tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain*." I must therefore warn all, but religious professors in particular, that " what they sow, they shall reap : he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption ; and he alone who soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting*."]
2. What a noble ambition has the true Christian !
[It is no inferior pattern that he is content to follow. He looks to see what God himself is to his creatures ; and that would he be to the utmost extent of his power. " He would be an imitator of God himself b;" and " as God is, so would he be in this world." Is God love? He would be love also; he would act nothing but love, and breathe nothing but love. O noble ambition! blessed object! sweet end of life! What a heaven would earth be, if all were of this mind and spirit! Come, beloved, and rise to the occasion. See what God is to the world at large : and be ye, according to your power, alike
benevolent, alike beneficent See also what God is to
his Church in particular : and be ye towards every member of that Church, so far as the individual himself is worthy of it,
alike complacent and affectionate0 In a word, let your
endeavour be, not only to be godly, but God-like; " holy as he is holy ;" and " perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."]
z Jam. i. 2G. a Gal. vi. 7, 8. b Eph. v. 1. the Greek.
c If this be a subject for a Charity Sermon, this clause, or the pre- ceding, may be amplified, according as the object of the Charity is of a temporal or spiritual nature.