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and give alms, provide bags that wax not old, a treafure in heaven that faileth not.-Go and fell that thou haft, and give to the poor, and thou fhalt have treafure in heaven; and come follow me." They go away joyful, doing as he bid them, knowing that they had in heaven a better and enduring fubftance, being begotten again to a lively hope of an inheritance incor ruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, referved in the heavens. Such a fort of a change was made by the gofpel on the firft difciples. They for fook all and followed him, whether they were fisher men, or publicans, or the three thousand, or Paul, or the strangers fcattered abroad to whom Peter writes. The world was at odds with them; looked upon them. as dead to the world; and they at as much odds with the world, being crucified, dead, and buried to it, and rifen to a better hope by the refurection of Christ.

Now as baptism was what the believers were called to as evidential of all this; for fo foon as the three thoufand believed Peter's preaching, they enquire," what they shall do?" His answer is," repent, and be baptifed;" as if he fhould fay, " repent of your former oppofition to a crucified Christ, come over on his fide, be baptised in his name, taking your lot with him”; I fay, as baptifm was what they were firft called to as evidential of this, they might be said to be buried with him in baptism: For however in danger any might seem to be of being taken in with that fect which was every where fpoken againft; yet while they were anbaptised, undetermined, their earthly friends conceived fome hopes of prevailing on them to fhun that fect, and have nothing to do with them. But being gone over on the Lord's fide, baptifed in his name, appearing quite determined to take their lot with him through poverty, reproach, or what ever he was pleafed to call them to, they are looked upon as dead and buried; as who fhould fay that day, "My: "My was baptifed. My "hopes in him were then buried, I ufed all means

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before, and conceived fome hopes of preventing ic him. But now they seem to be as much over, as "if he was dead, and buried." And thefe expreffions of being crucified, dead, and buried, and rifen with Christ, are what often occur in the writings of the apoftles, who knew if the knowledge of the gospel had not fome fuch effects as were fignified by thefe expreffions, it would be of no avail. And thus they agree with Jefus Chrift, who fays, "whofoever he be of you that forfaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my difciple." This was the cafe in the time of the first difciples. And though now the established form of Christianity in any place may be decently put on, and worn without all this; yet if any even in our day understand the gofpel as the firft difciples did, and contend for their faith and order, turning their back on every thing in religion that has not the authority of Chrift and his apoftles, and follow him wherever his word leads them; let them judge, if they find not fomething fimilar to what has been above described, in breaking from their old connexions? Or let fuch fay, who have loft their relations in this way, whether fomething fimilar was not their language that day their relative or friend profeffed faith in and fubjection to Jefus Christ ?

But to return from what appeared at firit view a digreffion, to the confideration of the glory of Chrift, as the God that forgiveth iniquities, that healeth difeafes, that is the object of the worship of angels, and of his church-that receives divine honours from the Father, whofe will it is, that all men fhould honour the Son even as they honour the Father.-The digreffion which has been made, illuftrates this fubject, as it fhews him fetting up his heavenly kingdom as the antitype of Ifrael after the flesh, imputing righteousness without works, and fo conftituting members of his kingdom by his own righteoufnefs, according to his fovereign pleasure; which appears in that his mercy

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is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteoufnefs unto childrens children, to fuch as keep his covenant, and remember his commandments to do them-and in the promife being to believers and their children. The Ift and 2d verfes of the xxxii. Pfalm, compared with Romans iv. 6. 7. fhews 'tis the prerogative of the Lord God alone thus to impute righteoufnefs without works: Which is undeniably evident in the case of infants, who have none. And that this is the cafe with every fubject of his kingdom, HE has determined, whofe prerogative it is to open, and none can fhut, and fhut, and none can open. Mark x. 14. Verily I fay unto you, whofoever fhall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he fhall not enter therein."

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To proceed, What follows in the 19th verfe of the ciii. Pfalm, confirms me in the apprehenfion, that it is agreeable to illuftrate the 17th and 18th verfes by comparing them (as I have done) with Acts ii. 39. For it is faid verfe 19. " the Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all,-which may be illuftrated by a comparison with Acts ii. 23. and verse 31. " therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the gift of the Holy Ghoft, he hath fhed forth this which ye now fee and hear." This exaltation of Jefus Chrift to his throne in the heavens, was manifest when he received of the Father the gift of the Holy Ghost, and shed it forth on his difciples, by fetting up his kingdom that fhall rule over all. In view of this, the angels are called upon "to blefs the Lord (verse 20) that excel in ftrength, that do his commandments, hearkening to the voice of his word." Thefe are faid to be "ministering fpirits, fent forth to minifter for them who shall be heirs of falvation." Hebrews i. 14. they being minifters in his kingdom, round the throne and the elders, and the living creatures, (Rev. vii. 11.) ready to do his commandments, hearkening to the voice

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of his word. They excel in ftrength. (Hebrew mighty in ftrength, according to the bible margin.) Their agility and might are employed for the promotion of his caufe and kingdom in the protection of his people, and deftruction of their enemies. Pfalm

xxxiv. 7. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." An inftance of this we have in Elifha, 2d of Kings vi. 17. "And he faw, and behold, the mountain was full of horfes and chariots of fire round about Elifha." What thefe chariots were we may fee by comparing Pfalm lxviii. 17. "The

chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels." With respect to their enemies, 'tis faid, pfalm xxxv. 5. "Let them be as chaff before the wind, and let the angel of the Lord chase them." verse 6. "Let their way be dark and flippery, and let the angel of the Lord persecute them." An inftance we have of this in 2d of Kings xix. 35. and 2d of Chronicles xxxii. 21. "And the Lord fent an angel-and the angel of the Lord went out that night-and deftroyed in the camp of the Affyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand.” Thefe angels are not only hearkening to the voice of his word, ready to do his commandments; but according to the direction in the text, "bless the Lord, ye his angels," they are round the throne, and round the redeemed church, ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thoufands of them, faying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to ceive power, and riches, and wifdom, and firength, and honour, and glory, and bleffing, Rev. v. 11, 12,

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There may be alfo refpect had to the miniftering fervants of this kingdom here on earth, which he gave as gifts to men at his ascension on high, namely, apostles, prophets, evangelifts, paftors and teachers, Are they not called the angels of the churches? Rev, i. 20. while the others are round the throne, and the redeemed

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These are for the per

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redeemed church in Heaven.
fecting of the faints, for the work of the miniftry, for
the edifying of the body of Chrift here upon earth.
Thefe may be faid to be mighty in ftrength; as the
apoftle fays, the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling
down of ftrong holds; cafting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalteth itfelf against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Chrift." 2d of
Corin. x. 4, 5.
These were thofe that did his com-
mandments, hearkening to the voice of his word.
"We ought (fay they) to obey God rather than man.”
These are among his hofts, the minifters of his that do
his pleafure-and are called upon in view of what is
celebrated in the foregoing Pfalm, to bless the
Lord, with all his works, in all places of his domi-
nion." And who that is led from a fearful looking for
of judgment and fiery indignation, as the juft defert
of his tranfgreffions, to know the much forgiveness,
loving kindness, and tender mercies, celebrated in the
foregoing part of this Pfalm, but will fay, "blefs
the Lord, O my foul " And who upon feeing that
the righteousnefs which procures forgiveness is to
childrens children of them that fear him, but will again
fay, when he looks on his children in hope of their shar-
ing in that mercy," blefs the Lord, O my foul?” espe-
cially when any of their infant offspring are taken
away by death, as the fruit of the divine displeasure
for the difobedience of the one man with whom they
were connected. The hope of righteoufnefs without
works reckoned unto them, will excite him to fay,

blefs the Lord, O my foul,-efpecially confidering that the worker of this righteousness is not only raised from the dead in proof of its being finifhed; but is exalted at the Father's right hand, head of all principalities and powers, and every name that is named, head of his body the church, and head over all things

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