2322.1 Abraham's life a pattern for ours. 393
order that you may obey it ? Inquire also, what influence the world has over you ? If you belong to Christ, though you are in the world, you are not of it : " you are not of the world, even as Christ was not of the world' :" you love it not, nor any thing that is in it: " the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, are shunned by you as ensnaring, and despised by you as unsatisfying™." " The very friendship of it you avoid, as enmity with God":" you " come out from it" ;" and will " not be conformed to it? :" you are even *' crucified unto it, and esteem it as a crucified" object in your eyes^. Say, is it thus with you ? and do you regard it thus in refer- ence to your children, as well as unto yourself; contented that your children after you should live in tents, if only they may attain an everlasting inheritance ? The description of all true Christians is, " They walk by faith, and not by sights" And surely it is no difficult thing to ascertain what your habits are in this respect. Oh ! remember, that if you are not Abraham's sons, you have another father, even the devil. This may sound harsh ; but it is the declaration of Him who " spake as never man spake ^" I pray you, leave not such an interesting subject any longer in suspense : nor rest till you have given evidence that you are " Abraham's seed," by walking as Abraham "walked, and as Christ himself also walked*."]
2. How you may become so —
[It was by faith that Abraham was brought into a justified state : and by faith are we also to be made partakers of that happiness. By our works we must prove our relation to him ; but by faith only can we ohtain an admission into his family. We must believe in the promised Seed, as he did ; and then shall we be Christ's, as he was: " And, if we be Christ's, then are we Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise"." Now it is of the utmost importance that we understand this matter well. For there are many who imagine, that to se- quester themselves from the world is meritorious, and to live as monks or hermits is to secure the favour of their God. But this is a fatal error. There is no acceptance with God but by Jesus Christ, even by faith in his atoning blood. The Apostle especially guards us on this head. Abraham was circumcised : yet his righteousness came not by circumcision, but by the faith which he had whilst he was yet uncircumcised^. So it is not by any obedience of ours that we are to purchase an in- heritance in heaven ; we must receive it as the free gift of God
> John xvii. 14 — 16. " 1 John ii. 15, 16. " Jam. iv. 4.
" 2 Cor. vi. 17. " Rom. xii. 2. i Gal. vi. 14.
r 2 Cor. V. 7. ^ John viii. 38 — 44. ' 1 John ii. 6.
" Gal. iii. 6, 7, 29. ^ Rom. iv. 9—11.