am alive unto God, as Christ himself is ; and must live unto God, as Christ himself does. There is not an act performed by Christ either in providence or grace, which has not respect to the glory of his Father : so, " whether I eat, or drink, or whatever I do, I must do all to the glory of Godg." As for being satisfied with any lower standard, it is impossible : my Christian profession utterly forbids it. Those who seek to be justified by their works, may be satisfied with such a tale of bricks, as shall, in their apprehension, screen them from punish- ment ; but I can be satisfied with nothing but a perfect con- formity to Christ. My lusts that are crucified, shall never (God helping me) come down from the cross : there they are doomed to perish : and the sooner they die, the better. My new life shall be spent as Christ's is, in executing the office as- signed me, and in glorifying my God. Christians, this is the state to which you are to aspire ; and if you rest in any thing short of this, you are not worthy of the Christian name.]
In this subject we may see,
1. The proper tendency of the Gospel —
[The proper tendency of the Gospel is, to " sanctify us wholly," and to make us pure, as Christ himself is pureh. And let the enemies of the Gospel calumniate it ever so much as tending to licentiousness, they shew that they believe it to be a doctrine according to godliness, by the excessive offence which they take at the smallest inconsistency in the Christian's con- duct. If they did not know that his principles required, and tended to, the highest possible perfection, why are they so offended, and why do they exult so much, at the smallest imperfection? The proper tendency of the Gospel then is holiness, the enemies themselves being judges.]
2. The true criterion whereby to judge of our faith
in Christ —
[We will not disparage other parts of Christian expe- rience ; but the only safe test whereby to try ourselves, is, the
degree in which we are dead to sin, and alive to God
" The tree must be known by its fruits" ]
3. The connexion between our duty and our hap- piness—
[We have fixed the standard of Christian duty high. True : but does any one doubt, whether such a conformity to Christ be not also our truest happiness? Verily, heaven itself consists in this : " We shall be like him, when we shall see him as he is'."]
s 1 Cor. x. 31. h 1 Thess. v. 23. 1 John iii. 3.
' 1 John iii. 2.