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are in the world: if any man love the world, "the love of the Father is not in him *."

Once more.

There are fome who walk in the path of ambition. Pride and vain glory is the idol at whofe fhrine they bow. Thefe, indeed; may be divided into very different claffes. Pride, which may be called the mafter-paffion of the human frame, takes in the moft extenfive and univerfal range. There is fcarce any state in which it is not able to exert itself, scarce any circumftance which it is not able to convert into the means of its own gratification. All natural advantages which men enjoy over others, whether in refpect of body or mind; all the additional trappings of fociety, viz. wealth, ftation, and office; all acquired advantages, intellectual, or even moral, become the fuel of pride. As fome endeavour by extraordinary actions to spread their fame in public life, others, though in a narrower sphere, are under the habitual government of the fame defire. While great men are taking cities, and deftroying kingdoms, to get themselves a -name, others of meaner rank are vying with one another in drefs, furniture, and equipage, or fuch inferior arts as they have been able to attain. Nay, thofe who never did any thing that could merit praife, too often fhew themselves under the government of the moft hateful and detested kind

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of ambition, by a rancorous malice and envy against fuch as excel or outfhine them. We may go a step farther, and fay, there is great reason to believe, that in fome the cultivation of their minds, long and affiduous application to study, zealous and fuccefsful endeavours to promote the public good, ought to be afcribed to no other fource, to no higher motive.

I thought I could not fall upon any way to illuftrate this part of my subject, which would make it more intelligible, than to give this fhort view of the characters and purfuits of the men of the world; and then to obferve, That the change in regeneration doth properly confift in a ftrong inward conviction of the vanity of worldly enjoyments of every kind; and a perfuafion, that the favour and enjoyment of God is infinitely fuperior to them all. Whatever other differences there may be, this will be found in every child of God, from the highest to the loweft, from the richest to the pooreft; from the wifeft to the most ignorant; and from the oldest to the youngest. Every fuch one will be able to fay with the Pfalmift," There be many that "fay, Who will fhew us any good? Lord, "lift thou up the light of thy countenance‹ "upon us. Thou haft put gladnefs in my heart, "more than in the time that their corn and "their wine increafed. I will both lay me "down

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"down in peace, and fleep, for thou, Lord, "only makeft me dwell in fafety *."

I fhall afterwards have occafion more fully to explain the comparative influence of this defire; but before I conclude this fection, muft make the two following remarks: 1. That the favour of God muft appear to the believer as abfolutely neceffary to his comfort. 2. As full and fufficient for that purpose.

1. He that is born again, confiders the favour of God as abfolutely neceffary to his comfort. He fees the emptinefs and inherent vanity of all things elfe. Even when the world. fmiles, even when things fucceed with him to his wifh, he will not reft fatisfied with any, or all temporal mercies. He will, above all, defire an intereft in that love which God beareth to his

chofen people;" a right by promife or covenant to the use of prefent comforts, and the favour and protection of his fpecial providence. How contrary this to the temper of many, who have a name to live while they are dead? If the world fmiles, they follow it with eagerness, and embrace it with complacency, while they are cold and indifferent in their defires towards

God. Perhaps, when they are diftreffed with outward calamities; when experience constrains them to confefs the vanity of the creature, they * Pf. iv. 6, 7, 8.

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cry to God for relief. But when eafe and profperity return, they foon forget his works, are well pleased with their condition, and neither grieve for his abfence, nor are afraid of his anger. This fhews plainly, that whatever occafional fymptoms they may difcover, they are fupremely and habitually poffeffed by a love of the world, and defire of fenfual gratification. In oppofition to this, every real chriftian fees the favour of God to be fo abfolutely neceffary, that he cannot be without it. He fees it to be more neceffary than riches, honours, or pleafutes; nay, than health, or even life itself; all which he values chiefly as they are the fruits of the divine bounty, as tokens of divine love, and as they afford him an opportunity of promoting the divine glory. He is ready to fay with the Pfalmift, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and' "there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee: ¢ my flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever *""

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2. He that is born again, confiders the fa vour of God as full and fufficient for his comfort and happiness. That is to fay, he is habi-, tually fatisfied with this as his portion, whether there be abundance or ftraitnefs as to outward provifion. He counts the favour of God as absolutely necessary, but nothing else is con fidered as fuch. No carthly enjoyments can fa* Pf, lxxiii, 25, 26.

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tisfy him without God's favour; but this will fatisfy him, be his outward condition what it will. I am far from meaning to affirm, that every good man is free from the leaft rifing murmur, the leaft impatient or rebellious thought. If it were fo with any man, he would be perfect in holiness; but I mean to fignify, that this is his habitual and prevailing temper. He is inwardly convinced, that thofe alone are happy; and that they are, and shall be, compleatly happy, who are reconciled to God, and the objects of his fpecial love. His own remaining attachment to prefent things, and immoderate forrow under outward calamity, he fincerely laments as his weakness, and humbly confeffes as his fin. He endeavours to fupply the void left by every earthly comfort, when it is withdrawn, by the fulness and all-fufficiency of God.. He poffeffes, in fome measure, and breathes after more and more of the temper expreffed in the two following paffages of fcripture: "Al

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though my houfe be not fo with God, yet "he hath made with me an everlafting cove

nant, ordered in all things, and fure; for "this is all my falvation, and all my defire *." "Although the fig-tree fhall not bloffom, nei"ther fhall fruit be in the vines; the labour "of the olive fhall fail, and the field fhall yield 2 Sam. xxiii. 1.5.

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