«« 1 Pet. ii. 9. Col. i. 13.
1719.] Christ's good confession. 1G1
respond with the character here given. Whatever they may profess, they are not his: they may call themselves Christians; but he calls them traitors, rebels, enemies.]
Address —
1. Those who never yet submitted to Christ's government —
[Whose are ye? There are but two monarchs, who divide the whole world between them ; and these are, Christ and Satan. If then you have never been smitten with that " two-edged sword, the word of truth ;" if you have never been so deeply wounded, that nothing but the "balm of Gilead" could heal you; if you have never cast down the arms of your rebellion, and surrendered up yourselves to Christ, we must, say of you, as Christ himself did of the Jews, " Ye are of your father the devil n." And if you are Satan's vassals, from whom, and with whom, must you expect your reward ? Let this question come home to your hearts ; and choose ye this day " whose ye will be, and whom ye will serve0."]
2. Those who are afraid to yield themselves up to Christ—
[Alas! that any should be deterred by fear or shame from acknowledging Christ; when he braved even the most cruel death, rather than deny the office which he bore for us ! What can be your loss or pain, when compared with his ? What is the contempt poured upon you, when compared with the accursed death of the cross to which he submitted for your sakes ? Per- haps you expect to be acknowledged as his subjects, though you shun the odium of acknowledging him as your king. But this cannot be ; for those who deny him shall be denied by him ; and those only who confess him, shall be confessed by him in the presence of his Father, and of his holy angels p.]
3. Those who call themselves his subjects — [What our heavenly King said of himself, may be fitly
applied to all his subjects ; " For this end were ye born, and for this cause came ye into the world, that ye should bear witness unto the truth." Ye are to be God's witnesses in the world : " ye are to be as lights," and " as a city set on a hill." Let it appear then that " the truth has made you free V Let it be seen in you, that truth will rectify, not only the errors of the mind, but the propensities of the heart ; and that, when it is " mighty through God, it will bring every thought and desire into captivity to the obedience of Christ1.*"]
n John viii. 44. ° Josh. xxiv. 14. p Matt. x. 32, 33.
Q John viii. 32. * 2 Cor. x. 4, ">.
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