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Let none imagine, that they are above the need of divine ordinances; nor yet let any fuppofe, that religion mainly confifts in the obfervance of them; but let all regard them as the means of holiness, and attend upon them, with a view to bring their fouls nearer to God in the love of his character, and in the practice of every duty.

Our fubject inftructs us, when we may be faid to enjoy God's prefence in religious worship. It is, when we draw near to him in fuch a manner, that the true end of worship is answered when a holy temper is increased, holy refolutions confirmed, an averfion to fin ftrengthened, and faith and humility promoted. It is not merely the elevation of affection in God's worship, which indicates his prefence with us: A better proof is the correfpond. ence of our hearts to the defign of his worship, which is the promotion of knowledge, faith, holinefs, charity, heavenlinefs, and conftancy in duty.

In a word, when we find, that God's ordinances make us better,we may conclude that we have been with him.

How great is the evil of fin! It is this which separates the foul from God. In nearnefs to him confifts the felicity of rational beings: Distance from him is their mifery ;-all pretences to happinefs are vain, while man is a stranger to God. Let him be furrounded with all the riches, honors and joys that the world can give; ftill, if he is far from God, he is far from happiness. He who is with. out God, 'has no hope. Do the fenfual and profane boaft of pleafures, when God is not in all their thoughts? How vain are thefe pleasures! How unfatisfying-how tranfient! In the moment of death they will vanish for ever, and leave the foul overwhelmed with forrow.

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Let us be afraid of every thing that tends to draw us away from God; and love every thing, which brings us nearer to him. Let us feck him

with our whole hearts; preferve daily communion with him; choofe his favor as our happiness, his fervice as our employment, his word as our guide, his ordinances as our refreshment, his house as the gate of heaven, and heaven as our eternal home,

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SERMON XV.

EPHESIANS ii. 1922.

Now therefore ye are no more firangers, but fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the Apofiles and Prophets, Jefus Chrift himfelf being the chief corner Stone; in whom all the building, filly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom you alfo are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

THESE Ephefian Gentiles, as the Apoftle obferves, had in times paft been aliens from the commonwealth or citizenship of Ifrael, ftrangers from the covenants of promife, without Christ, and afar off from God. But by the gofpel there was a great change made in their condition. They were brought near to God, and the enmity between the Jews and them was abolished by the blood of the cross, fo that both were now reconciled to God in one body, and were become one new man. "Therefore," fays the Apoftle in the text, "ye are no more strangers and foreigners," as ye were formerly," but fellow citizens with the faints, and of the household of God."

He defcribes the Chriftian church as a city or houfehold-He teaches us the nature of that founda

tion on which the building ftands-He fignifies that the building, for its performance and fecurity, muft be united to the foundation-and, finally, that it may grow into an holy temple, and be come an habitation of God; all the parts muft be framed into, and incorporated with one another.

I. The Apoftle reprefents the church of God under the figure of a city, and a houfehold.

1. A church must resemble a family or city, in refpect of order and government; for without thefe a religious fociety can no more fubfift, than a civil community, or a household.

In a city there must be laws to regulate the manners of the citizens, and officers to publish and adminifter the laws. So it must be in the church of God. The laws of this facred community are immediately inflituted by God himself; and by him officers are appointed to explain these laws, inculcate obedience to them, reprove the violations of them, and hold up to general view the folemn fanctions annexed to them. Though he does not directly indigitate the perfons, who are to act as officers in his church, yet he has prefcribed the neceffary qualifications for, and the mode of introduction to the inftituted office, and without a regular call and induction, no man has a right to affume a facred, any more than a civil function. As in a civil community every appointment to of fice must be agreeable to the conftitution; fo in the church, every appointment must be agreeable to the gospel, which is the great charter of its privileges. If in a state every man, who pleased, might ufurp the powers of magiftracy, and demand obedience from his fellow citizens, there would be nothing but riot and confufion: So it would be in the church, if every person, at his option, might officiate as a public ruler or teacher. In this cafe, a church would refemble Babel, rather than a well regulated city. Officers in Chrift's church are to

act, not as having dominion over the faith and confcience, but as being helpers of the knowledge and comfort of their fellow Chriflians. They are to apply the threatenings, and, in fome cafes, the cenfures of Chrift their Lord, for the conviction and reformation of the unruly; but they are not to act as Lords, over Chrift's heritage: Whatever authority they have, they are to ufe it only for ed ification, not for deftruation.

Now as God has inftituted government in his church, for the promotion of holiness and good works, fo to this government every one is bound to fubmit. What would you think of a man, who fhould profefs himself a citizen of the ftate, and yet fhould claim an exemption from its jurifdiction P Juft the fame muft you think of a man, who profeffes to be a Chriftian, and yet lives at large, without fubjecting himself to the difcipline of any Chriftian

church.

There are those who pretend to believe the gofpel, and who have much to say about the church, and yet never own themfelves fubject to Chrift's authority in it. They never have explicitly cov enanted to walk in communion with this, or that, or any other church of Chrift. They confider themfelves as totally exempt from Chriftian juris diction. Now why is not this as great an inconfiftency in the religious, as the fame conduct would be in the civil life. The truth is, every man who believes the gofpel, is bound to fubmit to all its plain inftitutions; and fince Chrift has ordained, that his difciples fhall unite in focieties for mutual watchfulness, edification and comfort, every man is obliged to comply with this inftitution, by walking in fellowship with fome Chriftian church. And they who imagine, they are not under the fame obligations as others, or are not fubjects of Christian difcipline equally with others, because they never have joined themfelves to any particu

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