state of filthiness; for he will not hold those guiltless that take his name in vain. On the contrary, seeing Jesus Christ hath come to purge us, and. make us partakers of the Holy Ghost, we must endeavour to become pure; and as we cannot do it ourselves, we must have recourse to our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the fountain of all pureness, and the source of perfection.

We must not pray to God, as though he were an idol, and required to be served in a worldly manner; but our minds must be raised above our earthly affections and as we lift up our hands, so must our hearts be lifted on high by faith. As oft then as we have our hands lifted up toward heaven, so oft should our minds be led to God in consideration of our weakness: knowing that we cannot have access to him, unless we lift ourselves above the world: that is, unless we withdraw ourselves from unruly passions, and vain affections. When we say, Our Father which art in heaven, we are reminded that we must seek him there, and must climb up thither by faith, though we still dwell on earth.

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Let us learn therefore to renounce every thing which God doth not allow, knowing that our salvation is in him alone. Let us put our whole trust in him, believing that he will aid and assist us in all our troubles and afflictions: for if we do not pray in faith, although the ceremony may be good of itself, yet shall it be vain and superfluous. Those who lift their hands to heaven, and at the same time remain fastened to things on earth, condemn themselves; yea, as much as though they should set down their condemnation in writing, and ratify it by their own hand and seal; condemning themselves as hypocrites, liars, and forsworn persons. For they come before God, protesting that they seek him, and at the same time remain attached to things below. They say they put their trust in him, and at the same time trust in

themselves or some other creature: they pretend to be lifted up to heaven by faith, and at the same time are drowned in earthly pleasures.

Let us therefore learn, when we pray to God, to be void of all earthly cares and wicked affections; knowing that there are many things which hinder us from coming to God. When we lift up our hands to heaven, it must be for the purpose of seeking God by faith; which we cannot do, unless we withdraw ourselves from the cares and wicked affections of the flesh.

Now let us fall down before the face of our good God, confessing our faults, and praying him to put them out of his remembrance, that we may be received by him; and in the mean time, that he would strengthen us, and sanctify us from day to day by his holy spirit, until we wholly cast off all our imperfections and sins: but as this cannot be done so long as we live in this mortal life, that he would bear with our infirmities, until he hath utterly put them away. And thus let us all say: Almighty God our heavenly Father, &c.

SERMON XIV.

1 TIMOTHY, Chap. ii. verses 5 and 6.

5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

6 Who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.

Ar all times and seasons, the world hath been so far from God, that all people have deserved banishment from his kingdom. Thus we see, in the time of the law, he chose a certain people, and gathered them to himself; leaving the rest of the world in confusion. Although men were so separated from God, yet do they all naturally belong to him; and

as he made them all, so doth he govern and maintain them by his virtue and goodness. Therefore, when we see men going to destruction, God not having been so gracious as to join them with us in the faith of the gospel, we must pity them, and endeavour to bring them into the right way.

St. Paul saith, For there is one God: as if he had said, God hath made all mankind, and hath them under his protection; therefore it cannot be but that there is some brotherhood existing between us. It is true, that those who do not agree with us in faith, are at a great distance from us; yet the order of nature showeth us that we must not utterly cast them off, but take all the pains we can to bring them again to the unity of the body; because they are, as it were, cut off. When we see men thus scattered, well may we be astonished, when we reflect that we are all of the self same nature; the image of God was imprinted in them, as well as in us. Moreover, that which should have been the strongest band to hold us together, hath caused the division, and made us enemies; namely, the service of God, the religion of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, when we see poor unbelievers wander and go astray from the way of salvation, we must have pity upon them, and do all we can to reclaim them; keeping in remembrance the words of the apostle; there is one God: St. Paul addeth, and one mediator between God and men. Whereby he giveth us to understand, that our Lord Jesus Christ came not to reconcile a few individuals only, to God the Father, but to extend his grace over all the world. We see set forth through the whole scripture, that he suffered not for the sins which were committed in Judea only, but for those which were committed throughout the world.

The office of our Lord Jesus Christ was to make an atonement for the sins of the world; and to be a

Having taken upon

mediator between God and men. him our flesh, and so far abased himself as to become man, we should submit ourselves to him, in all his requirements. Our Lord Jesus Christ was made like unto us, and suffered death, that he might become an advocate and mediator between God and us, and open a way whereby we may come to God. Those who do not endeavour to bring their neighbours and unbelievers to the way of salvation, plainly show that they make no account of God's honour, and that they try to diminish the mighty power of his empire, and set him bounds, that he may not rule and govern all the world: they likewise darken the virtue and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and lessen the dignity given him by the Father.

The apostle, in his epistle to the Hebrews, saith, chap. ii. 17, 18. "Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted." If a man know not what adversity meaneth, he hath no compassion on those that suffer; but being drunk with pleasure, thinketh poverty to be nothing. Our Lord Jesus Christ was partaker of all our miseries, and tasted all our afflictions; sin only excepted. And why so? To the end, that when we come to him, he may be ready to help us; having tasted our afflictions in his own person, he entreateth God to have pity

upon us.

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When he appeareth as mediator, we have nothing to fear we may come with uplifted hands, calling upon God our heavenly Father, doubting not but that he will receive us as his children, through the merits of his Son, and make us feel the fruit of our adoption so that we may come familiarly to him,

laying open our necessities, and making known the grief which tormenteth us, that we may be relieved therefrom. The papists endeavour to prove that the Saints are our patrons, and that they make intercession for us; alleging that we are not worthy to appear before God. But if this be the case, of what use is the office of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is mediator, and man?

Let us notice what is contained in the law: when God commanded the people to pray to him, he forthwith showed them in what manner they should perform this service; which was this: the people were to stand afar off in the court of the temple; neither the king nor any other one, except the priest, was allowed to approach the sanctuary; for he was the figure of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the reason why he was clothed in new garments, and was consecrated and dedicated to God. The high priest, entering into the sanctuary, carried with him the blood of the sacrifice which he had offered; by which we may understand, that no man can find favour with God, only by virtue of the sacrifice which is offered in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thus, God hath shown by this solemn ceremony, that we could not call upon him, unless there were an advocate to make intercession for the whole body of the church; and that this intercession must be grounded upon a sacrifice offered. This is the reason why St. Paul, after he had spoken of the intercession of Jesus Christ, addeth, Who gave himself a ransom for all. For these things cannot be separated one from the other; the death and passion of the Son of God, and that he is our mediator, to the end that we may have access in his name to God the Father.

Hath not Jesus Christ appeared to show the truth, the substance, and the perfection of the figures of the law? and yet Satan striveth to darken our