FOR OR as many of you as have been paptized into Christ, have put on Chrift, Gal. iii. 27.

The Shame of our first Birth is covered with the Righteoufnefs of Christ, whom we put on at the Time of our fecond Birth. If we have put on Chrift, let nothing then be seen in us but Chrift, his Love, Humility, Meeknefs, and Purity; his Modefty, Patience, and whatever has any Relation to the Holinefs of his Manners. --- O Jefus, thou precious, incorruptible, and divine Robe of thy faithful Members! grant that I may never lofe Thee, and that I may be cloathed with Thee before the Tribunal of thy Father.

Is there a Thing beneath the Sun, That strives with Thee my Heart to fhare;

O hide this Self from me, that I
No more, but Chrift in me, may live,
My vile Affections crucify,

Ah! tear it thence, and reign alone, Nor let one darling Luft furvive.
The Lord of every Motion there : In all Things nothing may I fee,
Then shall my Heart from Earth be free,Nothing defire, or feek, but Thee.
When it has found Repofe in Thee...

Wo

O unto you Scribes and Pharifees, Hypocrites; for ye make clean the Outside of the Cup and of the Platter, but within they are full of Extortion and Excefs, Matt. xxiii. 25.

The Heart is the Seat of Good and Evil; it is by the Heart that we please or displease God. --- In vain do Men hinder their Corruption from appearing outwardly, that they may not lofe the Efteem of Men, if their Heart be corrupt in the Sight of God, through the Love of Sin, and through criminal Defires. A true Penitent acts quite contrary; he uses his utmoft Endeavours to cleanse his Heart by the Love of God, and the Hatred of Sin; and is willing to bear the Shame and Confufion of his Mifery before Men.

Malice and Rage, thofe Fires of Hell,
Love quenches with her Tongue;
Hopes, and believes, and thinks no Ill,
Tho' fheindure the Wrong.

She nor defires, nor feeks to know
The Scandals of the Time;
Nor looks with Pride on those below,
Nor envies those that climb.

BLeffed
Leffed are the Poor in Spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven. Matt. v. 3.

334

K

The firft Leffon of Chrift is concerning Poverty and Chriftian Humility. To be poor in poffeffing much is to be difengaged from Wealth, to use it like a poor Man, and to look upon it as a Truft. Grace is fo powerful, that one may have the Bleffing of this Poverty in the Midft of Riches. --- God by no means permits himself to be outdone in Generofity: He gives All for All, or rather All for nothing, Heaven for Earth, Himself for us. In what does the Kingdom of Heaven in this Life confift, but in the Riches of Faith, the Grace of God, and his Spirit; and to whom does he communicate them more abundantly, but to those who are most difengaged from the World?

JESUS on me the Want bestow,
Which all who feel fhall furely know
Their Sins on Earth forgiv'n;

Give me to prove the Kingdom mine,
And tafte, in Holiness divine,

The Happiness of Heaven. dol

ND when they were come to the Multitude, there came to him a certain Man, kneeling down to him, and faying, Lord, have Mercy on my Son, for he is lunatick, and fore vexed: for oft times he falleth into the Fire, and oft into the Water, Matt. xv. 14, 15.

The Rage and Power of the Devil against Man, in Consequence of Sin, is expreffed by the fad Ufage which this Lunatick fuffers. The Devil, in bodily Poffeffions, as well as fpiritual Temptations, knows how to take Advantage of the Conftitution, and of natural Caufes and Difpofitions, in order to conceal himself. Some of these are as contrary as Fire and Water. Would to God the Sinner were as throughly fenfible of the Mifery of his Soul, and the fpiritual Illufions of the Devil, as this Father is of those under which his Son labours! See here the first Steps towards Converfion; to approach CHRIST, to humble ourselves in his Prefence, earnestly to pray to him, and with Confidence to lay our Misery before him.

JESUS, God of our Salvation,

Hear our Call:

Save us all,

By thy Death and Paffion.

JESUS, help, Thou Serpent-bruifer,
Bruife his Head,
Woman's Seed,

Caft down th' Accufer.

AND the fecond is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyfelf, Matt. xxii. 39.

The Love of our Neighbour is found in the Love of God as in its Principle, Pattern and End; and the Love of God is reciprocally found in the Love of our Neighbour, as in its Effect, Reprefentation, and infallible Mark. --- We take nothing from God when we love our Neighbour for his fake. --- To love him as ourselves, is to love him as we ought to love ourselves, in obferving the Order of Charity; and not as we love ourselves, when we follow our own irregular Inclinations. --- It is but one and the fame Love, which loves God in our Neighbour, and our Neighbour for God's Sake, when we defire that his Name may be hallowed, that his Kingdom may come, and that his Will may be done in our Neighbour, after the fame Manner that we defire it for ourselves.

I fee th' exceeding broad Command,
Which all contains in one;
Inlarge my Heart to understand
The Mystery unknown.

O that with all thy Saints I might,

By fweet Experience prove, [height, What is the length, and breadth, and And depth of Christian Love.