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III. To confider the MARKS OF DISTINCTION between thefe characters. "In THIS the children of "God are manifeft, and the children of the devil."

In what? Not in temporal fuccefs. This is given or withheld too indifcriminately to allow of our knowing love or hatred. In this "all things come alike to all: "there is one event to the righteous and to the wickAs is the good fo is the finner, and he that "fweareth as he that feareth an oath."

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In what? Not in religious profeffion. Judas and Demas were both visible members of the church of God. There have always been many who had a name to live while they were dead; and affumed a form of godliness while they denied the power thereof. In our day all this is too cheap to be valuable; too common to be diftinguifhing.

In what? Not in talking; not in controverfy; not in a found creed'; not in the pronunciation of the Shibboleths of a particular party. How few in anfwering this question would have adduced THE PRACTICE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND THE EXERCISE OF LOVE! But fuch is the diftinction of our Apoftle. In THIS the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; he that DOETH NOT RIGHTEOUSNESS is not of God, neither he that LOVETH NOT HIS BROTHER.

And here we may obferve, Firft. The manner in which the fubject is expreffed. It is held forth NEGATIVELY; nor is this without defign. It reminds us that omiffions decide the character even where there is no pofitive vice. It is the representation of the ungodly that he hath left off to be wife and to do "good." The "unprofitable" fervant is called a

"wicked" one; and condemned, not because he abused his talent, but because he " hid it in a napkin.” And " every tree that BRINGETH NOT FORTH GOOD "FRUIT is hewn down and caft into the fire: he that "doeth NOT righteousness is not of God, neither he "that loveth NOT his brother,"

Secondly. The UNION of thefe excellencies is worthy of our notice. We commonly fee them com bined in the Scripture. It is faid of a good man, "He is gracious and full of compaffion, and righteous." "He hath difperfed, he hath given to the poor; his " righteousness endureth for ever." It is faid alfo, that "Pure and undefiled religion before God and "the Father is this, to vifit the fatherless and wid❝ows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspot+ << ted from the world." And this enables us to recti. fy the mistake of those who are always endeavouring to feparate what God has joined together. Some place their religion entirely in charity, and in one equivocal exercise of it; for all they mean by charity is alms-giving, and "this covers a multitude of "fins." And fome truft in themselves that they are righteous and despise others, who never feem to have read that the end of the commandment is charity "out of a pure heart and a good confcience and faith "unfeigned;" that "charity is the bond of perfect"nefs;" that "by this fhall all men know that we "are his disciples if we love one another."

Thirdly. From these arifes a CRITERION, by which we are to judge of the reality and genuineness of religion. Not that these are the only marks which we are to employ; there are many other evidences

in the Scriptures, and fome of them of a more experimental kind, which we dare not depreciate; but all the reft will be vain and delufive if unaccompanied with this righteousness and this love. These are the never-failing confequences of Divine Grace. Thefe. enter deeply into the character. These are indifpenfable. By these we shall be tried hereafter; by these we should form our judgment here. The judge himfelf proposes this rule. "In this the children of God

are manifeft, and the children of the devil: he that "doeth not righteousnefs is not of God, neither he "that loveth not his brother."

Let me conclude by calling upon you to think of this, in forming a judgment of others. It is a feri. ous thing to deprive a fellow-creature of religion, and to exclude him from eternal life; and what authority have you for doing fo, if his life be exemplary, and righteousness and charity blend and prevail in his character? You fay, perhaps, a man may appear to poffess these things when he is a ftranger to the reality, or his practice may flow from no inward or gracious principle. We allow this; and it becomes fuch a perfon to examine himself, to fee whether his heart be right with God, and whether his views and his difpofitions be fuch as the Gofpel requires; but when I form a judgment concerning him, the cafe is materially altered; I have nothing to do with his motives; I cannot fearch his heart; his life and converfation only fall under my cognizance, and these are my rules, "by their fruits ye fhall know them." When will this neceffary difference influence the opinions of individuals? When will it be regarded by our churches in the

admiffion of members to communion? When we find nothing objectionable in a candidate, who tells us to keep him back till we find fomething fatisfactory ? In this "the children of God are manifeft, and the children "of the devil: he that doeth not righteoufnefs is not "of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."

Above all, do not forget thisin judging YOURSELVES. I préfume you wish to know your fpiritual condition, and that you are not willing to leave your eternal falvation to a mere peradventure-Perhaps, I fhall be faved; perhaps, I fhall be loft !! "Wherefore, Breth"ren, give all diligence to make your calling and elec❝tion fure." But beware how you proceed in the inquiry. Remember that there are marks and evidences which cannot lead you to a certain and fafe conclufion. Do not place your confidence in fpeculative opinions; be not influenced by particular feelings, which having much of animal nature in them, may fometimes elevate and fometimes deprefs you while your state is the fame; do not wait for fudden impreffions, and vifionary fuggeftions; but remember that the witness and the feal of the fpirit are his work and influences; "hereby we know that we dwell in "him and he in us, becaufe he hath given us of his "Spirit ;"" if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, "he is none of his."

Here then lay the ftrefs. Try yours by your prevailing difpofitions, and the tenour of your lives. Many I know deride fuch a ftandard; it is legal. They derive their affurance from fome other fource; especially from "a direct act of faith ;" or in other words, from a persuasion into which they work themselves,

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without being able to affign any reafon whatever to justify it, fave the consciousness itself. They not only reject good works like others as causes of falvation, but they reject them even as evidences too. They are not fatisfied like others to exclude them from their justification; they exclude them even from their fanc tification too, which, with them means only a relative change. May you be preserved, my dear Brethren, from this dreadful perverfion of " ungodly men, who "turn the grace of God into lafcivioufnefs." Remember nothing can be fo awful as final deception; and nothing can more certainly expofe you to it, than imagining yourselves the favourites of Heaven, while you are ftrangers to the renewing power of divine Grace, and your tempers and lives are under none of the PURIFYING and AFFECTIONATE influences of the Gofpel. "The fecret of the Lord is with them that"FEAR him." "The MEEK will he guide in judgment, "and the MEEK will he teach his way. ." They, to whom there is no condemnation because they are in Chrift, "WALK not after THE FLESH, but after THE "SPIRIT." "He that is born of God OVERCOM"ETH THE WORLD." 66 By this we KNOW that we do KNOW him, if we KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS." These are the true fayings of God; and fuch is the invariable reference of the Scripture.

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Suffer me then to ask you what you know of thefe things. Are you doing righteoufnefs? and are you doing it, not reluctantly, but with pleasure? not occafionally, but conftantly? not partially, but without referve? Do you "efteem all his commandments concerning all things to be right," and do "

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you hate

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