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SERM. which are the most natural and affecting; V. expreffions of fuch penitence, as might be expected from a perfon, who, from being a violent perfecutor of Chriftianity, became a fincere convert to it. *I am the leaft of all the apostles, who am not meet to be called an apostle, because I perfecuted the church of God; but by the grace of God, I am what I am. Ye have heard of my converfation in time paft in the Jews religion, how that, beyond meafure, I perfecuted the church of God and wafted it. And I thank Chrift Jefus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he accounted me faithful, putting me into the miniftry, who was before a perfecutor, and blafphemer, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. To me, that am less than the leaft of all faints, is this grace given, that I Should preach amongst the Gentiles the unfearchable riches of Chrift. This is a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that fefus Christ came into the World to fave funers, of whom I am chief. Howbeit, for this caufe I obtained mercy, that in me first Chrift Fefus fhould fhew forth all long

1 Cor. xv. 9. || Ephef. iii. 8.

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fuffering, for a pattern to them, who should SERM. bereafter believe on him to life everlasting. V. These are expreffions, which do not at all favour of impofture; but seem to come from the heart. And as in these and fuch other paffages, we fee a deep fenfe of the evil, which he had done in perfecuting Christians, and oppofing himself to our Bleffed Saviour and his interests, so there is the utmost gratitude for the grace of God to him, and the most natural expreffions of an humble mind admiring the riches of it; we see a temper every-where difcovered, perfectly fuitable to the state of a person, who, with the deepest self-abasement for his past life, found himself, by the mercy of God, raised to the highest dignity in the Christian church, and to the most glorious hopes.

Again, how ftrong the expreffions of ardent love to our Bleffed Saviour, and zeal for his interefts in the world! If the apostle was at first an enemy to the religion of Christ, and a perfecutor of the profeffors of it, and afterwards became a true and hearty convert to it, in a manner and by means fo extraordinary, as he himself, in feveral accounts of his life, teftifieth;

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SERM. then indeed it was to be expected, that the V. fense of what he had been and done in enmity against our Saviour, and his caufe, should give a very peculiar warmth to his affection towards him, and a peculiar edge to his zeal. And accordingly, we meet with the most emphatical expreffions of thefe, every-where in his writings; his language feemeth to labour in expreffing what he felt. *The love of Chrift conftraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all once dead, that they, who live, fhould no more live to themfelves, but to him, who died for them and rofe again. What mean ye to weep and to break my heart, for I am willing, not only to be bound at Jerufalem, but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.

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‡ None of these things move me, neither account I my life dear unto myself, that I might finish my courfe with joy and fulfill the miniftry, which I have received of the Lord Jefus, to teftify the gospel of the grace of God. Yea doubtless, and I account all things lofs for excellency of the knowledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord, for whom I have fuf

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2 Cor. v. 14. + Acts xxi. 13. ‡ Ib. xx. 24. Philip. iii. 8. fered

fered the lofs of all things, aud count them SERM. but dung, that I may win Chrift—that I V. may know him and the power of his refurrection, and the fellowship of his fufferings, and may be made conformable to his death. -*God forbid, that I should glory, fave in the cross of our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world. Time would fail to mention all the paffages, which might be offered to illuftrate this. Every attentive reader must see, that the apostle is in conftant folicitude, that the highest honour may be done to our Saviour, and that he fheweth the most ardent love to him, and zeal for his caufe and religion, which he propagated to the laft, with all poffible patience of labour and fuffering, and even with a mind full of joy and triumph in them.

Farther, if the apoftle really defigned what only he professed to design; namely, the perfuading men to embrace Christianity, and to go into that courfe of life, which this religion prefcribeth as neceffary to prepare them for a happy immortality; if he had, in truth, the caufe of God, and the good of mankind in his aim, as what he

* Gal. vi. 14.

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SERM. intended by all means poffible to ferve Vin that cafe, it appeareth from his writings,

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and what we know of his life, that he took the most natural and proper methods, fit to ferve these ends, and no way fit to ferve any other. He laid before men the grounds and reafons, upon which he himself had embraced Chriftianity; and upon which all, who impartially confidered them, must be induced to embrace it: He gave abundant proof, that our Bleffed Lord was the promifed Meffiah, and Saviour of the world; endeavouring to establish his authority as head of the Chriftian church, and to fhew the importance of faith in him: He taught the abfolute neceffity of holinefs, to make men meet for the inhe-. ritance of the faints in light: He giveth a clear account of that pure, devout, liberal, and benevolent fpirit, which is the true Christian spirit; he fheweth clearly the oppofition, which ever must take place between this temper, and the genius and spirit of the world; the neceffity of subduing the latter, and of fubjecting all paffions and interefts to confcience and the fenfe of duty; he fully establisheth God's moral government, and teacheth, that

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