A Goodly Heritage

Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.   You have heard many a good text taken out of the word of God; but though all be good, there is none better than this. Love the text, and love, above all, the blessed first speaker of it; and you will be the fitter to profit by what you hear spoken in his name from it. The best of all sermons, in chaps xiv, xv, xvi. is concluded with the best of all prayers in this chap. xv ii. In this prayer, properly the Lord’s prayer, (for that in Matth. vi. 9. is rather the pattern given for our praying, than the Lord’s prayer), there are but few petitions, but they are all great ones. He prays, 1. For himself and his own glory, ver. 1, to 6. 2. Then for his people, to the end of this chapter. This ver. 24. contains his last petition for them. And passing the compellation  Father,  five ti...

"For our God is a consuming fire."—Heb. XII. 29. THE transgression of the wicked saith, within the heart of every man to whom God hath given spiritual understanding, that there is no fear of God before their eyes. The formal and fearless approaches unto the Lord in all his ordinances, which have now become so common among professors, ought to say to us, that they have but little of this fear. The beginning, yea, the whole of religion, consisting in a great measure in this holy fear, and being denominated from it frequently in scripture, it cannot but be a sad evidence of the decay of religion, when this fear is so evidently wanting or weak: and therefore, to be exercised a little (if we would in the right manner) in the consideration of this matter, as it is at all times suitable to them to whom the vitals of religion are savoury, so, in a special manner it is pertinent for those, who have the solemn ordinance ensuing[1] in their eye and aim. There are three false gro...

"I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then is Christ dead in vain." — Gal. 2:21. From this first argument of the apostle for the justifying of a sinner through the righteousness of Christ, and not by the righteousness of the law, I have raised, and opened, and spoke something to four doctrines— 1st, That the grace of God shines gloriously in the justifying of a sinner through the righteousness of Christ. 2dly, That it is a dreadful sin to frustrate the grace of God. 3dly, That all who seek righteousness by the law, they do frustrate the grace of God. 4thly, That no true sound believer can be guilty of this sin. Frustrating the grace of God is a sin that no believer can commit. I would now come to make some application of these, which I, mean to prosecute from these two heads:— I. To warn you to take heed and to try the spirits, as the apostle exhorts (1 John 4:1), according to this doctrine. II. Try your own state according to your he...