to act in character as loyal fubjects of the King of heaven and whoever forgets this part of his cha❤ racter, or acts contrary to it, fhews a great degree of felf-ignorance.

But, (2.) As the creatures of God, we are not only the fubjects of his kingdom, but the children of his family. And to this relation, and the obligations of it, muft we carefully attend, if we would attain the true knowledge of ourfelves. We are his children by creation; in which refpect he is truly our Father. * But now O Lord, thou art our Father: we are the clay, and thou our Potter; and we all are the work of thine hands. And in a more special fense we are his children by adoption. † For ye are all the children of God by faith in Chrift Fejus.-And therefore (1.) we are under the highest obligations to love him as our Father. The love of children to parents is founded on gratitude for benefits received, which can never be requited; and ought in reason to be proportioned to those benefits. And what duty

more natural than to love our benefactors? What love and gratitude then is due to him, from whom we have received the greatest benefit, even that of our being, and every thing that contributes to the comfort of it? (2.) As his children, we must honour him; that is, must speak honour

*Ifai. lxiv. 8.

† Gal. iii. 26.

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ably

ably of him, and for him; and carefully avoid every thing that may tend to dishonour his holy name and ways. * A fon honoureth his father :-if then I be a father, where is mine honour ?—(3.) As our Father, we are to apply to him for what we want. Whither fhould children go but to their father for protection, help, and relief, in every danger, difficulty, and distress ?—And (4.) We must trust his power and wisdom, and paternal goodness, to provide for us, take care of us, and do for us that which is beft; and what that is he knows beft. To be anxiously fearful what will become of us, and difcontented and perplexed under the apprehenfion of future evils, whilft we are in the hands and under the care of our Father who is in heaven, is not to act like children. Earthly parents cannot avert from their children all the calamities they fear, because their wisdom and power are limited; but our all-wife and almighty Father in heaven can. They may poffibly. want love and tenderness, but our heavenly Father cannot, Ifai. xlix. 15.-(5.) As children, we muft quietly acquiefce in his difposals, and not expect to fee into the wifdom of all his will. It would be indecent and undutiful in a child to difpute the authority, or question the wisdom, or neglect the orders of his parents every time he could not difcern the reafon and defign

*Mal. i. 6.

'thereof.

thereof. Much more unreasonable and unbecoming is fuch a behaviour towards God, who giveth not account of any of his matters; whofe judgments are unfearchable, and whose ways are paft finding out*.-(Lastly,) As children, we must patiently fubmit to his difcipline and correction. Earthly parents may fometimes punish their children through paffion, or for their pleasure; but our heavenly Father always corrects his for their profit, and only if need be†, and never fo much as their iniquities defervet.-Under his Fatherly rebukes then let us be ever humble and submiffive. Such now is the true filial difpofition." Such a temper and fuch a behaviour should we fhew towards God, if we would act in character as his children.

These then are the two fpecial relations which, as creatures, we ftand in to God. And not to act towards him in the manner before mentioned, is to fhew that we are ignorant of, or have not yet duly confidered our obligations to him as his fubjects and his children; or that we are as yet ignorant both of God and ourfelves. Thus we fee how directly the knowledge of ourfelves leads us to the knowledge of God. Sɔ true is the obfervation of a late pious and very worthy divine, that "He that is a stranger to * Job xxiii. 13. Rom. xi. 33. Heb. xii. 10. † 1 Pet. i, 6

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Ezra ix. 13.

“himself,

"himself, is a stranger to God, and to every thing that may denominate him wife and "happy (q)."

But (2.) In order to know ourselves, there is another important relation we fhould often think of, and that is, That in which we stand to Jefus Christ our Redeemer.

The former was common to us as men; this is peculiar to us as Chriftians, and opens to us a new scene of duties and obligations, which a man can never forget, that does not grofsly forget himself. For, as chriftians, we are the difciples, the followers, and the fervants of Chrift, redeemed by him.

And, (1.) As the difciples of Christ, we are to learn of him. To take our religious fentiments only from his gospel, in oppofition to all the authoritative dictates of men, who are weak and falJible as ourfelves. Call no man mafter on earth. Whilft fome affect to diftinguish themselves by party-names, as the Corinthians formerly did, (for which the Apoftle blames them) one saying, I am of Paul; another, I am of Apollos; another, I am of Cephas, let us remember that we are the difciples of Chrift; and in this fenfe make mention of his name only. It is really injurious to it, to (q) See Mr. Baxter's Dedicatory Epistle, prefixed to his Treatife on the Benefits of Self-acquaintance.

1 Cor. i. 12.

feek

feek to diftinguish ourselves by any other. There is more carnality in fuch party-diftinc tions, denominations, and attachments, tham many good fouls are aware of; though not more than the apostle Paul (who was unwillingly placed at the head of one himself) hath apprised them of *—We are of Chrift; our concern is, to honour that fuperior denomination, by living up to it. And to adhere inflexibly to his gofpel, as the only rule of our faith, the guide of our life, and the foundation of our hope, whatever contempt or abufe we may fuffer either from the profane or bigotted part of mankind for fo doing.-(2.) As chriftians, we are followers of Chrift; and therefore bound to imitate him, and copy after that most excellent partern he hath fet us, who hath left us an example, that we fhould follow his ftepst. To fee that fame holy temper be in us which was in him; and to discover it in the fame manner he did, and upon like occafions. To this he calls us, and no man is any further a chriftian than as he is a follower of Chrift; aiming at a more perfect conformity to that most perfect example which he hath fet us of univerfal goodness.-(3.) As chriftians, we are the fervants of Chrift; and the various duties which fervants owe to their mas* Cor. iii. 4. † Pet. ii. 21. ↑ Mat. xi. 29.