[Privilege and duty are so connected, that they can never under any circumstances be sepai'ated from each other; and any attempt to separate them will infallibly issue in our ruin. A kingdom has been given us, it is true: and " the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." But ye must " serve God," and serve him too " with reverence and godly fear." We must not presume upon his mercy, or take occasion from it to indulge in carelessness and supineness. We must never forget with what a God we have to do. " He is a great God, and greatly to be feared." Though his dispensations are altered, he himself is not altered : " He is a consuming fire" now, as much as he was in the day that he proclaimed his law from Mount Sinai : and he must still " be had in reverence of all them that are round about him""." True, indeed, we are not now to "fear and quake before him," as the Israelites, and Moses himself, then did : for " he has not given us the spirit of bondage again to fear, but a Spirit of adoption, whereby we may cry, Abba, Father^ :" but still we must " stand in awe of him*," and fear to offend him, knowing that " he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity without the utmost abhorrence of it^'." In whomsoever wilful sin is found, he will visit it with fiery indignation ; and most of all in those who profess them- selves his servants''. " If we regard iniquity in our hearts, he will not hear us," or acknowledge us. We must seek to " be holy, as he is holy ;" and " perfect, as he is perfect :" and the circumstance of our having been " sealed by him unto the day of redemption," is a reason why we should be more than ever careful, not either by word or deed, and, if possible, not even by a thought, to "grieve his holy Spirit^." Our labour should be to have " our every thought brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ^." It is in this way alone that we can serve God " acceptably :" and in this way alone that we can prove our title to the kingdom which we profess to have received.]
For strength to do this, we must seek his grace from day to day —
[We have no strength in ourselves even for a good thought*: " Without Christ we can do nothing^." But there is a fulness of grace treasured up in him ; and out of his fulness must we continually receive those supplies of grace which we stand in need of'=. We must not be satisfied with such a measure of grace as may suffice to bring us to God : but must labour for
r Ps. Ixxxix. 7. ^ Rom. viii. 15. * Ps. ii. 11. and iv. 4.
u Hab. i. 13. ^ Amos iii. 2. y Eph. iv. 30.
z 2 Cor. X. 5. a 2 Cor. iii. 5. ^ John xiv. 5.
c Col. i. 19. with John i. 10.