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Love each other, because I have loved you, and this is the best return you can make. This is my commandment—the great and distinguishing one of my gospel. These things I command you, that ye love one another. Many things are included in this single requirement. If you obey this, you will in substance and spirit obey all my commandments. If you do not this, you will do nothing that I command you, according to the spirit of my holy requisitions.

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In what has been said we are presented with a brief view of the benefits, and the evidence of discipleship. These benefits must be perceived to be ineffably great and desirable. No one has lived without a personal experience of his need of these benefits. The whole history of a man up to the hour in which he becomes reconciled to Christ, is a connected and varied testimony to his absolute poverty without the Saviour's friendship. The instinctive promptings of his heart after alliances with other intelligent beings, perpetually disappointed and defeated, strongly suggest the necessity and value of an alliance with the permanent and perfect friend of sinners. And what tongue can utter the raptures of delight and glory that thrill the bosom of that sorrowing, desolate, bruised, and beaten child of earth, when he first gains an undoubting assurance, that the Lord Jesus Christ is his friend? The immortal tongues of those who have gone to share his perfect and everlasting friendship, can speak those raptures; but ours cannot. Brethren in the Lord, are our bosoms no strangers to such raptures? Then do we know that he is our friend, not because we bear his name, not because we receive his truth, not because we defend his faith, not because we outwardly comply with his last request, and come to the sacramental table; but because we approve of all his commands, and seek to do them. And especially because we depend on him for all things, and delight to evince that dependance-because we love him supremely, and show that love by

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abounding in his works-because we love his own chosen saints, and make them our own chosen friends. If such is the ground of our persuasion that he is our friend, and we are his, we may hear him now saying to us, as we approach the communion table,-Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. Come and feast your souls on the provisions of my love. But are you the Saviour's friends, who never think to obey his commands? Can he be the friend of you, who desire not and seek not his friendship? Remember, that you are his friends or his enemies. Remember that he is your almighty friend, or almighty enemy. Will you disobey him and perish? Or will you do his commands and live?

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TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN OF ME; FOR I AM MEEK AND LOWLY IN HEART AND YE SHALL FIND REST UNTO YOUR SOULS.

PERHAPS nothing has so directly contributed to hinder the progress of the gospel in the world, as the imperfect exhibition of its spirit by its professed adherents. Judging, either from the character of man and the structure of human society, or from the express intimations of scripture, we should be alike led to conclude, that no means are to have so immediate and powerful efficiency in bringing the whole world to its destined subjection to the Saviour, as the character and conduct of such as obey and learn of him. When his disciples are seen cheerfully bearing his yoke, and constantly inculcating by their life and conversation the great lessons they have learned of him, then it is that his dominion extends. But hitherto much the largest portion of his nominal disciples, have evinced that another master reigned over them, and that they were practising lessons never taught in the school of Christ. And grateful, indeed, would it be to be able to add, that no traces of a practical christianity thus defective can be found, where doctrines according to godliness are em

braced, where the authority of the Redeemer is acknowledged, and the pure and heavenly tendency of his instructions perceived and admired. Yet abounding

facts forbid it. Painful discrepancies between acknowledged belief and determined practice, meet us on every side. Were it not so common, it would surprise and shock us, to witness in the same individuals a most solemn public profession of obedience and devotedness to their Lord and Master, and a continued open denial and neglect of his authority and commands in their daily course of life-to see the same persons at one time in the posture of humble learners at the feet of their divine Teacher, and at another governed by the maxims and practising the lessons which are taught in the school of an ungodly world-at one time, by transactions of an import sufficiently solemn to make an angel tremble, sealing their professed consecration to the Saviour, and at another evincing by their conversation and deportment, that they are devoted to the world, are controlled by its spirit, and are making it their rest. These are facts which it is impossible to deny and unnecessary to explain. We see them prevailing around us. We see how they retard the advancement of the Saviour's dominion among men. We see that the world will not be converted to Christ, until those who regard themselves the subjects of such a conversion, better represent its nature and effects-until those who call themselves his followers, more carefully obey him, are more evidently taught of him, and more nearly resemble him. In a word, we see, or may see what strong reasons there are to fear, that many nominal christians in our purest churches will not be saved, and the great mass of those who are without the pale of a visible profession of piety, must go down to death, unless a higher standard of religion prevails among the friends of evangelical truth— unless they who assume the name of Christ, TAKE HIS YOKE UPON THEM, AND LEARN OF HIM WHO IS MEEK AND LOWLY IN HEART.

The great danger to the church at the present day is, that so many connect in their case, soundness of creed with unsoundness of heart, high profession with low practice of piety, great pretensions to spirituality with grievous marks of worldly mindedness, much zeal in religious talk with much deadness in religious tempers. Never was it more urgently important than now, that christians be referred to him whose name they bear, as their Master and Teacher, their Lord and Exemplar. On no principle whatever can they be entitled to his name, unless they bear his yoke, and submit to his instructions. It is in vain, that they call him Lord, unless they do whatsoever he commands them. Equally in vain is it for them to take the name of his disciples, unless they actually learn of him. But it is not a vain thing to obey and to be taught by him, for all who do thus, shall FIND REST UNTO THEIR SOULS. I shall, therefore, make it the object of this discourse to show the reasonabless and blessedness of such a

course.

enjoins two things on those These are subjection to his his instruction-a disposi

In the text the Saviour who come to him for rest. authority and submission to tion cheerfully to obey his commands and to be resigned to his allotments; and a readiness to be instructed by him.

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The Saviour enjoins on his followers subjection to his authority. TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU. The term yoke is figuratively used to denote servitude. Servants and subjects are said in scripture to be under the yoke. To take Christ's yoke upon us, is to place ourselves in the relation of servants and subjects to him, and then faithfully to discharge the duties of this relation. It is, in a word, to obey the gospel-to yield ourselves to the Lord. Now as a yoke naturally suggests the idea of hardship or oppression, to require those who are already weary and burdened, to assume it, might seem like adding burdens to the burdened, and afflic

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