargement of its borders, and the advancement of its interest. And in a day, when a great and effectual door is opened, when many of the friends of Zion feem to be engaged in her caufe, and when there are many adverfaries, we fhould cheerfully afford our aid and concurrence in fo important a cause.

Our subject teaches us, that neither in this cafe, nor any other, ought we to make the promises of God an excufe for the neglect of our duty. The good which God promifes to men, he always brings about in a way of means, and in concurrence with human agency. And if, when God has promifed a benefit, we, for this reafon, neglect the proper means for obtaining it, we pervert the promife, and forfeit the benefit. God's promifes are intended, not to encourage our neglect, but to excite our performance, of the duties required. We are to truft in him, and do good, and in welldoing to commit ourselves to him, as to a faithful Creator. When we wait upon him in the way of duty, then we truft and honour him. When prefuming on his promife, we neglect our duty, we tempt and mock him. And it is written, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

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The Anointing of the Spirit a fure evidence of our Title to eternal life.

Delivered to an Association of Ministers.

I. JOHN ii. 27.

But the anointing, which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the fame anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

THE apostle here states the evidence by

which believers ascertain their title to eternal life. This, he fays, is the anointing, which they have received. What this anointing is, we fhall, in the first place, explain; and then apply the subject.

Anointing with oil was a ceremony used, according to divine institution, among the Jews, in confecrating men to facred and important offices. And the defign of it was, not only to indigitate the perfons who were vefted with the offices, but

alfo to denote the qualifications neceffary to the execution of them. It in fome cases fignified an eminent participation of the gifts and graces of the divine Spirit. The prophet Ifaiah, fpeaking in the perfon of the Saviour, fays, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach glad tidings to the meek." God is faid to have anointed him with the oil of gladnefs above his fellows." Hence he is often called the Meffiab and the Chrift, both which words fignify the Anointed.

As Jefus Chrift, who received the Spirit without measure, is faid to be anointed and fanctified to the high office of Redeemer, so true believers, who are fanctified by the Spirit, and have the Spirit dwelling in them, are faid "to have an unction from the Holy One. St. Paul fays to the Corinthians, "He who hath anointed us in God, who hath fealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.' To the Ephefians he fays, "Af ter ye heard the word of truth, and believed in Christ, ye were fealed with the Holy Spirit of promife, which is the earnest of our inheritance."

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The fealing of the Spirit is a metaphor, which St. Paul ufes, to denote the fanctifying work of the Spirit in the hearts of believers. As a feal impreffed on wax leaves there its own image, fo they, who are sanctified by the Spirit, are made partakers of the divine nature. They are renewed after the image of God in righteousness and true holinefs. And he uses the metaphor of anointing in the fame fenfe. "He who hath anointed and fealed us, is God." As ointment and perfume please the sense and rejoice the heart, fo the graces of the Spirit fhed abroad in the foul, are pleafing and acceptable to God. They are as oint

ment poured forth. In them he fmells a fweet favour.

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This unction of the Spirit is a permanent work. Our apostle fays, "The anointing, which ye have received of God, abideth in you.' In the literal anointing, oil is poured on the head. In the fpíritual anointing grace is poured into the heart. The former evaporates; the latter abides.

There may, indeed, be a work of the Spirit, which does not abide. "The Spirit is fent to convince the world of fin." The convictions, of which finners are the fubjects, are ufually accompanied with some serious refolutions and partial reformations. But thefe too often are temporary and tranfient. We read of thofe, who in their affliction feek God early, but whofe goodness vanishes as a morning cloud-who in their trouble return and enquire early after God, but are not ftedfaft in his covenant. We often fee fimilar cafes. But the anointing, of which St. John fpeaks, is a durable change. It is a holy temper formed and maintained in the foul by a divine influence accompanying the word of truth.

"Who

foever is born of God, doth not commit fin," or yield himself a fervant to it, "for his feed re. maineth in him, and he cannot fin, because he is born of God."

To know whether we are born of God, we muft enquire whether we have our fruit unto holinefs. To know whether we have received the fpiritual anointing from God, we muft examine whether the anointing abide in us. There may be in finners an alteration, which, in many refpects, resembles real converfion, and yet effentially dif fers from it. The reality of faving repentance is more furely known by its permanent effects, than by any difcriminating circumstances, which im

mediately attend it. "If ye continue in my word," fays our Lord," then are ye my difciples indeed.” "Let no man deceive you;" fays St. John; "He that doth righteousness, is righteous. He that committeth fin, is of the devil." As the quality of a tree, fo the character of a man, is known by the fruit.

You will obferve farther; the apoftle fays, "Ye have no need that any man teach you; but as this fame anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him ;” in Chrift; or ye fhall abide in it; in the anointing; or in the holy temper to which ye are renewed.

To understand the apostle here, we muft go back to the two preceding verses. "This is the promife which he has promised us, even eternal life;" and this bleffing he has promised us in Chrift. The refurrection of Chrift is a fenfible and decifive evidence of a life to come. The immediate ground, on which we hope for this bleffing, is the promife of God. But the queftion, which arifes in the hearts of believers is, "How fhall we know our own particular title to it? That there is eternal life for fome, we doubt not; but what is the evidence on which we may appropriate the promife to ourselves?" The apoftle fignifies, that there is danger of deception here; for there are fome who give false inftructions on the fubject. "These things have I written unto you, on account of them, who seduce you," and who would gain you over to their fect by delufive flatteries. "But, fays he, "if the anointing, which ye have received, abide in you, ye have no need, that any man teach you, for this will teach you of all things, which ye need to know relating to the matter in question; that is, whether ye have a title to the

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