of us, who are made Partakers of the Chriftian Vocation. This Engagement we have all taken upon ourselves at our firft entring into Chrift's Religion, and most of us, to be fure, if not all of us, have feveral times renewed it. So that being thus folemnly confecrated to God and Chrift, we are none of us at our own Disposal, but have entirely given up ourfelves to God to be dif pofed of by Him. Oh, let us think of this, and then judge what kind of Converfation will be worthy of our Calling! Whether, being in thefe Circumftances, it will be poffible for us, without the most horrid Perjury and Sacrilege, to allow ourselves in any known open Course of wilful Sin; nay, whether being thus devoted to God, we are not very false to our Engagements, if we do not make his Service, and the promoting his Interefts, the great Business and Design of our Lives.

3. Be pleased to ask yourselves further, what kind of Life fhould that Man lead, who is called into the nearest Relation to God Almighty; who, from a Child of Wrath and Slave of Satan, is made the Son of God, the Brother of our Lord Jefus Rom. 8. Chrift, and a joint Heir with him of the Inheritance of God. Why certainly, upon the very first naming of this, it should come into every body's Thoughts, that a Person who is thus highly dignify'd, ought to have a great, and a noble, and a generous

17.

Scul

Soul, fuitable to that Quality to which he is advanced, and becoming that illuftrious Quality into which he is adopted. It should come into every body's Thoughts, that fuch a Person fhould think himfelf concerned above all Things, to behave himself in all the Circumftances of his Life bravely and worthily, and should take a World of Care that he did not by any base, mean Carriage of his, put a Difparagement upon that Alliance that he is honoured with. And yet this is the Calling to which we Christians are called. These are the Privileges that, by undertaking Chrift's Religion, we are promoted to. We are the Children of the moft High, and the Son of Luk.6.35. God is not ashamed to call us Brethren. We Rev.5.10. are made Kings, and Priefts unto God our John 15. Father. We are his Friends, his Favou-Eph.1.14rites, his Chofen ones; in a Word, the Por- 1 Pet. 2. tion, the Poffeffion, the Treasure of God in 5.9.

this World. All thefe Titles are beftowed upon Chriftians by the infpired Writers. Oh therefore, let us confider thefe Privileges of our Calling, and then judge what kind of Converfation is worthy of it.

4. Pray ask yourselves likewise, what fort of Life he is to lead, who owns the Gospel of Chrift for the Rule of his Actions, and by his very Calling hath engaged himfelf to the Practice of every Thing which is there enjoined. Whoever hath read the Gospel, knows what kind of Precepts it is VOL. VI. е

made

14, 15.

made up of, and must be convinced that no Rules of Living, that were ever given to the World before, can pretend to come near it for Perfectnefs and Exactnefs.

There is indeed no great Stress laid there upon any kind of Ceremonies or outward Obfervances. God never fet any Value upon these in any Religion. But for the Things that are intrinfically good; for the Things that do really perfect and adorn human Nature; for the Things that do accomplish the Mind and Spirit of a Man: The Chriftian Inftitution, as it is set forth in the Gospel, is the higheft, the nobleft, the exacteft, and withal the fevereft that ever was fet on foot in the World. There all Sorts of Purity and Holiness, every Kind and every Degree of Virtue are recommended, and every Thing, that hath but the Appearance of Vice and Sin, is difcouraged. There we are called upon to 1 Pet. 1. be holy, as God is holy; to be merciful, as 15, 16. he is merciful. There even our disorderly Defires and Appetites, tho' they do not break forth into outward Actions, are reproved and discountenanced. And it is made a Sin not only to commit Adultery, to kill, or steal, or defraud our Neighbours of their Right, to do Injuries, or the like; but the very Workings of our Minds towards thefe Things (if our Confent be given to them) are declared culpable.

Luk.6.36.

As we must not commit Adultery,

fo

so we must not look upon a Woman to luft after her. As we muft not defraud our Neighbour, fo neither muft we covet what belongs to him. As we muft not kill, fo neither muft we be angry without a Caufe. As we must not do an Injury, fo neither must we revenge one that is done to us. As we must not be ungrateful to our Friends, fo neither must we hate our Enemies, but do them all the Good we can. And thus as to all the other Inftances of our Duty.

Oh, holy Religion! Oh, juft and excellent Laws! worthy to come from God, and worthy of our Lord Jefus Chrift to promulgate, and moft of all worthy of us to be observed. And therefore let every one, who names the Gofpel of Chrift, walk worthy of this his Vocation, by ferioufly endeavouring to bring all his Thoughts, and Words, and Deeds, throughout the whole Courfe of his Life, to a Conformity with the Laws there delivered.

5. And, in the next Place, pray ask your felves how that Man ought to live who profeffes in his Life to copy out the Example of our Lord Jefus. Our Calling, our Vocation, is to be the Disciples of Chrift; and the very Notion of being a Difciple, is to frame our way of Living according to the Pattern that He, whom we call our Mafter, hath fet before us. And therefore, as the Apostle hath told us, Q 2

if

if we pretend to be Chrift's Difciples, we

1 John 2. ought to walk even as he walked.

6.

Matt. 20.

28.

But now,

if we take him for our Pattern, then we may eafily know what kind of Conversation will be worthy of our Calling. If we call ourselves the Difciples of Chrift, then we must be humble, and meek, and lowly in heart, for he was fo in the greatest Degree, Matt. xi. 29. We must not be arrogant or affuming, but defcend to the meaneft Offices of Civility and Charity, for the Son of Man, our Lord and Mafter, came not to be miniftred unto, but to minifter. We must think nothing below us, if we can thereby fhew Courtesy to our Brethren, for the Author of our Religion and our Happiness did defcend even to the John 13. washing the very Feet of the Difciples. We muft be eafy and gentle to all about us. Not eafily provoked; and when we are provoked, ready to forgive the Injuries that are done us. For this was the Way of our Mafter; He was never known to be put out of his Temper by any Perverseness, any Impertinence, any Affront or Indignity that was offered him. He was gentle to all Men, patient under the greatest Sufferings, and fo regardless of Injuries, that he not only forgave those who had the Malice to take away his Life, but he heartily prayed 3+ for them. He never fought himself, or his own Interefts, in any thing he did, but

Luke 23.

only