are knit together: from the lowest to the top ftone of the heavenly building, CHRIST is the. the life, the fupport, the glory of the whole fabric; he is all in all. READER, beware that thou reject him not by attempting to reft thy foul on any but CHRIST, for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is JESUS CHRIST. 3. OBSERVE that JEHOVAH, GOD Almighty the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft are fworn together to establish CHRIST upon his throne a king, and a priest for ever; and notwithstanding the murmuring of his rebellious foes, he fhall be loved and adored by an innumerable multitude of elect men and angels; by whom the latter are established in their glorious eftate in the heavens; and the former he hath redeemed with his own blood; for fo was the will of God, that after CHRIST had made peace by. the blood of his crofs, he might by him reconcile all things unto himself, both things in heaven and things in earth, and at the fame time bring down the high looks of the proud, and make his foes his footftool. 4. GOD made man as it feemed good in his fight, and for his own glory; with whom took be counfel? * Coll. i. 20. L counfel? Adam could not be confulted with, fo he had no exiftence untill GoD had created him. Man is therefore a dependent creature; he abfolutely depends upon his creator and upon him only: let him then be thy fear, to him bring all thy complaints; and fpread all thy wants before his face, for God is gracious; able alfo to fave theer from all evil, and to fupply all thy need: deny him not by trufting in an arm of flesh, or de pending on a creature as impotent and helpless as thyfelf, for the LORD is a jealous God; but they that fear him, and truft in his mercy fhall want no manner of thing that is good: whatever ex cellence or good thing thou enjoyeft is of God, to whom thou art indebted for every good gift, whether natural, moral, or fpiritual: what haft thou that thou didst not receive? Men feldom mifcarry in their religious purfuits by thinking too meanly of themselves; rather most men come short of the prize by thinking of themselves more highly than they ought to think; therefore be not high minded, but fear. 5. As God did not make man at first equal to the angels; fo neither did he fet him on a level with the beafts that perifh; but did, as it were, unite together in man both these natures, the bru tal, and angelic; yet without fin: into man he breathed a rational immortal foul whereon, his own facred image was engraven and impreffed.-It behoves us then not to live beneath our honourable ftate and condition in which God hath placed us, nor presumptuously to aim at being GODS.---By afpiring to be as the angels, whilft dwelling on the earth, we are guilty of pride and rebellion against GOD.---On the contrary, by finking into mere brutal enjoyments, and excefs of animal pleasures, we depart from GOD, and flight the bleffedness of communion with him: The body 'tis true hath fenfitive appetites, but thefe ought not to govern and rule the rational foul, but to obey and be in fubjection: It is a reproach to us unbecoming the dignity of the human nature, to be led by our carnal fenfe as if we were altogether upon a level with the brute creation.---Let us therefore make no provifion for the flesh to fulfil its rebellious and inordinate lufts; for if ye live after the flesh ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body ye shall Live + 6. In the beginning GoD created every thing very good, he made man upright, holy and happy; therefore GOD is not the Author of man's fin and mifery, but man by difobedience hath made himself va finner, and fubject to wrath: Lay not therefore the blame of thy fin and folly upon God, for he is holy, juft and good, all whofe works praife him: but acknowledge thine iniquity, and humble thyfelf 1 Rom. viii. 13. thyfelf before him whofe holy law thou haft broken, and whose government thou haft despised for God is rich in mercy unto all them that call upon him: But remember and forget not that by JESUS CHRIST he created thee, and by him alone canft thou be reftored to his favour, who bath made peace by the blood of bis Crofs; look therefore to CHRIST if thou wouldst find GOD reconciled, and be at peace with him---And know affuredly, that GOD only who created thee at firft, can re-create, and make thee a new creature; which as at the beginning doth consist in knowledge in the understanding, righteousness in the will, and holiness in the affections. If by grace (for grace alone can restore thy foul) thou art led to Jefus the fecond Adam who was crucified; his blood will purge thy guilty confcience, and wash thee from all thy filthiness; his obedience also will present thee righteous before God; and his fpirit, (thro faith) renew thee in the spirit of thy mind, and fanctifie thy polluted affections: fo that thy foul will again be poffeft of the divine image, and GOD will be glorified in thee by JESUS CHRIST: when this Day Star is rifen in thy heart; then, and not before will the eyes of thy understanding be opened to understand the scriptures, and thy heart be circumcised to love the LORD thy GOD in fincerity and truth; and then thou wilt acknowledge with a joy that no ftranger can intermeddle with |