AND now, my dear friends, my design, even upon those who are really his chilupon the whole, is to excite you to a pro-dren. Look around you, and observe how per concern about the salvation of your active and violent wicked men are in the precious and immortal souls. It is not a service of Satan; their pace, like "the system of opinions that will carry any man driving of Jehu, the son of Nimshi, is to heaven: our knowledge of the truth swift and furious." With what zeal, with shall only serve to condemn us, if we do what carefulness, with what self-denial-I not receive the truth into our hearts, and had almost said, with what fear and tremsuffer it to influence both our temper and bling-do many of them work out their practice. I am far from thinking that men own damnation! "drawing iniquity with may be saved in any religion, however cords of vanity, and sinning as with a cart false, provided only they be sincere in the rope!" And will you be cold and neglibelief, and obedient to the dictates, of that gent, nay, timorous and shamefaced, in the religion they profess; but of this I am service of the true and living God? Oh! fully persuaded, on the other hand, that how unseemly, how scandalous, how burtno religion can save a man who is not ful were this! hurtful to yourselves, hurtserious in it, and who doth not yield him- ful to your fellow Christians, hurtful even self entirely to its government. Can it to the wicked with whom you converse; they avail us any thing, that we profess the true know that heaven and hell are in direct opreligion, if we ourselves are false to that position, and consequently that the roads religion? No, surely: The religion in which lead to them must be widely distant deed is good, but it is not our religion; it from each other; and therefore they will is our book that contains the true religion, never be persuaded that they shall be thrust but not our heart; and therefore it can down into utter darkness, if such as you, no more save us than the best food can who in appearance are treading the same nourish us, and preserve our life, which paths that they do, shall get to heaven at only standeth upon the table, or which last. Ungrateful servants! how hath your never goeth farther than our mouth. Redeemer deserved this at your hands? Is this the way to gain men's hearts to the love of holiness? Would you wish the world to write after so imperfect and blotted a copy as you set before them? I beseech, I obtest you, by all the regard you have for the glory of God, your own comfort, and the good of others, that henceforth you would distinguish yourselves more visibly from "the men of the world who have their portion in this life."

Let me therefore entreat you to comply with the apostle's exhortation in my text. I speak to you who are Christians indeed; because you alone are in a capacity of serving the Lord; for "they that are in the flesh," who were never cut off from the natural stock, and ingrafted into Christ the true vine, such persons, the apostle tells us (Rom viii. 8.), "cannot please God." They may perform the outward acts of duty, they may even do them with" Have no fellowship with the unfruitful a considerable degree of natural fervor; but all the while their most specious services are only dead works, offered up with strange fire," which cannot ascend to God with acceptance. I speak therefore to the living members of Christ, to those who are regenerated by the Spirit of God; and my request to you is, that, from this time forward, you should "stir up the gift of God that is in you," and be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

The declining interest of religion requires all the support you can give it. Men are wearing out of acquaintance with God; nor is it greatly to be wondered at, seeing his image is so faintly to be discerned,

works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Let Christianity be so deeply engraved on every part of your conduct, that he who runs may read whose servants you are, and thus God may be glorified in his saints. It is a mean, inglorious aim, merely to keep within the limits which divide the lawful from the forbidden ground. Show that you are men of "another spirit," by "following the Lord fully," and straining every nerve, as it were, to attain the highest perfection of which our nature is capable in its present imperfect state. Let faith realize to you the life of Jesus; and beg of God, for Christ's sake, that he, by his Spirit, may

SERMON XVI.

kindle that holy fire in your hearts, which | finitely possessed of all those perfections shall gradually consume all your dross, and which qualify him to govern the creatures carry you swiftly forward to the Zion above, he hath made. Two things we must be that imperial city of the great King, where, thoroughly persuaded of; first, That the like those flaming ministers who surround laws of our Sovereign are righteous and his throne, you shall serve God day and good; and, next, That he is both able night in his temple, without interruption, and willing to protect us in his service. without imperfection, and without weari- And indeed, my brethren, had we never ness. To which exalted felicity, may offended God, these views alone would God, of his infinite mercy, bring us all in have been sufficient inducements to follow due time, through Jesus Christ our Lord. him fully; but as we are guilty creatures, Amen. and liable to punishment, some farther discoveries are now become necessary. We need something to vanquish those fears of wrath, which would rather prompt us to fly from the presence of our Judge, than to make an uncertain attempt to pacify him by submission; some scheme. of grace must be opened to our view, by which pardon may be dispensed to the guilty, and strength imparted to the weak, in a way that appears consistent with the honor of the divine government. Nay, we must not only know that such a scheme exists, but we on our part must cordially approve of it; and, by our personal consent, ascertain our claim to that mercy and grace which it offers to sinners; that, being at peace with God, we may no longer dread him as an enemy, but love him as a Father, and serve him with joy, being assured that " our labor shall not be in vain.”

FOLLOWING GOD FULLY.

NUMB. XIV. 24.—“But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath FOLLOWED ME FULLY; him will I bring into the land whereunto he went; and his seed shall

possess it."

I PROPOSE to recommend to your imitation this illustrious servant of the most high God, whose name is recorded with such distinguished honor in the passage I have just now read in your hearing. Caleb followed the Lord fully, and obtained a glorious reward; and if we hope or wish to be rewarded as he was, reason teacheth us, that we should walk in his steps, and do as he did.

But what are we to understand by following the Lord fully? This question is first in order; and after I have endeavored to give a satisfying answer to it, I shall then proceed to press the duty by some motives and arguments.

LET us begin with inquiring what we are to understand by following the Lord fully. And here I must observe in the entrance, that no man can follow the Lord at all till once he be acquainted with him; "For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." A slavish, reluctant subjection there may be; but there cannot be a voluntary, far less an unreserved obedience, without affectionate trust and filial confidence. Before we can follow God, we must not only know that he is supreme, and hath a right to command; but we must likewise believe that he is worthy to command, and in

This being premised, as a necessary preparative for following the Lord fully, the duty itself may be considered as including the following particulars:

1st. That we acknowledge no other Lord beside him. One Lord we must have; for it is folly to imagine we can be independent and free. Man was made to serve; and nothing is left to him but the choice of his master. But more than one Lord we cannot have, unless by a derived or delegated authority. He who is su preme may appoint another to rule under him, and to enforce the observance of his laws; and when both concur in the same command, then both may be served by one act of obedience: but " no man can serve two opposite masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. We cannot serve God and Mammon.” And therefore to follow

the Lord fully is to follow him only; it is to make his will the sole and absolute rule of our conduct, in opposition to our own humor, the temptations of Satan, and the corrupt maxims of a world that lieth in wickedness.

ing to heaven by some clandestine, unfrequented path, as if we were ashamed of being seen, or afraid lest it should be known to what family we belonged: this is a sneaking, cowardly artifice; so base in itself, and so ungrateful to the kindest, as well as to the greatest and most honorable Master, that, were it not too commonly practised, one should scarcely think it needful to be mentioned.

in the parable, "when our Master returns, he may receive his own with usury." I further added, that we should behave after this manner at all times; that our conduct on every occasion may be consistent and uniform. The true servant of the Lord 2dly. To follow the Lord fully is to must always be one man, speaking the obey him without any reserve or limita- same language, and observing the same tion it is to serve him with an affection- conduct in every place and in every comate and liberal heart; and to do this at pany. Which leads me to a all times. Each of these might be con3d Remark of considerable importance; sidered apart; but I have chosen to join | namely, That to follow the Lord fully, is them together under one head, as they to follow him openly, and in the face of serve to illustrate and support one another. the world. We must not think of stealOur obedience, I say, must be without reserve or limitation; for unless we follow the Lord in all things, we cannot truly be said to follow him in any thing. We give cause to suspect, that when, in other instances, we perform the duties he enjoins, yet even in those we are governed by something else than a regard to his authority; and that, though we seem to follow him, yet, in reality, we are prosecuting some interested scheme of our own, and are seeking ourselves instead of serving our God. The universality of our obedience, then, is the only proof of our sin cerity; for "whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all." We do not follow the Lord fully, unless we follow him whithersoever he leadeth us, through the most rugged paths of self-denial and mortification, as well as in those smooth, delightful ways in which we find the most immediate advantage and pleasure. Again, we must serve him with an affectionate and liberal heart; continually asking such questions as these "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" and, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits?" The term following plainly implies this. A person may be dragged or driven against his will, but to follow is an act of choice; it denotes a voluntary and cheerful obedience; a service of love, which is not sparing or niggardly, but always deviseth liberal things. Would we then follow the Lord fully, we must be "ready to every good work; and not only embrace opportunities of service when they present themselves, but even seek out opportunities of improving those talents with which we are intrusted, that, as it is expressed

There are two extremes into which people are apt to run, and both ought to be guarded against with equal care. Some proclaim their religion as on the house tops; they love to talk of their high attainments, and discover an anxiety to make themselves observable, and to gain the admiration and applause of their neighbors. This our Saviour expressly condemns. Matth. vi. from the 1st to the 19th verse, where he tells his disciples, that they who fast, or pray, or give alms, to be seen of men, only serve themselves; and what is the consequence? It is but just they should be left to reward themselves as they can; for duties done with such an aim can never be accepted by God as any part of that religious homage he requires. Others again, from a false modesty and bashfulness, or perhaps a pretended dislike of ostentation and hypocrisy, run into the opposite extreme; they hide their light (if any light they have), they hide it, I say, "under a bushel," as the Scriptures express it. They go as great lengths as they dare, in a servile compliance with the humors and customs of the world; and even keep at an affected distance from every thing that might betray any serious impression of God upon their minds.

Now, the duty I am recommending lies.

son.

be

at an equal distance from both these ex- singular, but his singularity drew upon tremes. It is a profession that is neither him the resentment of his brethren. Orostentatious nor shame-faced; it neither ders were given "to stone him to death; courts observation nor avoids it. The and they were on the point of doing it, true follower of the Lord, keeping the when "the glory of God appearing in the laws of his Master continually in his eye, tabernacle," checked their fury, and properforms every duty in its place and sea-tected the life of this illustrious saint. It appears a small matter to him to Thus it was that Caleb followed the Lord judged of man's judgment;" he fully; and thus must we also do if we endeavors so to speak," and so to act, aspire to his reward. Instead of shrinknot as pleasing men, but God, which tri-ing at persecution, if that should be our eth the heart." He doth not shun the lot, we must rather "rejoice that we are view of his fellow-creatures, but is willing counted worthy to suffer shame" in the to give all who choose it an opportunity cause of our Lord; and even esteem it a of learning, from his conduct, the nature privilege, "that to us it is given, in the and spirit of that religion he hath embrac- behalf of Christ, not only to believe in ed. He feels, and practically acknowledg his name, but likewise to suffer for his eth, the divine authority of such precepts sake." as these: "Let your moderation be known The amount of all I have said is this: to all men; 11 "Provide things honest in If we would follow the Lord fully, after the sight of all men;" and, "Let your the pattern in my text, we must acknowllight so shine before men, that they may edge no other master besides him; we see your good works, and glorify your must obey him in all things; we must do Father which is in Heaven." His soul is this at all times; and serve "him with an alarmed with that awful declaration of our affectionate and liberal heart; not grudgSaviour (Luke ix. 26.) "Whosoever shallingly, or as of necessity;" for "the Lord be ashamed of me, and of my words, of loveth a cheerful giver." We must follow him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, him openly, and in the face of the sun; when he shall come in his own glory, and and then we must persevere in our attendin his Father's glory, and of the holy an- ance upon him, though no man should join gels." Would we then follow the Lord with us; nay, though earth and hell fully, we must confess him openly, and should unite their force, and both rise up dare to be holy in spite of devils and men. in arms to oppose us. We must "be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,-it? holding forth the word of life." Once more, in the

You have now seen the aim of my dis course; and may I not hope to succeed in

I am asking nothing that is unreasonable, nothing that you yourselves can find any pretence to refuse. All I ask is, in the

1st place, That you should be honest

men.

You call yourselves Christians and what is my request, but that you be Christians indeed? So that in reality it is the cause of your own honor I am pleading with you. A man of spirit and integrity is a character that universally commands esteem; but it is impossible to

4th place. To follow the Lord fully, is to cleave to him steadfastly when others forsake him; and to persevere in his service, even when it exposeth us to the world's hatred, and the persecution of wicked and unreasonable men. It was on account of this brave and honorable sin gularity that Caleb obtained the title of a man of another spirit. He was one of four, among some hundred thousands, who retained his loyalty to the King of hea-support that honorable character by any ven; for besides Moses and Aaron, and his own companion Joshua, it doth not appear that there was one dissenting voice in all the tribes of Israel; the revolt was universal, the whole congregation rebelled against their God. Nay, he was not only

other means than by following the Lord fully. Enemies you may have; I ought rather to have said enemies you shall have, some, perhaps, perversely and maliciously, who may slander you as hypocrites: but a steadfast and uniform

even

perseverance in holiness, if it disarm not rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” their malice, will at length confute their Which way soever he turns his eyes, the reproach. Whereas your swerving from prospect, on all hands, is dark and gloomy. duty, either to gain the favor of men, or Above, is the throne of an offended God: to avoid their displeasure, cannot fail to beneath, is the fire that shall never be expose you to their contempt and scorn. quenched; and within, he feels the gnawReward you they may; but Oh! how low ings of the worm that dieth not: so that must you sink in their esteem! And the creatures around him are his only rethen what a triumph will it give to the source; and these at best are "deceitful wicked, who only wait for your halting? brooks;-broken cisterns that can hold no How will it whet their tongues, and give water; "miserable comforters," which them an edge that shall pierce you to the delude him for a moment, and forsake quick? For this you may lay your ac- him at the time when he stands most in count with, that their censures of you need of them. "There is no peace, saith shall be far more severe and unmerciful my God, to the wicked;" but "light is than those they employ against others, sown for the righteous, and gladness for who make no profession of religion; nay, the upright in heart."--" Great peace," their censures shall be more severely felt said one who knew it by experience, by yourselves, because you will find some-"great peace have they that love thy law, thing within you that tells you they are and nothing shall offend them;" just. The hardened sinner can assume "the peace of God, which passeth all unan air of confidence and intrepidity; con- derstanding, shall keep their hearts and science being seared gives him no distur- minds, through Jesus Christ." bance within; so that his external appearance is all he hath to attend unto; but the sense of having acted wrong will draw your attention inward, and leave your with all our heart. A half religion must countenance to express every outward symptom of timidity and self-reproach. Whereas, by following the Lord fully, you shall by degrees acquire a firmness and independency of spirit, that will enable you at all times to behave with a genuine and well-supported dignity. This shall give you an irresistible superiority over the hearts of wicked men, which shall overawe them in secret, and constrain their homage, in the same proportion that half-converted people. They get a full it excites their hatred and envy. Thus we read, that "Herod feared John," even when he threw him into prison; and he feared him, as St. Mark informs us, purely upon this account, because he knew that he was a just and holy man.

2dly. The duty I am recommending is equally necessary to secure the inward peace and tranquillity of your minds: it contributes to your interest no less than to your honor. How miserable is the man who hath war and discord within his own breast! This is worse than death, for that only tears the soul from the body, whereas this tears the health, the life, from the soul itself. Such a person resembles "the troubled sea when it cannot

My brethren, we shall never taste the comforts of religion till we become thoroughly religious, and follow the Lord

always be a joyless thing. Persons of this mixt character must in great measure be strangers to pleasure in any kind. They have just as much religion as maketh sin bitter, and as much sin as renders religion unpleasant and what an insipid, disagreeable situation must this be! In respect of present enjoyment, the dissolute and unreserved slaves of the devil have manifestly the advantage of those

taste, at least, of such dreggy pleasure as sin can afford; but the others cannot even get at that much, and at the same time their dry constrained formality supplies them with nothing to make up for the want of it. Whereas he who followeth the Lord fully, possesses a joy infinitely superior to what the creatures can yield; nay, a joy that is altogether independent on the creatures.

Moreover, religion, when it is genuine and cordial, heightens the relish of every lawful comfort. Besides that natural sweetness which God hath put into many of the outward benefits he bestows, the true Christian can look upon them as the gifts of a reconciled Father, and pledges