§2.-Particular view of Christian Duty. (1.) Negative.
(2.) Positive.

The duty of Christians is not only described generally as obedience, but more particularly, first, negatively, as a "not fashioning themselves according to the former lusts in their ignorance," and then, positively, as a "being holy in all manner of conversation." Let us shortly attend to these very instructive descriptions of Christian duty.

(1.) The apostle's negative statement is, that Christians ought not to fashion themselves "according to the former lusts in their ignorance." While a man continues unacquainted with the meaning and evidence of the revelation which God has made of himself in his word -and this is the case with every unbeliever, he is in a state of ignorance respecting the most important of all subjects, the character and will of God—the duty and happiness of man. While in that state, he does not "fashion himself," that is, regulate his conduct-form his character, "according to the will of God," but according to his "lusts,"—his desires. The desires which are natural to men while they are unrenewed, are the principles which regulate their conduct and form their character. One man loves pleasure, another loves money, another loves power, another loves fame. The ruling desire, or lust, is the principle which forms the character and guides the conduct.

All

Now the Christian, being no longer in ignorance, but knowing and believing the revelation God has made of his will, must no longer permit his character to be fashioned by those desires, to the guidance of which, when in a state of ignorance, he delivered himself up. these desires, so far as they are sinful, must be mortified, and, even so far as they are innocent, they must cease to be governing principles, and must be subordinated to a higher principle-the principle of submission of mind and heart to the will of God.

The objects of these desires are sensible and present things-things which are "in the world;" so that the not fashioning ourselves according to our former lusts in our ignorance, and our not being "conformed to this world," are but two different modes of expressing the same thing. An unregenerated man's character is entirely formed by the desires of his fallen nature, excited by their appropriate objects in the present world. It was once so with the Christian, but it must be so with him no longer. On the contrary, "as he who has called him is holy, so must he be holy in all manner of conversation."

(2.) This is the apostle's positive statement with respect to Christian duty. There is no word, I apprehend, to which more indistinct ideas are generally attached, than holiness; yet, surely, there is no word of the meaning of which it is of more importance we should have a clear and accurate conception; for "without holiness no man shall see the Lord." The clearest and the justest idea we can form of holiness, as a quality of an intelligent creature, is conformity of mind and will with the Supreme Being, who alone is, in all the extent

1 Heb. xii. 14.

of meaning belonging to the word, holy. Holiness does not consist in mystic speculations, enthusiastic fervors, or uncommanded austerities; it consists in thinking as God thinks, and willing as God wills. God's mind and will are to be known from his word; and, so far as I really understand and believe God's word, God's mind becomes my mind, God's will becomes my will, and, according to the measure of my faith, I become holy.

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And this conformity of mind and will to God-this holiness-is to be manifested "in all manner of conversation." "Conversation,' here, as usually in the New Testament, signifies not colloquial intercourse, but general conduct. In every part of your character and conduct, let it appear that the ruling principles of your conduct, the forming principles of your character, are no longer what they once were your lusts, your natural desires, but the mind and the will of him who has called you, even God, who is holy; his mind and will having become your mind and will, through the knowledge and belief of the truth, make it evident, that these are now the principles by which your character is formed and your life governed. In everything show that you think as God thinks, that you will as God wills, that you love what God loves, that you hate what he hates, that you choose what he chooses, that wherein he finds enjoyment, you seek enjoyment. Such is a short account of the Christian's duty.

There are two conclusions to which these observations necessarily conduct us, highly worthy of considerate reflection. First, that there are many who call themselves Christians, who have no title to that name, habitual violators of God's law, strangers to the very principle of obedience, still "walking according to the course of this world, serving divers lusts and pleasures."" How vain-how much worse than vain, in their profession-how dangerous their circumstances—how awful, if they continue in their present state, their final doom! The second conclusion is, that those who are really Christians are still very far, indeed, from being what they ought to be-from being what they might be. The best Christians, then, need to have such exhortations addressed to them as these: "Follow holiness," seek growing conformity of mind and heart to God, and recollect this can be obtained only by growing knowledge and faith of the truth. Though already not of the world, even as their Lord is not of the world, they need the great Intercessor continually to pray for them. "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.'

II.-MEANS FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF CHRISTIAN DUTY.

We now proceed to direct your minds to the view here given us of the means of performing this duty. If we would be "children of obedience, not fashioning ourselves after our former lusts in our ignorance ❞—if we would be "holy in all manner of conversation," it is necessary that we should "gird up the loins of our mind "-that

1 The only exception is Phil. iii. 20, where the word in the original is not avaσrpopŃ, but Toλíτεvμα-citizenship.

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Eph. ii. 2, 3. Tit. iii. 3.

3 John xvii. 7.

we should be "sober"-that we should "hope to the end"-and that we should "pass the time of our sojourning here in fear." Determined resolution, moderation, hope, and fear, are the means here prescribed for our realizing, in our own character and conduct, those views of Christian duty presented to us by the apostle. Let us shortly attend to them in their order.

§ 1.-Determined Resolution a means of Christian Obedience.

Determined resolution is one of the instrumental means which we ought to employ, in order to our complying with the apostle's exhortation. "Gird up," says he, "the loins of your mind." The ancients were accustomed to wear loose, flowing garments, which, though graceful and agreeable on ordinary occasions, were found inconvenient when strenuous and long-continued exertion became necessary. In such cases it was usual to gather together the folds of the flowing drapery, and, having wrapped them round the waist, to confine them by a belt or girdle. This was termed girding up the loins.

The phrase is here used figuratively. To inquire, as some have done, what are meant by the loins of the mind, and to reply-the sensual affections and appetites, the lower propensities of human nature; and to inquire what is meant by girding up the loins of the mind, and to reply the restraint and mortification of these debasing propensities, is rather ingeniously to play with, than satisfactorily to explain, the phraseology of the sacred writer. "To gird up the loins of the mind," is to gird up the loins mentally; that is, to cultivate that state of mind of which the girding up of the loins is the natural emblem. When a man has nothing to do, or nothing which requires any thing like exertion, he permits his robes to flow in graceful negligence around him; or, even if called on to a sudden, transient, though vigorous effort, he may not think it worth his while to make any change in his dress; but if he has a work to perform, which requires at once strenuous and continued exertion,-if he is about, not to take a walk for pleasure, but to undertake a journey on business, then he girds up his loins. The action is naturally emblematical of that state of mind in which a person contemplates a course of conduct, which, while he considers it as highly eligible and indispensably obligatory, he plainly perceives to involve in it serious difficulty, and to demand the persevering putting forth of all his active energies.

The apostolical command, "Gird up the loins of your mind," is equivalent to 'Set yourself with resolute determination to the performance of these duties. Impress on your minds a sense of their importance, obligation, advantages, and necessity. Let there be no 'halting between two opinions." Considering Christian obedience as the business of life; a business, the right discharge of which will require all the care you can devote to it; a business, in the prosecution of which no exertion must be spared, no sacrifice grudged; enter on it with a determination, that whatever may be neglected this shall be attended to; and with a distinct understanding, that this is 1 Exod xii. 11. 1 Kings xviii. 46. Job xxxviii. 3; xl. 7. Luke xii. 35.

not to be an occasional employment for your by-hours, but the habitual occupation to which all your time and all your faculties are to be devoted."

Such a spirit of determined resolution is absolutely necessary to the proper performance of the duties involved in a life of Christian obedience. These duties are numerous, varied, and laborious. They are all in the highest degree reasonable, and to a being whose moral constitution is in a completely sound state, none of them would be in the slightest degree grievous. The yoke of Christian duty should be very easy-the burden of Christian duty should be very light. But who that believes the declarations of Scripture-who that is in any degree conversant with the realities of Christian experience, needs to be told that the remains of native depravity, acted on by the temptations of Satan, and by the influence of a world lying under his power, often make irksome what ought to be delightful, difficult what should be easy, laborious what should be spontaneous? How endless, varied, and diversified are the circumstances which have a tendency to induce spiritual sloth, and make us become "weary in well-doing!" How apt are we to turn out of the way, instead of proceeding right onwards; to loiter, when we should quicken our pace; to think we have "attained, and are already perfect," when we have little more than entered on our Christian course! How often, when the spirit is willing, is the flesh weak! Oh, how does "the flesh war against the spirit, so that we cannot do the things that we would!”1

To meet this state of things, nothing is more necessary than that resolute determination here recommended by the apostle. Without it we shall make but little progress in our Christian course, and the little progress we make, will be productive of but little comfort to ourselves little glory to our Lord; everything will be a difficulty; we shall be constantly stumbling, and but too often falling. But with it, our progress will be steady and rapid, delightful to ourselves, comfortable to our brethren, honorable to our Lord; we shall "forget the things which are behind, reach forward to those which are before, and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."2

This resolute determination must not rest on the mistaken opinion of our possessing in ourselves all the energies which are necessary for the successful performance of all the duties implied in Christian obedience, but on an humble yet confident reliance on the promises of God, securing for us all those supplies of divine influence which are requisite for this purpose. It is the faith of the truth, and that alone, that can brace the mind for spiritual work and warfare. It is this which makes us "strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." "

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Let us, then, like the Israelites when leaving Egypt, "gird up our loins," resolved to prosecute our journey, undeterred by the fury of our spiritual enemies endeavoring to bring us again into bondage, by the billows of the Red Sea of persecution, or by the endless toils and troubles of the wilderness of this world, till, having passed the Jordan of death, we shall lay by the staff and the sword for the palm and the 3 Eph. vi. 10.

1 Gal. v. 17.

2 Phil. iii. 13.

harp, and exchange the humble garb of the pilgrim for the flowing robes of the victor. Meanwhile, to use the language of the heavenly Leighton, "Let us remember our way, and where we are, and keep our robes girt up, for we walk among briers and thorns, which, if we let them down, will entangle and stop us, and possibly tear our garments; we walk through a world where there is a great mire of sinful pollutions, and which therefore cannot but defile them: and the crowd we are among will be ready to tread on them; yea, our own feet may be entangled in them, and so make us stumble and possibly fall." Our only safety is in girding up the loins of our mind.

§ 2.—Moderation a means of Christian Obedience.

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Moderation is another of the instrumental means which the apostle recommends for the performance of the duty of Christian obedience. "Be sober." To be sober, in ordinary language, is descriptive of that particular variety of the duty of temperance which is opposed to the undue use of intoxicating liquors. But the word used by the apostle has a much more extensive meaning. The sobriety or temperance of the apostle is another word for moderation, and is descriptive of that state of the mind, and affections, and behavior, in reference to things seen and temporal," "the present world," by which a Christian should be distinguished.

The foundation of true christian sobriety or moderation lies in a just estimate of the intrinsic and comparative value of "all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life,” 2—all that the eye or the flesh desires--all of which living men are apt to be proud. The Christian does not consider the wealth, and the honor, and the pleasures of this world, as destitute of value; but he sees that that value is by no means what the deluded worshippers of Mammon suppose it to be. He sees that the possession of them cannot make him happy, nor the want of them make him miserable. They cannot obtain for him the pardon of his sin, they cannot pacify his conscience, they cannot transform his character, they cannot give him life in death, they cannot secure him of happiness forever. They appear to him polluted with sin, replete with temptation, pregnant of danger.

With these views, he is moderate in his desires for them, moderate in his pursuit of them, moderate in his attachment to them while he enjoys them; moderate in his regrets for them; when he is deprived of them. This is christian sobriety. It is for those who have earthly relatives to be as if they had them not; for "those who weep to be as though they wept not; for those who rejoice to be as though they rejoiced not; for those who use this world to use it as not abusing it, knowing that the fashion of this world passeth away.

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The cultivation of this sobriety is of the utmost importance to the

Subsequent reflection has made me doubt, whether "watchfulness," or freedom from mental intoxication, be not the apostle's idea here rather than moderation. The original word favors this view. These mental habits are described, Discourses xviii. xxiii.; and the usefulness, and, indeed, necessity, of them as instrumental means for the performance of Christian duty are self-evident.

2 1 John ii. 6.

3 Cor. vii. 29-31.