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difappointing, difcouraging, and diftreffing the members of Chrift; that licencing and ordaining men of doubtful or dangerous principles; that protecting. the enemies of the reformed fyftem, weakning the hands of it's beft friends, forwardnefs in cenfuring difobedience to our own orders, delicacy in finding fault with the breach of God's commands, and fixing ~ paftoral relations without the least prospect of use-fulness; until we fee that an imitation of fuch meafures would feem good to the Holy Ghost,-I truft it will never never seem good to us.

By keeping, therefore, in our own spheres, and continuing to act in character, the difciples will still have caufe to rejoice" for the confolation,"-whenever our decrees are announced ;-diffenfions, meriting the fmalleft notice, will be prevented;-and the "unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," happily preferved.

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MATTH. xvi. 18.

Upon this rock I will build my church.

AS, in our times, men, have different notions of

Christianity; during our Lord's perfonal miniftry, they had various opinions concerning Chrift himself. Some faid, that he was "Elias "and others, Jeremias; or one of the prophets," verf. 14.

His difciples, alone, had just apprehenfions of him, and acknowleged him to be "Chrift, the Son "of the living God;" verf. 16. So belivers, only, are indowed with the faving knowlege of Christ and his Father. "For it is given unto" fuch to

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"know

*This fermon was preached on the 20th of April, 1769, at the admiffion of the reverend Mr. Collin Campbell to the parish of Renfrew.

"know the myfteries of the kingdom of heaven; "but to" others "it is not given." Chap. xiii. 11.

Peter and his fellow apoftles were indebted, for this faving knowlege, to Chrift's Father and their Father, to his God and their God; "for flesh and "blood (faid our Lord to Simon) hath not revealed "it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven," verf. 17. In like manner, that knowlege muft flow uniformly flow, in the fame channel to other finners. For "no man knoweth the Son but the

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Father," chap. xi. 27. and “no man can come "unto" Chrift "except it" be "given unto him "of" his "Father," John vi. 65.

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In calling and diftinguishing Peter, by name, our Lord difcovered the holy delight he had, in the firmnefs of faith, intrepidity of zeal, and fuccefs, as an apoftle, whereof that name was expreffive. "I fay unto thee, that thou art Peter," verf. 18. fhewing us, that as he knoweth and diftinguifh eth, fo," he calleth his own fheep by name," John. x. 3. And thewing, that our Lord is wonderfully pleafed-highly charmed, with their graces, attainments, and performances,... faying, "Let me "fee thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; "for fweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is "comely," Song ii. 14.

Having taken fuch notice of Peter's name,-in the words of my text, our Lord directed him and his brethren to a more glorious object, whofe "name is as ointment poured forth ;" and from whofe favour, the perfons, the names, the principlcs and the lives, of men derive all their excellence and value. "Upon this," rock faid he, pointing at himself, and not upon Simon Bar-jona, "I "will build my church."

What we propofe, in a dependance upon grace, is,

I. To

I. To confider what Chrift, is, according to this paffage,-A rock.

II. What he, here, promifeth,-Upon this rock, will build my church.

III. To improve the fubject, in a fuitableness to the occasion of our prefent meeting.

I. We are to confider what Chrift is, according to this paffage-a rock.

Here, it may be obferved, in general, that strictly fpeaking, the defcription of this glorious perfon, is a task infinitely beyond the capacity of angels themfelves; confequently, that a man of like paffions with others, is by no means equal unto it. For, "who (fays one infpired writer) can declare his "generation?" If. liii. 8. And, fays another, fpeaking of the Father, "What is his name, or "what is his Son's name, if thou canst tell ?" Prov. XXX. 3.

In the name, however, which our Lord here takes to himself, two things may be observed, in way of illustration.

1. That Canaan, being a rocky mountaneous country, afforded the happielt fhelter from fudden irruptions, and unexpected attacks of enemies.

The Old-teftament fcriptures furnish us with many inftances, wherein the Ifraelites retired to one or another rock, in the land of promife, for fafety, when furprized, or reduced to extremity. Accordingly, Balaam, alluding to this very circumftance, took up his parable, and said of the Kenites, "Strong "is thy dwelling-place, and thou puttest thy neft in 66 a rock," Num. xxiv. 21.

Agreeable to this metaphor, our Lord's very name, Jefus the Saviour, is expreffive of the protection and fafety that finners find, in his righteoufnels, perfections and providence as Immanuel;

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for, in the beautiful language of fcripture,..." a man "fhall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a "Covert from the tempeft: as rivers of water in a dry place, as the fhadow of a great rock in a

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weary land," If. xxxii. 2. And again, "The "name of the Lord is a ftrong tower; the righte

ous runneth into it, and is fafe," Prov. xviii. 10. -Safe from the penal demands of the law, and the vindictive wrath of the Law giver :- From the paw, alfo, of the roring devouring lion, and all his emiffarics among men. -Obferve,

2. That as this rocky country afforded shelter, fo it abounded with the richest provifion, for its inhabitants; for the mountains were covered with vines and olives, and the holes of the rocks were filled with fwarms of bees. Accordingly, we are told, that God made Ifrael" to fuck honey out of the "rock, and oil out of the flinty rock," Deut. xxxii. 13.

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Than this account of Palastine, nothing could be more expreffive of the liberal provifion which is made for the fouls of men in Jefus Chrift, and pointed out too, by the fame metaphor of a rock or mountain. "In this mountain (fays the prophet, Ifaiah) fhall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feaft of fat things -a feast of wines on the "lees, -of fat things full of marrow,-of wines "on the lees well refined," If. xxv. 6. Intimating, that fuch things are not more adapted and agreeable to the palate, than the words of Chrift, the ordinances of the gofpel, and the bleffings of his purchase are to the foul. Nay, in manifold experience, it hath been found, that the word of God,-revealing Chrift, and conveying falvation, is more favoury to the foul than wine and milk, oil and honey, marrow and fatnefs can be to the palate." How ́fweet (faid David) are thy words unto my taste !-yea,

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