claiming any thing on the ground of his own worthi- ness, saying, " God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." He thankfully traces all his mercies to the covenant made from all eternity between the Father and the Son ; and to that covenant he looks, as " ordered in all things, and sure ;" and from his inmost soul he says of it, " This is all my salvation, and all my desire."
Moreover, as the duty of coming to Christ, so the duty of "living altogether by faith in Christ," the duty of abiding in him as branches of the living vine, of receiving from his fulness continual supplies of grace and strength, and of " growing up into him in all things, as our living Head;" the duty, I say, of making him " our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctirlcation, our redemption," our all, and of glory- ing in him, and in him alone; all this is heard by the true Christian with ineffable delight : he would that Christ should have all the glory : he sees it to be "right," that He who came down from heaven, and died upon the cross to save him, and ascended up on high, and has all fulness treasured up in him for the use of his Church and people, and who dwells in them " as their very life ;" I say, he sees it " right," that this adorable Saviour should " be exalted, and extolled, and be very high ;" yea, that he should be on earth, as he is in heaven, the one object of our adoration, and the continual theme of our praise. And, whilst a blind and ignorant world are ready to blame his zeal for the Redeemer's glory as carried to excess, his constant grief is, that he cannot love him more, and serve him better.
Nor is the true Christian less delighted with the moral precepts, not one of which would he desire to have relaxed or moderated in the smallest degree. Instead of wishing them to be lowered to the stand- ard of his attainments, or regarding them as grievous on account of their purity, he loves them for their purity6, and would esteem it his highest privilege to be conformed to them. He is well persuaded, that
e Ps. cxix. 140.